location – Texans Travel Life

The Manling and I visited Abilene State Park in July 2018. It was our first visit to this gem, even though it is only three hours from our home in North Texas. En route, I hunkered down for some alone time in my favorite space – my head – while The Manling reposed in the passenger seat of the Tiny Toyota Tardis (because the Yaris is bigger on the inside). As the road changed from interstate to a two-lane road, the scenery morphed. I exchanged the flat expanses of I-20 for sublime roads more akin to roller-coaster tracks filled with hills, valleys, twists, and turns. No longer was I staring across level fields of wind turbines. I was now delightedly driving through miles and miles of them as I wound my way ever closer to Abilene State Park.

The Manling had been awake all of 60 seconds when we snapped our entry selfie. God bless him.

While registering our visit with the Park Staff upon arrival, we chatted both of them up about their park, attempting to extract from each what they personally considered top notch V.I.P. experiences within ASP. Their suggestions combined with the plethora of activities listed on the website greased the wheels of my imagination for a fall camp out with friends, from which the gears have continued to spin. From this ceaseless planning, I have created:

Abilene State Park’s Top 10 Activities for Every Person on the Planet

10. Swimming. Open during the summer, ASP offers park goers a ginormous swimming pool, a smaller wading pool, tons of seating, and even shaded lounge chairs to make for an epic poolside day of fun in the sun (or shade). The perfect cure for the Texas summer heat.

9. Bird Blind. Lots of State Parks provide special areas for guests to enjoy the sights and sounds of their winged visitors, but ASP went a step beyond with their bird blind. We could actually hear the wings of several hummingbirds from our vantage point, as well as the happy chirping and singing of several other varieties of birds visiting their favorite, shaded, protected watering hole. Delightful!

8. Horseshoes. Nestled under glorious shade trees near the pool and beautiful CCC-constructed water tower are actual horseshoe pits! As in, good ol’ fashioned fun from yesteryear!

7. Kayak/Canoe Rental. Rentals are available in the park’s HQ for kayaks and canoes, a fun way to explore Lake Abilene during your visit.

6. Team Building Game(s). Sand volleyball. Soccer. Baseball. Kickball. There’s space for all of these fun team building games at ASP! Grab some friends and bond over a competitive sport…or two!

5. Fishing. There is a pond on the HQ side of the park, but there’s a lake across the road surrounded by the beautiful rolling hills of the Callahan Divide. The whole time you’re fishing, you’ve got the sneaking suspicion that you are actually somehow fishing on the planet Mars with the beautiful orange terra firma beneath your feet.

4. Trails. With around five miles of them, you could legitimately see the entire park by foot over the course of a weekend. Some are bike-accessible, too! The ones we trekked on our visit were beautiful with canopied trees, lush undergrowth, and a variety of birds providing an enjoyable soundtrack while we explored.

3. Sunset. Lake Abilene at sunset. Trust me.

2. Geocaching. There were a few free geocaches within the park and I have to give kudos to the brilliant blokes that hid them. They were FANTASTIC! I may sound like a broken record, but geocaching is the best way to explore a new area. Download the free app and go have fun modern-day treasure hunting!

1. Staying. This is number one because of the variety of wonderful, picturesque, and one-of-a-kind accommodations available at ASP.

Tent camping? yes

RV camping? yes

Lakeside Cabin? yes

Tiny House Village? yes (a.k.a. shelters, but they look like an adorable tiny house village set underneath the trees!)

YURTS? oh my, yes! (Sign me up for an overnighter in a bona fide yurt complete with beds and an a/c, please!)

Why We Love Abilene State Park

Location. I mentioned driving through miles and miles of twisty-turny, up-and-down roads through the towering wind turbines en route to ASP. When we left, we were treated to the likes of Buffalo Gap, a precious little piece of ‘Merica that will make you want to listen to Lee Greenwood sing “Proud to be an American” on a loop while you explore it via the geocache method of tourism.
Variety of Activities. Boating. Swimming. Horseshoes. Team Sports. Fishing. Hiking. Biking. Bird Watching. Geocaching. Exploring. It’s all there for the taking, friend.
Accommodations. Yurts, people. Yurts with a/c. And if that isn’t enough, shelters that look like a Tiny House Village nestled under beautiful trees. If those are too primitive, there’s a legitimate Lake House Cabin. Or if you are so inclined to bring your own accommodations, the tent or RV sites are picture perfect.

