Help me find a place to vacation

July 22, 2009 7:09 AM

WeekendVacationFilter: I cant seem to find a cool place to take my family this summer for a small vacation. Here are the detail, please help. We live in Dallas, Me, Wife, two kids (7yr old girl & 3yr old boy), we will be driving but do not want to drive more than 5-6 hours, leaving Saturday morning and returning on a Tuesday, preferebly looking for a cabin somewhere to relax but also have fun stuff to do with the kids? Im really open to all and any suggestions, Any suggestion? Please help me put a end to my searching.
posted by flipmiester99 to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

Not a cabin venue but San Antonio? Sea World, Fiesta Texas, Alamo, River walk?
posted by doorsfan at 7:35 AM on July 22

How about one of the Texas State Parks? Garner can be fun, for example: "camping, hiking, nature study, picnicking, canoeing, fishing, swimming in the Frio River (unsupervised), seasonal miniature golf, paddle boat and kayak rentals (mid-March through Labor Day weekend), bike riding (surfaced)."
posted by Houstonian at 7:38 AM on July 22

Just to Clarify..Dallas, Tx.
posted by flipmiester99 at 7:49 AM on July 22

Turner Falls, OK in the Arbuckle mountains is about a two hour drive from Dallas, and there's plenty for kids to do. There are a couple of waterfalls, some caves to explore, an abandoned castle, hiking trails, a big swimming hole and probably a couple more things. Also nearby is a very nice animal park that you drive through.

They do have well appointed cabins, but I have a feeling that they fill up fast, so you may also want to explore staying nearby, then spending all day in the park.

We were there over Mother's Day this spring and had a fantastic time. Lemme find a link.
posted by mattybonez at 8:06 AM on July 22

Try Lake Eufala In Oklahoma. THere are boat rentals, accommodations, and things to do all around. I spent summer vacations with my grandparents on that lake so I am partial to it. :)
posted by Gravitus at 8:41 AM on July 22

Devil's Den state park in Arkansas is awesome. I also live in the Dallas area and took my then 7 yr old daughter camping there. It was hot outside but very cool in the caves. However, I'm not sure how well a three year old would do because some of the access points are pretty steep. There are a ton of hiking trails(that a three year old could handle)though and there is a pool. We did not stay in the cabins but I got a park ranger to show us one and they are nice. The area is beautiful with lots of CCC buildings built in the 1930's.

Arkansas state parks are maintained much better than Texas parks IMO. Look at their website for parks that have cabins. From this area it is a 3-6 hour drive depending on what part of Arkansas you visit. Took us about 4 and a half hours to get to Devil's Den.

I would recommend taking bikes or scooters for the kids to play with. The park is big and kids get bored. We had to go to the smallest Wal-Mart in the world to buy a scooter while we were there. If you have any other questions me-mail me!
posted by shmurley at 8:48 AM on July 22

We used to vacation in Arkansas when I was a kid growing up in Irving. Lake Ouachita and the Hot Springs area (~4.5 hours outside Dallas) hold fond memories for me, and where I apparently discovered my love of nature and rocks according to my dad. I am now employed, trained, and registered as a geologist.

I don't remember where we stayed, but there were cabins involved. Of course this was 20 years ago so YMMV.
posted by Big_B at 8:56 AM on July 22

How about a cabin near Comfort or Fredricksburg in the Hill Country and go down into SA for the day? Or somewhere near one of the Hill Country rivers and go tubing?
posted by vincele at 1:36 PM on July 22

Rent a cabin or house at Possum Kingdom Lake near Graham about 2 1/2 hours SW of Dallas. There are lots of places to stay and if you don't have a boat or sea-do, you can rent one. You could also go hiking or canoe the Brazos River. It's very scenic and different from most Texas lakes.
posted by tamitang at 9:48 PM on July 22