We retired in July and since we have been traveling the country in a 5th wheel. ( We sold our California home ). We have spent most of this time traveling the northwest and we have found this experience to be "remarkable". We are currently in South Dakota and tomorrow we are traveling to see friends in Colorado. 

We can feel winter weather starting to creep in - and I am asking for recommendations on where to stay for the winter on the gulf coast. We would like to  make reservations for like a month or so at a time. I know a lot of people like the area around South Padre Island. Sounds like it gets crowded though.

Any other suggestions?

I appreciate any input.

Anywhere that is popular with snowbirds will be busy once they flock south but most of the parks are not busy until around Thanksgiving or later. We spent a winter in the Rockport/Fulton area of TX and really liked it there but it can get chilly. You might want to spend some time in CO to see the fall colors, then head to San Antonio, where there is much to see and do, then work south to Rockport (near Corpus Christi) and then go farther south to South Padre or Brownsville and then move up the valley to the west. You probably will need reservations to stay a month after Thanksgiving, but we used to spend a week in those places without reservations.I haven't been there in late winter in several years so hopefully others will join in and advise on the reservation issue.

In our earlier full-timing years we spent a few months in Florida..... didn't like it - (crowded & buggy); visiting state parks in Texas - liked the Rockport area but not farther south in Mission, South Padre (too windy & crowded).  We loved Gulf State Park, Alabama (can get monthly rates) which is full of snowbirders/full-timers.  It a nice town, lots to do in the area and pretty beach.  However, it can be cool.  New Mexico was too cold.  The southern deserts of California were nice, also.  We used public parks and boondocked on public lands. After years of testing we settled on our winters in Arizona which we love. 

As a full timer I love the deserts of southern Arizona, and most of the time that's where I will be in the winter. I spend my summers in Colorado where I've lived for the last 30 years and where I'm located at the moment, but will be hitting the road heading south about the middle of October.

I stay in Texas every few years either on Padre island or farther south where it's warmer which is where I will be going this coming winter.

My choices of where I like to stay is based on weather, and me being a boondocker. Its usually fairly comfortable in southern Arizona during the winter, and there's plenty of BLM land to boondock on for free so I don't have to worry about reservations, there's always room in the desert for me and my Arctic Fox 27 – 5L fifth wheel.

theboondork.com

  On 9/28/2019 at 1:27 AM, Kirk W said:

We spent a winter in the Rockport/Fulton area of TX and really liked it there but it can get chilly.

I'm not sure what you consider chilly, but we get a single day of frost every ~3-5 years or so.  Most of the time wintertime daytime temps are in the mid 60's.  Overnight temps are typically in the 50's.   Average weather in Rockport  

Sure, we do wear mid-weight jackets in mid-winter but I'd hardly consider it a particularly chilly climate. JMO

  On 9/28/2019 at 8:28 AM, docj said:

I'm not sure what you consider chilly, but we get a single day of frost every ~3-5 years or so. 

Are you saying that it is never chilly there? I didn't say it was cold.  ? With an offshore breeze and temperatures in the 40's most people would agree it is chilly. 

13 yrs in Michigan. Cold is O with a wind chill of -25. School cancelled when wind. Chill was -50.  

Yeap, as northerner, cold is when the radio start broadcasting frostbite warnings. " Exposed flesh freezes in less than 5 minutes."

  On 9/29/2019 at 2:38 AM, filthy-beast said:

cold is when the radio start broadcasting frostbite warnings.

My radio has been modified to prevent it from broadcasting that kind of forecast!  ?  We were taught that the objective of full-timing was "to follow 70 degrees!"  Although our winters in Rockport don't quite measure up to that, at least we don't have to deal with water in its frozen from.

We winter kind of on the "gulf coast", that would be SW Florida's gulf coast.  The year before we fully retired I was convinced that Texas would someday be our winter home.  We spent a little over a month (March) on South Padre Island.  The locals claimed it was a record March.  We had an ice storm that knocked out power and closed everything down.  It was so windy most days we only had the Harley out 3 or 4 times.  It was probably a very unusual month but we never returned.

My idea of retirement is wearing short britches about 360 days a year and jeans maybe the other 5.  This Christmas will be the 9th one that I have worn a tee shirt and shorts for the day since retirement, as compared to working most of them in a heavy coat and gloves before retirement!

We have done Florida and Arizona and between those two we liked AZ better. We have also done Port A / Rockport area for several years and it was nice and we made many friends that we keep in touch with. We now stay in the RGV on the west side in a park north of Edinburg. Large sites, in the country with the closest park over two miles to the east. No heavy winds but the occasional ground fog that would last a few hours. We like the people, the price and the activities that this park has plus easy drive to Progreso/Nuevo Progreso Mexico. The only negative that some folks would have is that you travel about fifteen miles into the Edinburg/Pharr area for groceries and restaurants. 

Dave

  On 9/29/2019 at 9:40 PM, FL-JOE said:

 

My idea of retirement is wearing short britches about 360 days a year and jeans maybe the other 5.  This Christmas will be the 9th one that I have worn a tee shirt and shorts for the day since retirement, as compared to working most of them in a heavy coat and gloves before retirement!

My ideal area is where I can ride my Harley 365 in 70-75 degree weather! 

That is exactly correct!  The only ingredient I need is those nice winter temps!

Before I went full time I lived in San Diego and rode my Harley 365 days a year. Now that I am retired and full time I ride less! Been staying in AZ for most winters. Going to FL this winter to check it out. 

Wintered in the Rio Grand Valley (RGV) in Texas twice, Newport North Carolina many times, and looked at Baldwin County Alabama.  Baldwin county is on the Gulf Coast.  We love all the places we have wintered it.  The last couple of winters we spent back in Michigan.  Yes, there are a few RV parks that are open all year in West Michigan.  Looking forward to getting back to the south for winter.