Must Do’s

Um, see the above list.

We’d love to hear about your experiences at Abilene State Park! Please share your experiences at this deliciously diverting State Park in the comments.

*In all natural areas, you are a guest. Educate yourself on what lives in the areas before your visits, always talk to the Park Rangers upon arrival and take precautions so that your experiences end as positively as ours.

It’s quaint and precious and picture perfect.

All smiles. Because looking up there, that looks easy enough, right?

Is it, or isn’t it? There seemed to be some confusion as to whether or not Port Isabel Lighthouse was still an official Texas State Park at the time of our visit in June 2018, or not. The evidence pointed both directions at the same time. Whether it was, or wasn’t, an official State Park at the time of our visit (and this blog), it was listed as one of the 99 Texas State Parks, so we included it.

Nestled on less than an acre of land, surprisingly Port Isabel Lighthouse is not the smallest Texas State Park (you know, if it was one). It consists of the lighthouse proper (which is supposedly only 50 feet above the ground, but my shaking legs and fragile resolve to climb to the top reckoned it closer to 500′), and a replica of the original lighthouse keeper’s cottage (complete with an adorable white picket fence). That’s it. The cottage contains some pretty interesting information on the lighthouse, how lighthouses work, etc., but the big attraction at PILSHS is the lighthouse, so let’s get to that.

It’s small. Intimate, if you will. As such, the State Park (you know, if it is one) cannot accommodate hoards of people climbing up and down the winding, see-through stair case all at once, or perching on the narrow outside “balcony” near the top, or packing into the round “room” at the tippy top. Thankfully. Because neither could I.

I somehow managed to keep it together enough to ascend the metal stair case after The Man & Kinder Frau left The Manling and me at the bottom. Like this would be nothing but sunshine and happiness. As we climbed, trying desperately not to look through the holes in the beautifully intricate metalwork under our feet, the Manling and I provided a mini-concert of moans, punctuated occasionally by breathy prayers of desperation that may have sounded like hyperventilation, and hugged the wall in what could be considered a semi-inappropriate way if taken out of context. In other words, this charming, unassuming lighthouse that looks super do-able from the ground somehow morphs into the Eiffel Tower on Halloween Night shortly into your ascent, so if you are wary of heights this will be a challenge. But a challenge well worth the cost of admission with beautiful 360 degree views of the surrounding area, the Gulf of Mexico and South Padre Island! Take a page out of Nike’s playbook on this one – Just Do It!

What I am not showing you is the extent to which my body is pushed against the solidity of the lighthouse with both my feet and hands. This was a super hard shot for me, but the rest of them stayed out there, walking all the way around, as I headed down the stairs.

Happy to be back on good ole terra firma.

Why We Love Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site

Lighthouse. There just aren’t too many of these gems left, especially in Texas along the coast. It was worth the drive to plan a trip to experience a part of our history that may not be around too much longer.
Views. Beautiful!
Location. It’s the tip of Texas! It’s where the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Texas all converge. That’s pretty special!

Must Do’s

Climb. It was hard. I’ll admit it. But I am also glad that I sucked it up and faced my fear of heights because the views were spectacular.
Learn. The Chamber of Commerce (located in the keeper’s cottage) has a great display to learn all about lighthouses. And being on site while you’re learning about it makes a more lasting impression than just reading about it in a book.
Visit. If you’ve never seen what the hype about South Padre Island is, then drive across the bridge. You’re right there. We chose to go geocaching, but there is shopping galore, restaurants, a water park, learning centers, and more.

We’d love to hear about your experiences at Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historic Site! Please share your thoughts on this piece of history on the tip of Texas in the comments.

*In all natural areas, you are a guest. Educate yourself on what lives in the areas before your visits, always talk to the Park Rangers upon arrival and take precautions so that your experiences end as positively as ours.