Best Parks in America — Sign Up for FREE Summer Giveaway to RVers and Campers

Now through September 9, 2010, Best Parks in America is giving away FREE RVing and camping vacations to its members every other Thursday!

RVers and campers alike can win a one-week vacation at any Best Parks in America location of their choice. "By enrolling to be a member of Best Guests in America—a free camping club devoted to those who enjoy vacationing at unique destinations," says BPA President David Gorin, "guests can choose from one of many fine locations. Our 'Best Parks' affiliates, including The Vineyards Campground & Cabins in Grapevine, Texas, will exceed your expectations and camping experiences."

There is no purchase necessary; just sign-up now with Best Guests in America to be included in every drawing throughout the summer. Go to http://www.bestparksinamerica.com/, and register on the "Become a Best Guest" tab. That's all you have to do to qualify for these drawings.

Best Parks in America is a group of 63 highly-rated, independent RV parks and campgrounds in 23 states and Canada which offer premier quality services and warm hospitality. These complimentary BPA vacations will include 6-nights/7-days in an RV or a camp site and must be used by April 30, 2011. Don't wait to register; one sign-up makes you eligible throughout the whole summer.

Campground Improvements—Forty Percent Completed

It's been a remarkable week for site construction on the campground this week and everything remains on schedule. "Many sites on the west side had early concrete pours Friday morning, and we especially want to thank our guests for being so understanding about that work." shares Fred Foxx, project manager.

Also, three additional lift stations have been installed. Though the new sewer system is not online yet, many of the new pad sites have cured and are opening now for guests complete with water and electricity.

"When you camp with us again in the Fall," says Foxx,"we know you will be very pleased with the results!"

Other improvements to the campground were noticeable this week... The sandy beach will be quite the spot for all kinds of summer fun! We've added safety bouys to remind boaters and Ski-doos on the lake that adults and children are swimming near the beach and to slow down.

And at Hummingbird Station, the Foxx family checks out the new picnic tables just placed there yesterday. "Under the cool shade of the trees, these tables will be a welcome addition for our little picnics, those fun campground events, and a nice place to sit outside, waiting for our laundry to wash and dry," says Fiona Foxx.

Rain or Shine—Campground Improvements Are Looking Good

"This last week we've had a little rain...but that's got to be a good thing in the summertime in Texas," says Project Manager Fred Foxx, as he too adjusts to the weather here in Grapevine.

Construction is moving well and systematically around the campground, with about 40 percent of the project completed now. Improvements started on the west side of the park, including three additonal lift stations. This week six new sites were poured near the corner from the cabins on Grapevine Drive.

"Handsome brick support walls were established and several other sites were leveled, ready for cement pours next week," Foxx reports as he covers his usual Friday check-list with Cooper Construction on improvements. Cooper Construction is anticipating moving to the east side of the campground during the first week of August.

"We are constantly monitoring the aggregate hardness of cement pours on those sites we've leveled," shares Foxx. The construction team requires that the pad site set-up time not be rushed, so it can achieve the best strenght and hardness for many of our Fifth Wheel and RV guests. "This weekend, we opened a couple of those newly poured sites for guests, so you can see that improvements are moving along quite well!"

Thanks Chick-fil-A!

"We are very thankful to have such wonderful business partners here in Grapevine," says Joe Moore, assistant director of Parks and Recreation fo the City of Grapevine.

Clint Cowden, operator of the Grapevine Mills Mall Chick-fil-A, fed our Lakes Park staff on the 4th of July! With a little rain, humidity and heat, large holiday crowds and busy schedules — lunch could not have been a more welcome treat! Thanks Chick-fil-A!

There's nothing like a great American company to put real meaning into the 4th of July! All of us at The Vineyards Campground, Rockledge Park and Meadowmere Park appreciated Chick-fil-A's generosity.

There's Nothing Like A 4th of July Parade!

Last night the summer rains cooled off the campground, and today the clouds helped make our 4th of July Parade through the park very enjoyable for all! Families showed up early to don red, white, and blue hats, beads, sunglasses and get their American Flags beforehand.













Campground Project Manager Fred Foxx and his family were soon joined by darling Grapevine poodle—Dolly Parton—in their Segway-pulled wagon.

