So, kinda confusing...but Barefoot Bay (aka. Big Al's Barefoot Bay) and now Castaway's Bar & Grill…read moreis out on Lake Bob Sandlin. Wife and I stopped in (as we have never been here before and they had Line Dance lessons from 6-9. Service was good and a great view of the lake. Food was bar food and good for around here. Line dancing was a bit of a let down as they didn't have a great sound system. But, lots of people showed up and made it fun. All in all, the restaurant is young and they are experiencing some growing pains. Broken tea maker and got a an appetizer wrong...but they made it right. Had pepperoni pizza and Philly Cheesesteak...but forgot to take pictures. We will come again and grow with them!

FLACCID AL'S BAREFOOT BAY…read more JUST THE DETAILS -Our lawnmower stored at Barefoot bay was taken and used by the new marina owners. They claim that our contact and payment info was never transferred from the old owners and it was abandoned property to seize because of that. -Trying to get things sorted out we had unpleasant interactions and intimidation tactics used against us and potentially witnessed some child labor violations. -Payed them the past due balance. The returned mower had approximately $500 worth of vandalism damage done to it. They eventually paid for the repair which seems to be an admittance of guilt. They have not admitted or apologized for any of the damages or unethical use. THE FULL EXPERIENCE Upon returning spring of this year (2025) we were met with all new signage and a fresh wood facade inside and out. New cameras everywhere, an updated bar and dance hall. It was impressive at first glance. Sadly the facelift that had been preformed was nothing better than lipstick on a pig. Under the shimmering red gloss this place is still just swine wallowing in its own filth. On our first visit this year to pick up our mower, a drowsy looking man that appeared to have gum disease approached us. He told us he was wondering who the trailer belonged to. We explained that we were the owners of the equipment. He stated that our automatic payment we had previously set up would need to be updated. When we returned 3 weeks later we found an empty trailer, our mower was missing. Someone had to cut our lock and cable off. We went inside and asked for a manger only to be greeted by a child behind the counter. I asked for a manger and she went to go find them. A middle aged man with a large cold sore approach me and asked what I needed. I was sharply dismissed and directed to a lady in a side office. She started filling out a theft report when a young lady with an upper lip piercing came in and asked what happened. She asked if it was a red mower and then said she would be right back. While I waited for her to return the little girl behind the counter was processing transactions at the register unsupervised. Selling snack, drinks, and even cigarettes at one point. When the woman with the lip piercing returned the girl asked her if it was legal for her to sell cigarettes. She was told no, but not to worry about it. I was eventually handed their land line phone and talked with their new property manager Jessica. While on the phone the cold sore man returned and demanded I take that call elsewhere. He insisted that was a business line and I needed to take the elsewhere. After I told him I was on the business line with the business (the property manager) he stood there staring at me and eventually walked off. A week later when we picked up the lawn mower it was back on the trailer. That's where their fulfillment ended. The control handles were bent so badly the enamel paint was chipped off and the lawnmower was not controllable. The key cylinder had been destroyed, the throttle control was bent, one of the transmission releases was bent, and a chunk of the handle foam was torn off. They vandalized the lawnmower extensively before returning it. Eventually the property manager reimbursed us for the vandalism caused on her team's watch. That seems to be the only ethical part of this entire exchange. What seems to be the most concerning for the future of the marina is the complete lack of ethics within the staff, and potential of willingly violating child labor laws, a minor working the register alone selling age restricted items. The behavior by the cold sore man, a supposed manager trying to pressure and intimidate us, damaging property that they were paid to store and keep secure. "Big Al's" has fallen flat. This place needs to seriously consider replacing the local management. From what I have seen and personally experienced recently at Barefoot bay, it is my opinion that people lacking so much integrity and intelligence operating a business are untrainable and just need to be replaced.

