Fishing, World's Largest Flea Market & More at LakeRidge RV Park

This was provided to us by our friends at LakeRidge RV Park in Gun Barrel City, Texas.

LakeRidge RV Park is located in the heart of Gun Barrel City, Texas which is located in the "Heart of Cedar Creek Lake" and is approximately 60 miles southeast of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It has the distinction of being the only town in the United States to bear its unusual name. On the shores of beautiful Cedar Creek Lake, Gun Barrel City offers visitors diverse options for dining, golfing and water sports. Gun Barrel City is located a short drive from area attractions, including world known First Monday Trade Days in Canton and the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens.

First Monday Trade Days is the oldest and largest flea market in the world! They have 100,000 - 300,000 visitors a month with over 3,000 vendors including various Food Concessions. The Trade Days open 7:00 a,m. on Thursday and run through Sunday before the First Monday of every month. They have covered and open air spaces, have Paramedics and Police Sub-Stations for safety

Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens you and your family will have a great time discovering the magic of freshwater fish and wildlife at this incredible $18 million facility, which includes a state of the art hatchery and scientific laboratory. Stare eye-to-eye with freshwater fish in their incredible 300,000 gallons of aquaria. Don't miss the dive show - talk to the divers through the underwater intercom while they feed some of Texas' biggest fish. Catch trout and catfish in their 1.5 acre pond (they even provide poles, bait and show you how). Walk through the new wetlands exhibit and discover where the fish and wildlife live-it's a natural classroom! Visit the Angler Hall of Fame. Schedule a tour through their hatchery and take the tram to see it all.

While here plan on enjoying water sports and fishing Cedar Creek Lake. Also nearby is Purtis Creek State Park where the fishing is good at the Purtis Creek State Park Lake.

Other RV Campgrounds should feel free to share with us the wonders that may be found in and around their campground. Please send your article submissions to monty@elmonterv.com.

Texas Freshwater Fishing Destinations

If you love to fish, your next RV vacation should be a Texas RV Vacation. More than a hundred lakes tempt fishermen to drop their hooks in the Lone Star State. Travelling there by motorhome makes the trip easy, with comfortable beds and a well-stocked kitchen to greet you when you come in from a day of fishing. Why not use the links below to start planning your Texas freshwater fishing trip soon?

Freshwater fisherman will find plenty of sport chasing black bass, walleye, crappie and catfish, just to name a few of the species abundant in Texas lakes. Lake Arrowhead near Wichita Falls is famous for its white crappie population. In the same region, Lake Meredith offers walleye enthusiasts a run for their money. An abundance of RV campsites at both lakes makes setting up the fishing camp simple.

In the Piney Woods area of East Texas, lakes like Sam Rayburn, Houston County and Toledo Bend are nationally known for black bass, crappie and catfish. World famous fishing tournaments fill this region's calendar, too, so be sure to sign up if you like your fishing competitive.

Roll your motorhome west to the Lakes Region of Texas, home to more than twenty freshwater fishing lakes. You'll find beautiful Lake Texoma right on the Oklahoma border, promising crappie, bass, catfish and bluegill galore as well as an abundance of privately run and US Corps of Engineer RV campgrounds.

Don't miss your chance to go fly fishing along the Texas Gulf Coast, either. Fly fishing enthusiasts flock each year to Sabine Lake along the Louisiana border, where trout of record size test their skills annually. Trout fishing in this region is legendary, so plan to camp all along the coastline and visit several lakes and estuaries on your trip.

No Texas freshwater fishing trip would be complete without a visit to the South Texas lakes, where striped bass and redfish reign supreme. Try Calaveras, Braunig or Choke Canyon for the ultimate South Texas fishing expedition.

Freshwater fishing is as American as the Fourth of July, and there's no better place to try your hand than Texas. You can also find information on camping, fishing and all kinds of outdoor recreation at the Texas Parks and Wildlife site.

Hook up your boat to a great motorhome and head down the road to Texas. The fish are biting and an adventure for the record books awaits.

See here for more on fishing.

