Finally made it out to Blue Lagoon in Huntsville, Texas. Vis was 10-15ft due to recent rain. 68° at…read morethe surface and 64° bottom temp at 25ft. They have an underwater rope course you can use to navigate from one side to the other. The waters color and clarity come from its origin. It was originally a Limestone Rock Quarry. Spring water has filled it up making this a good dive location. Another feature I found to be very cool for instructors is the large underwater decks. These are part of the course and make a great place to perform dive skills without disturbing the silt on the bottom. My dive site had an easy entry and exit. The depth ranges depending on the amount of rain throughout the year. This is a great place to teach new students, practice your skills, or train as a dive team. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Being this was my first time here they answered all of my questions.

They have 2 lakes, they do not tell you until after you pay whether you will go into the promised…read moreblue lake or into their backup green lake. They also do not offer a way to switch out the people from the green lake into the blue lake once more people leave.

Great hiking trails and the staff is very knowledgeable and helpful! Had a great day fishing at the…read morepond as well.

As an outdoors goer, I love visiting this park with the exception that the people around there wait…read morefor others to pick up trash if they see it. So guess who ends up picking up trash all the time? That's right, me! Sadly, I see more and more trash every time I go, and that is a disgrace. A clean park lies on the citizens like us. If you see trash, please pick it up. Bring a bag with you. Every lit but that we do, will. Ake a big difference collectively. Don't expect others to pick up trash, please help and pick it up!

Fort Boggy State Park is a nice little state park. It would get 5 stars but for the rude family who…read morechose to blare their music like they were the only ones at the park. The hike around the lake is an easy one but a little muddy with the rain recently. Not busy even on a Saturday.

The star of the show here is the cabins, although if we lived within an hour driving distance we…read moremight also periodically visit for the day to swim in the lake. The cabins are one large room with a queen bed and a bunk bed. Apparently there used to be a trundle under the bunk bed but they were removed at some point. The cabins have great working AC - much better than the cabins we have previously stayed in at Inks Lake State Park. There was a record breaking heat wave the weekend we stayed there and the cabin stayed cool. The cabins have a mini fridge (with a tiny freezer section in it), a microwave, and a coffee pot. You will need to supply your own coffee filters and all the bedding, including pillows. The cabins do have a broom and dustpan, as well as a door mat to keep some of the dirt out. There is a table with 4 chairs. The best part of the cabins are the two porches: one screened in and one open. They are LARGE porches, fully covered, and each one has 2 wooden chairs and a small table. Each porch has a ceiling fan, although neither fan spun fast enough to create much airflow. We tried pulling the chain to see if we could get the blades spinning faster without luck. If we were to return in the summer again, I would bring along our own fan. Even in the heat of an August heat wave, it was absolutely glorious to sit out on the porch in the morning with a cup of coffee. The cabins do not have their own bathrooms, but the bathroom nearby is exclusively for the 5 cabins and is cleaned every day. Between the limited use and the frequent cleaning, these were the nicest state park bathrooms we have ever used. Plenty of hot water, and a cold drinking fountain and water bottle filling station outside. The only complaint was that the toilets were INCREDIBLY difficult to flush, to the point where 4 of my 6 kids were physically unable to do it. I walked into the bathroom to find a poop sitting in the toilet multiple times and I have to assume it's because the guest before me was unable to push the button hard enough to get the toilet to flush. The park itself is tiny. There are two main trails; the one around the lake is roughly a mile and the one that leads to the primitive campsites is around 1.5 miles. The trails are pretty rough, with lots of holes, branches, and sandy areas, offering many opportunities for runners to sprain their ankle (which sadly, happened). I would plan on walking (not running) the trails, and even then only if you have strong ankles. The trails are shaded and pretty. I almost ran into a wild hog one morning on the trail out to the primitive campsites. The main attraction of the park is the lake, which is small, but fun for swimmers. There is a swim beach and a floating dock. The sand is soft and you do not need water shoes. The lake is apparently spring fed, but it's been hot enough for long enough with no rain here in Texas that the water was warmer than any spring I've ever felt. Still, on a 110 degree day it sure felt nice to float out there. The water is relatively clear, for a lake. You can fish on the lake and there are kayaks to rent, although they are ridiculously expensive (in my opinion) and have a complicated rental process. Forget the Kayaks... just bring your own inner tubes and float around. If you're looking to camp in the summer without sweating at night and you like to swim, Fort Boggy is a great spot. The cabins are $85 a night plus hotel tax. Calling this a hotel when you have to bring your own linens and there's no bathroom is kind of a stretch, but taxes are taxes I guess. Overall it's a fun weekend in a beautiful cabin by a nice lake. Great family time. I wish all the state parks had cabins this nice!