My dearest beloved lady companion and I have been avid focused, discriminating, varied travelers…read morefor 25 years and I've fished East Texas and surrounding areas for about 50 years. Out of the 604 nights we've spent away from home in that time in places ranging from sketchy to highly luxurious, the three we enjoyed in Scenic View's motel were among the very, very best. Ellison Creek Reservoir aka Lone Star Lake turned out to be one of our favorites in the state. It is beautiful and uncrowded, with clear water and abundant vegetation to support bass fishing. The people in the town of Lone Star were very nice. The Scenic View facility is very clean, safe, pleasant, and operated with a most impressive devotion to quality and friendliness. The owners and operators since 1998, Jim and Kim, are super cool, dedicated to guest enjoyment, and clearly have reinvested abundantly in the property. They are starkly authentic and decent souls. Bass fishing was good even during a cold front. Tap water was tasty, no need to tote bottled. Beds were comfy. Hot water did not run out. The boat ramp was good and well-lit. Dockage with power or park boat trailer in front of cabin/motel door and charge up. Multiple grill-BBQ-smoker options. The kitchenette worked great, was very helpful, and there is good restaurant food within walking distance. Two bed double occupancy in the motel was $80.48 per night TOTAL final cost with no cleaning fee, etc. Coin-op laundry facilities are at motel rear, workshop side. That area has an almost supernatural ability to pull one fantastic sunset after another from the heavens, and the comfortable sheltered lower outdoor level of the store is a great place from which to watch them. So is the open deck atop the store. And sunset happens but once a day, but all day lasts....wait for it....all day! Watching a storm roll in at dawn from there was a treat. Relaxing and gazing out at a forested lake is simply fulfilling. The lake is very scenic with pine and hardwood forest and is much smaller than the chaos-riddled metro reservoirs many of their guests are used to. We were often the only boat on the lake. Lakeside properties are fun to look at and were well-kept. The residents were friendly, unlike what I've experienced at some places, and their docks and boathouses held fish. Lots of wildlife - bald eagles, river otter family of 5, raccoon family of 5, dozens and dozens of bird species, white pelicans, herons, cranes, and so on. Children must be supervised at all times and pets are not allowed in the motel or cabin. Yes, that's not ideal for some, but for everyone else, well, it's.....uh.....AWESOME, casting (see what I did there?) away a big chunk of things that can make leisure days go sideways. It's pleasingly close to the DFW metroplex and the drive through the middle instead of using I-30 or I-20 is very pleasant Texas backroad fun. Bortle stage 3 dark skies are just 15 minutes away to the ENE with ample gravel county roads with turnouts for stargazers. Lake O' the Pines is just a few minutes SE. Daingerfield SP. Jefferson. The most excellent Welsh Reservoir power plant cold water fishery. As part of a loop tour of the bevy of great lakes in E TX, SV is a great base camp. Amusingly, we arrived intending to spend a day or two of the four fishing Pines, a longtime favorite of ours, but were so happy with Scenic View facility and Lone Star Lake that we never left. Why go out for steak when there's already a tomahawk ribeye in your lap? The best part of this great experience was making friends with several of the soundly and roundly pleasant, considerate, and interesting staff, guests, and neighborhood residents, who often get together for events such as Thirsty Thursday and have a just plain good ol' time. I expect some of those associations will last for a long time. Hopefully, days other than Thursday get thirsty, too, for we plan to return regularly. A+ drenched in 5 star sauce.

Love this place!!! Truly a unique experience that one must enjoy!!! Thanks Kim & Jimread more

We had a pretty good time here. It does seem that the people who run it have some dislike for their…read morecustomers. Not overly rude but not a warm reception either. If you are sensitive to cigarette smoke, I would stay out of the store. We camped out on the grass by the water. Grass is kept mowed and looks nice with no stickers. There were no picnic benches or grills at our campsite. (I didn't see any others either but I can't say there are none.) There is one restroom with a shower ( one men's and one women's) for the entire place. So using the restroom/shower facilities in peace will not happen. They were kept clean and stocked with paper. We were there on a holiday weekend though so it may be much better at other times. The place looks fine around the beach area but is quite trashy everywhere else. There are junk boats, houseboats falling apart and clutter everywhere. In fairness, it is a marina so some of that is to be expected. If you plan on bringing your own tables, chairs and grill and anything else needed for camping, you can have a good time here.

The young people who work the gas pumps at the marina are so sweet and helpful when it is time to…read morerefuel. Always excellent service and very polite young people. I would think that the marina would be a fun place to work.

The staff was extreme helpful, and they were patient with our girls group! We had a blast and…read morehighly recommend this business!!

Flat Creek Marina and RV Camping want you to enjoy a safe and pleasant place to stay. Please check…read moreus out on Facebook. As for the reviews listed here, we did have a misunderstanding with the lady who owned the horse trailer. This was the manager's fault, not hers. We now have a new manager. Allow us to clarify the incident regarding the restroom. The report of an unsafe restroom was not accurate. The person who reported it was a guest's daughter, and her boyfriend was simply trying to locate her in the restroom.

This place way exceeded our expectations! Our spot is literally against the lake. No walking. The…read morebait shop is well-stocked and the help is very friendly. The service really went above and beyond with Johnny though. I didn't park my RV very well, which left our stairs about two feet off the ground. I asked Johnny for a block or something. He cane back with stairs! And he was willing to regrade the ground to make sure there wasn't any wobble. I tried to pay him something for his help. He just asked us to have a hood time. We'll definitely be back!

Beautiful location for tent camping. It would have been perfect except for some noisy neighbors who…read moreparked their car where I was supposed to pitch my tent. Otherwise I'd give it a 5 star review. You need to walk a bit to set up camp but not too far.

This is coming from someone who has had camping experience for many years all over the country…read more Have also been camping here several years in spite of the following flaws; most importantly is the very dirty condition of the nearly new bathhouse. Floors and showers have not been cleaned in weeks and there is probably half an inch of dead bugs on the outside patio. Your feet crunch all the way in. Plus the outside doors do not lock and the bathroom and shower stall doors can't be locked either. Also, eliminating some of the signs at the entrance would afford a more welcoming atmosphere for campers. It's like a slap in the face when you drive in! Great fishing, lots of room, trails, beach, boat launches but hardly anyone here . This place could be a great campground and a really moneymaker if someone with experience would pay attention to some of these details and make some pretty simple changes.