If you are like us, then you love finding fun and unique places to stay when you travel. There is just something cool about staying in an old church like we did in Rome, or staying in a teepee by the river. If you’re like us, then you love these experiences.
Well, luck for you, there are lots of unique places to stay in Texas, and one of our favorites is covered wagon camping!
Never heard of it? Oh, well then you’re in luck because we have! Sit back, relax, and keep reading as we introduce you to this fun style of Texas glamping!
Full disclosure: Marty and I were guests of The Silver Spur Resort. As always, the opinions expressed in this post are completely our own and are unbiased. You can always trust us to give you a completely honest review.
Covered Wagon Camping: Unique Places to Stay in Texas
What is Covered Wagon Camping?
Covered wagon camping would probably be referred to as “glamping”. You know, camping but with more amenities. I like to think of glamping as camping in style!
Glamping allows you to get close to nature without giving up too many of the creature comforts that we have all grown accustom to.
The fun thing covered wagon camping is that you are actually sleeping in a covered wagon. Yes, you read that correctly, a covered wagon!
Resorts all over the United States are adding the old-fashioned Conestoga wagons to their mix of accommodations. While these wagons showcase a 19th-century design, they will bring you right into the 21st-century with their amenities.
When you have a covered wagon that includes air conditioning, heat, electricity, and a king-sized bed, why would you not want to try out camping in a covered wagon?
Where Can I Try Covered Wagon Camping
You know that we love taking little weekend escapes, so lucky for us, The Silver Spur Resort in Canton, Texas is one of the unique places to stay in Texas that has Conestoga wagons!
Canton is a small town in East Texas, about 1.5 hours outside of Dallas, making it one of the easy day trips from Dallas for us!
The Canton Trade Days put this small town on the map. Visitors flock here the weekend before the first Monday of the month to shop the world’s largest flea market.
Canton’s population is around 3,500 people, but on trade day weekends, this small town is flooded with up to 100,000 people!
If you want to experience the Trade Days during your covered wagon camping experience, then be sure to plan well in advance as The Silver Spur Resort fills up quickly on first Monday weekends.
The Conestoga Wagons at Silver Spur Resort
The minute you arrive at The Silver Spur Resort, you immediately realize that you are at one of the unique places to stay in Texas. Driving into the parking lot, visitors are greeted with a western ranch-style atmosphere that just screams Texas!
After checking into the “General Store” guests are invited to drive to the back of the resort property where they will find the Conestoga Wagons.
Silver Spur’s four Conestoga wagons are housed at the rear of the property in “Wagon Junction.” Wagon Junction is so stinking cute! The wagons are spaced out nicely and each one is perfectly positioned so that you have a great view of the pond.
Each wagon has a private picnic table and grill area in addition to the communal firepit.
We stayed in the “Bush Wacker” wagon and loved the location. Our wagon was furthest from the parking area, and the last one in the row, making it feel a little more private.
The wagons each have a king-sized bed, and either one or two sets of bunk beds. Our wagon only had one set of bunk beds, so we had a cool wagon wheel table as well. The kicker here, and what makes this a glamping experience, is that the wagons also have heat and air conditioning, and have electricity!
Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Where is the bathroom?” Don’t worry, The Silver Spur has taken good care of you. Just steps away from the wagons, you will find a private bathhouse that is only used by the visitors staying in the covered wagons. There are two bathrooms to share each containing a toilet, sink, and shower.
I have to admit, I was a little worried about the bathroom situation also, but once I saw how clean and well maintained these private bathhouses were, I felt right at home!
Things to do While Covered Wagon Camping
Of course, you are welcome to just sit back in a chair and do nothing at all during your stay, but for those of you looking for some entertainment, The Silver Spur Resort offers it’s guests loads of amenities to enjoy.
Q & Brew Restaurant
Located at the entrance to the property, the Q & Brew Restaurant serves up delicious BBQ and craft beer. We have eaten several meals at the Q & Brew, and everything we ate was delicious!
Sink your teeth into their perfectly smoke BBQ or try one of their incredible burgers. No matter what you choose, Q & Brew won’t disappoint.
While visiting, you have to try some of their craft beer as well. Ask for a beer flight so that you can sample 5 of the house-made beers to determine which one is your favorite. Honestly, they are all good!
Escape Rooms
Another thing that makes The Silver Spur resort one of the unique places to stay in Texas is their Escape Rooms.
The Silver Spur is home to two fun Escape Rooms that guest can book (for an additional fee). There is a Treasure Hunter Room and an Apocalypse Room for guests to choose from.
On our most recent visit, we tried our hand at the most difficult room, The Apocalypse Room. We had a great time solving the puzzles with our friends, Christina and Adam from Our Sweet Adventures, but sadly, we were not successful at escaping.
