We had another great adventure in our RV this week and are very close to home too! How had we missed this great park? It is a large park, very scenic, with lots of things to do.
Brazos Bend State Park
21901 FM 762
Needville, TX 77461
Reserve by phone: (512) 389-8900
Park Entrance Fees
13 Years and Older: $7 Per Person
12 Years and Under: Free
Texas State Parks Pass Holder: Free
What a beautiful park! How we never managed to stumble upon this magnificent gem of nature so close to home surprises me.
Brazos Bend Park covers 5,000 acres and has 37 miles of hiking trails, fishing, picnicking, geocaching opportunities, tent camping, primitive equestrian camping, RV camping, picnic pavilions, and a group hall for reunions or large gatherings.
George Observatory
Although not open at this time because of renovations, the fantastic George Observatory, with its high-powered telescopes, part of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, is located in this park also. We’ve put this on our “next time we visit” list.
Alligators?
Brazos Bend is famous (infamous?) for the significant number of alligators to be seen here in the marshy areas of the park. We did not see a single one, but I am sure they are there in this perfect habitat for them.
We did see many deer grazing very near our campsite. Squirrels were everywhere, and Tank tried to attack an armadillo! He was, of course, on a leash and very unsuccessful in that attempt, no matter how hard he tried.
Two wildlife observation decks in the park provide excellent opportunities to see the alligators, birds, and other wildlife that make this park their home.
RV Camping
The RV camping sites in this park are large, able to accommodate large rigs on concrete slabs in shaded areas and provide complete electric and water connections. Fire rings and picnic tables are also at each site.
The grassy areas are well-maintained. Bathroom and shower facilities are available here, and a separate dump station is not far from the camping area – a full-service RV park, in my opinion.
Here, you can quickly check the park’s availability and make online reservations at the Texas State Parks Reserve America website. We were fortunate to find RV space available on, as always, it seems, such short notice.
Weekend RV spots are mostly fully booked for months ahead as of now. RV spaces were open because of COVID, and we wanted weekday reservations. We want to return to enjoy all the amenities we missed on this trip, so we must plan.
Texas State Park Pass
We have found the benefits of the Texas State Park Pass to be well worth the cost. The annual pass costs $70 and entitles you and your guests to free admission to Texas State Parks and a discount on camping fees and equipment rentals.
This is an excellent cost-saving item for senior travelers and families, too. Using our park pass, we saved $30 for this two-night RV visit at Brazos Bend State Park.
Exploring the area
The beauty of our Class C RV is that we can disconnect the RV from the campsite hookups at our RV campsite and drive off to see or do whatever we choose to do. At the end of our day of exploring, we park in our assigned spot, reconnect the hookups, and we’re all set for the night.
We sometimes tow my car on a flatbed trailer, but that is a bit more work, gas mileage goes way down, and we do not always need a car.
Fort Bend County Museum
500 Houston St.
Richmond, TX 77469
281-342-6478
One day, we “unhooked” the RV and took the Fort Bend County Museum Home Tour in nearby Richmond. We purchased timed tour tickets online and arrived at the museum in time to enjoy our lunch in the RV and walk across the street to begin the RV tour.
Allison Harrell was our very knowledgeable and energetic guide for the tour. She knew the history of the homes and area well.
Long-Smith Cottage
The Long-Smith Cottage, the first home we toured, is the historic home of the Thomas Jefferson Smith family. It contains some furnishings that belonged to Jane Long. Although she never lived here, this home was built on land owned by Jane Long, who is considered the Mother of Texas.
Historical accounts state that in 1821, Jane Long was the first Anglo woman to give birth to a child in Bolivar, Texas. Census information does not agree with this account, but the title, Mother of Texas, has remained.
Jane Long followed her husband to Texas in 1819, but her husband was killed while fighting to free Texas from the Spanish, making her a young widow with two children in 1822. See Day trip Galveston to High Island for more history about Jane Long.
As compensation for her husband’s death, she received title to land in Fort Bend County and Waller County from Stephen F. Austin. She never remarried, died in 1880, and is buried in Morton Cemetery.
Jane Long’s piano
Only ONE bedroom!
Jane Long’s Gravesite at Morton Cemetery
Where is Deaf Smith buried?
Erastus “Deaf” Smith is remembered today for his vital roles in the Texas Revolution as a spy, scout, and guide. In his later years, he retired and died in Richmond. A mystery surrounds his final resting place. Is he buried at the site of this grave marker in the yard of the Long-Smith Cottage?
1883 Moore Home
John M. and Lottie Dyer Moore built this home in 1883. John Moore was the Secretary of State of Texas in 1886 and served in the Texas House of Representatives and the United States House of Representatives.
The two-story home was built as a Victorian mansion and then remodeled in 1905 in the Classical Revival style. This was a beautiful home to tour.
Incidentally, John M. Moore’s grandson, Hilmar Moore, was mayor of Richmond for 63 years. The current mayor is Hilmar’s wife, Evalyn Wendt Moore.
Morton Cemetery
Here we are – another cemetery. We enjoy the history we find at these cemeteries. This particular one contains the gravesites of many notable people in this area, including war veterans from the Civil War to the present.
Back to Brazos Bend
A great experience on this trip was meeting our nearest RV neighbors, about three campsites away. We were walking with our dogs and stopped to say hello. It turned out our neighbors are our neighbors — a lovely couple that lives two streets away from us at home!
After our nice outing in Richmond, we returned to our RV site in Brazos Bend State Park, where we had a great dinner cooked by my grandson! He and my daughter live nearby and drove out to the park for a visit.
As we headed home, we got around to checking the weather. We discovered our home once again was in the possible, maybe, the general vicinity of a new tropical storm/hurricane. This one has become Tropical Storm Beta.
While its preparation has not caused the total upset to our lives that Laura did, we did have to move vehicles and things around a bit to higher or dry ground. We drove the RV out west and left it, so it will be waiting for us for our next adventure and not possibly get flooded.
Steve and I are now patiently waiting at home for Beta to do whatever it does. We expect a healthy storm surge and high tides but not much else. Stay tuned!
The boathouse deck and part of our backyard are underwater.
