A century of camping - Oakdale RV Resort & Motor Court
What is a 100 year old RV park like?
It’s not often that we get to stay at an RV park that’s celebrating a century of business but we recently got to stay at Oakdale RV Resort and Motor Court in Glenrose, Texas and they are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year.
We actually stayed to do one of our RV Basic Training classes for Girl Camper and had a great time with some RVers who are learning to be StressLess Campers. If you’re not aware, Girl Camper offers a tremendous number of resources for ladies who are at any level of the camping realm, from aspiring to experts. Their version of our class, called Camper College, offers in-person learning with your RV and they always fill up.
In fact the resort’s current owner, Luci DiGeorgio, is a member of Girl Camper and attended our class last year. And she has a fortunate place in history with this park.
History of Oakdale RV Resort and Motor Court
The Original Family Campground, Oakdale, opened in 1925 as a campground and motor court, built around the largest swimming pool in Texas at that time. The Oakdale Plunge sits at 330,000 gallons of water. Oakdale is one of the only private RV parks in the country listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For almost 100 years, Oakdale has been home to many events, from family reunions, RV rallies, swimming parties, and music concerts.
The the end of concerts, there is a nice stage at the resort that tells of an annual Bluegrass festival. Several of the people we got to speak with had great things to say about this annual event but they also have other musical events there.
Oakdale has 120 RV spaces with full hook-ups, 20 spaces for tent camping with electricity, 24 cabins, two bath houses, and two meeting spaces.
There is also The Oakdale Casino, an updated, nearly 100 year old dance hall turned event center, an outdoor kitchen and pavilion, the Dino Playground, a laundromat, an outdoor stage, picnic shelters, and more.
Our site was on the end of a row and had plenty of space for our rig along with a nice triangle of grass and a picnic table. The site offered full hook-ups with both 30 and 50 amp service.
Since we got to use the meeting space for the classes, I can say that everything is neat and tidy in the park from our site to the common facilities. The people were really nice and helpful. We got to chat with a couple of the work campers who help operate the place and you can tell they were enjoying their assignment.
There was a trash can right near our site which was checked at least once a day and emptied if needed. We also had a sheltered gathering spot near our site which I used to write a portion of this article. How’s that for being in the moment?
Reasons to stay at Oakdale RV Resort and Cabins
Even if you’re not attending a class there are still plenty of reasons to stay here, including that absolutely gigantic pool. They were just getting it ready for the season when we visited so I didn’t have a chance to dip my toes in the water but the pool was immaculate. It’s nice to see something of this vintage that’s this well cared for.
But we also got to visit Dinosaur Valley State Park which is about 20 minutes from Oakdale. We have a separate article about this piece of history.
Since we were in the class for most of the duration of our stay we didn’t do too much venturing out, but I would like to go back as the nearby town of Glenrose was one of those neat little old-time towns with plenty of things to visit on foot.
Big Cup restaurant Southern Plate
We did get to go to the Big Cup Eatery on the day we left which lays claim to having the biggest biscuits in Texas. Well, how could I not try one of those?
I ordered the Southern Plate which incorporates said gigantic biscuit and I can attest to the sheer size of this thing. The dish includes two eggs, hash browns and country sausage gravy in a big pile of carbohydrates. And I freaking loved it. The flavor was good enough that I didn’t salt it which is saying something.
Peggy had the Quesadilla burger which was about $10 and is a big burger in a tortilla. She ordered hers with seasoned fries on the side. Also very good.
The service was friendly and prompt and the food arrived in a timely fashion. I thought the place was clean and friendly and the prices were really fair for all the food we got.
Overall two thumbs up on Big Cup Eatery. Yum-o!
Final thoughts about Oakdale RV Resort and Motor Court
We liked our stay here so much we kept adding days. There is plenty to see and do in the area and we only wish we had ventured out on our bikes and explored the town, but we hope to go back again. This is our second summer in a row in the area and, perhaps, next summer will be our third.
I’d really like to explore the town. I also really like seeing the pride in ownership and care at Oakdale. I understand that the city owned the place for a while so some of the locals are lamenting that the pool is no longer just a public pool, perhaps that’s why it looked so inviting.
I’d also really like to go back for one of the music festivals at the park. You can’t beat having music right there so you can come and go as you please and enjoy some tunes and camping.
