Best Glamping near Jacksonville, TX

I should mention that my husband is from Canada. He was very unenthusiastic about camping in Texas. Well Tyler State Park made him change his mind! He LOVED the large trees, said it was the closest he'd felt to home in quite some time. We love the variety of types of sites they offer. Lake front, group, hike in, cabin, they have something for everyone! Only downfall is they book so quickly.

Water is clear and great for swimming, which is a rarity in Texas. Camp has kayaks to rent and a great playground. Lots of camp activities and great hiking. Clean bathrooms!

Well designed park, while the park has tons of sites they are placed in smaller loops, providing a more nature and less neighbor. Nice lake, the water is cleaner than most Texas lakes.

This park was one of the most beautiful places I have ever camped in East Texas. The hiking and biking trails are amazing. The lake is super clear and very pretty. I will definitely be going back here!

Great spot in the Piney woods of East Texas. Minutes from Tyler State park. Perfect spot for large families or groups. Amenities are not fully finished till summer, but there will be a great number of improvements such as water park, warming tub and restaurant.

I have been to Tyler State Park many times my last adventure there included a group of teardrop and vintage trailers. We kind of took over the whole park. Great little lake for kayaking and canoeing. Several docs for fishing which I didn't have much luck at the last trip. It's a nice Pinetree lined little parked in East Texas near Tyler.

This is my favorite state park in Texas! Lots of options for all kinds of campers. For camping, lots of different sites available for RVs/Campers, Tents, etc. some along the lake, some in the woods, and also cabins and shelters available! Hiking options vary from a nature stroll, to some more serious up-downs through the hills on the outskirts of the campground. Bring your friends, family, and pets, there is truly something for everyone here, even kayak and canoe rentals at the lake!

It being August in Texas, we rented a limited use cabin with air conditioning. It also has a mini frig and a microwave inside. It has a queen size bed for which campers need to bring their own pillows and bed linens. The frig was super cold, and the AC worked well. There was a wood table with four chairs. The table was really sticky, so I recommend bringing something you can use as a table cloth. There are only six of these cabins, and they have a four bathroom building at the end of the cul de sac. No tents or pets are allowed at the cabin sites. Each has fire pit and water outside cabin

The park has a very small lake with canoe, kayak, paddle board, row boat, and paddle boat rentals. Life vests are provided with rental. It was fun! There is a good sized swimming area too. There are a number of trails of varying difficulty, some for hiking only, some for home and bike. Ranger programs offered.

We had a good time here, nice campsite, pretty treeline right behind our campsite. The raccoons are a riot though. They all came out at once and kind of pushed us into the tent. They weren't aggressive or anything, but you know. We went out on a boat on the lake, that was fun. The lake isn't very big though, but it was still a fun time. Make sure to bring a watch, they didnt have any at the little shop ( I was scared to bring my phone)! I will say though that it was kind of pricey? This was a while ago and we stayed 2 nights, I remember it being like 60$. We had the water and electric campsite. Nothing special and only me and the boyfriend (with texas liscence plates). Should not have been that much imo, and I've told people and they think it's crazy too. Just make sure to check the website before you drive all the way out there and spend way too much money. It is pretty though and peacful.

PROS 

Texas State Park Pass discount saving $49 

Reserved 151 days prior to arriving 

Not charged a fee to make my own on-line reservation 

Big Pine site #308 very shady site 

Extra wide asphalt parking pad 

Concrete slab that locked down the wooden picnic table 

Metal fire pit with cooking grate which was cleared of ash upon our arrival 

2 hook lantern pole 

Dark sky friendly 

Trash dumpsters near the toilet/shower building 

Tyler Rose Garden features over 30,000 bushes and is open free to the public from sunrise to sunset…very beautiful and serene 

CONS 

Had to sweep for nearly an hour to clean debris from site 

No entrance gate locked overnight 

Never saw any rangers patrolling campground during our entire stay 

Dogs on leashes not enforced 

Unable to move picnic table 

Big Pine site #308 way out of being level but manageable 

Big Pine site #308 close to campground road 

Big Pine site #308 tight fit for 28 ft 

Only pine firewood for sale in Park 

No WiFi 

1 bar Verizon 5G

Took a chance on this campground because many reviews on various websites  were bad and many were old...Used to be a TX state park but was "decommissioned" evidently. It is not the most maintained campground, but it is a small loop with pull-in sites w/ full hookups. The bathroom didnt seem maintained much, but we have a camper, so don't have need for the bathrooms. The texas state RR train engine car came through one time in the afternoon to turn around to pull the train back to palestine...that's pretty unique and a cool thing at a campsite IMO.

our group loved this place--albeit a very different experience if you are used to well-maintained KOAs etc, but for those that are self contained and just want to hang out/camp, it's a cool place. Had a nice walk around the historic train depot and the little pond behind it. we camped in october and It was very "fall vibes" with all the super tall pine trees and we thought it was a hidden gem and appropriately priced for what you get (ie: it's not priced like a KOA, so don't expect similar amenities--but there are good things about that too--it's not packed with people!!). Not sure I'd make a super long destination out of it if you're  too far away, but We will be back since it's close to camp here!

