It's free. From the rest area, mile 1 of Texas. It's free!…read more Quiet area, some benches on the walkway over the swamp. It's pretty cool. Didn't see much wildlife at this time but that's ok!

this is a big beach with lots of room. not very busy. minimal off-sand parking, lots of beach…read moreparking. tons of variety in the shells.

Some people know Holly Beach, also known as the "Cajun Riviera", is a coastal community in Cameron…read moreParish, Louisiana, United States. Visitors can rent a beach house, RV spot, or camp on the beach in an RV or tent. I have been visiting this beach for years. The main thing to remember is you bring your own food and fun. Each season you can visit this beach to view our Louisiana beauty. This free beach has lost many amenities and facilities because many hurricanes have wiped out businesses. Here people can drive on the beach, and it is animal friendly. *** If you have children or dogs DON'T forget to make them wear a life jacket. The whole time on the beach or in the water. It only takes a few seconds for a person disappear or drown in the Gulf of Mexico. There are not any lifeguards on this beach. I drive a 2022 F150 with 4-wheel drive and trailer load up with off road toys and 3 ice chests (kid drinks, adult drinks, and one empty for any fish we catch). Some people park at the entrance because if you get stuck you are on your own buddy. It is hot so don't forget to bring fresh water for your animals. I bought a canopy from Sam's Club for shade and the children. Also, if anything breaks the pit crew can work in the shade. After I unpacked my chairs, gas container, sunscreen, towels, blanket, bug screen (horse flies), dog freshwater bowl, blowup floats, boogie boards, cast nets, fishing equipment, BBQ pit, charcoal, life jackets, and trash bag. There is not a trash area on this beach. You pack it in you pack it out situation. The trailer is empty and makes for a great dry table, shade for the dog, and more. My favorite part of the beach is our kites and flags. The kites remind our party where our spot is on the beach. It is easy to get lost on busy days. I relax best on a beach. I love the sand on my toes and the salt in my hair. The kids enjoy walking up and down the beach looking for seashells for jewelry and craft time. I generally stop at the Browns store for anything I forgot at home. The fried chicken strips, mash-potatoes, and mac in cheese hold up well on the dash of the truck. It stays heated just enough for lunchtime. The best snack for this beach is PB&J, chips, goldfish, pretzels, pre-popped popcorn, and gummy bears. Something always happens when you are having fun. It is a great idea to bring a full sanitary emergency box (burn spray for jellyfish or cuts). After we are finished, I dry the little ones off completely. Then dust them with baby powder over whole body. This is a trick to help not irritate their skin. Next it is time to get the toxic chemical from their ear. All you need is 90% rubbing alcohol soaked in the ear for 10- 20 seconds. The local police cruise the town in squad cars and the beach with four wheelers employees strict about the rules and laws in their community. The ticket hand is strong! Please don't drink & drive, just bring a DD or call an uber. TIPS: Don't be a litter bug. It is kind to pick up trash on the beach. PEACE-LOVE-EARTH. I encourage you to look at my photos.

On my most recent trip to Lake Charles, we were trying to expand our horizons beyond the casinos…read moreand get a good dose of nature too. After a late lunch, we made our way to Lake Charles Veteran's Memorial Park. There are several lots close to the park so parking shouldn't be an issue. After parking, we discovered that there are actually several parks adjacent to each other including Bord du Lac Park and the Lakefront Promenade. We ended up walking through all of them. What stands out about the Veteran's Memorial Park is the statues commemorating veterans. And it's more than that! You even have a full-size tank so there are plenty of photo opps. I wanted to climb on top of the tank but there was a sign saying that wasn't allowed so I was good. It's a small park but one that's worth checking out along with the others in the area.

One of the best Military Memorial Parks I've been to!! This Park has Military Tanks, Helicopters,…read moreStatues, Plaques, just a lot of detail here!! This Park is set right next to the Lake Charles Lake, if that makes sense. There is a long brick walkway right along the water, very scenic. I got in a few runs here while I was visiting. Located right across the street from the Lake Charles Civic Center near downtown, a great place to visit, definitely recommended!!

The dogpark is well kept, has running water for people and pups, they provide poop bags and…read moreseating. They could maybe use more seating. Of course the people and puppies are lovely. I recommend this dogpark and will return when visiting Lake Charles.

A nice family walk! It was a little cold and windy, but it did not disappoint as we spotted a…read morecouple gators! The walk ways are disability friendly as they are mainly paved. The viewing platform has a 'closed' sign on it, but we just walked around and had the opportunity to get an elevated view, where we spotted our big-daddy gator!

This was a fun and neat stop! The board walk is in great condition, and they were replacing the…read morespindles on the overlook tower when we were there. Being as it is February and most of the gators are staying hidden, we still saw 4 and a nutria rat. I would love to come back when the cat tails are blooming and when there's more birds migrating through. It's a beautiful area and this was an excellent way to see the swamp!

