CALIFORNIA
Ahaheim - 2010 - Anaheim RV Village (Rate: 4)
Fortuna - 2011 - Riverwalk RV Park (Rate: 4)
COLORADO
Estes Park - 2010 - Elk Meadow RV Resort (Rate: 4)
Manitou Springs - 2010 - Pikes Peak RV Park (Rate: 3.5)
FLORIDA
Davenport - 2010 - Ft. Orlando Ft Summit KOA (Rate: 3)
Walt Disney World - 2010 - Fort Wilderness Campground (Rate: 4)
GEORGIA
Elko (Perry) - 2010 - Twin Oaks RV Park (Rate: 3)
IDAHO
Twin Falls (Filer) - 2010 - Twin Falls 93 RV Park (Rate: 3.5)
Coeur d'Alene - 2011 - Lake Coeur d'Aene Camp (Rate: 3)
ILLINOIS
St. Louis (East) - 2010 - Casino Queen RV Park (Rate: 2)
MISSOURI
St. Louis - 2010 - Casino Queen RV Park (See Illinois)
MONTANA
West Glacier - 2008 - West Glacier KOA (Rate: 4)
West Glacier - 2011 - West Glacier KOA (Rate: 4)
NORTH CAROLINA
Asheboro – 2010 – Holly Bluff Family Campground (Rate: 2)
Asheville - 2010 - Campfire Lodgings (Rate: 4)
Cherokee - 2010 - Cherokee-Great Smokies KOA (Rate: 3)
Glendale Springs - 2010 - Raccoon Holler Campground (Rate: 2)
OREGON
Bandon/Port Orford - 2011 - KOA (Rate: 3)Tillamook - 2011 - Pleasant Valley RV Park (Rate: 3)TENNESSEE
Nashville - 2010 - Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park (Rate: 4)
VIRGINIA
Charlottesville – 2010 - Charlottesville KOA (Rate: 3)
Fancy Gap - 2010 - Fancy Gap KOA (Rate: 2)
Luray – 2010 - Country Waye RV Resort (Rate: 4.5)
Natural Bridges - 2010 - Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park (Rate: 2)
WASHINGTON
Gig Harbor - 2008 - Gig Harbor RV Park (Rate: 3)
Gig Harbor - 2011- Gig Harbor RV Park (Rate: 3)
Grand Coulee - 2011 - Steamboat Rock State Park (Rate: 3)
WYOMING
Jackson - 2010 - Snake River KOA (Rate: 2)
Rawlins - 2010 - Rawlins KOA (Rate: 3)
Friday, April 16, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Colorado
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Estes Park, CO - 2010 - Elk Meadow RV Resort
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 4
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: June 9 – 13, 2010 (5 nights at $49.75/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 4 Oh this place is peaceful! There are great views of the snow capped mountains all around us. This RV park has a nice layout with even rows of back to back sites and pull-ins. Despite all the trees surrounding us, most of the park is out in the open. Only one row has shade and pin trees. Most of the back-in sites are long enough for big rigs, they are narrow leaving little room for an ‘outdoor area. The sites are fairly close together. The interior roads are gravel and the sites are gravel with grass in between. There is no landscaping. In fact the grounds are not too attractive. But the view of the beautiful mountains gives this park a higher rating for me.
Location: 5 Good location. Right outside of the busy life in town and right next door to Rocky Mountain National Park entrance. We are at the base of the mountains, but up hight.
Noise/Quiet: 4 Very quiet. No traffic noise, no train or plane. An occasional helicopter. Dead quiet at night. Had a problem with the neighbor being noisy. She looks to be permanent. Ran her heater all day and night on the last two nights, sounded like a car moter idling. It was very annoying. Had to turn our fan on to drown out the noise. Wore earplugs that first night.
Staff: 3 Employees. Friendly, but nothing special.
Amenities: 3 Full hookups with cable TV (only about 20 channels, all sports, Spanish, news,talk shows; nothing worth watching) Free WiFi at the site with password logon, but connection was terrible ; weak and slow.
Recreation: 4 There is a pool, pond, playground, mini golf, group campfire ring, café, etc. There are probably activities, but June might be too early in the season. Probably real busy in July.
Laundry Room: 4 Nice size room with about 6 washers ($1) and 6 dryers ($1). Cheap. The machines look like new and are clean and good shape. The room has chairs, folding table and magazines.
Comfort Station: 3 There were 2 comfort stations. I only checked out and used the portable building nearest us. These are large individual rooms with sink, toilet, and shower. Very private, but the place is really run down. Very dirty. Dirt and dust all along the floor boards (yuck). Walls were stained. The floor was stained, looked dirty and real cheap stuff. The shower stall is vinyl with plastic door. Also stained. The stall was small and the shower head was way to low; had to arch the back to get the hair wet for washing. But there was lots of hot water and good pressure.
