Dad’s RV Park is a year-round operation that offers 121 RV sites. All sites have full hookups, including water, sewer, and electric, either being 20, 30, or 40 amps. Sites vary in size, but each includes a concrete pad, picnic tables, and a grass area. There are onsite coin-operated laundry machines, showers, and a clubhouse. The clubhouse features a commercial kitchen, games, puzzles, a TV, and a sitting area that can accommodate up to 100 people. The park has been in operation since the 1980s and has seen many additions and renovations throughout the years. As of now, winter is the busiest season of operation for the park due to the variety of activities hosted by the park; however, the future addition of a swimming pool is expected to make summers busier for the RV park.
Victoria, Texas, is home to the Dad’s RV Park. The property contains 121 RV sites available for guest reservation on about 16 acres of land. According to Suzanne, the general manager of the business, all of the sites “vary in size.” Amp services at the sites include 20, 30, and 40; other hookups include sewage and water. Other features of the RV sites include a concrete pad, picnic tables, and “spacious” sites, according to Suzanne, because they include a patio and grass area. The variety of space sizes allows the business to accommodate small RVs to relatively larger ones that reach upwards of 80-85 feet long. Some RV sites are able to park two cars; there is also an additional overflow parking area for visitors.
A laundry facility, showers, and a clubhouse are amenities offered to patrons. The clubhouse specifically has a commercial kitchen with relatively large stoves, a griddle, and tables, to name a few features. According to the manager, groups staying at the park may cook together in the kitchen on occasion. Another feature of the clubhouse is that it is able to fit up to 100 people, “It’s a very nice facility,” says Suzanne, especially due to the commercial kitchen. A TV, puzzles, library, games, and chairs are all things located inside the building. There is also a dog park that acts as a common area for visitors where they are able to take pets off-leash when inside the perimeter. Another building located on the premises includes the main office space for the business.
Dad’s RV Park is located in town across from a public city park, with the other side of the park being against a wooded field. “It’s a small town,” reports Suzanne. A dog park, multiple sitting areas, and relatively large spaces that people often use to play baseball games at can all be found within the town. Activities that guests can do on the grounds of the RV park include horseshoes, cornhole, and using the exercise room which has very few pieces of equipment.
Dad’s RV Park is known to host various parties throughout the wintertime in Texas. Activities happen every month during the cold months; the establishment is also known to make a calendar with the different activities. The onsite clubhouse serves as the venue for business-run activities. Visitors to the RV park are expected to uphold specific rules and policies of the park. Such policies include not throwing trash on the ground, following the speed limit of 5 MPH, and pets on a leash at all times. However, dogs are permitted to be off-leash when in the dog park.
Suzanne, the general manager, reports that guests come to stay at the park for various reasons, from people coming to work in the area to visitors coming for vacation. The park is more “family-oriented” during the summer, says Suzanne. In the wintertime, the average occupant is typically elderly. Regardless of age, the manager wants them to “enjoy themselves” when staying at the park. She adds that the atmosphere often feels like a “home away from home.” In an effort to create this atmosphere, the staff sets the goal of being friendly and accommodating during their daily interactions with guests. The park is open year-round to visitors, with wintertime being the busiest season of operation for the business. This is due to the activities that are hosted during the winter months, with no activities happening during the summer yet.
Hospitality has become a trend in patrons’ reviews about Dad’s RV Park. One guest remarked, “Dad’s RV was a very quiet, clean park. A lot of good size pull-through sites, we have a large RV, and it was very easy to get in and out. The woman checking us in was very nice and pleasant.” Word of mouth and Google are generally the two most significant ways patrons find out about the establishment.
Attractions in the area have been known to draw guests to the town of Victoria, Texas, where Dad’s RV Park is located. Common attractions include The Texas Zoo, Museum of the Coastal Bend, and several golf courses. Overall, Victoria is known as “The Crossroads of South Texas,” according to the property's website. San Antonia, Houston, and Austin are all cities that are about two hours away. The ocean is about an hour and a half away; another water attraction nearby includes a nearby river where people can fish. Suzanna recommends that patrons eat at Las Palmas Mexican Bar & Grill, Villa Farms, and 5D Steakhouse when looking for a place to eat.
Dad’s RV Park was first built in the 1980s; however, more was added to the park through the years, with the second section being added in the 90s and the third section in the 2000s. The current owners added the last section in 2016. These owners, McDonald and Son’s LLC, purchased the RV park in 2014 after the ownership of Bob and Pat Dawson. Two years later, Suzanne, the current general manager, started working at the park.
In the past, the land was used as a mobile home and RV park but was eventually converted to only an RV park. Those looking to stay at the park are able to choose to stay for either daily, weekly, or monthly time increments. Other changes made to the property under the current ownership include adding a new laundry facility, dog park, and exercise area. Future plans for the Dad’s RV Park include the addition of a swimming pool that is currently in the works. “Every year, we add something,” says Suzanne. She also reports that she likes meeting the people who stay at the establishment and that overall, “RVers are good people.”
203 Hopkins St
Victoria, Texas 77901
United States
Campground
McDonald and Sons LLC
Bob and Pat Dawson