And many other campground doggie guests were well-dressed for the occassion, walking on leashes and entertaining the crowd.

The parade cruised the west side of the campground first, then made a figure-eight back to cheering crowds in lawn chairs on east side. The parade ended, returning to Hummingbird Station for more treats. A great time was had by all...

It's Beginning to Look Like the Fourth of July!

The Foxx family was out and about the campground this weekend, checking out the festive atmosphere. Little Stomper, and his sister Blush, were counting all of the American flags... Can you guess how many are decorating the park for the Fourth of July? It's looking really good.

We have great Fourth of July weekend events planned, so we hope you will join us! Come early Friday and get settled in before our first summer evening concert begins at 7:30pm in the Pavilion. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets out and get a good spot. You will love these guys—The Zack King Band. When they are through at 9:30pm, there will be a short fireworks show west of the campground as well.

Saturday morning at 11am, we will have our first 4th of July Parade. Wear red, white and blue clothes, dress up the dog, and decorate your ride. We'll assemble everyone at Hummingbird Station before we take a spin around the campground and show off our patriotic spirit.

Then on Sunday night, the City of Grapevine has its huge Fireworks Extravagnza that you can see from every site in the campground. KLUV 98.7FM will simulcast the event with extraordinary music as well. So hurry up and get here for a great weekend ahead...

Site Development Moves Along

It's been another good week on the campground for site development. One of the project managers—Fred Foxx—continues to survey construction on the west side of the park, and stay on top of busy schedules. He also meets often with Joe Moore and the construction team to update you on the progress being made on our plans.

Quickly, old asphalt is being removed from sites that are going to be upgraded and leveled this coming week. Cooper Construction brought trucks in Friday and poured three new drive thrus with concrete, and more will be completed weekly.

While construction is being managed, most all of our guests are able to enjoy the lake. There remains easy access to the shore lines and the boat ramp as well.

And the weather is perfect this time of year for riding on jet ski's too. For easy accessibility, the campground has several docks to tie jet ski's to around the shoreline. There are nearby sloughs to explore, and waterways to the larger part of the lake through neighboring Scotts Landing Marina. So come and enjoy the campground this summer.

More S'MORES!

Friday night we enjoyed our last
S'mores until the weather cools down again in the Fall. It was hard to tell if the setting sun was melting the Hershey's chocolate faster than the campfire was.

But it didn't matter to the folks that turned up! All enjoyed one of the campgrounds' Friday night's special treats.

We even had a couple of Texas Ranger baseball fans show up for S'mores!... It was their great marshmallow-covered smiles that gave them away!

The Vineyards Campground has a variety of FREE events planned for Friday nights throughout the summer. The SummerBlast Fireworks Show will follow all events at 9:30pm, up until Labor Day in September.

Moving Dirt is What It's All About Now

It's been a good week on the campground for Cooper Construction crews... a little warm, but after all—its summertime.

Fred Foxx continues to review construction plans as RV sites are being leveled and many new lift stations are being installed this week. Major electrical work is also being upgraded to accomodate the new sites, cabins and lift stations as well.

New cabins are now on order! And soon, we will get delivery on 4 two-bedroom cabins, 2 one-bedroom cabins with lofts, and 1 duplex for larger families or groups that want to stay together.

Soon, the fishing pier will be relocated and crews are busy this week staking out a new sidewalk to that location. In the mean time, campers still found time to enjoy the lake and drop a line in the water this week.

In Guest Review surveys, one of the biggest requests from our campers was for level sites. Cooper is addressing that aggressively, and you can see that Foxx is assisting crews as they improve sites, insuring that campers will have those level sites when they stay with us at The Vineyards in the future.

More updates coming, so visit our blog often for construction news...

Memorial Day in the Campground

Campers were greeted this Memorial Day weekend to an array of American Flags at the entrance way to The Vineyards Campground.

Memorial Day campers were given American Flags as they checked in for the weekend. As many set aside this last Monday in May to honor family members who gave their lives for our great country, we did too.

The Foxx family—Fred and Fiona, along with Blush and Stomper, joins with all of us today as we take time to remember the sacrifice it has taken to establish and maintain this great Nation of ours. God Bless America!

