Any advice on wintering in RGV?

[GypsyQueen]

We usually go to Arizona for the winter, but would like to try the Rio Grande Valley this year. I'm just wondering if the hurricane has caused campgrounds to close. Would love some advice on where to stay that might still have a month or so open in January or February. We don't need fancy, but would like someplace where we could put our awning out and not have it hit the next guy's slide out. Also would like somewhere that has a few planned activities - pot lucks, art groups, crafting, etc.  Is it too late to get something?

[bounder94]

24 minutes ago, GypsyQueen said:

We usually go to Arizona for the winter, but would like to try the Rio Grande Valley this year. I'm just wondering if the hurricane has caused campgrounds to close. Would love some advice on where to stay that might still have a month or so open in January or February. We don't need fancy, but would like someplace where we could put our awning out and not have it hit the next guy's slide out. Also would like somewhere that has a few planned activities - pot lucks, art groups, crafting, etc.  Is it too late to get something?

We have been going to the RGV for several years.  We kinda have a route thru CO, NM, AZ, CA and end up in TX before heading back north to NE in March.  This will be our 22nd year.  We usually spend about a month in Quartzside during the RV show.  The last two shows, we got specials for RV parks in the RGV.  Last year Encore had a one month first time special for $199.  Regular price would be about $800/month.  I see they are already running ads for this year at $299/month.  They say there are around 500 RV parks in the valley. Most of the  parks will have activities, pot lucks, Jams etc.

[GypsyQueen]

We see so many ads -- it's hard to choose one sight unseen. Looking for some recommendations from people who have been there if possible.

 

[Rover]

We stayed at Palmdale RV Resort in Los Fresnos, TX last winter for about 3 months and really enjoyed it. We selected that park because the sites are really big. They have lots of activities and a potluck once a week. They even plan field trips. There is also a heated pool and hot tub with water aerobics 2-3 times a day. They just paved all the streets while we were there last winter. The people were really great too. We felt very welcome.

Just a few minutes drive from both Brownsville and South Padres Island.

 

Vicki

 

 

 

[bounder94]

7 hours ago, GypsyQueen said:

We see so many ads -- it's hard to choose one sight unseen. Looking for some recommendations from people who have been there if possible.

 

 

7 hours ago, GypsyQueen said:

We see so many ads -- it's hard to choose one sight unseen. Looking for some recommendations from people who have been there if possible.

 

Victoria Palms is one of the nicest parks in the RGV.  We stayed there 2 years ago using the $199/month special.  Last year was Alamo Palms.  both very nice gated parks.  They are both Encore parks.  There are more of them to choose from.

[rynosback]

6 hours ago, bounder94 said:

 

Victoria Palms is one of the nicest parks in the RGV.  We stayed there 2 years ago using the $199/month special.  Last year was Alamo Palms.  both very nice gated parks.  They are both Encore parks.  There are more of them to choose from.

Where did you find the $199 special?  I would love to check out this place while we are down there.  Right now we are slated for a month in Palmview.

[rynosback]

16 hours ago, GypsyQueen said:

We usually go to Arizona for the winter, but would like to try the Rio Grande Valley this year. I'm just wondering if the hurricane has caused campgrounds to close. Would love some advice on where to stay that might still have a month or so open in January or February. We don't need fancy, but would like someplace where we could put our awning out and not have it hit the next guy's slide out. Also would like somewhere that has a few planned activities - pot lucks, art groups, crafting, etc.  Is it too late to get something?

We stayed in Palmview for 2 months last winter.  We are heading back to the same place in a couple of weeks.  We stayed at Green Gate Grove.  We loved it there.  It is a community of houses, RV lots and mobile homes.  There are a TON of options in the RGV to choose from.

[rynosback]

16 hours ago, GypsyQueen said:

We usually go to Arizona for the winter, but would like to try the Rio Grande Valley this year. I'm just wondering if the hurricane has caused campgrounds to close. Would love some advice on where to stay that might still have a month or so open in January or February. We don't need fancy, but would like someplace where we could put our awning out and not have it hit the next guy's slide out. Also would like somewhere that has a few planned activities - pot lucks, art groups, crafting, etc.  Is it too late to get something?

Duplicate post...urggggggg.

[whj469]

If you search you can find very reasonable RV sites in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The cost of living I also lower then say AZ or FL. The wind blows a lot of the time and you can get dental work and meds over the border in Mexico. Welcome Winter Texans!

[bounder94]

On 11/9/2017 at 1:15 AM, rynosback said:

Where did you find the $199 special?  I would love to check out this place while we are down there.  Right now we are slated for a month in Palmview.

We signed up for the $199 at the Quartsite RV show last January.  They told us that we would need to pick the month and pay at the show. When we got to the RGV, that had the same special in the "Winter Texan" newspaper.  I see this year that Encore is running a special of $299 for one month, still a good deal.  There are several Encore RV parks in the RGV to pick from.

[rynosback]

On 11/10/2017 at 8:54 PM, bounder94 said:

We signed up for the $199 at the Quartsite RV show last January.  They told us that we would need to pick the month and pay at the show. When we got to the RGV, that had the same special in the "Winter Texan" newspaper.  I see this year that Encore is running a special of $299 for one month, still a good deal.  There are several Encore RV parks in the RGV to pick from.

