We all want to have fun and relax on a summer vacation, but we don't necessarily want to pay big bucks for it.  One East Texas city is getting some notice for being one of the best cheap vacation spots in the state.

Caddo Lake is not far from Jefferson, and that's one of the reasons Jefferson is considered to be one of the 10 Best Cheap Texas Vacations.  It's also got antique shopping.  And good barbecue and Tex-Mex, because it is East Texas after all.

The website, Trips to Discover, reminds us that Jefferson used to be a bustling port city with grand plantation homes, and somehow it turned in to one of the most haunted small towns in Texas.  And ghost tours are cheap!  That makes Jefferson a great vacation spot because you can tour those haunted homes and take the Jefferson Ghost Walk on Fridays and Saturdays in the evening, and it won't set you back much and you may have some really awesome stuff to put on social media. Some of the people who have toured the haunted hot spots say they've left with a photo of a ghost.  Your Facebook friends will be so happy.

Other ideas for cheap Texas vacations:

Crockett Family Resort, on Houston County Lake.  It's supposed to be a great spot for family fishing trips, and there are other activities there like mini-golf and paddle boats, horseshoes, and shuffleboard close to campsites and RV sites.

Galveston Island.  It gets noticed for the 32-mile Seawall Beach that includes the longest continuous sidewalk in the nation, and it's a great place to take in some sunsets and beach views.  Walking and taking pictures doesn't cost anything.  Build some sandcastles, play some volleyball, or take in a Galveston museum.  Many of those have low admission prices.

Austin.  Cheap, really?  There are some low-cost things to do in Austin if we look for them.  A lot of the live music happens on the street, and sometimes there are sidewalk artists that show off their stuff for free.  It's up to you whether or not you purchase.  And the bats! Over a million bats fly out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge each night and it's free to line up and watch, and smell that bat urine as they all wake up from a sleepy day and head out to hunt mosquitoes.  Seriously.  It's powerful, and free.

And then there's your back yard in Diboll.  That rocks too.  And Ellen Trout Zoo, swimming holes, and city pools.  This is a fun summer, and we'll keep the ideas coming about ways to make the most of it.

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