Texas’ Dreamy New Vintage Trailer Resort Has Perfected the Socially Distanced Vacation

It took two years for Sarah and Paul Beauregard to find a bank that believed in their vintage trailer resort, mainly because of how the couple planned to use their 30 acres in Bristol. Where most RV parks would place at least 200 sites on the grounds, the Beauregards only planned to have 22.

“We’ve traveled with our airstream for years and were so sick of looking at the backside of another trailer. And then the state parks are beautiful, but they have no amenities and hookups — it’s just trailer talk,” Sarah says. “We thought if we were looking for it, other people must be looking for it too, so let’s just build our dream.”

After four years of careful planning, The Range — a mix of everything the Beauregards loved about national parks with amenities like a restaurant, a coffee bar, workshops, a cedar timber barn lined with string lights for events, and more — was set to open on April 1, 2020, but we all know what happened there.

In addition to 100 feet of distance between trailers, however, the Beauregards’ vision happened to be easily adaptable to the times. They changed bookings to be solely from Thursday to Sunday (allowing at least four days to deep clean between guests). Each vintage trailer offers a private entrance to hiking trails and has its own AC unit, so there’s no shared air between guests. Visitors can also have anything delivered to them — be it texting for a bucket of beers or having online purchases delivered from the on-site, sustainability-focused boutique.

They opened up reservations and were overwhelmed by the amount of interest. There were couples celebrating their anniversaries, families whose summer trip to Scotland was upended, and many a repeat customer. Most guests came to Ennis from Houston, followed by Austin, Fort Worth, and Dallas.

“I think people that are booking saw us online and just wanted to get out of the house,” Sarah adds.

The Range, located along the Ennis Bluebonnet Trail, has also become the first outside world experience for a number of guests who haven’t left their house in months.

“We just want to do everything we can to make everyone feel as safe and comfortable as possible. I text them everything they need,” says Sarah, who often receives texts from guests reporting their excellent naps or requests to hang out. “I love it. We just become a little family each week. If you’re out here, you’re separated but you’re all together, and it’s so cool.”

Of the 22 sites, most are available for guests to bring their own trailer, but Paul and Sarah have shipped in six vintage Airstream trailers from all over the country (predominately New Mexico and Arizona) and extensively renovated them for rental. Each is thoughtfully appointed with a unique aesthetic (from cozy to light and airy), but you can always expect to find sleeves of pods for the Nespresso machine, a private deck and handmade seating areas, a propane firepit, and a Weber grill with real mesquite charcoal. Cabinets are stocked with wine glasses, mugs, bottle openers, towels, plates, and anything else a guest might need.

“I’m so anal, I’ll refold the sheets four times before guests come to make sure they’re perfect,” Sarah says. “I feel like, if they can feel the love when they walk in, they’ll know they’re in good and hands and don’t have to worry.”

Upcoming on The Range

The charming cedar timber barn with its many twinkly lights and old, neighboring oak trees was always intended to be a destination for events and weddings, but much like the Airstreams of The Range, it might be particularly appealing right now. “We can open up all the windows and doors and have the fans on,” Sarah says.

Capacity for the barn comes out to 150 comfortably, and a wedding party could rent the entire 30 acres for their socially distanced use.

On the amenities front, the Beauregards have their Texas TABC license and are slowly perfecting the menus for the restaurant, which they plan to have set each night. An Airstream bar and a pool are also in the works.

“We’re trying to figure out if we want to hurry up and get it done this summer or wait for next,” Sarah says. “We’ll probably hurry for the summer.”