113 million years ago, sauropods and three-toed theropods walked a tidal flat that's now the bed of the Paluxy River — and in October's low, clear water you can stand inside the footprints. No museum glass, no boardwalk: sneakers off, wade in. Ninety minutes from the driveway, with the best small-town square on our list five minutes from the park gate.
Multiple track sites along the riverbed — the Ballroom, the Blue Hole site, Ozark crossing. Low fall water makes October prime viewing. Free with park entry.
A 9.5-mile drive-through safari 15 minutes away — giraffes eat pellets straight from the car window. Even teenagers break character for this.
A genuinely charming courthouse square: pie shop, antiques, ice cream, Big Rocks Park on the river for free boulder scrambling.
~75 miles southwest of Fort Worth via US-67. Leave after breakfast, tents up before lunch — the shortest travel day of any option.
Open route in Google Maps →Two verified ways to do it (checked night-by-night July 10):
Sycamore Bend walk-in tent sites 64–68: open Oct 13–18 — primitive sites near the river, short gear carry, two tents side by side, ~$15/night each. Or electric sites 8 & 12 in Lanham Mill: open Oct 11–16 (~$25/night) with water, 30-amp, and showers close by — note those two cover an earlier window than the tent sites. Heads-up on the sleeper cost: park entry is $8/person/day for ages 13+, and all four of us qualify — that's $40/day on top of camping for the five of us.