Our Own Version of Ameican Idol --- Karoke Night

What a great Saturday night on the campground with music hosted by our longtime RVers—Joni and Delton Jones. They brought all of their karoke equipment out to Hummingbird Station and set up a stage to entertain Vineyards campers. And that's exactly what they did...in grand Texas style.

More than 50 campers came out to watch the sing-a-long, and some were brave enough to share the stage with Joni and entertain the crowd as well. Joni sang many great songs, and others of all ages did as well. But no one did this year's favorite American Idol song —"Pants on the Ground" (?)

We've already had requests for a repeat performance, so we hope to schedule the Jones again in the Fall when they return to the campground. Thanks again Joni and Delton!

Campground Staff Rescues Great Blue Heron

"Sometimes you are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time!" share Vineyards workampers John and Kay Tork. "We were cleaning the shoreline when I walked up on a limp bird, all huddled up in a ball," says Tork. "I was afraid we'd lost the Heron in the hot sun."

Somehow, the Great Blue Heron had enough strength to make it back to shore yesterday, towing a large catfish he'd caught. "It looked like the catfish—stuck in the Heron's bill—had completely worn out the starving Heron by wriggling and trying to get loose."

Remarkably, after being rescued by Torks, the Heron safely returned to the shores of Grapevine Lake, roaming freely about this weekend.

The bird was identified as a breeding adult Great Blue Heron, and during the March to November breeding season, Grapevine Lake has large numbers of migrants fly in and join the local resident Herons. The Great Blue's are one of the favorites of many bird watchers on our campground.

Dr. Ray Chancellor, head of the Southlake Ornithological Society, was also on site to photograph the heron and advised on rescue efforts. He said that there was a great posibility that this bird was fishing to feed its young in a nest nearby the campground.

The heron mistook the 4-foot tow rope that had been thrown into the lake as food. And in the process of trying to get it out of the water, the rope tightly knotted around the heron's lower bill, putting the bird's life in great peril. The bird would have starved to death (as well as the nesting family it was feeding) if the Torks had not come to the rescue.

Dr. Chancellor reports that the last few years he has seen trash dumped around the lake grow exponentially. "If I may, I must encourage everyone to protect this wonderful wildlife area we have here in Grapevine and never leave trash behind; dispose of it properly. Always follow the sportsman's creed and leave the land better than you found it. That is the only way we can leave a wonderful legacy of our natural resources to future generations."

We're Moving Dirt Now!

The time has come! Cooper General Contractors began moving dirt this week. "First, we started digging out three new RV spaces on the campground in what we are calling Area 1 on the west side," reports Fred Foxx, project manager.

"We've also installed temporary silt fencing, which is a required sediment control device we use to protect the water quality of Grapevine Lake during any rainy days we might have during construction."

Some of the electrical conduit has been installed as well. Cooper's construction crew will take Memorial Day off, returning Tuesday to begin pouring concrete pads for the planned three new RV sites. As the week goes on, Cooper will move into Area 2, and begin clearing the ground for seven new cabin sites, as well.

"This coming week—the first week in June—will be the first time the Front Office may need to relocate current campers to other sites due to construction," shares Foxx. "We have a good communications program in place to inform and work with present and future guests about possible site moves needed during this construction."

"And here's a shout out to my new friend in the Front Office—Dan Green—for photographing construction work each week for you to see the progress ... great job my friend! So, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask the Front Office or me. We are working hard to improve the campground for you."

Looking for Home Sweet Home

Fiona Foxx spent the weekend at the campground, looking for the right place to settle the Foxx family. She visited with many Sisters on the Fly staying at the campground, and tried to peek in a few trailers to see if that's the kind of spot for the family.

But after taking a walk leisurely down Silver Lake Trail, she and Fred decided that living in the evironmentally protected area behind Hummingbird Station might be the best space. After all, living in a forest is more familiar to them, and the pups can run and play in the woods without worrying. So if you tiptoe softly down Silver Lake Trail behind the laundry room...keep your eyes open for signs of the Foxx Family.

Chillin' Grillin' and Thrillin' — Outdoor Adventure Days!