Assigned RV Site #F14: 4 We were on the only row with pine trees. All the other sites were out in the open. We had a back-in site, but no one was behind us for our whole stay. Out site was long but narrow and sloped down so we had a very narrow space for the picnic table. We had pine trees on either side for shade. We had the million dollar view of the mountains. One neighbor was a big rig and permanent. The other neighbor was a 5th wheel and was there for three nights, then the site was empty for the last two nights.
NOTE: There was a lot of rain during our stay. Dark clouds for three with afernnoon rain. It rained solid the last two days. The Fall River that ran through town and near our campground was raging and very full from the snow melt runoff. All the rain didn’t help. At some points it went over the banks. There was a lot of sandbagging in town. But it never flooded. The river was shown on the local news several times during our stay.
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Manitou Springs, CO - 2010 - Pikes Peak RV Park
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 3.
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: June 6 – 8, 2010 (3 nights at $38.78/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 3 This is a small RV park with about 80 sites, but some of those sites are way too small and narrow to really put a trailer in. But I’m sure if it is full they do squeeze in more trailers. It is all dirt with no clear site boundaries. In fact it is like a very large dirt parking lot with trees here and there and surrounding the park. There is a hillside on one side of the park and a creek and busy street on the other side. There is a large interesting and attractive stone house on one end of the park where the owner lives. The layout is not clear and the sites short and narrow and way too close together. First impression is ‘what have we gotten into’. But the management is very friendly and you get a free local newspaper every morning which we have not seen any RV park do on this trip. The place is clean with no stuff dumped on the property and it does not look like there are too many permanent trailers.
Location: 4 Good location to the attractions we want to see. Manitou springs is a quaint resort like town with a fun downtown area with neat shops and nice restaurants. Garden of Gods is next door and Pikes Peak is nearby. Also near Colorado Springs.
Noise/Quiet: 3 The park is alongside the main road to the downtown area so there is traffic noise (lots of motorcycles that are staying in the motel across the street). But fairly quiet at night. No train or plane noise.
Staff: 4 Manager. Very friendly lady that is very personable and sweet. She lives on site. Owner also lives on site in a beautiful stone house at one end of the park.
Amenities: 3 Full hook-ups, but no cable TV (about 5 channels on the antenna), Free WiFi with easy logo, but weak signal and connection.
Recreation: 2 None. Not even a pool or playground. But I saw some kids fishing in the small creek that runs alongside of the park. The recreation is all outside of the park with hiking and attractions nearby.
Laundry Room: 4 Large room w six washers ($1), 6 dryers (.75). Machines are in good shape and clean. Room has sitting area, folding table and a book shelf with books to exchange. The laundry room was closed in the am when people were using the showers. Not enough water pressure to accommodate both at the same time.
Comfort Station: 3 Bathroom is small with a weird layout. Three showers. The stalls are not too small. Vinyl with shower curtain and built in shelf for soap. The dressing hare had a solid door that was too high. There was a bench and hooks. Lots of hot water, but pressure was on and off.
Assigned RV Site #43: 3 Our site was a back-in along the creek with a busy road on the other side of the creek. The site is way to close to the neighbor on the door side. Our awning just about touches their slide out. They have a big 5 wheel with about 3 slide outs so it takes up a lot of room. But the sites are way too close. There is a lot of space on the other side so we don’t feel too crowded.
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Estes Park, CO - 2010 - Elk Meadow RV Resort
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 4
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: June 9 – 13, 2010 (5 nights at $49.75/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 4 Oh this place is peaceful! There are great views of the snow capped mountains all around us. This RV park has a nice layout with even rows of back to back sites and pull-ins. Despite all the trees surrounding us, most of the park is out in the open. Only one row has shade and pin trees. Most of the back-in sites are long enough for big rigs, they are narrow leaving little room for an ‘outdoor area. The sites are fairly close together. The interior roads are gravel and the sites are gravel with grass in between. There is no landscaping. In fact the grounds are not too attractive. But the view of the beautiful mountains gives this park a higher rating for me.
Location: 5 Good location. Right outside of the busy life in town and right next door to Rocky Mountain National Park entrance. We are at the base of the mountains, but up hight.
Noise/Quiet: 4 Very quiet. No traffic noise, no train or plane. An occasional helicopter. Dead quiet at night. Had a problem with the neighbor being noisy. She looks to be permanent. Ran her heater all day and night on the last two nights, sounded like a car moter idling. It was very annoying. Had to turn our fan on to drown out the noise. Wore earplugs that first night.
