Day Trips from Richwood, TX

Richwood, Texas, sits at the edge of the larger town of Lake Jackson and is under an hour south of the major metropolitan area of Houston, so it’s an ideal location for getting out and about. From here, you can take a day trip to the big city, head out into Texas’s unique countryside, or spend the day at the beach on the Texas Gulf. Continue reading as our team at Yaklin Ford shares a few day trip ideas for where to head from Richwood if you’re looking for a fun way to spend a weekend this summer.

Surfside Beach

The fastest way to get to the seaside from Richwood is to travel southeast through Freeport to the end, and you’ll find yourself at the Village of Surfside Beach. It only takes around 20 minutes to get here from Richwood, so you can spend less time on the road and more time at the beach. Surfside Beach offers four miles of sand with plenty of shops and restaurants to explore. Many fun activities await you at Surfside Beach, including fishing from the shore or jetty, birdwatching along the Surfside Bird & Butterfly Trail, and surfing, kayaking, and windsurfing.

Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge

The Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge is just a little over 10 miles from Richwood and consists of almost 45,000 acres of wild land serving as a wintering habitat for migratory waterfowl. Here you’ll find a rich ecosystem that includes salt marshes, freshwater sloughs, and coastal prairies filled with birds, butterflies, dragonflies, reptiles, and amphibians. Come here to enjoy its miles of trails, birding and photography opportunities, biking, picnicking, boating, and fishing. Stop by the Discovery Center at the Big Slough Recreation Area to pick up maps and brochures, and check out the interactive displays to learn more about the area.

Sea Center Texas

Sea Center Texas is a visitor center, marine aquarium, and fish hatchery with an education center where you can spend hours learning, exploring, and discovering new and interesting facts about the marine environment. You can find it at 302 Medical Drive on the far side of Lake Jackson, making it a quick trip from Richwood. It’s open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free, but you can also donate if you want to support the center. Hatchery tours are available by reservation, so plan before you go.

Galveston Island

Galveston Island is a popular vacation spot on the Gulf of Texas just outside Houston. If you’re looking for a busier beachside location than the quiet seaside experience at Surfside Beach, then head up to Galveston for fun in the sand, family attractions, such as Pleasure Pier, with fun rides over the water, and Schlitterbahn Waterpark, with water slides and wave rivers. Stroll along a boardwalk with an ice cream in hand while enjoying the beach views and a fresh ocean breeze. Galveston Island offers multiple beaches, a quaint Victorian downtown, and beachfront shops along the seawall.

Brazosport Museum of Natural Science

You’ll find the Brazosport Museum of Natural Science at the Brazosport Center for the Arts and Sciences at 400 College Drive in Clute, Texas, just a few minutes south of Richwood. It has many fossils, including mammoth bones and dinosaurs, along with rocks, minerals, and seashell collections. There’s also a planetarium and gallery at the center, so you’ll have lots to do if you plan your visit when everything is open. The museum’s hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Yellowstone Paddlewheeler on the San Bernard River

For a special day out, why not treat your partner or some close friends to a ride down the San Bernard River in an 1800s-style paddleboat called the Yellowstone? The dinner cruise is over $80 per person, but you get a five-course dinner with a wine pairing for the main course, live entertainment, and a two- to two-and-a-half-hour cruise down the scenic river. There’s also a sunset cruise with hors d’oeuvres and special occasion cruises for events such as the 4th of July and Christmas. The River Rendezview Resort at 2922 County Road 519 in Brazoria runs the cruise.

Columbia Historical Museum

Learn about the history of the Republic of Texas in the town that was its first capital. The Columbia Historical Museum is in a building from the 1950s that was once a bank and now has exhibits and artifacts from Texas’s varied past, from its indigenous peoples to its brief time as a republic to the state’s recent history. The museum is at 247 E. Brazos Ave. in West Columbia and is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and by appointment. You can also check out the historic one-room schoolhouse on the property.

Madge Griffith Park

If you want to spend the day outside without too much traveling, check out the Madge Griffith Park in Lake Jackson. This park has many diverting recreational facilities where you can spend all day having fun or just relaxing. On a hot day, you can cool off in the water of the outdoor pool, and your younger children can enjoy splashing in a wading pool with water features. There’s also an outdoor gazebo, picnic tables, a fun playground, a baseball field, pee wee fields, and softball fields.

Visit Us at Yaklin Ford

So, we’ve shared just a few fun day trips you can take from Richwood this summer. Have you been to any of these places yet, or do you know of another great spot to visit? Contact us at Yaklin Ford and tell us about your favorite day trip destination. If you plan to check out our suggestions, you’ll want to make sure you have a reliable vehicle that’s fun to drive. Stop by our dealership at 1200 North Highway 288-B for your next new or used Ford car, truck, or SUV, or call us at 979-212-8458 today.

Beach homes at Surfside TX by Roy Luck is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0