A Road Trip Through Texas Ghost Towns

While we're exploring the idea of traveling by RV to find ghost towns, let's not forget some of the very best are in Texas. I've put together a top five list of Texas ghost towns recommended by my friends and clients:

1. Washington-on-the-Brazos: This once lively center of early Texas politics is in part operated by Texas Parks & Wildlife. Visit Barrington Living History Farm, the Star of the Republic Museum and a recreated Independence Hall, where Texas leaders signed their Declaration of Independence from Mexico in 1836. Not your run of the mill ghost town, it combines historical displays and the ruins of what once served as the capital city of the Texas Republic. Park your RV in nearby Waller, Texas at Yogi Bear's Jellystone RV Park & Resort!
   
2. Fort Phantom: Located just north of Abilene, Texas, this ghost fort was abandoned three years after it was established in 1851 due to the lack of fresh water in the area. Several ruins are still on-site and are managed by a local historical society.
   
3. Barstow: Ghost town hunters love this town, with plenty of structures still standing to be explored and photographed. In the desert west of Pecos, Barstow is the classic Texas ghost town, deserted after the loss of irrigation to local farms.
   
4. Salt Flat: At the foot of the Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas, you'll find the town of Salt Flat. So-named because of the natural salt flats around it, Salt Flat features several abandoned buildings, the salt flats themselves and nearby Guadalupe Pass in the mountains. Two RV campgrounds in Guadalupe Mountains National Park make this trip easy to plan.
   
5. Luckenbach: Founded in the 1850s by German immigrants, you probably first heard of this town thanks to Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson! The German inhabitants are long gone, but the attention brought to the nearly-deserted town of Luckenbach, Texas by a song of the same name now brings music fans from all over to hear new talent. Plan your RV vacation around one of the famous concerts and stay to explore the former general store, post office and other ruins.
   

For even more information on Texas ghost towns, I definitely recommend you visit GhostTowns.com. They've got plenty of fascinating tips for getting the most out of your ghost town tour by RV.

Come to El Monte RV to rent your motorhome and get your Texas RV vacation rolling. Locations include our Dallas RV Rentals, Palmer RV Rentals, or San Antonio RV Rentals locations. By the way, if you find any ghosts out there, be sure to send us pictures to share on Monte's Musings!

Photo by Lee Otis from his photo set Ghost Towns. Some rights reserved under Creative Commons: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Award Winning & Only a Year Old - Mill Creek Ranch Resort

Mill Creek Ranch Resort is located in East Texas just south of Interstate 20 on Trade Days Boulevard (Hwy 19) in Canton, Texas. It features 200 contiguous acres along the banks of Mill Creek. The park was carefully designed to preserve stands of oaks, sycamores, cedar, black walnut, persimmon, and hickory trees with abundant natural hiking trails that meander along the creek banks and through the wetlands. It offers guests an extraordinary wildlife and bird watching experience.

Some of the special attractions near the park include:

• First Monday Trade Days which is billed as the oldest and largest flea market in the United States. It is held on the Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday preceding the first Monday of each month. It was first held some time in the 1850s.
  
• Splash Kingdom Waterpark and Arcade & Family Fun Center
  
• Buffalo Creek Motocross Park
  
• East Texas Gators & Wildlife Park
  
• Twin Lakes Golf Course
  
• Texas Rose Horse Park, home to the 2009 United States Equestrian Drill Championship
  
• Lake Fork which is known as the trophy bass fishing lake of Texas
  

The park, only 1 year old, has been widely recognized as a top RV park. Recent awards include:

• "Best Large Park" in the state of Texas at the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO) annual convention
  
• A high honors rating by Trailer Life
  
• An "A" Rating from Guest Reviews
  

The amenities at the Mill Creek Ranch Resort include: 100 RV sites with full hook-ups, rental cabins and cottages, two resort swimming pools, hot tub, RV Center, stocked fishing ponds, beautiful island gazebo, Outdoor Pavilion with a grill and smoker, poolside Cabana, gated playground, and conference and banquet facilities in the main lodge.

For more information see the Mill Creek Ranch Resort website - www.millcreekranchresort.com.

An El Monte RV location that is near the Mill Creek Ranch Resort would be the Dallas RV Rentals location.

Other RV Campgrounds should feel free to share with us the wonders that may be found in and around their campground. Please send your article submissions to monty@elmonterv.com.