For those that enjoy an active lifestyle...we have the perfect, sports-focused outdoor festival this weekend just 5-minutes away from the campground! This year's Main Street Outdoor Adventure Days starts on Friday, May 21 and goes all weekend long in downtown historical Grapevine.

It's the perfect family outing... and remember its FREE for the whole family on FRIDAY until 5pm! Tickets are available for the rest of the weekend at all entry gates.

Our guests and their families will have the opportunity to watch or particpate in many outdoor sports as well. All kinds of sports vendors will be set up on the street and at the Train Depot showcasing every outdoor sport you can imagine: BMX Stunt Show, Quad Bungee Jumps, Skriders Trampoline Show, Kayaking Races, Grilling Competition, and Scuba Diving. Bring towels, and try every event!

Plus you can eat your way up and down the Midway, while listening to really rockin' live music. Then come back to campground and relax!

The Campgrounds - Getting Better Every Day

Joe Moore and newly hired Construction Project Manager Fred Foxx have been meeting regularly since his family's arrival on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad the first of May. Moore and Foxx have been working on final details for the campground's renovation and expansion plans.

The Grapevine City Council approved final plans for upgrading the park this month, and Cooper General Contractors are putting the finishing touches on the design, and orchestrating work schedules as well.




"We will do our very best to make everyone's stay at The Vineyards as comfortable and enjoyable as possible during the summer," assures Foxx. " Please know that you—our guests—are our Number One concern during renovations!"

Stay tuned... Mr. Foxx will report often on renovations at the park.

Pinata Time

Many enjoyed the Cinco de Mayo celebration at the campground last Friday night. Many children got to see what a pinata was all about --- Blindfolded and holding a big stick---children of all ages had great fun trying break open the pinata. It didn't take long for the candy come tumbling out for all to enjoy. Chips and dips were followed a visit from our great friends at KONA ICE. Those tropical shaved icees are the best on a hot and sunny afternoon on the campground.

Staycations: A Great Value Again This Year!

The Fort Worth Business Press, one of the leaders in news, events and business trends in North Texas, recently noted that The Vineyards Campground as a strong indicator of business activity in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Aleshia Howe reported that the "staycation" trend will be just as popular, if not more so, this year as many families and vacation travelers look for places to visit near by in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

"There are seven million people in the area and 18 percent of those have a travel trailer or an RV," says Joe Moore, assistant director of Grapevine Parks and Rec. "With the cost of gas and the overall cost of living, folks don't want to drive to Colorado. They go for the "staycation." Plus, the Metroplex has a lot to offer in the way of major entertainment and recreation for famlies.

Read what Howe, Moore, and Texas Association of Campground Owners CEO Brian Schaeffer have to say about The Vineyards Campground. Then give us a call, and make a reservation. We'll be looking for you...

Stand Up and Paddle on Grapevine Lake

Stand Up Paddle Boarding is becoming one of the fastest growing water sports in North Texas. On a recent demonstration at The Vineyards Campground, Penni and Kevan Burt of SUPATX gave our guests a chance to see what stand up paddling (SUP) was all about.

Though Grapevine Lake is well-known for all kinds of water sports, especially kayaking and skiing, the Burts are confident that stand up paddling will be added to the list of favorites very soon. "It's a sport that all ages can enjoy!" says Burt.

Commonly called "SUP" — a stand up paddle board is a larger, wider version of a surfboard; only made with more volumn so it floats better. It's covered in a special non-slip material to help with barefoot traction. Using a long paddle, one can easily propel themselves through the lake with great ease. SUPATX offers personal training with each lesson before letting paddlers go out on their own. In addition, the new sport offers an amazing work-out for building the core muscles, as well as arm strength and body alignment.

Watch our monthly newsletter—The VINELINE—for paddle boarding classes coming soon to the shores of The Vineyards Campground.

We All Scream for Ice Cream

Mister Softee returned to the campground this weekend and made his rounds, serving soft, smooth twisty ice creams cones to all. The favorite seemed to be vanilla and chocolate swirled together in cones, bringing big smiles to young and young-at-heart.

We even had a new 'twist' on ice cream serving. Someone brought a big slice of warm apple pie, and had Mister Softee put their scoop of ice cream right on top of the pie instead of in a regular cone! Looks pretty good, huh?