Traveling Tek

http://dixiecaverns.com/

Dixie Caverns
5753 West Main Street
Salem, VA 24153
Directly off I-81 at Exit 132

Dates Stayed: 2-27-2011 to 3-6-2011
Site Type: Gravel pull through
Price: $184.80

Dixie Caverns
Price
Price was alright for full hook up sites. Spots where not level and didn't have much grass though.
Family Friendly
No playground equipment. No on site laundry. There was room for the kids to run and explore, but still not that family friendly.
Staff
Staff was friendly and helpful.
Bathrooms
Bathroom were locked with a code to keep the non campers out. No soap or had dryers for the sinks. No where to put your clothes so they don't get wet.
Internet
Wifi was fast, but not reliable. It seemed to go out often, but would usually start right back up.
Camp Site
Spot was not level. Had to use blocks on one side and then the rear stabalizers barely reached. It looked like there might have been a fire ring, but most of the rocks were missing. There was a picnic table and some grass. The site were plenty big enough.
Laundry
No laundry on site.
Other
Dixie Caverns on site. You get super discounted rates to tour the caves if you are camping. Worth it.

Overall
There are some older more run down looking full time rvs on site. This may be a detraction for some folks. Didn't bother us. Everyone seemed pleasant and decent.

Also posted on Has Been There.

http://ghosthillcampground.com/

Ghost Hill Campground
1295 Tuggle Drive
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Phone: (678) 776-7108
email: charlie@ghosthillcampground.com

Dates Stayed: 20101117-20101126
Site Type: Back in Full Hook ups
Price: $175 for the whole time

Ghost Hill Campground
Price
This camp was inexpensive. Not a lot of amenities and some spaces are cramped, but it was cheap and near Atlanta and Stone Mountain.
Family Friendly
We felt safe while here. The camp is slightly off the beaten path and the owner lives on site. It's very near the the local police station. Everyone we met was very friendly. This camp could use some playground equipment for the kids.
Staff
The owner was very nice and even gave us a discount after he heard our story.
Bathrooms
We didn't use the bathrooms, but they have been newly remodeled and updated. They are kept locked to help keep them clean and private.
Internet
No internet available here. He is planning to get it. I told him I could help.
Camp Site
The camp sites could use some fresh gravel. This is an old campground with recent new ownership. Owner is working on updating. Site was not bad and with a little work will be nice.
Laundry
No on site laundry. Several nice laundromats just up the road. We used Spin Cycle and were pleased
Other
Very close to Stone Mountain and way way cheaper the Stone Mountain park.

Overall
Camp is older but cheap. Near some nice stuff and close to Atlanta, GA. With a little bit of work this could be a decent little campground.

Here with the whole family for business as usual.

1709 Mack Smith Rd
Chattanooga, TN 37412
(706) 891-9766
chattacamp.com‎
GPS:
N 34.97936°
W 85.21293°

Dates Stayed: 20101024 to 20101029
Site Type: Gravel pull thru, 30 amp full hookup with cable
Price: $183 with Good Sam

Campground Name
Price
Price was good. Although there are a lot of huge puddles when it rains and the WiFi is shoddy at best.
Family Friendly
Play ground equipment consisted of a wooden train, and a swing set. There are some hiking trails as well. Decent area for the kids to stretch their legs even the playground is a little boring. They do have a pool, but it is closed this time of year.
Staff
Staff was very friendly with us.
Bathrooms
Private showers. Bathrooms separate from showers. Each shower is it's own private stall open outside.
Internet
WiFi available, but could not reliably connect to it from our site or the pavilion. Connect was slow when we did connect.
Camp Site
Spot was level gravel, but the grass part was lower and there for filled with water when it rained. Not all sites are like this, we would have chosen if we had known. Had fire ring and table. Just not much room.
Laundry
Onsite laundry. Clean, well maintained equipment.
Other
Nice looking cabins and season spots.

Overall
Location not bad. Easy access to Chattanooga. Felt the price was fair. Wish it hadn't rained, they definitely need better drainage and some fill dirt.

Edit: After all the rain was done, they came through and put down more gravel and raked it to try to stop the puddles. The water did seem to dry up quickly even though it pooled easily.

http://www.fortwayneparks.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28&Itemid=45

GPS address: 1500 E Coliseum Blvd., Fort Wayne, Indiana

Dates Stayed: 9-3 to 9-10
Site Type: Backin water and electric
Price: $102 for the week

Johnny Apple Seed Campground
Price
Camp rates were cheap. There is no sewer at any site though.
Family Friendly
There was a nice playground for the kids to play at. The spots were plenty big enough for us to spread out on. Friendly neighbors and campfires at night made our stay very enjoyable.
Staff
Staff was very friendly and helpful. They gave a choice of sites and helped us get in.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms were new. Showers were clean and hot with good pressure. They bathrooms were locked so that only campers had the code. This kept them clean.
Internet
WiFi was provided by the city. You got a 5 hour coupon after answering a 3 question survey. You could do it as many times as needed. The speed was great and we used it on all of our computers and smart phones.
Camp Site
Level gravel pad. Dirt all around it under trees. Had a nice fire ring and picnic table. Only down side was grass couldn't grow under all the trees.
Laundry
Laundry was at the shower house and also locked with a code. Washers were smallish, but worked well and price was decent
Other
Nice bike trail. Plenty of stuff to do in the area. Nearby hobby shops that we liked, and plenty of shopping.

