Kerrville, Texas…KOA and Louise Hays Park

My kind of potted plant……

After leaving Brownsville, Google Maps didn’t provide many options for RV parks in Western Texas. We did find the Kerrville KOA Journey, which turned out to be a very nice campground just on the outskirts of Kerrville, TX. The campground was very clean and neat. We had reserved one spot, but the owner helpfully suggested a different one a bit further from the main road, and it worked out nicely. The camp store was open until 8PM, and it had a surprisingly good selection of grocery and convenience store items. There was also a laundromat that was clean and tidy. Plenty of washers and driers to support the park. Definitely a good place to stay if you find yourself west of San Antonio.

Since we stayed a couple nights, we took time to explore Kerrville a bit. And the major attraction we found was the Louise Hays Park in downtown Kerrville ( https://www.kerrvilletx.gov/829/Louise-Hays-Park ). Robert S. Hays donated the 35 acres along the Guadeloupe River to the city for the park on two conditions: it be named for his wife, and it be built in a single day. The city and 2000 workers met his conditions. The scenic and serene park includes Tranquility Island in the middle of the Guadeloupe. There are plenty of amenities, including picnic areas, playgrounds, and an amphitheater, as well as over seven miles of trails.

Wildlife is plentiful throughout the park (a herd of deer accompanied us on our first visit), and they were less than concerned with our presence. The other prominent creatures were a number of water fowl. Mallards, geese, and other birds were floating down the river, or roosting in the massive cypress trees.

An old dam creates a nice area and small water fall in the river. We saw several people with young ones fishing along the banks when we were out for a jog in the park. Further away from the city center, we saw lots of stone cairns and stone people. Not sure exactly what they are, but they were very interesting.

The park was very nice, and it is apparently the venue for the city’s Independence Day celebrations. It is definitely a park that the city and Robert and Louise Hays should be proud of!

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