Published
Quick answer: The easiest weekend getaways in Texas under $200 are camping weekends where you cook your own food. At Inez Spring, two nights on an RV site start at $80 in site rent and two nights on a tent site start at about $62, which leaves the rest of the budget for fuel and groceries.
Most "cheap weekend" lists skip the receipt. This one shows it. We run a river park at Exit 343 on I-20 in Eastland, so our prices below are the posted ones. Everything else carries a link to the source. If you want the bigger picture on short trips west of the Metroplex, start with our weekend RV camping guide for Dallas and Fort Worth.
A budget weekend getaway is a two-night trip where lodging, entry fees, food and fuel all fit inside one number you set before you leave. The trick is not finding a cheap room. It is knowing every line before you load the car.
Two nights of camping plus simple food and a tank of fuel, in most cases. Lodging is the line that breaks budgets. A hotel room alone can pass $200 for two nights. A campsite usually does not. So the first choice, tent, RV or room, decides whether the rest of the plan fits.
Here is how we think about the four lines:
These are real published numbers, not guesses. Prices change, so check each link before you book.
| Option | What you pay | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Inez Spring RV site, Eastland | from $40 a night, full hookups | our posted rate |
| Inez Spring tent site, Eastland | from about $31 a night | our posted rate |
| Inez Spring barndominium (sleeps 11) | see rates on the booking page | barndominium page |
| Dinosaur Valley State Park campsite with electricity, Glen Rose | $25 a night, plus daily entry | Mommy Poppins |
| Texas state park daily entry, adults | $6 to $8 per adult, kids 12 and under free | Austin American-Statesman via AOL, 2023 data |
| Waco Mammoth National Monument dig shelter | $6 adults through Dec 31, 2026, then up $1 | National Park Service |
The pattern is plain. A campsite costs a fraction of a room. Entry fees are small per person but add up for a family across two days. Put them in the plan.
Two nights on an RV site come to $80 in site rent, and two nights on a tent site come to about $62. Those are the only lodging numbers we can promise, because they are ours. The rest depends on you.
| Line | RV site, 2 nights | Tent site, 2 nights |
|---|---|---|
| Site rent | $80 ($40 a night) | about $62 (about $31 a night) |
| Park entry | none | none |
| Kayak launch | included, bring your own kayak | included, bring your own kayak |
| Showers and laundry | rebuilt shower house, coin laundry | rebuilt shower house, coin laundry |
| Food | your grocery list | your grocery list |
| Fuel | your route | your route |
What you get for the site rent: the Leon River running through the park, a private kayak launch, walking paths, park Wi-Fi and a quiet night off the interstate. Pull-through sites run up to 100 feet, so you can arrive late with a long rig and not unhitch. Pets are welcome, leashed, up to two per site.
Most of a low-cost weekend here costs nothing. A few ideas within about 20 minutes:
Set the number first, then plan backward. A few habits that work:
Comparing more trips by cost? Our ranked list of weekend getaways from Dallas sorts nine destinations by what two nights cost. If you only have one day, read day trips from Dallas that beat the crowds, and for tent and RV options closer in, see camping near Dallas within about 2 hours.
Some weekend guests come back for a month. If you work in the area, are between homes, or just want a quiet base, our monthly RV sites run $500 for a back-in or $650 for a pull-through, month to month, plus your own electric metered at 17 cents per kWh, with a $200 refundable deposit. The honest total is the site rent plus your metered electric.
Yes, if you camp or bring an RV and cook most meals. Two nights on an RV site at Inez Spring start at $80 in site rent ($40 a night), and two nights on a tent site start at about $62. That leaves room in a $200 budget for fuel and groceries, which you price for your own trip.
Camping. A tent site or an RV site you already own beats a hotel room on price almost every time. Dinosaur Valley State Park, for example, has been listed at $25 a night for a campsite with electricity, plus a daily entry fee per adult, and private parks like Inez Spring start at $40 a night for a full-hookup RV site. See our Dinosaur Valley State Park guide for fees, the park map and the best months to see the tracks.
Daily park entry fees, parking at events, firewood, ice and fuel. State parks charge entry per adult per day on top of the campsite. Event venues often charge for parking. Write each one down before you go so the budget holds.
It is a quiet, low-cost one. Inez Spring sits at Exit 343 on I-20 in Eastland, about 1 hour 35 minutes from Fort Worth and about 2 hours from Dallas. The Leon River runs through the park with a private kayak launch, and Lake Leon is about 10 minutes away.
No. Tent sites start at about $31 a night. Groups who want walls and beds can look at the barndominium, which sleeps 11; see rates on the booking page.
Yes. Pets are welcome on a leash, up to two per site. Bring water and a shade plan for warm afternoons, and clean up after them on the walking paths.
The cheapest weekend getaways in Texas share one thing: you know the lodging number before you leave. Ours is $40 a night for an RV site and about $31 for a tent site, about 1 hour 35 minutes from Fort Worth and about 2 hours from Dallas.
Full hookups, a private kayak launch on the Leon River, a rebuilt shower house and laundry. See RV sites, book online, or call (254) 629-1197.