Staff: 3 Employees. Friendly, but nothing special.
Amenities: 3 Full hookups with cable TV (only about 20 channels, all sports, Spanish, news,talk shows; nothing worth watching) Free WiFi at the site with password logon, but connection was terrible ; weak and slow.
Recreation: 4 There is a pool, pond, playground, mini golf, group campfire ring, café, etc. There are probably activities, but June might be too early in the season. Probably real busy in July.
Laundry Room: 4 Nice size room with about 6 washers ($1) and 6 dryers ($1). Cheap. The machines look like new and are clean and good shape. The room has chairs, folding table and magazines.
Comfort Station: 3 There were 2 comfort stations. I only checked out and used the portable building nearest us. These are large individual rooms with sink, toilet, and shower. Very private, but the place is really run down. Very dirty. Dirt and dust all along the floor boards (yuck). Walls were stained. The floor was stained, looked dirty and real cheap stuff. The shower stall is vinyl with plastic door. Also stained. The stall was small and the shower head was way to low; had to arch the back to get the hair wet for washing. But there was lots of hot water and good pressure.
Assigned RV Site #F14: 4 We were on the only row with pine trees. All the other sites were out in the open. We had a back-in site, but no one was behind us for our whole stay. Out site was long but narrow and sloped down so we had a very narrow space for the picnic table. We had pine trees on either side for shade. We had the million dollar view of the mountains. One neighbor was a big rig and permanent. The other neighbor was a 5th wheel and was there for three nights, then the site was empty for the last two nights.
NOTE: There was a lot of rain during our stay. Dark clouds for three with afernnoon rain. It rained solid the last two days. The Fall River that ran through town and near our campground was raging and very full from the snow melt runoff. All the rain didn’t help. At some points it went over the banks. There was a lot of sandbagging in town. But it never flooded. The river was shown on the local news several times during our stay.
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Manitou Springs, CO - 2010 - Pikes Peak RV Park
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 3.
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: June 6 – 8, 2010 (3 nights at $38.78/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 3 This is a small RV park with about 80 sites, but some of those sites are way too small and narrow to really put a trailer in. But I’m sure if it is full they do squeeze in more trailers. It is all dirt with no clear site boundaries. In fact it is like a very large dirt parking lot with trees here and there and surrounding the park. There is a hillside on one side of the park and a creek and busy street on the other side. There is a large interesting and attractive stone house on one end of the park where the owner lives. The layout is not clear and the sites short and narrow and way too close together. First impression is ‘what have we gotten into’. But the management is very friendly and you get a free local newspaper every morning which we have not seen any RV park do on this trip. The place is clean with no stuff dumped on the property and it does not look like there are too many permanent trailers.
Location: 4 Good location to the attractions we want to see. Manitou springs is a quaint resort like town with a fun downtown area with neat shops and nice restaurants. Garden of Gods is next door and Pikes Peak is nearby. Also near Colorado Springs.
Noise/Quiet: 3 The park is alongside the main road to the downtown area so there is traffic noise (lots of motorcycles that are staying in the motel across the street). But fairly quiet at night. No train or plane noise.
Staff: 4 Manager. Very friendly lady that is very personable and sweet. She lives on site. Owner also lives on site in a beautiful stone house at one end of the park.
Amenities: 3 Full hook-ups, but no cable TV (about 5 channels on the antenna), Free WiFi with easy logo, but weak signal and connection.
Recreation: 2 None. Not even a pool or playground. But I saw some kids fishing in the small creek that runs alongside of the park. The recreation is all outside of the park with hiking and attractions nearby.
Laundry Room: 4 Large room w six washers ($1), 6 dryers (.75). Machines are in good shape and clean. Room has sitting area, folding table and a book shelf with books to exchange. The laundry room was closed in the am when people were using the showers. Not enough water pressure to accommodate both at the same time.
Comfort Station: 3 Bathroom is small with a weird layout. Three showers. The stalls are not too small. Vinyl with shower curtain and built in shelf for soap. The dressing hare had a solid door that was too high. There was a bench and hooks. Lots of hot water, but pressure was on and off.
Assigned RV Site #43: 3 Our site was a back-in along the creek with a busy road on the other side of the creek. The site is way to close to the neighbor on the door side. Our awning just about touches their slide out. They have a big 5 wheel with about 3 slide outs so it takes up a lot of room. But the sites are way too close. There is a lot of space on the other side so we don’t feel too crowded.
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Florida
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Davenport, FL – 2010 – Orlando Ft. Summit KOA
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 3
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: May 11 – 14, 2001 (4nights - $43.46/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 3 This is a large RV Park with over 200 sites. Paved interior roads with grass, sand and dirt sites that include a picnic table on a cement patio and fire pit. The park had a nice layout with neat rows of pull thrus and back-in. The park had highways on two sides. There were highway businesses on both sides of the park with lots of flashing lights. There were large shade trees on several of the sites. The front part of the park was on a slight incline and as you crest the top there are 4 more rows of back-in sites that are out in the open with some shade trees. These sites were far away from the highway and probably more quiet. There was not nicely landscaped, but neatly manicured.
Location: 4 Depends on what your visit is for. This KOA is not close to Walt Disney World, but it is very close to where Jo’s family lives. So it was easy and quick to drive to their homes to visit. It is about 20 miles away from WDW.
Noise/Quiet: 3 A lot of highway traffic noise. Did not hear any trains or planes. The traffic noise was bearable and did not need to use earplugs at night.
Staff: 4 Even though they were KOA, they were very friendly and personable.
Amenities: 4 Full hook-ups with Cable TV (40+ channels) and free WiFi we easy logon and strong signal and connection.
Recreation: 3 There is a pool, playground, Miniature golf, horseshoes, volleyball, basket ball hoop along road. But did not see any of this stuff. The pool was not ready for use.
Laundry Room: 3 Small with 4 washers, 4 dryers. Machines were somewhat old, but functional. $1.50 wash, $1.50 dry.
Comfort Station: 4 Nice restroom. Clean and bright. Nice tile. Showers are not your typical KOA vinyl, but tile. Showers are spacious with shelf and curtain; lots of hot water and good pressure. Adjoining dressing room with private door, small bench and hooks.
Assigned RV Site #34: 3 Our site was a pull-thru in the front part of the RV park. Had some nice large shade trees. Site was grassy with sand. Cement patio with picnic table. We had no neighbors for the 4 nights we were there, so it was very nice and private and quiet. We were near the comfort station; close enough to have too much light from it at night, but not close enough for any fan noise and be bothered by the foot traffic. The park was almost empty and there were no kids. So it was very quiet. We were one site away from the cross road where there was the dumpsters and a basketball hoop. I was worried about noise and traffic from both, but there were none.
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WDW, FL – 2010 – Fort Wilderness Campground
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 4
Would you stay here again: Yes
Date: May 15 – 17, 2010 (3 nites - $104/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 5 The place is huge. There must be over 500 campsites. There are 18 loops of campsites and 9 loops of cabins. All sites are paved with a picnic table and barbecue (no open fires allowed). All sites are different; different lengths, widths. Some are in the open, some have shade. Some are too close together; some have a lot of space around them. You have to hold your breath and hope for a good site. Check in is complicated and impersonal. It is done at a drive through kiosk and a long way off from where the sites are. The campground is next to a lagoon where you can take a boat to the Magic Kingdom, The Contemporary Resort or the Fort Wilderness Lodge. The are bike trails all through the park and shuttles to take you to the Outpost to take buses to all the other locations on the WDW property. There are tennis courts, swimming pools, arcades, playgrounds, horseback riding, boat rentals, restaurant and much more. It is quite a place! I would have rated it a 5 if the price was more reasonable and there was free WiFi throughout the campground.
Location: 5 It is inside the WDW property, so you have access to all the bus transportation. It is near the Magic Kingdom.
Noise/Quiet: 3 There is a lot of noise if you are close to the main roads where the buses travel on. You can hear the fireworks from Magic Kingdom. It is fairly quiet at night, but you always hear the air conditioners from your neighbor’s trailers.
Staff: 3 Disney employees. They are, of course, Disney friendly, and they will be accommodating because they have to be.
Amenities: 3 Full hook-ups, cable TV (with several channels, but most of them is Disney stuff). No free WiFi. Not even at the Settlement Depot or Outpost. There is only one slow dial-up modem (which I could not use on my Mac). And that modem is at the Guest Relation building; that is too far away to walk. You have to drive (but good luck finding a parking spot) or take the shuttle.
Recreation: 5 Tons of stuff to do. This is Walt Disney World
Laundry Room: 4 Large room with 6+ washers and 6+ dryers. Fairly modern and clean machines, but very expensive. $2.00 for wash, $2.00 for dry.
