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Camp Bankersmith

86%

· Fredericksburg, Kendall, Texas

85 acres hosted by Claire B.

20 motorhome/tent pitches

Staff verified

Accuracy verified by Hipcamp's on-the-ground team.

Off-leash friendly

Pets can be off-leash at this Hipcamp.

Don't come for the WiFi. Conveniently located 8 miles from downtown Fredericksburg, Texas and across the street from the world famous Bankersmith Dance Hall and Saloon (live music, great drinks and food Wed-Sun). Also 3 miles from the Old Bat Cave and Tunnel. Come meet our goats, longhorns, donkeys, bison and more (from a distance)!The camping/parking area is located in a large field off of the famous and beautiful Old Highway 9 (Old San Antonio Road), an historic Native American Trading Trail dating back over a thousand years. The entrance is just a short drive south of the Bankersmith Saloon on the right hand side. Look for the Grapetown Vineyard sign and head on up the asphalt road. Please confirm your stay by web or email, no calls. Just email us and stop on by. Check in during OPEN saloon hours only (check Facebook for most up to date hours of Bankersmith TX). Very casual. Guests can enjoy this Texas Original with concerts, festivals most Saturdays (google The Best of Texas Festivals) or even just by stopping by for live music (played Wed-Sun), GREAT FOOD and a cold drink. The Saloon and Restaurant is open Wed-Sun (Cowboy Church on Sundays)! Campers are of course allowed to bring in food or drink on the campgrounds but it may be easier to enjoy the food from Bankersmith’s Restaurant and Full Bar literally across the street! Voted the Best Hamburgers in Town, Steaks, Ribs, Pork Chops, Salads, Chicken Wings and more! A fun Steak Night on Friday nights. Porky Thursdays with fresh off the pit Ribs and BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches. A Dance Hall, Ghost Sightings and whole lot more (even Fried Bull Testicles)! This Bankersmith Texas Campground is primitive on site but guests are welcome to use both the restrooms and water sources across the street, in the Saloon, when open. Porta John in field of camp site as well. Again, no need to call us. Just email us and stop on by.Welcome Home! Farm rules: You are in Texas. Fences and Gates are God's way of saying, 'Respect Private Property'. You do not want to go over, under, through one of our fences without our permission or open a gate without our explicit permission. EVER. Do not enter animal pens or put your hand or arms through fences. Do NOT allow dogs to go in, or to bark at animals. We have animals on the other side of these fences that will kill both man and beast. We keep our gates locked for everyone's safety. Never open a gate without a certified employee. (Petting through the fence is NOT allowed!) Do not feed anything to our furry friends. We welcome ya'll like family, but that means respecting our property and animals like they are your own. Be smart and courteous and keep all gates locked and everyone stays happy.If there is anything that would make your stay more comfortable please feel free to ask for Bobby or Kayla at the Saloon. We'd put our numbers here so ya'll could text but HipCamp does not allow it. We are here to serve!Please remember that check out is at 12 PM. If you need longer just inform us! Population: you {for the duration of your stay} PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT: Maintaining 85 acres etc is NOT cheap. Plus, the added admin of bookings, cancellations, folks on property is an expense of time and $. THE ONLY THING WE ASK: If you have a good time here PLEASE leave a review and a few photos on YELP AND GOOGLE for GRAPETOWN VINEYARD or BANKERSMITH TX. The reviews on this site, here, are great, but they do little to get the word out to our larger audience. Just check in with us. Closed Mon-Tue. Contact the Host by email for information and reservations. Safari Wine Tours and Farm Tours available on site. We have a great gift shop in the Bankersmith Dance Hall and Saloon. We also have festivals and concerts most Saturdays. The restaurant and bar at Bankersmith is open 5 days a week!Camp sites are in a large cow pasture across the street from Bankersmith Dance Hall and Saloon. All you have to do before setting up camp is check in with the bartender at the Saloon. So, that means you have to check in during business hours (Opens at 4PM on most days. Opens at noon Friday, Sat and Sunday - but always check Facebook). Please don't come expecting Yosemite or the Ritz Carlton. This is as primitive as it gets. Conveniently located in Fredericksburg, Texas off the famous and beautiful Old Highway 9. A short 9 miles from downtown Fredericksburg, these primitive RV and primitive campsites are close to 290, the Wine Trail, Luckenbach, the Old Bat Tunnel and Alamo Springs. In fact the campsite is directly across the street and a short walking distance to the historic Bankersmith Dance Hall and Saloon. Guests can enjoy this Texas Original with concerts, festivals most weekends or even just by stopping by for live music (played daily) and a cold drink. The Saloon is open 7 days a week! Food is served daily. Stop in for a burger, a cocktail and live music! Please do not call us. We are probably out in field working or managing animals. We will not answer. Campers are of course allowed to bring in food or drink on the campgrounds but it may be easier to enjoy the food from Bankersmith’s Restaurant and Full Bar literally across the street! Hamburgers, Chicken Wings, BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches and a whole lot more (even Fried Bull Testicles)! This Bankersmith Texas Campground is primitive on site but guests are welcome to use both the restrooms and water sources across the street, in the Saloon, when open. The camping grounds are on a open field close to the entrance of the parking. Campers are not to go through the second gate due to live stock. Please keep your dogs on a leash and do not open gates or interfere with animals. Be respectful of the wildlife during your stay. You can expect to see Armadillo, Axis Deer, Whitetail, Wild Hogs, Fox, Bobcat, Coyote and Chupacabra. COVID Update: If you are strong on wearing masks and hiding from people, you should consider another alternative. We love our health, our community, the country AND freedom. We treat everyone like an adult. While you can wear a mask, or two or three, please do not expect us to. There are other locations that will probably suit you better if you are offended by non mask wearing patriots.