Our family rode the Piney Woods Express in the Presidential Car, and it was the perfect finale to…read moreour East Texas vacation. We booked seats in the Presidential Car, "Miss Joyce," and the experience was outstanding from beginning to end. The car features a comfortable mix of couches and chairs, with seating selected when you book your tickets. It created a relaxed atmosphere that made the four-hour excursion feel special without being overly formal. Our train attendant, Miss Joyce, was absolutely wonderful. She was warm, welcoming, and attentive throughout the trip, and it's easy to see why the car proudly bears her name. When we arrived at our seats, each passenger had a complimentary bottle of water and a snack box filled with watermelon, grapes, pretzels, and cheese cubes. The trip began with a champagne toast for the adults and sparkling apple cider for those who preferred it, which was a fun touch that made the experience feel like an occasion. Additional drinks, candy, and popcorn were available for purchase throughout the ride, and the attendants happily took orders and kept a running tab, making everything very convenient. During the stop in Rusk, we had time to stretch our legs and enjoy lunch. A converted railcar serves as a concession stand, offering items like hot dogs, nachos, chicken salad sandwiches, hoagies, and pulled pork sandwiches, with the option to purchase meals that include chips and a drink. There are picnic tables available, or you can take your lunch back to the train while it's parked at the station. We later learned that meal pre-orders are available, although we didn't notice that information when booking our tickets. The return trip to Palestine was a little quicker but just as enjoyable. From departure at 11:00 a.m. until our return around 3:00 p.m., the entire excursion was relaxing, scenic, and very well organized. If you're looking for a unique family outing in East Texas, we highly recommend upgrading to the Presidential Car. Between the comfortable seating, thoughtful amenities, excellent service, and beautiful scenery, it was an experience we'll remember for a long time.

My wife and I drove up from Austin for an overnight trip to Palestine, Texas, to take the evening…read moredinner train ride on the Texas State Railroad. We sat in the skylight car. Our experience was okay, but just okay. The train car was comfortable, though noticeably dated and in need of some freshening up. The bathroom was unpleasant -- no soap, no paper towels -- and it felt like the cars hadn't received any real attention in years. The train ride itself was pleasant enough, but too long for what it offered. The scenery consists mostly of trees lining both sides of the track, with occasional glimpses of meadows. Nothing dramatic. The train crept along at a snail's pace -- more, I suspect, to fill time than for any safety reasons. The midpoint stop was the highlight of the trip. We had dinner with live music in a lovely setting near a small lake -- genuinely enjoyable. However, the scheduled 1¼-hour stop stretched to nearly 1¾ hours, as we sat on the train for almost 30 minutes without moving before heading back. We arrived over 15 minutes later than scheduled. A few other notes: the train has no Wi-Fi, and the entire three-hour ride is accompanied by piped-in 1940s big band music. The first 30 minutes were fine; after that, it became tedious. Overall, I'd give this experience a 3 out of 5 -- and that's being generous, given the price.

This is a nice, pretty easy out and back trail of about 4 miles. The first portion follows the…read morecreek pretty intimately and is very well shaded. I loved this part! It was peaceful, a little bit of a terrain but still well maintained. We saw several walkers and trail runners along the way. Very safe for kids too. But the back portion crossed through a disc golf field and then onto part of the SFA campus and just wasn't as pretty to go through. Great trail running place, and definitely a trail or recommend walking if you're wanting to see Pine Country, but I probably would stop before the disc golf area and head back.

This is a lovely city trail following the Lanana Creek that runs right past Stephen F. Austin.read more

Great place to chill with your family. Grill post to put up volleyball, theres pavilion there,…read more great for kids playing, and to hang out, clean restrooms, pretty good park overall.

Run by the Corsicana Parks and Recreation Department, this Beach Park has a nice, sandy beach area…read morewhere you could potentially sunbath or swim with an alligator if you'd like - as the signs state "Swim at Own Risk" just above "Alligators Have Been Sighted in This Area". Maybe I'm not carved from the same metal as Texans from East Texas. Despite being an avid swimmer, I haven't yet warmed up to the idea of swimming in a lake where alligators have been sighted. But hey, to each their own! I've swam in the ocean many times. Sharks have been spotted there so maybe this is similar!? Just know that you can potentially knock "swimming with alligators" off of your bucket list by swimming at this lovely beach;). This beach park also includes gravel parking and four, nicely spaced shelters with picnic tables and grills, not a bad place to spend an afternoon or evening;)

this is a great spot to relax. swimming is decent. plenty of parking. would highly recommend…read morestopping by!

