Fun N Sun RV Resort in Southern Texas Thousand Trails

by Marc Bennett
Updated: November 30, 2023
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Looking for an alternative snowbird destination to the crowded Florida and Arizona campgrounds? Many people complain about the expense and difficulties of finding RV resorts in Florida and Arizona in the winter. But we hardly ever hear these complaints about wintering in Texas. So we headed to the Rio Grande Valley in extreme southern Texas to check it out. Is it worth the drive? Read on for our detailed review of Fun N Sun RV Resort in the Rio Grande Valley, and surrounding area.

We traveled to this RV Resort in a rental RV

Location of Fun N Sun RV Resort

When looking at a map of Texas, take your eyes down to the furthest point south, right near the gulf. This southernmost tip of Texas is part of the Rio Grande Valley, and filled with winter destinations. Another popular area destination, only 30 minutes away from Fun N Sun RV Resort, is South Padre Island.

The Rio Grande River also serves as the USA Mexico border. Just 30 minutes from Fun N Sun is the Mexican border town of Progresso. Winter Texans commonly cross the border for a fun little day trip, to get dental work done, or purchase prescription medicines for a fraction of the cost in the USA.

Being so far south, and so close to the gulf of Mexico, the climate is nice and warm in winter months. This makes the area a very popular destination for ‘Winter Texans’. We loved how welcoming this region is for their winter guests.

Some areas of Florida and Arizona almost seem negative toward the huge influx of winter visitors. We found the opposite to be true down in Texas. The RV Resorts and community in general are openly excited about their seasonal visitors and the money they bring that is vital to the economic health of the region.

Close to South Padre Island and the Mexico border

Why Fun N Sun RV Resort Instead of Other Resorts in the Area?

In our research there are nearly 70 RV parks in this region. We chose to stay at Fun N Sun RV Resort for a few reasons. First being that we had heard so much positive feedback about it from friends.

Second being that we can stay here for no nightly fee with our Thousand Trails Membership with the Trails Collection upgrade. You can read more about this in related posts. Plus, some friends were staying at the resort at the time, so it seemed a perfect time and place to check out what the RV Resorts in the Rio Grande Valley are all about.

Fun N Sun is located about a mile from a major highway, so it is super easy to get to with any size RV. Being close to town, it is also very conveniently located for any goods or services you need during your visit.

What does Age Qualified Resort mean?

One thing to note is that Fun N Sun is considered an age qualified (AQ) resort, which means age 55+. These resorts are designed around adult activities, instead of kids (eg. few, if any, playgrounds). However, even though we are ‘not there yet’ we had no issues staying here. In fact, we have stayed at several “age qualified” RV resorts within the Thousand Trails camping network over the years. Usually we book online, or call and explain that we are a ‘mature, working couple with no kids’. We have never been asked for ID upon checkin, or turned away from an AQ park. But know that this MAY be a possibility.

Only once have we ever been told we could not stay (at an RV Resort in Arizona). Maybe we’ve been lucky? Or maybe we already look 55! But we generally don’t recommend families stay at AQ RV parks, as they (and their guests) may not be as fun or welcoming to kids.

This campground offers many activities for their guests

It’s just a hop, skip and a jump to Mexico!

Area Attractions

The main draws to this area are the warm winter weather, welcoming community, and excellent amenities offered in the RV Resorts. But many will love the close proximity to South Padre Island and Mexico. There are some local museums and water parks, and fishing and dinner cruises in the Gulf of Mexico.

Most of the surrounding area is agricultural, and of course the cities of McAllen, Harlingen, and San Benito.

Did you know that Texas is one of the largest producers of wine in the United States, and that their wines have won many international competitions? The reason that most people outside of Texas don’t know about it is because Texas wineries sell all of their wines within their state’s borders! Apparently, Texan wines are a well kept local secret!

We got a tour around the RV Resort on the Fun N Sun Railroad

Amenities and Activities at Fun N Sun

We met with many people during our week long stay. When asked why they like to come here, most of them first answered ‘the people’. As mentioned above, the community in general is very welcoming, but specifically the community of people within the RV resorts. They almost feel like family to each other.

People also love all the amenities and activities offered at large winter destination resorts like this. The last thing you need to be worried about is being bored. And the quality of the amenities was extremely impressive to us, especially for being an older park. Fun N Sun RV Resort has one of the largest dance floors in all of Texas. They also have one of the largest indoor shuffleboard courts, which sometimes hosts international competitions.

There is a nice pool and hot tub area, beautiful billiards room, tennis courts, Bocce ball, volleyball, miniature golf, indoor pickleball and ping pong, cafeteria, and a really cool outdoor remote control car race track complete with computerized tracking of car times and position in a race. They have the best library we have ever seen in an RV resort, a nice fitness center, and cute train rides around the resort occasionally.

With everything from concerts to remote control car racing, woodwork, shuffle board and more, boredom is no excuse!