Overall
This is a great campground. Even though they do not have full hookup sites, they do offer a honey wagon service for $10. We used it once in our stay for a week and then used the dump station on our way out. Smaller families with bigger tanks would probably be fine. We would stay again.

www.duncansfamilycampground.com

5381 Sands Rd.
Lothian, MD 20711
410-741-9558
Reservations 1-800-222-2086

Email: visitus@duncansfamilycampground.com

Dates Stayed: July 11th - July 25th, 2010
Site Type: Pull through, full hook ups with cable
Price: $289.07 a week (Total of $578.14 for 2 weeks)

Campground Name
Price
Little bit expensive, but was cheapest for the area. It is only 20 minutes outside of D.C. after all.
Family Friendly
Nice playground equipment. Outdoor family friendly movies. Planned weekend activities. Nice pool with a slide and lifeguards. Also had a kiddie pool. Fun things for the adults to do while the kids played.
Staff
Staff were friendly and helpful. Some were a bit young, but they knew what they were doing and were nice about it. Good with the kids. Treated us like members of their family.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms were each their own separate bathroom instead of locker room style. Nice water pressure and temp. They did get sandy do to the playground and volley ball pit being right nearby.
Internet
Connection was weak and hard to find. They were upgrading while we were there and it is probably great now. They were adding at least 3 extra access points. It just wasn't working while we were there.
Camp Site
Dirt/Sandy pull through spot. Good amount of room, with new picnic table. Fire rings included. Was a lot of sand which made for mess in camper. We used an old piece of carpet in our screen room to combat this. Good trees for shade although one did fall almost hitting our van while there. Jack and Jill style spots available for groups camping together. Got to choose site we wanted.
Laundry
The newer laundry room did not work very well. The older laundry was alright, but dryers didn't work great and cost extra to finish drying. We actually had to ask for a refund on one dryer.
Other
Planned weekend activities. Close to D.C. Transport to Metro. Easy access. Snack bar and camp store was decent, but a little old looking. Trash pick up at campsites, and recycling available. Pool was nice, playground nice, volley ball pit, mini golf, and stage. Even had a wine and cheese party.

Overall
We really liked htis campground. We would certainly stay again. Some grass or gravel would make this campground better. Little too sandy. We had a good time while here. With the new WIFI available our rating would be higher.

4219 South Nature Center Way
Springfield, MO 65804-4949
(417) 881-8004

Dates Stayed: July 8th, 2010
Site Type: Back in, full hook up, no cable
Price: $15 with Passport America

This RV park is actually a run down mobile home park. It was very white trash feeling. Sites weren't very level or very big. Lot of stuff sitting around outside of campers and trailers. Near a lot of construction going on. Basically we just needed a place to sleep and hang out while I did a job.

Timbercrest RV Park
Value
PA rate was good. Campground was skeazy. We would not have paid more then $15 a night for it. We just needed A/C for the night.
Family Friendly
Nothing for the kids to do. City park was a short walk away. Lot of malls and shopping nearby. No pool. Sort of afraid to let the kids out or our sight. No cable. Did not charge extra for kids.
Staff
Old fella running the place was friendly enough. Didn't really have a lot to say. Just let us do our thing. Wasn't available much.
Bathrooms
Non existent
Internet
Internet was weak. Had to hunt down manager to get password. Dropped a lot. Was only good at front of campground.
Camp Site
Site was ok size with some grass. Site was paved, but not level. Full Hook ups, but no cable. Huge variation in sites, didn't get a good looks at others.
Laundry
Non existent.
Other
None

Overall
We basically just needed A/C for the night. Let us leave late.

www.bigredbarnrvpark.com

5089 Cl 138
Carthage, MO 64836
(417) 358-2432

Dates Stayed: July 5th-7th, 2010 (late checkout)
Site Type: Full hook up pull thru with cable
Price: $15 a night using Passport America

Big Red Barn RV Park
Price
Owner gave us 3 nights of PA rate when they normally only do 2 and she did not charge us extra for the kids even though the brochure said they did.
Family Friendly
Playground equipment was shared with the church next door and pretty ratty. No pool on site. Not a lot of places for the kids to play or ride bikes.
Staff
Owner was friendly, although sometimes seemed forced and gave us a deal. She didn't have many if any helpers, so sometimes you had to go find her if you needed something.
Pool
No Pool on site.
Internet
WIFI was fast and reliable with good connection speeds and no drops.
Camp Site
Level gravel pull through spots with concrete pads to step out on to. Included picnic table and small tree. Site was ok size. No fire ring. Easy hookups.
Laundry
Laundry available at this site. Equipment was old and didn't work great. Laundry room was small and dingy.
Other
Had a sharing library, kitchen, pool table, and weight equipment. Everything was sort of old and well used looking. Campground was nice looking. Good things for families to do nearby.

