I had never heard of the app HipCamp before. Hannah wanted to go camping for her birthday and although we have Caddo State Park very close to us, it’s booked months in advance. I googled “camping near Longview Texas” and low and behold HipCamp popped up.
We found a campsite in Hawkins, TX. It’s about a 25 minute drive. The only problem was that the campsite was down a long dirt road that is very rutted and gets very muddy when it rains. They really want you to have a 4 wheel drive. I contacted the host and told him what car we would be in, but that it does have front wheel drive. They gave the okay, so Saturday after Donny got off work we headed out.
They were not kidding when they said rutted dirt road. It got a little hairy, but we made it. After taking the tour where the owner showed us where the composting toilet and the dock, kayaks and canoe was, it was already dark and we still needed to set up our tents. This campsite was right by a lake and extremely isolated, which we loved. But, when I say it was dark, it was pitch black. Luckily, I remembered to pack my headlamp. We also had about 5 different light sources, but the headlamp was definitely the winner.
Just a quick selfie
I had ordered a bundle of wood so we wouldn’t have to bring any with us. It was a little damp so we decided to have cake while Gavin and Donny were getting the fire started.
The campsite came with a fire ring and a picnic table.
We had fun hanging out around the campfire and later playing a game of Apples to Apples. I think I finally crawled into the tent around midnight. There is nothing better than sleeping outside. Our tent is mainly netting that we can cover if we need too. I loved being able to look up and see the sky and the trees. The only problem was that I tend to have to use the restroom at night and there was no way I was going to walk down a long, curvy very dark path to the toilet. So I just had to use the bucket that was given the us to scoop lake water so we could douse the fire. Hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right?
It was a little chilly when we woke up, but it turned out to be such a nice day. Overcast, not windy and no rain. It has rained on every single camping trip Donny and I have taken. We would even check the weather forecast, but it still rained. We really lucked out this time.
There were some cool lily pads on our part of the lake.
We walked down the trail to the floating dock because Gavin wanted to go kayaking.
There was a super cool dome house that you could also rent. It had a deck with a grill. I snapped a quick picture because people were staying in it.
Donny started the fire again and we just relaxed, enjoying the water and all the sounds of nature.
I finally made it to the toilet. Can you imagine walking this trail in the dark? I swear there were animal burrows all around it.
Although our trip was very short we had a lot of fun. I cannot wait to use Hipcamp again. It was so easy and this campsite was gorgeous. And we made a little friend.
Y’all, I had to share these with Donny because that was A LOT of food.
That was the side salad. The server even brought us extra house Italian dressing to dip our bread in. I have decided that calories don’t count when you’re on vacation, even a mini one. Donny gave us more ambiance by plugging in the lights behind him.
The Jefferson Hotel. The restaurant is on the bottom left. The guests staying here have a great little balcony to hang out on. It’s also, supposedly, one of the most haunted places in Texas. A jilted bride hung herself from the bed post and is said to haunt the hotel. The bed is actually still there. There are also reports from guests of ghost children.
It was finally time for the tour. Jodi Breckenridge gives the tour. It’s close to 2 hours long and the tickets are $15.00 online or $16.00 if you buy them directly from Jodi. I highly recommend this tour. Jodi is a true historian of Jefferson. Yes, it’s cool to hear all of the ghost stories, but the history that you learn about is almost better. The places you visit on the tour varies, depending on the availability of the of the residences that let you go inside. One that is normally on the tour had a private party going on. Yes, you will walk a lot. Yes, it’s dark and spooky, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun.
Learning about the Sterne fountain. There were probably about 15 of us on the tour.
The guy in the white shirt is Brent. He was slightly drunk and SO funny. The guy to his right is my friend Sherri’s son, Karl. Sherri is in the red shirt. If the tour hadn’t had been as awesome as it was, it would still have been fun just hanging out with them.
We got to go into the Old Mill Antique Store. Very spooky. Very dark. There is one ghost that people see consistently here. Jodi showed us pictures, taken on many different tours of the ghost. It’s the same face in every picture. I love how she tells the stories as we are walking through. Adds that perfect touch of scary.
Because it was SO dark, I didn’t get many pictures in here. We were all using our cellphone flashlights to try not to knock items over.
Brent photobombing my picture. 
Her home was beautiful. They have a female ghost that likes to open windows and doors and move things around. I took a lot more pictures, but for some reason they are not on my camera. This was my favorite stop, so I was really bummed because her home was gorgeous!!!
This is Jodi, our tour guide. There is so much I didn’t write about. I was limited in the pictures I was able to take due to the rain. We got to go into the General Store and hear the history and ghost stories. We learned about the different murders that have taken place over the years. We learned about the history of Jefferson. If you are interested about hearing some of the stories, please google Jefferson, TX. It’s really worth the read. Diamond Bessie, William Perry and Jay Gould are a just a few google ideas.
The second oldest hotel in Texas, built in 1858. In case you were wondering, the Menger, in San Antonio is the oldest.
The infamous rocker in the Jay Gould room.
Sherri and me. I love that I got to meet a friend, that I met in a facebook group, that just happened to be here the same time we were. What an awesome room also!
Excelsior House courtyard from the second floor balcony. They had breakfast there that morning.
The dining area
The parlor
There are interesting things all around the town
Daytime view of Thomas Jefferson Park.
The living/dining room. The door on the right leads out the the balcony.
The fully equipped kitchen. The fridge doors would open and the microwave would start by itself. The amazon echo also flew off the table in the living room, hitting the fridge. The door is open and you can see down the second floor hallway.
The bedroom. The bathroom is connected, I just didn’t get a picture of it. This suite is available for less than $200/night. What a deal!
This was the room next door to us. Denise was straightening it up and I asked it I could see it. It’s slightly bigger than ours and has a mini kitchen. Remember, if you want to see something just ask. The worst they can say is no. I wouldn’t have seen the apartment if I hadn’t asked to see it.
Our room. It was small, but perfect. After googling all the rooms at the different hotels we chose the Kahn because it was recently renovated (2 years ago) and although the building is from the 1800’s, the rooms were brand new.
One last picture of our hotel as we are getting ready to head out of downtown. When you first get to Jefferson, it feels as though you are being enveloped in a magical, historical, spooky bubble. A step back in time where things were more simple and slower paced. I’m so glad that we chose to come here. I can’t imagine a more perfect weekend getaway.
The Funky Frugalista 