• Hills in Texas …Nawh
• Some good hiking..you can work up a sweat, loop D is the most challenging
• Dense shady forest
• Fire wood can be purchased at the park or at the gas station right outside the park
• Small lake with a couple of lit fishing piers
• Awesome park store that rents paddle boats and canoes

Ever have the feeling you are being watched especially at night. At Tyler State Park you may well be. Take a walk at night on the park road and shine your flashlight into the trees. A glowing pairs of eyes will be staring back at you. It is the Raccoons living in the trees. There are smart and persistent, so don't leave any food coolers outside unless it has a lock. They helped themselves to 2 lbs of fajita beef and another 1 lb of chicken. Also be prepared to jump when opening the park trash dumpster.

We went with some friends who also pulled their pop-up camper. We picked Sites #14 and #15 because they were connected and the kids had a lot room between sites to play. We love the lit fishing piers, after the kids are in bed, can indulge in some "me" time with a nice cigar, a couple of beers and a folding chair.

Reserved on-line 153 days prior to arrival. 

Pros 

Area 2 campground night sky friendly with good dark sky viewing

Site 211 has fantastic views of the lake

Mid afternoon Sunday check in at entrance station very busy but processed quickly Utility hookups in good condition 

Sites with grass neatly maintained 

Campground mostly quiet except for Interstate 20 traffic noise 

Showers were individual entry on opposite side of the building from the toilets 

Campsite and entrance fee discount with Texas State Park Pass 

Not charged a fee to make my own on-line reservation 

EXXON station directly outside of State Park sold oak firewood 25 pieces for $20 

Cons 

Raccoons very aggressive and tried to take food that we were eating from our hands!!! Area 2 Lakeview sites require leveling side-to-side 

Area 2 campsite parking pads are narrow with trees and large boulders close to parking pad. 

ery narrow roadway in Area 2 with limited space to maneuver into backin sites. 

One pull-thru site was so tight to the roadway, their trailer was partially on the road! Area 2 campground sites have no privacy from any other camp sites 

Site 211 table, fire pit with cooking grate and lantern pole are located opposite side of the trailer door 

Area 2 restroom/shower building serves 58 campsites and it shows it! Restroom facility badly needing some TLC, cleaning and maintenance Women’s restroom had 3 toilets and 2 sinks; men’s had 2 toilets and 1 urinal 

Firewood for sale in Area 2 was only pine wood

First & foremost, This park is not well-maintained, and the camping sites are right off of the highway. The splash pad does not work, and the bath house was terribly dirty and freaked of sewage. The group sites are basically a big parking lot- zero grass space between site numbers, although there is shared grass areas along the rows. We moved site numbers within the group sites so that our kids would not be playing right beside the highway (there is a gate, however it’s still concerning), and to slightly distance ourselves from the traffic noise. Beware there is also a large wedding venue directly across the highway & our kids were woken to the sounds of fireworks at night on the weekend. There were large fire ant mounds all along the concrete, and we had to purchase fire ant killer ourselves, as well as deal with some broken glass & the trash can for our site that wasn’t emptied before our stay. I spoke with the staff member working in the office and all she could say was “i will let management know.”

As far as the good: we had 6 kids and 4 adults staying, so despite the concerns and annoyances, we still were able to relax enough and enjoy our break from the daily grind. The kids played outside all day- making walking sticks, fishing a lot, catching bugs (spotted some really neat moths, too), and making up games.

The best: the nearly-daily trains coming right through the campground for various reasons (loading new cars or taking passengers on a local trip). My son is an avid train-lover and this was the main reason we booked our stay here.

Super nice staff and full saturday breakfast (eggs/bacon/pancakes/coffee etc--extra fee, but very reasonable!)

Pool, jump pad, playground, trike rentals, Rock/gem mining slough, movies/events, etc.

Sites are level pull-through sites and most have a clear view of the playground, which gives the kids a sense of freedom.  They have cabins and cool teepees as well, but have only ever camped in RV here.

Have been camping here in the summers and both Easter & Halloween weekends and they do easter egg/candy hunts and have other events for the kids/kids at heart.

We love coming here and the staff are always very kind to us. (photos on this review are during the halloween event--we decorated our campsite lol)

This KOA is a very quiet location. Very beautiful area. Close to town. Friendly staff. Saltwater swimming pool.

This campground really has no outside noise from anywhere. It is wonderfully quiet. The office and other working staff are very friendly and informative about things to do in the area. The wifi is strong, and the sites are level. we will definitely be back to stay in the area again on our trips through.

Stayed here three times and each time was excellent . They had activities for the kids. The campgrounds were clean and the sites were pull thru so easy to park and enjoy. I will be coming back to stay

The park was small, but nice. We loved waking up to see a pasture full of cows behind us. The manager was very polite. I would stay here again.

Well taken care of park. All the rv spots are nice. Family and pet friendly. The bathrooms are nice. And the bait shop has everything you forgot at home. 10/10!!