Claiborne West Park is one of a few county parks in Orange County. Technically, it's in Vidor, and…read morethe Vidor city limits stretch just past this park to Cow Bayou. But really, it's located in the typical Piney Wood countryside of far eastern Texas, where the biggest sign of civilization is Interstate 10. Drive in, and there are so many picnic tables that I doubt they're ever all used. Walk a bit to the right, and you get to a medium-sized lake with trees in it, it screams "Louisiana" all over it. Keep driving, and you get to sports fields where you can play baseball, volleyball, basketball, football. The camping area is to the north, tents only in a semi-primitive setting Very large pavilion to the far west, enough for a cookout for several hundred people. And then you look north. The Piney Woods have several trails going through here, getting you deep into nature. With the thick underbrush and frequent flooding, this is a place where you need to stay on the trail. Popular with mosquitos. Clearly Claiborne West Park is developed for large crowds. And, when I first met this girl who is now my wife, we went to the Texas Barbecue Festival here. But now the rating gets taken down by one star: Although you can easily see the entrance from the freeway, getting to the entrance is difficult. Driving east, you'd need to drive one more mile to be able to get off I-10 and make a U-turn under the freeway to get to the north side of the freeway where the park is. Driving west, I don't know which exit to take, but it's before Cow Bayou; there is an exit in front of the park, and you can't turn right to get there. This inconvenient setup means that the park rarely sees big crowds, and you're likely to cuss up a storm trying to get to Claiborne West. This park has lots of potential, and is developed in such a way that big cities would love to have it. The road system surrounding the park makes it difficult to get to. Oh well, more for you to enjoy.

Basketball, Softball, Football ,concerts. Family gatherings, fishing, running and disc golfread more

The Neches River and surrounding bayous play an important part in the life of the Coonie Triangle…read more It's odd that so few businesses and public spaces take advantage of this. Maybe it's because of the occasional hurricanes, I don't know. Riverfront Park tries to rectify this situation, and does so splendidly. This is a typical city park, with a large lawn area, many picnic tables, playground, lots of oak trees. Many houses close by, so I'm sure that it's used quite a bit by residents who walk there to relax. The hunny and I visited during the annual Riverfest. Most of the large lawn area was taken up by food booths and carnival rides. At the eastern edge was a portable stage where several hundred sat to hear Tauren Wells sing. And now for the five-star rating: It's on the river. Yes, this is a true waterfront park. There is a large parking lot with boat ramp, and a classic Southern riverfront restaurant on the other side of that parking lot. It was a treat to see the barges go by during the Tauren Wells concert. Riverfront Park took advantage of its setting with a boat show on Sunday. I'm going to go back there. One of my favorite dates with the Hunny was when we drove into the California Delta south of Sacramento, stopped at a choke-and-puke deli and got some food, then crossed over the levee road to sit on a dock and eat. No improvisation is necessary here, although if you don't go to the nearby restaurant, you'll need to bring your own grub. She'll love the setting. And you will too. Parting thought: it's not an easy drive from the freeway, and FM 365 does not lead directly to the park.

The coolest park! It's a giant wooden park with lots of spaces for kids to play in. Across the…read morelittle street is a newer playground but we spent so much time at the wooden one. It is right by the lake. Super clean, it is our new spot.

I was not sure what to expect since this was my 1st small craft guided fishing tournament. When it…read morecomes to trying out new things I go in with a prepare to be dissapointed mindset so anything that does work out is enjoyed more. That being said I had a blast my team won 2nd place. The fishing guides are awesome. The cabins are nice, the nights are cool and breezy. Now for the bad... for dinner I ate the shrimp pasta Alfredo and my stomach got pissed! I became so bloated I was in pain. I don't know what happened but I couldn't sleep that night. The morning after we ate breakfast at 5:30 am eggs bacon and a biscuit with juice or coffee was not bad but not that impressive it was okay. The only thing I do have to say is where are the hammocks not one hammock ? This place would be awesome at night if they had hammocks Hanging from the structure stilts

We have been to Hackberry 3 times and my husband absolutely loves it. He brings his own rods and…read moresuch. The guides do their best and use all their skill to put you on the fish. They are friendly and easygoing. Weather and conditions are uncontrollable of course. Once we went when the weather was pretty bad and the guide was honest enough to say "I'll go if you want but it's gonna be a hard day of fishing in these conditions. We were only asked to pay for food and lodging that time. Oh- They also filet your catch for you at the end of your tour. The food they serve is amazing and the service is wonderful If you are an angler of any caliber this is right up your alley. They host businesses and have a "night boat" that goes out overnight- but I haven't done that.