If October 17-18 is on your calendar for the Lake Somerville Fall Festival, you have a good reason to turn a day trip into a weekend. The festival is run by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) at the Nails Creek Unit of Lake Somerville State Park. It is TPWD’s event. Overlook Park & Marina does not host it and is not affiliated with it.
What we can offer is a place to stay: a cabin with a kitchenette, an RV or tent site by the water, and a campfire at the end of the day. Here is what the festival looks like, what to confirm before you go, and how a full weekend at Overlook can fit around it.
What the festival offers
TPWD describes the Fall Festival as a hands-on, outdoors-focused event. Its listing mentions horseback riding, a Dutch oven cooking demonstration, fishing, archery instruction, water safety talks, a chance to talk with a game warden, and exhibits from local groups, including Haven Animal Rescue of Texas. It is built for wandering from station to station rather than sitting through a program.
Confirm the details with TPWD first
Because the event belongs to TPWD, their calendar is the only place to trust for the specifics. Their own pages do not agree on every detail, so check before you plan around any one day or hour:
- Which day or days you want to attend, and the hours for each
- Admission and parking at Nails Creek
- What is running, since activities can change
- The exact address for your GPS (TPWD lists the Nails Creek Unit on the southwest side of the lake)
Search “Lake Somerville Fall Festival” on the TPWD website, or look up the Nails Creek Unit page for Lake Somerville State Park.
Getting there from Overlook
Nails Creek is in a different part of Lake Somerville from our dock, so look at a map and give yourself extra time rather than counting on a quick hop. Many guests make it a morning outing: coffee at camp, out to the festival, and back before dark.
One note for navigation. Our address is 505 Marina Rd, Brenham, TX 77833. The Army Corps of Engineers runs a separate public park next door, also named “Overlook Park,” and some maps send people there by mistake.
Where to stay for festival weekend
Cabins. Our five cabins (A through E) sleep up to six, with two queen beds, one bathroom, and a kitchenette. Linens, dishes, towels, and a coffee maker are included. They were built in 1969, so they are cozy and wood-paneled, and they look out over the lake. Cabins are $120 a night this fall. See the cabins and stays page.
RV sites. 30-amp sites are $40 a night and 50-amp sites are $50. Both have electric and water. Only our Full Hookup sites ($65) also have sewer, and there is a dump station on the property.
Tent sites. $35 with electric and water, or $30 for primitive.
Weekends have a two-night minimum. Check-in is 3:00 PM and check-out is 11:00 AM. Pets are welcome in all lodging for $10 per pet per night, two pets maximum. These fall weekends tend to fill, so book your stay early or call (979) 289-2321.
Make a weekend of it
Plan the festival around the rest of the lake, not instead of it.
- On the water. Kayaks, canoes and paddle boards are $50 a day, and our marina has a public boat ramp ($10 to launch) and the only on-water fuel station on Lake Somerville. See the marina page.
- On land. Rent a four-seat golf cart for $50 a day and see the park the easy way, or walk down to the playground and the shoreline. The park map shows where everything is.
- At night. Fires go in the fire rings and are never left unattended. Firewood is $6.50 a bundle at the marina store. The bluff is a good place to watch the sun go down.
- Sunday morning. Coffee on the deck or at the water’s edge before you drive home.
A few things to know
- The Fall Festival is a TPWD event. Overlook is not affiliated and does not host it.
- Fall hours began October 1. The park, gatehouse, marina store, and ramp are open Sunday through Wednesday 6am to 6pm and Thursday through Saturday 6am to 10pm. Arriving late? Call ahead and we will set you up.
- Bring layers. Fall mornings on the lake start cool and warm up by afternoon.
- Wi-Fi is at the gatehouse, marina store, and cabins, and cell service is great across the park.
- Our park policies cover wristbands, parking tags, and quiet hours (10pm to 6am).
Plan your stay
Overlook Park & Marina has been on Lake Somerville since 1970: 138 acres, two miles of lake frontage, and three calm coves, with over 100 RV sites, cabins, boat rentals, and all the other fun stuff we have going on. We are about 45 minutes from College Station, about 1.5 hours from Houston, and about 1.5 hours from Austin. Start with Plan Your Visit, then book your stay.
Lake life. Lasting memories.