Thanks I found the add you were talking about.

 

http://www.m109riders.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=362225&d=1510560394

[MnP]

We have stayed at Palmdale RV Resort in Los Fresnos TX for the past 2 winters and will return there right after Christmas this year. Large 40 X 90 sites, enough activities for most folks, great neighbors and close to South Padre Island.

Mike

2014 MS 38RSSB3

[ToddF]

I am down here now going from park to park taking tours and checking out rates. The parks here do not fill up so don't hesitate to "come on down" and look for deals.  I am at Lakewood (Encore) in Harlingen. I am not retired yet but getting a taste of snowbird life to see if I like it. I don't like the hot Texas sun and am looking forward to getting back to Minnesota in a few weeks. I think I'll keep working, this isn't for me yet, maybe when I get older.

 

[ms60ocb]

On 11/27/2017 at 3:09 PM, ToddF said:

I don't like the hot Texas sun and am looking forward to getting back to Minnesota in a few weeks.

Just returned from 4 days in MN, The weather was nice. Someone has kept a secret from the rest of the nation. We're thinking instead of being Winter Texans maybe being Winter Minneisnowtas

Clay from windy NW Illinois

[bobsallyh]

This brings up a question, why are there so many Minnesnowdians in the Yuma, AZ. area?

[Al F]

12 hours ago, bobsallyh said:

This brings up a question, why are there so many Minnesnowdians in the Yuma, AZ. area?

Two different climates!  RGV is humid with quite a bit of vegetation and AZ is very dry.   Lots of desert country and some mountains to explore in AZ as well.  RGV is mostly RV Parks. 

[Kirk W]

On 11/27/2017 at 3:09 PM, ToddF said:

I am at Lakewood (Encore) in Harlingen.

That is the first snowbird park that we ever spent time in, way back in 1995. We were starting to prepare for going fulltime and wanted to check out "the Valley" as a taste of the RV lifestyle. At the time we were very active square dancers and the valley was a hot spot for the activity at that time. We had a ball but like you found the majority of the residents to be quite a bit older than we were. Lakewood has been a nice park for a very long time. 

[ToddF]

I am enroute back to Minnesnowda. I can describe the "commute home" as hell on Earth. I entered I35 at it's origin in Laredo. The congestion, accidents, volume of semis, speed of traffic all disagree with me It is too far for an annual snowbird trek for me.The cold looks better and better.

[ToddF]

Lakewood(Harlingen) and Victoria Palms (Donna) are both 1 block off I2 which is a busy interstate. The traffic noise at both parks was noticeable. Lakewood is an island, you can only leave the park by car as it is in an unsafe area for walking or biking. Many of the residents expressed how they made friends and are happy and busy with social activities. Pluses and minuses to be sure. Lakeside is very economical...$2409 for an annual site.

[Kirk W]

4 hours ago, ToddF said:

Lakeside is an island,

Lakeside, as the park he asked about is Lakewood in Harlingen.?

[Al F]

4 hours ago, ToddF said:

I am enroute back to Minnesnowda. I can describe the "commute home" as hell on Earth. I entered I35 at it's origin in Laredo. The congestion, accidents, volume of semis, speed of traffic all disagree with me It is too far for an annual snowbird trek for me.The cold looks better and better.

Have you considered taking 2-3 weeks (or even a month) for the drive and take the 2 lane & 4 lane highways which pretty much parallel I-35.  Drive 200-250 miles in a day, spend 2 nights, look around the town you are in for your non driving day, then drive another 200-250 miles.  Much more relaxing than I-35. 

We drive I-35 from San Antonio to just north of Dallas about 4 times a year.  Going north we make it an overnight drive.  Sometimes, as we did in November, we took 3 nights to do the drive.  We toured the Hill Country about 75 miles west of I-35. 

We just returned to SA yesterday.  We got lucky, about an hour after we passed though New Braunfelds, there was an 18 wheeler accident which closed both sides of I-35 for about an hour and then only the northbound side for another 2 hours.  If we had been an hour later we would have been stuck for 1-3 hours.

[ToddF]

I agree that I pushed the trip back to MN into too short a window (3 days and 2 nights). If I were to do it again, I would have allowed at least 5 days and 4 nights, that would have reduced the stress. I "hit a wall" after nearly 12 weeks on the road (most of the trip was at a much slower pace) and just wanted "out". Glad to be home and put the RV away for the winter and cozy up in front of the fireplace. 

[Al F]

When we went on vacations (before our retire days) at the end of the vacation, heading home, we would push hard, sometimes driving for 14 hours (in a car/truck not RV), because we were ready to "just get home". 

Different folks have different likes and desires. 

Being retired and liking to travel, in 2016 we were in the RV for a little over 10 months total.  That included a 8 month trip from the sticks and bricks in San Antonio to Dallas to visit DD (dear daughter) for 4 weeks, about 3 weeks in Oregon to visit grandsons & their parents, then 4 1/2 months to Alaska and back to Oregon, then a repeat of the travels earlier. 

Other years we spend 5-6 months total in the RV.  In the 2006-2010 time frame we spend 4 1/2 years with the RV as our only home.

When we are in the RV, that is our "home".  We have little thought about needing or wanting to be in the sticks and bricks. 

Many other folks don't feel like their RV is their "home", so it gets tiring for them.