Glamping in Garner State Park

By: Mandy Seymour and Sarah Seymour, Best Rated Reviews

Garner State Park by Mandy Seymour, Best Rated Reviews

Are you ready to go Glamping in Garner?  Garner State Park has some of Texas’ most beautiful, clear-water rivers in the Hill Country.  It offers the perfect refreshment for anyone looking to spend a few days getting away from it all in the Texas Hill Country.  

If you are going to visit Garner State Park, why go camping when you could go glamping?  Glamping is camping with glamour and style.  To enjoy the park to the fullest glamping-style, you will need a sturdy yet breezy tent, reliable river shoes, and a colorful hammock.  You will also need some ambiance lighting and colorful dishware and/or tablecloths.

When you Glamp, you can bring your tent and your comfy bedding, too.  We had a tent and we also rented a screen shelter for the occasion.  Then we glamped it up.  Bring your favorite sheets and blankets, a spare set of Christmas lights, and anything else cozy you want to include.

Sarah Seymour sleeping in Trailmade Tent from REI, Best Rated Reviews

First, we set up our tent, the Trailmade Tent 1 from REI.  This tent is lightweight, versatile and made especially for backpacking.  But we like to bring it with us anywhere we go just in case we need it.  It has dual screens which create comfortable airflow when you are sleeping under the stars. Its lightweight design is portable and efficient.  The tent is extremely well-engineered for ease of use.  You can set it up and take it down in a matter of minutes.  It’s one of our favorites to bring along for travel anywhere, anytime!

REI Trailmade Tent

Find the Trailmade Tent here.

When glamping, it’s also important to bring along bedding that is suitable for the weather.  In the Texas Hill Country, we have found that a lightweight, soft fleece blanket can always come in handy for sleeping, reading, resting and naptime!  (Did we say naptime?  Vacation naps are the best!). One of our top favorites is blankets by Natural Life.  .  

Ready for Glamping! Here’s our clamping set up. You can find a cozy throw by Natural Life here.

After we got everything situated, we had a great time exploring the crystal clear waters of the Frio River.

We photographed the serene waters to our heart’s content!

Our Chacos were the perfect glamping footwear to help us accomplish the mission.  They were vibrant, stylish and practical for river trekking.

As we watched the sunset, the river was so peaceful.  When you are Glamping, it’s important to take in the still moments and bask in the beauty around you.

Serenity was ours in this beautiful place.  Rest and rejuvenation in nature was just what we needed!

My favorite personal moment of our Glamping experience came just after the sun set.  Suddenly the sky turned pink and purple and reflected magnificently on the glassy water.

Sunset in Garner State Park by Mandy Seymour

I was so glad I captured the moment and enjoyed it fully as the beauty and serenity enveloped me.  These are the beautiful moments Glamping is made of.  

Hammock Time!

We brought along one of our favorite hammocks – handmade straight from the market in Galapagos!

Camping with Chacos!  Chacos are the ultimate river shoe in Texas! If you are looking for a shoe that will allow you to traverse rivers and the hill country in Texas, we recommend Chacos. Sarah is wearing Chacos Women’s Z/Cloud Sandals. They are sturdy, well-made, and versatile. They also dry easily and clean up nicely even if you encounter mud or dirt. They keep her feet happy and stylish! Learn more about Chacos Women’s Z/Cloud Sandals here.

That evening, we enjoyed gathering with other campers for the nighty dance.  Each Summer night in Garner, people dance the night away.

They even have an old-fashioned Jukebox!

Late at night, Sarah and I traversed a valley riverbed to go Stargazing in the early morning (from about 1 a.m. to 3 a.m.). Sarah captured these magical moments of her experience with the Texas night sky.  

Here is her photo of the night sky!  

Milky Way in the Texas Hill Country by Sarah Seymour, Best Rated Reviews

She even captured the Milky Way that night!

She said as she was getting the angles adjusted, she heard rustling in the distance.  She shone her flashlight across the river and saw 16 sets of eyes peering at her – raccoons and wild boar!  Apparently they team up at night to raid campers’ ice chests.  (See the next photo – the warning!). She gingerly finished up her photos and left without incident.  But she said it was a quite daunting surprise to see all those eyes!

Below, Sarah is standing next to the swine sign! (Read the sign. It warns about feral hogs raiding your ice chest. It’s for real!)

That night, we returned to our Glamping and enjoyed a good night’s rest.

The goal, no matter what, is to get a good to great night’s rest.  We did!

Here’s to another Mama Daughter adventure!  Adventure awaits!

Sarah Seymour and Mandy Seymour

Mandy Seymour and Sarah Seymour – Mandy Seymour and Sarah Seymour are a mama-daughter travel duo who traverse the world to find and share the “best of the best” in travel, leisure and related products.  

Mandy Seymour

Mandy Seymour is the Managing Editor of Best Rated Reviews.  Mandy is an award-winning travel writer, photojournalist and author who has traveled the world in search of the “best of the best” and strives to help people know the deeper fulfillment of a life well-lived personally and professionally.  She received the William N. Garrison award for the impact she makes on others in her daily life and work.

Sarah Seymour

Sarah Seymour is a photojournalist with Best Rated Reviews.  She is a photographer and award-winning writer who has a keen eye for Instagram-worthy shots and is a powerful storyteller with a strong ability to convey the essence and enjoyability of places and products through writing and photography.  Sarah won the Scholastic Gold Key writing award for short stories in 2023.