DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS

4 glorious Texas campsites pitch top spots as best in America to connect with nature

Aloha Beach RV Resort in Port Aransas, Texas

Aloha Beach RV Resort in Port Aransas was named the best campground for National Park lovers.

Photo courtesy of Campspot

March's sunny, warm weather is here, and if you're looking for an outdoorsy spring break experience, one of these four Texas sites should be on your itinerary. They've just been named among Campspot's Best Campgrounds in America.

Campspot is an online marketplace and booking website for private campsites; they used 70,000 data points across 12 categories, including community reviews and family-friendly amenities, to determine their rankings.

In the category for Best Campgrounds for National Park Lovers, two Port Aransas resorts came in at the top: Aloha Beach RV Resort was ranked No. 1 and Tropic Island Resort came in at No. 3. Both were ranked highly thanks to their proximity to local beaches and opportunities for outdoor activities, such as world-class fishing, birding, boating, golf, and more.

Champions Riverside Resort in Gainesville, Wisconsin split the Texas resorts in the ranking at No. 2, while Pokegama Lake RV Park & Golf Course in Pine City, Minnesota (No. 4) and New Jersey’s Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort: South Jersey rounded out the top five.

In the Best Campgrounds for Weekenders category, Hidden Falls Adventure Park in Marble Falls and Lazy L&L Campground in New Braunfels ranked No. 4 and No. 5. Hidden Falls is the perfect place for some off-road fun on its sprawling 2,000-acre property, while Lazy L&L is more along the scenic side with a beautiful river frontage across 25 acres.

Ranking above the two Texas sites are three California grounds: Lake Siskiyou Camp Resort in Mt. Shasta City (No. 3), Casini Ranch Family Campground in Duncans Mills (No. 2), and Sun Outdoors Paso Robles (No. 1).

Campspot’s 10 best overall campgrounds in America don’t include any Texas destinations, but are still worth a gander for any out-of-state adventures:

No. 1 – Indian River RV Resort in Indian River, Minnesota
No. 2 – On the Saco Family Campground in Brownfield, Maine
No. 3 – The Nugget RV Resort in Saint Regis, Montana
No. 4 – Otahki Lake Cabins & Campground in Patterson, Missouri
No. 5 – Stonebridge RV Resort in Maggie Valley, North Carolina
No. 6 – Dark Sky RV Campground in Kanab, Utah
No. 7 – Pecan Park in Jacksonville, Florida
No. 8 – Kootenai River Campground in Troy, Montana
No. 9 – Okefenokee Pastimes Cabins & Campground in Folkston, Georgia
No. 10 – Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort: Memphis in Horn Lake, Mississippi

The full report can be found on campspot.com.

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State Fair Fare

State Fair of Texas reveals 4 winners of 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards

Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas

Berry Me in Matcha cheesecake, winner for Most Creative at the 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards.

After a lengthy session on August 18 involving about 30 celebrity judges, the State Fair of Texas has officially unveiled the winners of its 22nd annual Big Tex Choice Awards.

The judges (including CultureMap's Alex Bentley) tasted and evaluated sample sizes of 15 finalists, five each from the categories of "Savory," "Sweet," and "Sipper." Each of the winners were evaluated on four criteria: Taste, Value for the Price, Presentation, and Creativity.

Without further delay, here are the big winners, with photos, descriptions, and prices of each creation to help you make your Fair food plan:

Best Taste - Savory: Burger Chop Tater Tacos by Tom Grace

Burger Chop Tater Tacos, winner of the Savory category at the 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards.Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas

The tacos feature a shell of cheddar cheese and tater tots that are mashed together and fried. It is then filled with a fresh burger patty chopped and combined with sautéed onions and jalapeños, and topped by buffalo buttermilk ranch coleslaw and garlic parmesan buffalo sauce.

The Burger Chop Tater Tacos will be available for $16 for fairgoers.

Best Taste - Sweet: Fletcher's Chocolate Corny Dog by Beck Fletcher

Fletcher's Chocolate Corny Dog, winner of the Sweet category at the 2026 Big Tex Choice AwardsPhoto courtesy of State Fair of Texas

The Fletcher’s Chocolate Corny Dog consists of milk chocolate fudge hand dipped in Fletcher’s famous Original Corny Dog batter and deep fried until golden perfection. It is topped with a drizzle of yellow vanilla icing (meant to mimic mustard) and served with raspberry compote (meant to mimic ketchup).

The Fletcher's Chocolate Corny Dog will be the deal among the winners, priced at only $7.

Best Taste - Sipper: Tropical Coco Fresca by Fruteria Cano

Tropical Coca Fresca, winner of the Sippers category at the 2026 Big Tex Choice AwardsPhoto courtesy of State Fair of Texas

The Tropical Coco Fresca is a layered pineapple-watermelon agua fresca with chamoy lava Tajin rim, paired with a scoop of icy coconut snow that melts into a creamy tropical explosion of flavors. The drink will go for $12.

Most Creative: Berry Me in Matcha by Stephen El Gidi (pictured, above).

The sweet treat features a New York-style cheesecake hand-dipped in Belgian white chocolate, rolled in crushed matcha cookies, drizzled with white chocolate and sweet strawberry jam, and finished with a fresh strawberry slice on top.

Priced at a relatively expensive $15, it may be the sweet indulgence that fairgoers choose to share.

The State Fair of Texas will run September 25-October 18, giving people plenty of time to try out these winners and the multitude of other food options the event has to offer.

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