Barefoot Gee’s

There's fishing and watersports action close by on Lone Star Lake (there's a boat ramp a minute's drive away, with space for swimming too), but if you’re looking for more outdoor adventures, try hiking, birding or geocaching in Daingerfield State Park (10 minutes’ drive), which also has a tree-ringed lake for swimming and fishing. Lake Bob Sandlin State Park (40 minutes) has hiking and mountain-biking trails as well as weekend ranger walks – and the fall foliage is a spectacular swathe of gold and red. The fishing lake in Caddo Lake State Park (an hour) has more than 70 species, and you can hire canoes to paddle several looped creek trails. If the kids need to run off any more energy, there are waterslides and inflatable climbing courses on the lake in Lone Star City Park (five minutes’ drive). If they deserve a treat, head for Lonesome Dove Drive Thru Safari (35 minutes) to see zebras and camels or feed goats in the petting zoo. To get a feel for Texas history, Jefferson (40 minutes) is a photogenic pre-Civil War town with lots of historic buildings to tour, and heritage displays at the Jefferson Historic Museum, housed in the former red-brick post office.