DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS

Connect with nature at these 4 Texas campsites named the best in America

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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Taking off

Regional airline launches nonstops from DFW Airport to Arkansas hotspot

Facebook/Contour Airlines

Contour Airlines is adding service between Dallas-Fort Worth and El Dorado, Arkansas.

A regional airline is introducing nonstop service between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and El Dorado, Arkansas, a business and leisure hub.

Contour Airlines will offer two daily roundtrips and an additional roundtrip on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays between DFW and South Arkansas Regional Airport. According to a release, the service will start March 16.

El Dorado, once an oil boomtown, is about 95 miles northeast of Shreveport, Louisiana.

The flights on 30-seat regional jets will connect DFW business travelers to a city that hosts one of Arkansas’ six Fortune 500 companies — Murphy USA, an operator of convenience stores. Most Murphy USA locations are near Walmart stores.

Other major employers in El Dorado include a Delek US oil refinery, a Lanxess chemical facility, and an LSB Industries ammonia plant.

On the leisure side, El Dorado caters to golfers, arts enthusiasts, architecture admirers, festivalgoers, and shoppers. Attractions include the Murphy Arts District, South Arkansas Arts Center, South Arkansas Symphony, Newton House Museum, and the South Arkansas Arboretum.

“This new service highlights Contour’s commitment to connecting underserved communities with major markets,” says Ben Munson, president of Contour Airlines, in the release. “By launching nonstop flights from South Arkansas Regional Airport to Dallas-Fort Worth, we’re giving travelers a convenient, reliable option while maintaining the high level of comfort and service our customers expect.”

DFW is the only Texas airport on Contour’s route map. Contour’s airline partners are Alaska, American, JetBlue, and United.

Here’s the DFW-El Dorado flight schedule:

10:40-11:55 am Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays)
2:55-4:10 pm daily
5:30-6:45 pm daily

Here’s the El Dorado-DFW flight schedule:

7:40-8:55 am daily
12:25-1:40 pm Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays
4:45-6 pm daily

According to the airline's announcement on Facebook, fares will start at $69 one-way.

arkansas airlines airport