Overall
This was a decent campground. For $15 a night we really couldn't go wrong. There are other campgrounds in the area, but prices were higher. This campground was easy to get to and had some free things to do with the kids. We went to Precious Moments, Civil War history museum, George Washington Carver museum and some other stuff while there.

www.bransoncampground.com

679 Quebec Drive
Branson, MO 65616-9573
(417) 334-4681

Dates stayed: June 26th-July 1st, 2010
Site type: Full Hookup
Price: $18 a night with Passport America

We stayed at this one because we wanted to see Branson, MO. Branson would be a great family get away if we had a lot more money. We could not afford to do anything fun while we were there. This campground was pretty decent, although the spot they put us on was one of the poorer spots they had (sort of on the side of a hill).

Ozark Country Campground
Price
Camp took Passport America making it only $18 a night. Great value, if you have PA Club.
Family Friendly
This was a semi gated campground. No one speeding. The playground was lousy, but the pool was nice and there was a big field for the kids to play in.
Staff
Super friendly staff. Took us to our site, helped us get backed in, even hand delivered the firewood. Also one of the guys gave my kids free ice cream just because he ordered too many extra. They even helped out one family whose RV caught fire pulling up the mountain.
Pool
Nice pool. Good size. Good temp. Tables and chairs around. No life guard.
Internet
WIFI was ok at this site. It was free. We had ok signal strength, speed was ok. No cut outs.
Camp Site
Gravel spot with shade. However it was very slanty as it was at the edge of the campground which was on top of a mountain. Did have a fire ring and a picnic table, but we had to be careful we did tip over.
Laundry
Lots of room. Ironing board and iron available. Prices ok. Equipment clean. No rust in water. Dryers had to be fed more money to get the job done.
Other
Camp store with the typical stuff. Library on site for book exchange. Pool table available in laundry library. Big commons pavilion with grills. On site movie rental in the store.

Overall
This campground was good for the price we paid. The extra amenities were not much to write home about, but it was nice to see the extras. Plenty of shade on all but the premium spots. Some are nicer then others. The premium spots looked awesome. They were concrete, had nice tables with umbrellas. Very plush, if you are willing to pay extra.

www.sundermeierrvpark.com

111 Transit Street
St Charles, MO 63301-0949
(636) 940-0111

Dates Stayed: June 13th, 2010 to June 26th, 2010
Site Type: Full Hookups with Cable
Price: $275 a week

We stayed here for 2 weeks while working on the NCR/MCD project. We paid by the week - $275 a week. They took Good Sam.

Sundermeier
Price
Weekly rate was decent, and campground was well maintained, very clean, and a nice atmosphere.
Family Friendly
There was no on site pool, playground, or fire rings. There was not much grass. There was a city park across the street and a nice bike trail. St. Charles was nearby and had decent stuff for families
Staff
Staff was very friendly and super nice. They were quite helpful.
Pool
No pool or lake on site. No place nearby to swim.
Internet
Good WIFI connection that was fast and reliable. It was password protected, but allowed multiple computers on same login and password.
Camp Site
Spot was concrete and level. Had a little bit of grass around it. Included a nice picnic table. There was no fire ring available.
Laundry
Laundry was outstanding. Good price for washers and dryers. Equipment was in excellent shape. The double dryer was $1.50 and could dry two loads.
Other
Small store with a few essentials on site. Had ice and a few things like that. There was a restaurant and pub on site that seemed decent even though we didn't eat there.

Overall
This campground was about the only one we could find in the St. Louis/St. Charles area. We met some great new friends here and had a pretty enjoyable time. This campground could benefit from a pool, but otherwise was very nice and well maintained.

This is how we rate the campgrounds. Its a straight forward rating system we use as full timers with kids.

Website

Address

Dates Stayed:
Site Type:
Price:

Campground Name
Price
Was this camp worth nightly rate? Was the price high?
Family Friendly
Was this campground good for families? Did they charge extra for kids? Playground equipment onsite? Was is safe? Was it fun?
Staff
Was the staff friendly and helpful?
Bathrooms
Were they clean? Good size? Private?
Internet
Was internet available? What it good connection and fast?
Camp Site
Was the spot decent size? Did it include fire ring? Was it grass or gravel?
Laundry
Was there laundry onsite? Was it clean? Was it a good value?
Other
Other amenities

Overall
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