East Texans can now head to Big Tex Campgrounds for camping and outdoor adventures. The new campgrounds, owned by Josh and Kaylee Pace, opened earlier this month.

East Texans can now head to Big Tex Campgrounds for camping and outdoor adventures. The new campgrounds, owned by Josh Burrell and Kaylee Pace, opened in September.

The campgrounds currently offers 17 sites with spacious, shaded, monthly RV spots and an additional 17 more opening over the next several months, according to Kaylee Pace.

Pace said this is just the beginning of what she hopes will be a full outdoor adventure for the whole family.

“This upcoming year we will be building a five acre swimming pond with a jumping deck, slide and rope swing with a sandy beach,” she said. “We will also be building our 30 additional covered spots with storage for our long term guests in the back 15 acres of the park.”

“In the future, we plan on adding teepees, cabins, and Safari Style tents along the swimming pond, as well as primitive camping spots in the woods along the creek,” Pace said. “Once we are fully open we will be offering people the ability to camp like its 1985 again; among trees and nature, the way they want — whether that is in a cabin, in a tent or in a camper.”

Pace said she and her husband found out early in their dating years that they both had a dream of opening a campground and both came from RV backgrounds.

“When Josh and I started dating seven years ago, on one of our first, very long, phone calls, we found out we actually both had the same dream — to build a campground,” she said. “Little did we know seven years later, we would be doing just that — together.”

“And considering we both had lived in RV’s, we both brought different views and experiences to it, which I think greatly contributes to how Big Tex Campgrounds came to be,” Pace said.

After 12 years of Josh working on the pipeline and saving every penny, the couple took the leap of faith to follow their dreams.

“For years we saved and made investments while he was away, so that when we were ready, we could make the jump and switch careers,” Pace said. “It was terrifying, but in July of 2022 Josh drug up on a pipeline in Abilene and headed to Ben Wheeler to build our dream campground.”

Pace went on to say the passion she and her husband share in building the campground runs deep.

“Building this campground together has been a passion project from the start. If we had to break it down into one thing, we would say what makes us wake up every morning to create this campground is the moment that we get to walk around our campground and watch kids playing outside together, parents on the beach sitting in fold out loungers watching their kids swinging on a rope into a pond,” she said.

“It’s the monthly guests that get to wake up to the sounds of birds every morning and have a beautiful place to live; for their grandkids to come visit,” Pace added. “For us, being the place where families can make some memories is where our passion is. Josh and I have spent over a year on the ground, in the heat, in the cold bringing this vision to life, and paying attention to every small detail. We truly care about giving our guests a beautiful place to live and stay.”

Pace said she feels Ben Wheeler was the perfect place to open Big Tex Campgrounds and feels the campgrounds will greatly benefit the community.

“Ben Wheeler is, without a doubt, one of the most unique places we have ever been. Every month there is something going on, some kind of festival or event that brings the community together,” she said. “I feel like our campground, once fully open, will be a destination spot and bring travelers to the area that gets to experience and appreciate the uniqueness this community offers.”

Pace said the couple is determined to build a place for families to make memories.

“We are a normal blue-collar family, in our mid 30’s. We ‘bet the farm’ so to speak and are 100% self-funded; no corporate conglomerates and no investors,” she said. “But we have the drive, determination and grit to get our campground to where it can be a place families and people make memories at for years to come. When people stay at our campground, they will be part of helping us build that.”

Pace explained that to continue to build the campground, the couple will be selling material for large projects.

“In order to continue building our campground and swimming pond, we will need to sell a minimum of 120k yards of material. When you get material from us, you will be bringing us one step closer to finishing our swimming pond that families will enjoy for years to come,” she said. “The material will be of select fill, clay, and an Iron ore gravel mix with great pricing.”

The campgrounds will eventually have a nature path along the creek that will allow guests to walk directly into Ben Wheeler and right up to many establishments such as The Vintage Cork, Blade Bar, The Forge, and Moore’s Store.

Big Tex Campgrounds is located at 13577 State Highway 64 in Ben Wheeler and can be reached at 903-833-4004. A promotion is now running through the month of September.

For more information, visit the Big Tex Campgrounds Facebook page.