LAKES AND STATE PARKS
Lakes
State Parks
- Lake Conroe: (pictured above) Rent a boat, a jetski, fish, etc. http://www.lakeconroe.com/
- Hangar 9 (http://www.hangar9wakepark.com/) for wakeboarding.
- Dryft Cycle Boats (http://dryftcycleboats.com/) to rent a cycleboat.
- Lake Houston: http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/ourparks/lakehoustonpark.html. See below for Alexander Deussen Park.
- Lake Livingston: http://www.lake-livingston-texas.com/
- Lake 288: Good for scuba diving (and camping) close to town. http://288lake.net/
- Blue Lagoon: Great for scuba diving (and camping) a little further away from town. http://www.bluelagoonscuba.net/
- Mammoth Lake: Great for scuba diving (and camping) down in Lake Jackson. https://mammothlaketexas.com/
- Wake Houston in Rosharon: Wakeboarding, aerial ropes, paintball, water slide, trampoline... all there. http://wakenationhouston.com/
State Parks
- San Jacinto Monument State Historic Site and Battlegrounds: “First there was the Alamo. Then there was San Jacinto. Commemorate Texas’ independence with a visit to this revered battleground where the 570-foot-tall San Jacinto Monument stands. Go up 480 feet to the observation deck and fall awestruck by sweeping views of the battlefield.” Battleship Texas is the only remaining battleship to serve in both World Wars I and II. http://www.sanjacinto-museum.org/ and http://sanjacinto.weebly.com/
- Brazos Bend State Park: Walks, bike trails, alligators, picnic tables… It has Houston's best camping and the George Observatory telescopes . http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/brazos-bend and http://www.hmns.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=107&Itemid=115
- Sheldon Lake State Park: The primary activities at the lake are fishing and wildlife observation. Visit the John Jacob Observation Tower, a 82-foot tower that allows visitors to see incredible and unobstructed panoramas of the surrounding wetland and lake, the park's restored prairie and even the downtown Houston skyline and the San Jacinto Monument on clear days. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/sheldon-lake
- Alexander Deussen Park: On Lake Houston. Named after a respected Houston geologist, it offers basic camping services, including site pads, fire pits, picnic areas, and restrooms. http://hcp1.net/Parks/AlexanderDeussen.aspx
- Piney Woods: Shallow tea-colored creeks wind among dogwoods and pine forest. Bike or canoe. http://houstonwilderness.org/piney-woods/
- This Texas Parks and Wildlife website has a listing and map of all the state parks around Houston: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/
Some of these parks allow camping. Look under "Day Trips from Houston" for more camping spots.