East Texas is a vast area that stretches along the Gulf of Mexico from the Louisiana state line to the Rio Grande Valley and north to Oklahoma. Far from resembling the Southwest of cowboy movies, it includes sandy beaches, marshy wetlands, bayous, and pine and oak forests. Most of the dozens of mobile home and RV parks catering to the over-55 crowd are in the southern end of the region. The climate is dry for most of the year with summer temperatures reaching the 90s during the day and cooling down to the 70s after sunset. Winter temperatures range from the 60s in the daytime and the 40s overnight.
Carefree Valley Resort, just north of Harlingen on the southern tip of Texas, is a 45-minute drive from South Padre Island and Brownsville, on the Mexican border. The park, which welcomes pets, has a beauty salon, a recreation hall, a library, pool and spa and laundry facilities on site and offers organized activities in the club house.
Carefree Valley Resort
4506 N. Business 77
Harlingen, TX 78552
(956) 425-2540
carefreevalleyresort.net
West of McAllen in the eastern Rio Grande Valley, Mission, Texas, is home to two over-55 mobile home parks, Mobile Gardens Community and the Tradewinds RV Resort, close to the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge Trail and the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. Both attractions offer natural settings for hiking and outdoor recreation. And there are three nearby golf courses--- the Shari Municipal Golf Course, Martin Valley Ranch and El Nino golf courses.
Tradewinds and the Mobile Gardens Community each have heated swimming pools and spas, and recreation halls with such activities as weekly dances and live music. Tradewinds has bingo, card games and monthly flea market and craft fairs in its card room. Mobile Gardens amenities also include a library, shuffleboard and a laundry.
Tradewinds
1005 North Stewart Road
Mission, TX 78572
(877) 598-5041
tradewindsrvresort.com
Mobile Gardens Community
1901 N Glasscock Road
Mission, TX 78572
(956) 585-9829
mhvillage.com/Communities/MobileHomePark.php?key=24983
Between Harlingen and McAllen on U.S. Highway 83 is the town of Weslaco, home to three over-55 mobile home parks: Rio Valley Estates, Snow To Sun and the Trails-End Mobile Home Park. There are a half-dozen golf courses in the immediate vicinity, including Llano Grande Golf Course, the Palms At Mid Valley, the Tierra Santa Golf Club and the Village Executive Golf Course. The Killer Bee Capital of the World tourist attractions there include the Hidalgo County Historical Museum and the Old Clock Museum and Shop, along with the nearby Las Palomas Wildlife Management Area.
Rio Valley Estates
715 N Westgate Drive
Weslaco, TX 98596
956-968-2708
Snow To Sun
1701 N. International Blvd.
Weslaco, TX 98596
(866) 786-7341
Trials-End Mobile Home Park
2001 S. Texas Blvd.
Weslaco, TX 98596
956-968-5051