Activities

Biking

Natural features

Field

86%

77 Ratings · 53 reviews

Niki I.recommends

October 7, 2024

Camp Bankersmith

We had a great time camping here. We arrived after dark and Bob was kind enough to guide us to the pasture so we wouldn’t get lost. The sunrises and night skies were incredible! We also really enjoyed hanging out at the saloon and were able to catch some great live music. Amy was a great and friendly bartender.

Ashley C.doesn't recommend

May 26, 2024

Camp Bankersmith

Don’t waste your money

We arrived at the saloon where it said to check in. We were then directed to go a quarter of a mile down the road to the wildlife safari and winery. We were then told it was an open field we had passed with a line of port o John’s and absolutely no shade. The description says flushable toilets and pottable water available across the street. This is not the case. We decided to completely forego camping because of the situation.

Joby W.doesn't recommend

May 24, 2024

Camp Bankersmith

The picture shown on the reservation page is pretty misleading as there are ZERO trees in the tent camping area. My friend who was with me brought a hammock(due to the picture) and had to sleep on the ground. That alone is not exactly ideal but on top of that the field was almost totally covered in giant fire ants. The confirmation email said “meet us at the Bankersmith Bar for check in”. We went to the bar and no one knew what we were talking about. We then managed to find out where the site was and went to a wine tasting area within the property where we asked about tent camping. We were treated as if we should know the layout of the property even though no maps were provided. “You didn’t see the line of porta potties?” as if that somehow signifies where we can camp. Not the most gracious greeting I’ve had in my travels. This place may be great for wine tours or whatever it is they do but I do not recommend tent camping here. Last thing you want after riding a motorcycle from Austin in 95° heat is an open field with zero shade and millions of fire ants.

Kenneth J.recommends

April 15, 2024

Camp Bankersmith

Great get away from getting away.

This is a great dry camping spot eight miles outside Fredericksburg. You have the Bankersmith bar just down the road with great food and entertainment with Grapetown vineyards with plenty to do. If you enjoy the night sky your far away to see plenty of stars, however this isn’t a dark sky spot. We’ve stayed here three times so far and plan to do so more we enjoy it that much.

Britnee J.doesn't recommend

April 14, 2024

Camp Bankersmith

I had a last minute change in travel plans which resulted in me reserving a tent camp site at Camp Bankersmith within 24 hours of my arrival. I was advised by Hipcamp that I'd receive an email with instructions for checking in and to confirm my arrival time from the host after booking but never did. I assumed this was due to the last minute reservation. The ad on Hipcamp made my the host said not to call them, but I did request they contact me through the Hipcamp site. I acknowledge my stay was very short notice but I figured at some point during my stay someone would have gotten back to me, or at least stop by the site and confirm who I was. They never did, which made me a little unsettled as a solo camper. There was absolutely zero communication from the time I booked to the time I left. I was thankful I did not have any issues during my stay but if I did, I don't know who I would have spoken to. The Bankersmith bar is not as close as the ad makes it seem. The tent site was in a cow pasture on hard packed dirt. There were sporadic "fire pits" in various states of disarray but no clearly defined spots to set up camp otherwise. The portajohn's outside the pasture had not been serviced in some time... which is generally the case with those things but it was still a little frustrating because the rest of the property looked well maintained from a distance. It was not worth the price. I'd probably pay no more than $5 to pitch a tent in a field.

Mark V.recommends

March 20, 2024

Camp Bankersmith

Great Place!

We always love camping here. very quiet, and a great location. You cant beat being located across from the Tavern there. One note, it seems that the power options get taken up by campers who arent even camping there...everytime we are there campers have the spot, but there is no one there. so not sure what is going on there. BTW Claire is not there anymore, so not sure who is the person is now.

Location

Fredericksburg, Kendall, Texas, United StatesTraditional, ancestral territory of Jumanos, Coahuiltecan, Nʉmʉnʉʉ Sookobitʉ (Comanche), Ndé Kónitsąąíí Gokíyaa (Lipan Apache), Tonkawa, and Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo) First Nations according to To respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking