Start off the new year with new Chilcottage and Lake Tawakoni gear! www.FIREMESA.com Below are just a few examples of the new designs available.  Each of these designs are also available to pick up as: Hoodies, Sweatshirts, Magnets, Mousepads, Bucket Hats, Phone cases, Baseball hats, Art prints, Posters, Clocks, Coasters, Duvet covers, Shower curtains, Pillows, Purses, Backpacks, Coffee mugs, Notebooks, and more. Come check them out !!! www.FIREMESA.com

Let It Glow Lake Tawakoni Christmas Light Boat Parade Saturday, December 20th, 2025  I posted on facebook, asking if our lake had a boat parade.  No one mentioned that we did, and that I should organize one.  So here it is!  I apologize for the short notice, but this is the best I could do while still working and trying to get something together. I will endeavor to do a better job next year. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN Let It Glow Lake Tawakoni Christmas Light Boat Parade Saturday, December 20th, 2025 This is NOT an official event - sponsored by the city or otherwise.  This will be an informal gathering & parade - Everyone is Welcome!!! We will meet up along Two Mile Bridge (both North & South Side) starting at 5 pm. (This way the cars along the bridge can see us all before we start out) Launches can be made from both Two-Mile Bridge West & East Public Boat Ramps (or whatever spot is closest to you) Parade will start at 6 PM. We will make our way counter c...

Lake Tawakoni is truly a hidden gem here in Texas. Only an hour away from the DFW metroplex, on any given weekend there might be a grand total of 6 boats on the entire lake. In 2001, the Texas Legislature declared West Tawakoni the "Catfish Capital of Texas." Come discover this treasure for yourself. I have made some "Catfish Capital of Texas" T-shirts. Come check them out at www.FireMesa.com   Both above and below are some of the new images for t-shirts.  For more information on the lake and its history - First select CONTINUE READING AND SHOW PICTURES and then --->>>  CLICK HERE  <<---

 The Thanksgiving holidays are coming up fast and dates are filling up even faster!!! Book your reservations now before they are all gone. Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, food, and fun. But hosting this much-anticipated holiday in your own home can also come with a lot of stress – from weeks of cleaning and prepping your space to dealing with limited parking and cramped accommodations. There’s a better way to enjoy Thanksgiving this year: consider hosting your gathering at the Chilcottage on Lake Tawakoni! Whether you’re looking to create new traditions or simply want to enjoy the beautiful scenery and tranquility of the lake, here are 12 reasons why this vacation rental might be the right move for you . No Pre-Holiday Cleaning or Prep Work One of the biggest perks of hosting Thanksgiving in one of our vacation rentals is that you don’t need to spend weeks cleaning or preparing your own home for guests. We all know how stressful it can be to deep clean every room, clear...

Celebrate our heroes!!!  Bring your favorite veteran out for some fishing and fun on Lake Tawakoni.  Veterans extended holiday weekend is still open at the Chilcottage.  Book Now!!! Thank You Military Veterans for your service. Because of you, we are still "land of the free"!

When you let your kids do your advertising campaign. This how it turns out. Which really isn't too bad. I bought the magnetic signs intending to have some professionally made stickers with our various logos on them. Well the kids asked if they could draw on them. Whatever. I grabbed some dry erase markers and turned them loose. Next they wanted to put them on the cars. Whatever. The first day I got so many compliments and asked about them so many times. Now I really do think that we get REALLY NOTICED more with the kids art on them. Our website hits skyrocketed. Anyway, you will definately notice as we drive around our North Texas area. Great job on our advertising - mini me's.

