Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Lakeside Landing RV Park, Pell City, AL Site 80 9/10/2009

Lakeside Landing is located on a pretty lake convenient to I-20 east of Birmingham, AL. It's a good place for an overnight stop. Our site was a gravel pull through with full hookups and free WI-FI. We only stopped for overnight so we didn't get to explore the area. The campground is large with plenty of empty spaces during the week. Click here for their website.

AMENITIES: Lake, full hookups, WI-FI

COST: $24.75

Would we stay here again? YES

Tom Sawyer's RV Park, West Memphis, Arkansas Site Site 96 9/8/2009

Tom Sawyer's RV Park is right on the Mississippi River in West Memphis, AR. The park is easy to get to from I-40 and is a good overnight stop. We had a large level pull through gravel site with free WI-FI at the site. We were able to get DirecTV Satellite tv. This is the only campground we have been to that has a separate section for Fifth-Wheels. The sites are set up so that the rear of the fifth-wheel faces the Mississippi River. We enjoyed relaxing at our site watching the barges go down the river. There is a path along the river with benches .

Tom Sawyer's is the only campground we have been to with FREE LAUNDRY! There were four brand new front loading washers and dryers. Click here for their website.

AMENITIES: Mississippi River, free laundry, free WI-FI, full hookups

COST: $30 per night (with Good Sam Discount)

Would we stay here again? DEFINITELY!

Springhill COE, Barling, Arkansas Site B7 9/6/2009

Springhill COE campground is located near Ft. Smith, Arkansas on the Arkansas River near the lock and dam. We had a large back in site with water and electric. We could walk to the river from the campsite and see the lock and dam. There is a mountain bike trail behind our campsite which runs along the river. The Ft. Smith National Monument is a short drive from the campground. There is lots of shopping in Ft. Smith.

Click here for information on camping in Corps of Engineers parks.

AMENITIES: River

Would we stay here again? YES

Wildwood Acres RV Park, Stillwater, OK Site 9B 9/3/2009

We stayed at Wildwood Acres to attend a football game at Oklahoma State University. The campground is located close to Stillwater and the OSU campus. We had a full hookup gravel site with free WI-FI and were able to get DirecTV Satellite tv. The sites are side by side hookups and pretty close together. There were several full time rigs at the park.

Click here for their website.

AMENITIES: Full hookups, free WI-FI

COST: $23

Would we stay here again? YES for another football game

Table Rock State Park, Hollister, MO Site 127 8/29/2009

Table Rock State Park Is a beautiful state park convenient to Branson, Missouri. Our site was a paved, level back in site with full hookups. The bath house was clean and there was a small laundry. We enjoyed the paved walkway along the lake. The campground is a short drive from all the Branson attractions and from plenty of shopping. We found a McDonald's for WI-FI access.

Click here for the Missouri State Parks website.

AMENITIES: Lake, trails, fishing, boat ramp, close to Branson

Would we stay here again? YES

Harry Truman State Park, Warsaw, MO Site 19 8/26/2009

Harry Truman State Park is located on Harry Truman Lake near Warsaw, MO. We were there during the week and there were lots of empty sites. We had a large, paved back in site with electric only. There are water spigots located through out the park. Our site was close to a spigot so we were able to fill our fresh water tank with a long hose. The dump station is located on the way out of the campground.

There are hiking trails, boat ramps, and swimming areas in the park. Wal Mart and other stores are a short drive away. We were able to find a McDonald's for WI-FI access.

AMENITIES: Lake, boat ramp, fishing, swimming, hiking trails.

Click here for Missouri State Parks website.

Would we stay here again? YES

Winterset City Campground, Winterset, Iowa Site 8 8/23/2009

Winterset City Campground in located in the town of Winterset, Iowa next to a nice city park. The park is located south of Des Moines close to I-80 and I-35. Sites are not reservable during the week. There were plenty of sites to choose from when we arrived on a Sunday afternoon. We had a long gravel back in site with full hookups. We were able to get DirecTV Satellite tv. There is no WI-FI or laundry at the campground, however, there is a laundry in town and free WI-FI available at the library.

Winterset is the home of the Bridges of Madison County and is John Wayne's birthplace. There is a city park next to the campground with one of the bridges. We spent a day driving through the county touring the bridges, and enjoyed the tour of John Wayne's birthplace.

Click here for Winterset City Park website.

AMENITIES: Full hookups, city park

Would we stay here again? YES

Grant River COE, Potosi, WI Site 21 8/20/2009

Grant River COE campground is located on the Mississippi River in Potosi, Wisconsin not too far from Dubuque, Iowa. We had a paved, back in site with electric only. Water spigots are scattered throughout the campground. With a long hose you can fill your water tank from the spigot. We were able to get DirectTV Satellite tv.

