We are slowly visiting Texas State parks and Goliad did not disappoint. The Jacales electric…read morecamping/RV area was quiet and well kept. We enjoyed all their trails, park store, and exploring the grounds outside the mission. The park is very dog friendly; however, the rodeo was taking place when we visited and the fireworks were so loud, they upset our dog. We ended up not staying the second night because we heard the firework show would be even more intense. I would suggest including that information on the park website. Other than that, we sincerely enjoyed our time at the park.

Nice Little Park With A Lot of History. Drove over from Houston in 3 hours, roads are pretty good…read more Arrived at office and they apologized but campsite 15 which I had carefully picked out had a possible water leak that might mean a work crew would be digging it up. They offered several others and we chose #1. The manager in the office gave us a $25 refund for our trouble which was very nice. All campsites in the Karankawa loop are full service sites with 50 and 30 amp electric hookups and all are pull through. We visited at the end of a hot dry summer so brown grass and trees without many leaves left. Typical of most state parks there was a picnic table, fire ring and lantern hook; there was an open fire burn ban due to the conditions. Watch out for pet's feet as well as yours if you walk barefoot as those prickly weed spores are in the grass! The septic system looks pretty new and was so close to my drop point I only used one sewer line completely compacted. Water pressure seemed good, around 60ps Park roads are good, the only drawback is the park is bisected by a state highway so you do hear road noise but it is less at night when traffic is light. Restrooms are older but in great condition, men's room in the camping loop had 2 toilets, 2 urinals and 2 showers which is fine as there aren't a ton of campsites. Camp hosts were friendly. The old mission is the big historical attraction here. It is free but only open from 8:30 to 4:30. The park has trails that are pretty easy and well maintained, there is an area where you can put canoes or kayaks into the San Antonio river. There is small bird blind with several feeders in front that the staff kept filled with fresh bird food while we were there. Try to see the green jay if you can, fairly rare this far north! Goliad is nearby and has plenty to offer. The old county courthouse is beautifully restored.

Used a cabin for about a week and it was absolutely wonderful! The cabin was clean and spacious…read moreenough for everything we wanted to do. A great way to de-stress and just enjoy the outdoors. Highly recommend this camp ground!!

A very nice park. Clean with great staff, they allow pets. Good for tents or RVS. we were in…read more"overflow" which is an area they leave open for people like us, who who didn't reserve anywhere on a holiday weekend (4th of July). They have restrooms and showers.

Haven't been to the park or duck pond in decades. Mom wanted to drive through and walk around the…read moreduck pond. There were a few people there already, and everyone was incredibly nice. Wish the people in the city where I live where this friendly. Trade you?! Ha ha! The grounds were well-kept and beautiful. Please come check out the park the city offers through your wonderful tax dollars. You will be glad you did.

Great birthday venue. Plenty of room, plenty of tables and pretty scenery by the river.read more

We got a site on the beach!! It came with a casita/wind shelter with picnic table. Walked to the…read morelong pier. Very windy the time we spent here but sites are spacious and some not level at all, but all wort effort. Many very large rigs can hang out here and chill, bbq, and fish. Great spot! Texas did it again! Great spot. We pulled in on first come first served basis. And hikes in park too!

Heads up this is from a view of an overnight camper-…read more Me and my husband were looking for a place to camp near Houston for Christmas Eve night. We looked around Houston and everything was booked or rained out! So we found Goose Island and it had decent reviews! We decided to book a campsite for one night- our campsite was 201. When we arrived my goodness!! I've never seen so many deer - one minute outside of the park, there were about 5 deers hanging out- not scared of me or my car or the noises. It was beautiful! When we entered the park, we first was looking for our campsite and drove in many circles- it was in the "wooded area" so it was a bit hard to find! When we arrived it was around 3pm And we started setting up camp. I am thankful the parking was right in front of the campsite but also that whole area I think 201-204 Is shared. I was lucky it was Christmas so no one else Booked the area next to us but it wouldn't have been as fun if others did! We stayed overnight- everything went well as planned! One thing I didn't like the restrooms were driving distance or a longer walk away but this was an amazing weekend getaway for us! In the morning we checked out the pier area. It was nice and very different than our campsite area! Highly recommend this park even for a daytime park!

Honestly looks like something out of Chernobyl at this point. Broken swings, a court that used to…read morebe for basketball, more pot holes than paths, broken spray painted signs, and a view of the local refinery.

I'm pretty sure that this isn't a state park. It's a RV…read morepark located right on the highway, across the Frio River from a huge Valero refinery. Peaking over the tops of the tree, you see cracking towers, pressure valves, and exhaust vents. Over the roar of the waterfall, you can hear pressure being released and gases being mixed. Yes- there is a waterfall. The Frio River falls down about six to ten feet down a series of steep steps that looks so inviting, if it weren't for the refinery next door, and oh yea- that sign that says, "Alligators exist in this park." Nope. If that wasn't reason enough, there's a sign asking visitors to not swim, and stay off the grass. The park was clean. There's lots of spots available to camp. The sites were $5 for the site, $15 for an R/V site with water and electricity. There was a pavilion that looked nice, and lots of green spaces to run around in. There were some interesting things to look at around the park, like paintings and such. But a park alongside the river where you can't swim is kinda a letdown. I don't know how you'd be able to sleep with all the racket going on at the refinery next door. The refinery is constantly buzzing buzzers, releasing gases, running pumps, banging, beeping- it's a loud process to make gasoline.

We were in Port Aransas for 2 days in mid-April to look for migrating birds. The one place we went…read moreto several times was the Leonabelle Turnbull birding center. We visited both morning and afternoon, and found that the selection of birds was somewhat different each time. It also made sense, for photography purposes, to visit at different times because we found quite a few beautiful migrating birds in the mulberry and willow trees, and the lighting was best there in the afternoon. There are multiple areas for birding. The entry walk has some willow and mulberry trees where birds congregate. In spring, the mulberry provides fruit for the birds and is a favorite for migrating species. Past the entry there are boardwalk to view (mostly) water birds. There are a couple of covered observation decks as well, and these provide the only shade in the boardwalk area. If you're prone to getting bitten by mosquitoes, do use repellent before visiting. The parking area nearest the entry was being enlarged during our visits, so we ended up in the overflow parking area on the other side of the water treatment facility. This is a great place to see resident and migrating shore birds, as well as inland species during migration. We saw buntings, videos, tanagers, warblers, orioles, and other migrating species during our most recent visit... a feast for the eyes!

one of my fav birding places. They have really improved the pier out over the water. You are up…read morehigh with the birds down low, so not really disturbing the birds and you get great looks. We got to see the Pink Flamingo last week. One of the best places to see shore/water birds. Away from the water nearer the parking lot, a water feature and trees for the migrants in fall and spring. even if you aren't into birds, it is still a beautiful place to visit. There is a resident alligator that is around sometimes. Bigger parking area coming soon.

Live Oak has the best park around! Love it I enjoy working…read moreout there & watching my son play basketball.

First time we took our girls to this park and they loved it. It's closing to our place; we felt it…read morewas worth the drive. Will definitely come back!!!