Texas Kids and Family Vacations

Texas has some of the best kids and family vacation destinations and choices in the United States – you can vacation at the beach, in the mountains at Big Bend, in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, in the scenic piney east woods, or the open plains in the Texas Panhandle. Your Texas family vacation can include a cruise from Galveston; camping at any of hundreds of State Parks, Corp of Engineer campgrounds, or luxury RV parks; or a stay in a Texas vacation rental cabin, lodge, resort or waterfront home. This page has some of our ideas for a fun kids and family vacation in Texas.

Resort Vacations

Texas has some fantastic resorts with activities for the entire family. Check out our Texas Resort Reviews to help you find the best resort for a fantastic resort vacation in Texas. You pick a resort with fantastic golf courses; lots of kids activities including fun water parks or lazy rivers; spas and fitness centers; and a variety of accomodations from luxury suites to villas to standard hotel rooms. If you’re looking for luxury at a reduced rate, be sure to browse the affordable timeshares in Texas available on Timeshare-Resale-Rental.com, you’ll get all the aforementioned amenities and activities for far less than standard resort pricing. Read about our fun vacation at La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio; the Woodlands Resort in the Woodlands; JW Marriott in San Antonio; The Cliffs At Possum Kingdom; and other resorts on our Texas Resort Reviews page.

Camping Vacations

It just doesn’t get much better than roasting marshmallows, munching on s’moores, telling ghost stories, singing, or playing games around the campfire under a clear starlit sky with family and friends at a nearby campground or RV park. And then getting up the next morning, cooking a good breakfast outdoors, and going for a family hike, bike ride, or some other fun activity. Camping is a great way to vacation on a budget.

There are over 150 Texas State Parks, Corp of Engineer parks, or county parks with reasonable rates and lots of activities including hiking, biking, canoeing, swimming, tubing, nature hikes and programs, and more. Or you can stay in a luxury RV resort with full hookups, internet and cable TV, swimming pools, fitness centers, movies, pot luck dinners, and other activities to keep you entertained – and most are in or near a major city for shopping, nightlife, attractions, and more. Camping created some of our best family memories and we still camp as a family with our kids and 4 grandkids – the motor home is much more crowded now than it was when we camped as a family of 4! In the Camping Section of Texas Outside you will find maps to help you find a campground and our campground and RV park reviews to tell you what we like about the campground. Or just head out to one of the State, Country, or Corp parks for a picnic and fun day swimming, hiking, biking, and enjoying the outdoors.

Kids Vacations

Plan a kids vacation that will keep them busy, giggling, and smiling for a weekend or longer and create a memory that will last forever. Our Kids Activities Page will help with some ideas of fun things the kids might enjoy and the adults or kids at heart will also have a blast. We had a great week vacation babysitting our 3 grand kids and tubing the river, camping, wakeboarding, jumping on the trampoline, and enjoying Aquatica Water Park.

Here are some recommendations for a family vacation with kids in Texas:

