State #2: Texas

The Lone Star State

Motto: Friendship

Flower: Bluebonnet

Animal: Texas Longhorn

Bird: Northern Mockingbird

Fun Fact: Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America and you can do a boat tour in the evening to see them. Mexican free-tailed bats fly out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge at sunset.

The Best Thing We Did in Texas: Explore Austin

Austin was our mail stop. Mostly because it had a RV Park right in the heart of Austin. We stayed at Pecan Grove RV Park...It was a little pricey at $80 a night. You paid for the location. The amenities were only ok. From there we walked everywhere.

Try Austin barbecue...in walking distance is Terry Black's Barbecue. It was the BEST BBQ ever,

Visit Barton Springs...but check the schedule first! When we went it was closed for cleaning...which was Thursday Mid Morning. Even though the main pool was closed, we still found a nearby area where locals were getting in the water with their dogs and tried it. We would not recommend it. It was crowded and not kept up.

Take the Texas heat seriously...when we went it was late August and it was HOT. And muggy.

So, What Should You Do in Texas?

For a first-time Texas stop like ours, we would recommend:

Stay somewhere walkable in Austin.
Eat Texas barbecue.
Try to visit Barton Springs, but check the cleaning schedule first.
Find a city viewpoint like Doug Sahm Hill Summit.
Take the heat seriously if you are traveling by RV or van.
Leave room in the plan for things to go wrong.

State #2 of 50 🍋 The Lemon Route

We’re Bob and Hillary from Vancaskeys, two regular people chasing a big dream in a Class B van named Mr. Lemon. The Lemon Route is our attempt to visit all 50 states, find the stories along the way, and figure out if this leap of faith becomes the adventure of a lifetime… or a terrible financial decision. Watch the Episode: →

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What to Do in Every State: The Vancaskeys Field Guide (TEXAS)