ALL BOOOOOOO-KED UP!!! Thank you to all our wonderful guests for making October such a great month!!!!!! -------- The Lake Tawakoni Chilcottage is ALL  booked up for October, and NO LONGER have the SPOOKIEST weekend of the month still available. ALL BOOKED NOW but reserve the Chilcottage on Lake Tawakoni for your next weekend getaway. There's also some local fun to be had: Trunk or Treat – Halloween 2025 West Tawakoni City Park Friday October 31, 2025 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM Join us for a safe and spooky evening of fun at our annual Trunk or Treat event! All community members are invited to decorate a trunk and hand out treats. Vendors are welcome to set up and participate. For more details click the link below 🎃 Trunk or Treat –... - West Tawakoni Police Department | Facebook

 The Rocks are LIVE !!!!!! NO. Not like that! More Like This. and this. My kids and I are painting rocks. We are leaving them at the lakehouse for you to take and keep or to re-hide and follow their journey wherever they roam. Each rock has a code on the back of them and can be tracked on our new friend's website. https://followrock.com To find out more about our project click this link below to take you to our permanent webpage. Chilcottage Rocks The link will also be permanently displayed at the bottom of every page on this site also, just in case you forget where it is. Come visit us at the Chilcottage on Lake Tawakoni and get in on the fun. Also be on the lookout - More fun things are coming soon.

  This is a TEASER !!! We are always trying to up our game. And in that spirit, we have a new game. and guess what? It involves.....ROCKS. Come book your next trip here soon. And be on the lookout for rocks. More to come. Very soon. And. Pirates? What's that all about? Hmmmmmm.

 We got some fun new things. Come and see for yourself. The fish sign is straight up Hobby Lobby. And this fun one here is courtesy of my Dad.  I am not sure where he got if from, but I think it's hilarious.

Why not take a break? At the lake. LAKE TAWAKONI CHILCOTTAGE We are super close by, 1 hour away from DFW. So plan your weekend getaway today. www.airbnb.com/h/chilcottage  

  Wondering what the weather will be like for your next visit to the Lake Tawakoni Chilcottage? New to the area or never been here before? I stumbled across this excellent website for everything weather-wise. High & low Temperatures, Hours of daylight, Precipitation This website has everything about the weather for you to plan your next trip to Lake Tawakoni Chilcottage. <Weather Spark for Lake Tawakoni> I plan on making it a permanent link on the website in the next week or so. Check it out!

  We met some new friends, Eric and Leanna Hughes, that run the Silver Run Cabins on the Buffalo River in Arkansas. We planned a family rafting trip to Arkansas and were so lucky to stay at this wonderful retreat in the woods.  They were so accommodating and the place was simply just lovely.  Our family enjoyed hiking the trails seeing the mines, caves, and waterfalls.  We went tubing on the Buffalo River and relaxed and played games at the lodge. Also, it was a real treat to get a chance to meet other short-term rental owners.  We had a chance to sit down and pick each others brains, share stories, and gain possible insights in how to make our guests stays the best ever.  If you have a chance to venture out their way, we highly recommend them and their beautiful properties. Go see them! Here is their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/silverruncabins/ This is their old website - soon to be updated http://www.silverruncabins.com/

Remember the last post about the new dock furniture?  Well we had some strong storms come thru a few weeks ago, and suddenly the furniture was no longer there.  Oops.  So.....me and my oldest child decided to try to go fishing for them and we found them, blown off the dock, into the water, and covered with mud.  We got them cleaned up again, and long story short, there is now only dock furniture on the 2nd floor of the dock.  The furniture there is protected from blowing off by the railing along the top.  Please do not move any of the furniture to the lower level as it will blow off in a storm and if it is damaged, guests will be charged.  Hopefully sometime soon, we will try to get some concrete benches are something heavier that can be used on the lower level of the dock.  Live & Learn.

We got some new furniture for the dock and the front porch.  Here is the dock furniture. These pictures are from the Wal-mart website Here is the link if you like them Topeakmart Outdoor Lawn 2-Person Metal Furniture Patio Glider with Table, Double Front Porch, Beige Steel Frame - Walmart.com I will post some ones of them on the dock shortly. Here they are: And here is the cute bench we put on the front porch. Come on down - Sit a Spell - Enjoy the View. and spread the word of the Chilcottage @ Lake Tawakoni

Phone Chargers? Yes. Phone Chargers. Seems silly but I think it's the little things that make a big difference.  We stayed at another short-term rental and they had convenient charging stations on all the nightstands in the bedrooms.  We get so many ideas from just staying at other places.  So we upped our game too.  Ta-Da!!! Phone chargers on the night stands at the Chilcottage.