06/25/19 Nice park…read morewith great wooded trails! Watch out for snakes along the trail since I almost stepped on a copper head.

this is a great park overall. it has some nice walking trails. good amount of parking spots.read more

This park is substantial in size! It has two boat ramps (north and south), at least three fishing…read morepiers, hike/bike trails, one of the largest swim areas I've seen at a State Park, at least twenty picnic tables in the day use area, a picture-perfect swing set by the swim area, three camping loops (each includes a restroom with at least two showers per restroom), a cemetery, historic well, amphitheater - the park covers so much area that it takes around 15-20 minutes to travel from one end to the other following the park speed limits. Our first visit to this park included a first-time, somewhat terrifying spotting of a feral hog on Bird Blind trail which was creepily overgrown, eerily vacant (reminiscent of a "ghost town"- it gave us a spidey-sense...not to mention a few cobwebs we stepped through) and full of rutted dried ground. The reason this was a bit terrifying is that a park ranger at another park had recently elaborated to me just how dangerous feral hogs can be--especially if you accidentally come between them and their young! Thankfully, we were able to keep a respectfully fearful distance from the hog we spotted and must not have come between it and its young cause we survived! Following Bird Blind loop, we took a short hike on the nature trail where I was relentlessly harassed by a horsefly which regularly buzzed by my ears and then landing on me--I fully grabbed the bug at one point trying to swat her away which freaked me out more. That night I learned that female horseflies diet on mammal (including human) blood which helped me to feel justified in my drop of spirits and frightened outburst on the hike. Despite having bug spray on, my sweat, bright shirt, movement, exposed skin, breath and simply being a living being with blood in my veins...made me a prime target for that lady horsefly's advances--she wanted to slice my tender skin and have my blood for her dinner. Thankfully we were able to redeem our first visit with a mother deer and baby fawn sighting (seeing that feral hog was pretty cool too), alligator gar spotting, sunset float and picnic dinner, and refreshingly cold showers before our drive back to Dallas! On our second visit, we did not return to either trail (maybe worth a try in cooler, less COVIDy weather/times) and instead stuck to the water as our main activity which made for a much more pleasant experience. I was even able to paddle over to the swim area buoys and observe a few terns and one double-created cormorant closer than I think I've been to most any wild birds in my life! We were then treated to sightings of a white egret and two great blue herons just before and after sunset which flew to the nearly-vacant swim area to hunt! To top all of that off, we took a small, post-sunset walk from one fishing pier (south boat ramp to the other-in day use area) which was enhanced by friendly small talk with fisherpeople on that South Boat Ramp pier/dock, a random, psychedelic arrow in the middle of the woods, a tribe of adorable scavenging trash pandas and two little boys exuberant over their dad's catch of a sizable catfish just as it got dark! This warmed my heart more than I can say--seeing a family making these precious memories and making me long to fish with my far-away dad again like old times!

What a great place. I tried this because it was the only park we could get into. The reviews were…read morego so we booked. Awesome place. Camp grounds are nice, spread out and you have plenty of seclusion. Playground for kids, volleyball court and swim beach. We kayaked and fished, hiked and hit the store. Staff were all super. Highly recommended- we pull a 30' trailer. Side note - one dump station lines take too long. Go the loves at I-45 pay $10 much quicker.

The nicest city park you can imagine…read more My favorite features include: - great size park with large grassy areas - leashed-pet friendly - large covered pavilions - natural landscaping/not overdone but well-kept - walking/jogging track - big dynamic playground - a creek for exploring (Not telling you where. Find it, follow it, enjoy the mini adventure.) Livingston LARP (https://www.facebook.com/groups/LivingstonLARP/) meets here on Sunday afternoons; they're a fun crowd of varying ages. Don't hesitate to introduce yourself. Earliest memory: 19 years ago on an elementary school field trip/party.

This is a very nice family park with a community swimming pool, covered pavilion and picnic areas,…read morea walking track, playground, etc. Facilities are well maintained. We recently had a family birthday party at the pool, then later had a picnic and cake at the pavilion. Children and adults both had a wonderful time in this nice park.