Chuckwagon Dinner
Another unique experience offered at the resort is The Chuckwagon Dinner. This special dinner is hosted several months during the year, usually on the Trade Days weekends, and does require tickets to attend.
The Chuckwagon Dinner is such a fun experience. Guests are treated to not just a meal, but an experience.
Set up in an opening behind the General Store, the Chuck Wagon dinner offers guests great live music, fun yard games, a fire pit, and great food.
Upon arriving, you will notice a big pot hanging over the fire pit. This, my friends, is a pot of “cowboy beans” stewing to perfection. In this area, you will also notice another post sitting in (and covered in) the coals from the fire. This, my friends, is a Dutch Oven peach cobbler!
While the menu does vary, we enjoyed smoked chicken, ribs, potato salad, corn-on-the-cob, cowboy beans, fresh rolls, and your choice of peach or cherry cobbler. And the best part, it is all served from their authentic Chuckwagon!
This is truly a great experience that is not to be missed!
Games and Photo Ops
Silver Spur ensures you have plenty of fun activities to keep you and the family busy! Just look around the property and you will load of fun yard games just waiting for you to play!
We enjoyed playing cornhole, and doing the giant ring toss using hula hoops! There is also a horseshoe area, a playground, and even a human foosball court!
I have to tell you, the human foosball is so much fun! You have to get some friends together to come to try this out! I will add that Christina and I beat the boys!
As you explore the property, you will also find several areas that are great for photo ops. One of our personal favorites is the kissing booth!
Fishing
Grab your fishing pole and hit one of the two stocked ponds that are on site at the Silver Spur. The large pond is stocked with bass and crappie and the owner informed us they are soon adding tilapia. The smaller pond is stocked with catfish and bass. Sounds like some great fishing to me! Just remember, these are ‘catch and release’ ponds.
If fishing isn’t your thing, you can still enjoy the ponds by setting out on the water in one of the paddleboats provide by the resort.
Campfire S’mores
You can’t go on a camping or glamping escape and not have some campfire s’mores! Lucky for you, the General Store sells everything you need to accomplish a fun night of s’more making, including the fire wood!
Final Thoughts on Unique Places to Stay in Texas: Covered Wagon Camping
As you can see, covered wagon camping is definitely a fun experience and thanks to the amenities at The Silver Spur Resort, it is fabulous! That is why this experience has to be on your list of unique places to stay in Texas!
In addition to their covered wagons, Silver Spur also offers some of the best cabins in Canton and RV spots for rent!
When you book or visit, don’t forget to mention that you heard about them from ‘That Texas Couple’.
Thanks for reading, friends and happy travels!
Check Out More of Our Texas Posts:
Fun Things to do in the Highland Lakes of Texas
Romantic Weekend in Downtown McKinney
20 Fabulous Small Towns in Texas You Must Visit
30 Fun Things to do in Fredericksburg TX
20 Awesome Things to do in Wimberley, TX
15 Amazing Sunflower Fields in Texas
101 Ideas for Date Night in Dallas
55 Ideas for Date Night in Fort Worth
50 Free Things To Do In Dallas-Ft. Worth
The Best Places to Stay in Austin
40 Awesome Free Things to do in Austin
Free Things to do in San Antonio
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About the Author
Michelle Snell is a travel writer, history buff, wine lover, and enthusiast of different cultures. While she is a professional educator by day, her passion for travel has her jet-setting all over the world during her free time.
Michelle enjoys bringing places to life through her informative writing style on her blog, That Texas Couple. Her practical tips and suggestions help make travel dreams a reality while immersing her readers in the history, culture, and food of a region. She is happiest sipping wine in Italy or chilling on a beach with her husband, Marty.
Erica
Monday 24th of May 2021
What a fun place to stay! I appreciate all of the details about the experience of staying overnight in the covered wagons and also about the plentiful amenities. Wow, they really offer a lot of unique options!
Puloma Banerjee
Monday 24th of May 2021
Wonderful post on glamping!The chuckwagon dinner looks tempting!
thattexascouple
Monday 24th of May 2021
Thank you! It was such a fun experience and that peach cobbler was amazing!
Megan
Monday 24th of May 2021
Staying in a covered wagon would be a BLAST! And totally different from anything I've ever done! I especially think my kids would love this.
thattexascouple
Monday 24th of May 2021
Yes! Kids would love it for sure!
Sue
Sunday 23rd of May 2021
What a fun experience! I would love to camp in a covered wagon!
thattexascouple
Monday 24th of May 2021
It was really fun and so comfortable.
Alice
Sunday 23rd of May 2021
I have never seen anything like that!! How fuN!