Lake Texana State Park, Relaxing Gulf Coast Getaway

With all the job lay offs and rising unemployment rates, folks are looking for cheap ways to calm worries and fill time without spending a lot of cash. State parks like Lake Texana near the small town of Edna offer Texas families the fun adventures of camping, canoeing, swimming, bird watching, hiking, and even educational nature programs and crafts without much expense.

Located on Hwy 111 just 6 ½ miles east of Edna, the park is easy access for families from Houston, Austin, or Corpus Christi. Five hundred and seventy five acres of mixed oak and pecan woodlands with a beautiful lake are home to deer, squirrels, rabbits, armadillos, and raccoons as well as owls, numerous water birds and other fowl. Occasionally an alligator can be seen sunning himself along the shores of the lake.

Open seven days a week, the park features primitive campsites for campers who enjoy roughing it, as well as sites with full hookups for the RVers. Picnic facilities include restrooms, showers, tables, grills, and water faucets. Large groups of picnickers will enjoy the pavilion while children romp on sturdy playground equipment.

Most visitors bring their own bicycles and insect repellent but if they forget ice or firewood the state park store will save the day. It also carries souvenirs and rents canoes.

The Nature Center and Interpretive Area offers nature crafts and nature programs as well as other special events on weekends. Every Saturday picnickers can learn about the plants and animals living in the park and complete a craft item. There is also an amphitheater and a pier.

Special holiday events often feature games like horseshoes, sack races, and volleyball as well as stargazing. Campers can choose between watching for deer and birds on a morning hike or listening for frogs and owls on a moonlight hike. The adventurous might choose both!

Visitors who truly want to get away from it all do not have to join these activities. They can pitch a tent or break out the lawn chairs in a secluded area and sip a cool drink while simply enjoying the sound of the waves lapping the shore and the calls of birds and wildlife. Sometimes they are lucky enough to have a visit from one of nature's friendly little animals.

Summer temperatures can soar but the densely shaded spaces coupled with a lake breeze can be comfortable. Of course spring and fall offer the best weather but is also when the park is most crowded. Special rates and a quieter facility are advantages of a winter visit. With the average January temperature of the area being only 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the park is a popular haven for snow bird vacationers from the north.

A day or two or a week away from it all in this relaxing getaway can be a wonderful family vacation or inexpensive natural medicine for calming nerves frayed by financial worries. Visit Lake Texana State Park.