• Amusement Park Heaven – Arlington or San Antonio are the best choices for amusement parks and attractions ranging from a tour of Cowboy Stadium to the Wax Museum to lots of amusement parks (Fiesta Texas and Sea World in San Antonio, Six Flags in Arlington) – you’ll find plenty of choices for close by lodging ranging from RV parks to resorts to economy hotels
• Waterparks – it doesn’t get much better than playing in the waterparks on a hot summer day and Texas offers plenty of choices and some of the rides and chutes are a real thrill. Schlitterbahn has several waterpark locations (Galveston, South Padre, and New Braunfels) and is probably the best and biggest, most major cities have smaller splash or water parks, and Great Wolf Lodge is the ultimate lodge and waterpark combo
• Train Rides – the younger kids will enjoy a ride on a vintage train with Texas State Railroad and everyone will love some of their special event themed rides throughout the year like the Easter Egg Express or Pumpkin Patch Train Ride. Make it a camping weekend and stay at the Texas State Railroad RV Park which is adjacent to the Rusk train depot
• Tubing or Rafting – on a hot summer day, it doesn’t get much better than tubin’ down, or just playing in, one of the many beautiful Texas rivers. The shortest river in Texas (the Comal River in New Braunfels) is suitable for all ages including the younger kids (our 3 and 5 year grand kids loved it), the lower Guadalupe River below Canyon Lake is best know for the crowds and parties on the river, and the Frio River is good for everyone. Make it a weekend and camp, stay in a cabin, or a nearby hotel – Frio Country Resort has lots of options if you plan on tubing the Frio. If you want to take the kids on a fantastic rafting trip, then Big Bend is the choice and there are lots of other fun things to do that kids will enjoy – hiking, horseback riding, ATV, jeep tours, and more. Read about our Rafting Trip Down The Rio Grande and we highly recommend Lajitas Resort and spa or camping in Big Bend.
• Ride a Zip Line – kids (and adults) of all ages will love any of the zip line rides and tours – find one near you on our Zip Line Page

Golfing Vacations

If you have some young aspiring golfers then you need to book a Texas golfing vacation. And you have lots of choices from upscale golf resorts to fantastic stay & play choices offering condos to unique cabins or homes. Our favorite golf resort is La Cantera and a couple great stay & play choices include Blaketree, Garden Valley, or The Cliffs. Read our Stay & Play Reviews to find a fun play to stay or Golf Resort Reviews if you want a resort. Resorts are the best choice with kids because of all the other amenities they can enjoy besides just golf.

Beach Vacations

Kids will just love playing in the surf, flying a kite, feeding the seagulls, being buried in the sand, jumping in the waves, trying to catch a fish, building sand castles, or playing catch, frisbee, volleyball, or football on the beach – and Texas has more than 600 miles of shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico for a fun Texas beach vacation. You can camp right on the beach in several places or stay in a beach condo or beautiful home or economy hotel on or within walking distance to the beach. You can take the kids and rent jet skis; go parasailing; deep sea, pier or beach fishing; surf or sail; ride horses, bikes, or dune buggys on the beach; or just plop down in a lawn chair and get to know the surf and kids. Our favorite beach locations are Galveston, Port Aransas, Corpus Christi, and South Padre.

Lake Vacations

Some of our most fun family vacations have been on any of the over 100 Texas lakes boating, fishing, swimming, skiing, tubing, and enjoying the sunset over the water. You can camp on the lake, find a waterfront rental or resort, or best of all, rent a houseboat for a few days. It just doesn’t get much better than a houseboat vacation. If you don’t have a boat, that’s no excuse – there are plenty of boat rental businesses that rent sailboats, kayaks, jet skis, pontoon boats, fishing boats, and paddle boats plus have all the toys (tubes, skis, boards). Or you can take a chartered dinner or themed cruise, sunset cruise, or slow casual sightseeing cruise. And don’t let parasailing scare you – its safe and a blast! If you like fishing, Texas is home to some of the best bass fishing lakes in the United States and there are plenty of lake fishing guides anxious to help you land a big trophy fish.

Hill Country Vacations

Wow, the Hill Country is where it’s at! Scenic and breathtaking, rivers and lakes, great resorts and camping, plenty of hiking and biking trails, dude ranches, climbing, scenic drives, caving, outstanding golf courses, attractions, funky and fun cities to explore, and much more to see and do. The Hill Country is one of the premier kids and family vacation destinations in Texas. Check out our list of 25 Fun Things To See and Do in the Texas Hill Country.

Texas Vacations

Texas has lots of fun places for vacations from the Gulf Coast (Galveston, Port Aransas, and South Padre Island) to the Texas Hill Country and all that it offers from lakes and boating to golf to hiking to wine tasting or to the mountains in West Texas or spending some time exploring some of the fun Texas cities like Dallas, Austin, Corpus Christi, or Fredericksburg. Read our articles on some fun Texas Vacations or Weekend Getaways.