This is a very popular park and was full when we were there. The park has some sites that can be reserved and some non reservable that are first-come first-served. We had one of the last non reservable sites. Petosi is a very small town with a brewery and nice restaurant. It is the catfish capital of Wisconsin. There is a small grocery store in Petosi. Wal Mart and other grocery stores are in nearby Dubuque.

Click here for information on camping in Corps of Engineers parks.

AMENITIES: Mississippi River

Would we stay here again? YES

Mark Twain Cave and Campground, Hannibal, MO Site E5 8/17/2009

Mark Twain Cave and Campground is located in Hannibal, MO with 2 caves on the property. We had a level, gravel pull through site with full hookups and free WI-FI. We were able to get DivecTV Satellite tv. There is a small laundry room and the bath houses were clean. The staff was very nice and helpful. There are a lot of interesting things to do in Hannibal including touring one of the caves, the Mark Twain home and museum, taking a riverboat cruise, and climbing the steps to the lighthouse. There is a nice fenced in dog park in town.

Click here for Mark Twain Cave and Campground Website.

AMENITIES: Full hookups, WI-FI, cave tours

Would we stay here again? YES

Casino Queen RV Park, East St. Louis, IL Site 614 8/15/2009

The Casino Queen RV park is located in East St. Louis, IL across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, MO. Our site was a paved, pull through full hookup site. You can see the arch from the campground. The campground is part of the Casino Queen Casino and is walking distance to the casino and to a Metro Link stop. If you don't want to walk security will give you a ride.

Click here for Casino Queen website.

AMENITIES: Full hookups, casino, easy access to St. Louis

Would we stay here again? YES

Canal Campground, Grand Rivers, Kentucky Site 90 8/13/09

Canal Campground is a large, Corps of Engineers park located on Lake Barkley in the Land Between the Lakes. Our site was a large, level back in site with water and electric. The dump station is easy to get to on the way out of the park. We were able to get DirecTV Satellite tv. We had a nice view of the lake. The bath houses were clean. The campground is easy to get to from I-24 and very convenient to the scenic drive through the Land Between the Lakes. There is a grocery store in Grand Rivers and a Wal Mart and other grocery stores located in nearby towns.

UPDATE ON CANAL CAMPGROUND: We returned to Canal on June 22, 2011. We were in site 45, a long, wide, paved back in site with water and electric. There was lots of room between the sites. Site 45 has lots of trees and shade.

Click here for Corps of Engineers parks website.


AMENITIES: Lake, boat ramp, Land Between the Lakes

Would we stay here again? YES

Seven Point COE Campground, near Nashville, TN Site 23 8/8/2009

Seven Points is a very popular Corps of Engineers park in Hermitage near Nashville, Tennessee. Our site was a long, level, back in site with lots of room between us and the next campsite. Sites are water and electric only. Our site was one of the many waterfront sites in the park. The dump station is easy to get to on the way out of the park. We were able to get DirecTV Satellite tv.

Click here for Corps of Engineers parks website.

AMENITIES: Lake, swimming area, boat ramps.

Would we stay here again? YES

Spriniglake RV Resort, Crossville, TN Site 36 8/8/2009

Springlake RV Resort is located on a small lake in Crossville, TN. Our site was a level, gravel back in with full hookups and free WI-FI. We were able to get DirecTV satellite. A swing and charcoal grill were nice bonuses at the site. There was a nice laundry room and the bath houses were very clean. The owners were very nice and helpful. We enjoyed watching the ducks on the lake. The campground is located close to I-40 and is a good place for an overnight stop.

Click here for Springlake RV Resort website.

AMENITIES: Swing and grill at site, WI-FI, easy on and off I-40, full hookups.

Would we stay here again? YES

Campfire Lodgings, Asheville, NC Site P-4 8/5/2009

Campfire Lodgings is a beautiful campground with RV sites, tent sites, and Yurts. We stayed in one of the premium sites with a beautiful mountain view. Our site was a paved, back in site with full hookups. The picnic table had backs on the benches - very nice - and was on a paved slab. We were able to get DirecTV satellite. The bath house was very clean and the laundry was nice. The owners were great and helped us out with information about the area. We had free WI-FI
at the site.
The campground is located at the end of a narrow mountain road on top of a mountain. There are other RV sites available without the spectacular view. There are hiking trails throughout the campground with tent sites tucked back in the woods. The Biltmore Estate and the Blue Ridge Parkway are just a short drive away. There are gas stations and a grocery store close by also.

Click here for Campfire Lodgings website.

AMENITIES: Beautiful views, hiking trails, free WI-FI, paved pad, full hookups, laundry
Would we return here again? YES, DEFINITELY!