The Fun N Sun RV Resort in San Benito fits the description of a community within a community with its over 2,000 residents coming and going like a small town.
The San Benito resort is one of the longest active RV parks in the Rio Grande Valley. It got its start decades ago in Harlingen near the Air Force base that would be redeveloped into the Valley International Airport. Fun N Sun made its move to San Benito after the base’s closure during the Cold War era. It would become a San Benito fixture with its location just off the Paso Real Highway near Expressway 83.
Many of its residents are active in community life outside of the park. John Van Wyk, the resort’s general manager, points to the volunteer work and donations Fun N Sun residents make to the local food bank, veterans’ organizations and projects benefiting children. Beyond the philanthropy, there are a range of activities at the park to keep residents busy.
“People would be surprised by all of the activities we offer,” Van Wyk said. “There are so many different things we do here.”
Zooming Around
A few hundred steps away from Van Wyk’s office is a remote control track where the Zoomers meet.
It’s the name of a car club at the park and its mini-track is dubbed the “Fun-N-Sun Speedway.” A large banner with big red letters says, “Welcome Race Fans!” This is the place where enthusiasts race their mini-vehicles around a compacted dirt track with white piping serving as its boundaries. Make your way further around the 1,400-space park and there are facilities to play pickleball, billiards, sand volleyball, and for those handy with their hands, a woodworking shop.
Van Wyk says by the time retirees reach a park like Fun N Sun, a certain amount of wanderlust has left their systems. A life of jobs and work necessary to make ends meet has come to an end. Children have grown up and time is now untethered from years of daily responsibilities. It’s the beginning of the RV experience and discovering what to do with the rest of your life.
The first inclination is to go anywhere and everywhere. Eventually, after meeting that need, Van Wyk says retirees “get tired of pulling around the trailer.” They begin settling in specific spots, be it a permanent home as a base to continue further travels or a more year-round home. About a third of Fun N Sun’s residents now make the park in San Benito their permanent home.
“You get to a place like this,” Van Wyk said, “and you realize you don’t have to keep driving around so much.”
Just Right Spot
In San Benito, Fun N Sun is away from what Van Wyk calls “the hustle and bustle” of the more traffic-congested portions of the Valley.
It’s not exactly off the beaten path with its quick access to the expressway and a location that sits between two popular Winter Texans destinations. One is Nuevo Progreso and its array of medications offered at discounted rates when compared to U.S. prices. Less than one hour in the other direction is South Padre Island, a major coastal attraction.
Fun N Sun, like all of its RV park counterparts, operates in a world of immediate feedback via online reviews. Many of its residents — past and present — assess the San Benito park on everything from safety to roads in the resort to download speeds and cellular service. One review rings true to one of Van Wyk’s chief objectives for his park.
“There are activities going on daily that you can pick and choose from,” the reviewer wrote. “The activities, the dog park, remote control track, the shuffleboard courts, and on and on.”
It’s a good place for RV wanderers to settle for a bit before the travel bug bites again.