Learn how we camp for (almost) free with our Thousand Trails membership

Even More Amenities

Feeling creative? There is a huge wood shop, a stained glass studio, lapidary studio, wood carving groups, and regular art classes in other gathering rooms.

Fun N Sun also hosts large events, dances, and musical guests regularly throughout the season with one of the largest dance floors in the state. And, with multiple RV Resorts which are part of the Thousand Trails/ Encore Resorts, they organize competitions between the parks in billiards, shuffleboard and much more.

Plus, there is a huge open grassy area across the street from the resort. Owned by the resort, these fields are used for large field sports like soccer, softball, remote control airplanes, and a golf driving range.

Practical Amenities at Fun N Sun

On the practical side of amenities, Fun N Sun RV Resort has free cable and WIFI. They also offer upgraded cable and WIFI for an additional charge. We liked that they had one huge laundry room instead of multiple small rooms because there were so many machines in one room. There are separate dog parks for large and small dogs. Even a beauty salon and barber shop.

Propane delivery trucks are in the park almost every day, so it is easy to get your propane tanks filled.

Mail, TV and Cellular Connectivity

We had 2-3 bars of cellular coverage on all three of our cellular plans. AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Cable TV was also available.

Fun N Sun also has a large mailroom and does accept mail for guests, as long as the site number is included. UPS and FedEx packages are delivered directly to your site, so make sure your site number is included in the address.

Address for Fun N Sun RV Resort”

Your Name
1400 Zillock Rd #_____
San Benito, TX 78586

Phone: 956-399-5125

RV Site Layout and Types

Fun N Sun is a pretty large RV Resort with well over 1,000 sites. A significant percentage of the resort is occupied by park models or other permanent structures. But, there are well over 400 full hook up RV sites in the park, and it rarely fills up completely. So, it is likely that there will be availability at this resort or one of the neighboring resorts, unlike other winter destinations.

All internal roads are paved, but most are too narrow for two direction traffic. With angled roads, some of the corners are sharper than 90 degrees. So, big rigs might only be able to turn right, not left. But we would still consider this resort to be big rig friendly, as long as you plan your route in the resort.

Most RV sites are back-ins, but there are a handful of pull through sites available. RV sites are either paved or grassy surface. Fun N Sun is a very level resort. We don’t remember anybody needing leveling blocks to level their RV.

Getting To Fun N Sun RV Resort

Highways into the area are very wide and flat, and the RV resort is only a mile from the highway. So Fun N Sun RV Resort is very easy to get to for any size RV. Many of the visitors to this area are Winter Texans and plan on staying for 3-5 months, not just a week or two. So, the distance to this area is not a major consideration.

Once you arrive at the resort there is a roomy check in lane and well organized office. Once checked in, you will be escorted to your site. If you are going to arrive after hours, call ahead and get information about parking in the overflow area.

PROS

Excellent, well cared for Amenities
Very active social calendar and great welcoming people
Warm winter weather
Quick access to South Padre Island or Mexico
Much easier to get reservations than Florida
Less expensive than wintering in Florida
Consistent 5-15 mph breeze helps keep temps cool and reduce bugs

CONS

Consistent breezes in this area might be considered windy by others
Surrounding towns are not as exciting as major FL tourist destinations
Long drive down to south Texas

Rates at Fun N Sun RV Resort

On this visit, we stayed a little over a week, at no nightly fee. That is thanks to our Thousand Trails Membership with Trails Collection upgradewhich actually allows us to stay up to 14 nights at a time with no nightly fee. Those with the Trails Collection Plus membership (available to Adventure Members) can stay up to 3 weeks at no nightly fee.

To learn more about Thousand Trails memberships and our comprehensive report after 6 years of full timing click here.

For those paying regular retail rates to stay here, nightly rates for RV sites are around $57/night. The weekly rate is $350 and monthly rate is $787. But, the longer you stay, the lower the rates get. So, if you stay for the whole season, you can save a lot compared to shorter stays. If you don’t have an RV, they do have rental cabins as well.

Learn how we camp for (almost) free with our Thousand Trails membership

Summary

A large winter destination type resort, predominantly occupied by seasonal or annual guests. Resorts like this really come to life in the winter season. Excellent amenities and a welcoming community are primary draws to this park and region.

We had a great stay at Fun N Sun RV Resort, and definitely think that this region in general, and this resort in particular are really worth visiting in the winter. They are a great alternative to the more common, and more expensive winter retreats in Florida and Arizona.

Contact Information for Fun N Sun

To find out more or to make a reservation, existing members can log into the Thousand Trails website to make an online booking. Retail customers can also make a reservation via the website below:

Fun N Sun RV Resort
Address: 1400 Zillock Rd, San Benito, TX 78586
Website: https://www.rvonthego.com/texas/fun-n-sun-rv-resort

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any RV park, campground, or RV resort, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.