Comfort Station: 4 Each loop has 1 comfort station. Nice and clean rooms. 4 showers (not enough for the number of sites in this loop. 1 stall is for handicap, 1 stall is very narrow. The other two stalls are large, but dressing area is too small. Stall has shower curtain, ledge for stuff, but soap slides off. Dressing area has short bench and 1 hook. Stalls are nice with tile. Stalls are very private. Lots of hot water and good pressure
Assigned RV Site #518: 3.5 Loop 500, site 518 (dog loop) Back-in site that is long with lots of room for trailer and two cars. Inside end is shady with trees and bushes. Door side has view of bushes and foliage. Other side has view of comfort station with bright light, air conditioner (noisy, but can’t hear) and ice machine (can faintly hear when drops ice). Too close to the comfort station (3 sites down). Neighbors are too close. But one neighbor was friendly and quiet, but smoked. Never saw or heard other neighbors (but can hear their air conditioners at night). Even though there are some trees and bushes behind us, we can clearly see the walkway and road. Traffic can be noisy and foot and bike traffic can be intrusive, but nice to people watch. And much easier to get on that walkway and it’s a very short walk to the Settlement to catch buses to the Outpost, or get launch to Magic Kingdom. Walking to the our loop exit to the bus pickup shelter takes much longer.
Davenport, FL – 2010 – Orlando Ft. Summit KOA
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 3
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: May 11 – 14, 2001 (4nights - $43.46/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 3 This is a large RV Park with over 200 sites. Paved interior roads with grass, sand and dirt sites that include a picnic table on a cement patio and fire pit. The park had a nice layout with neat rows of pull thrus and back-in. The park had highways on two sides. There were highway businesses on both sides of the park with lots of flashing lights. There were large shade trees on several of the sites. The front part of the park was on a slight incline and as you crest the top there are 4 more rows of back-in sites that are out in the open with some shade trees. These sites were far away from the highway and probably more quiet. There was not nicely landscaped, but neatly manicured.
Location: 4 Depends on what your visit is for. This KOA is not close to Walt Disney World, but it is very close to where Jo’s family lives. So it was easy and quick to drive to their homes to visit. It is about 20 miles away from WDW.
Noise/Quiet: 3 A lot of highway traffic noise. Did not hear any trains or planes. The traffic noise was bearable and did not need to use earplugs at night.
Staff: 4 Even though they were KOA, they were very friendly and personable.
Amenities: 4 Full hook-ups with Cable TV (40+ channels) and free WiFi we easy logon and strong signal and connection.
Recreation: 3 There is a pool, playground, Miniature golf, horseshoes, volleyball, basket ball hoop along road. But did not see any of this stuff. The pool was not ready for use.
Laundry Room: 3 Small with 4 washers, 4 dryers. Machines were somewhat old, but functional. $1.50 wash, $1.50 dry.
Comfort Station: 4 Nice restroom. Clean and bright. Nice tile. Showers are not your typical KOA vinyl, but tile. Showers are spacious with shelf and curtain; lots of hot water and good pressure. Adjoining dressing room with private door, small bench and hooks.
Assigned RV Site #34: 3 Our site was a pull-thru in the front part of the RV park. Had some nice large shade trees. Site was grassy with sand. Cement patio with picnic table. We had no neighbors for the 4 nights we were there, so it was very nice and private and quiet. We were near the comfort station; close enough to have too much light from it at night, but not close enough for any fan noise and be bothered by the foot traffic. The park was almost empty and there were no kids. So it was very quiet. We were one site away from the cross road where there was the dumpsters and a basketball hoop. I was worried about noise and traffic from both, but there were none.
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WDW, FL – 2010 – Fort Wilderness Campground
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 4
Would you stay here again: Yes
Date: May 15 – 17, 2010 (3 nites - $104/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 5 The place is huge. There must be over 500 campsites. There are 18 loops of campsites and 9 loops of cabins. All sites are paved with a picnic table and barbecue (no open fires allowed). All sites are different; different lengths, widths. Some are in the open, some have shade. Some are too close together; some have a lot of space around them. You have to hold your breath and hope for a good site. Check in is complicated and impersonal. It is done at a drive through kiosk and a long way off from where the sites are. The campground is next to a lagoon where you can take a boat to the Magic Kingdom, The Contemporary Resort or the Fort Wilderness Lodge. The are bike trails all through the park and shuttles to take you to the Outpost to take buses to all the other locations on the WDW property. There are tennis courts, swimming pools, arcades, playgrounds, horseback riding, boat rentals, restaurant and much more. It is quite a place! I would have rated it a 5 if the price was more reasonable and there was free WiFi throughout the campground.
Location: 5 It is inside the WDW property, so you have access to all the bus transportation. It is near the Magic Kingdom.
Noise/Quiet: 3 There is a lot of noise if you are close to the main roads where the buses travel on. You can hear the fireworks from Magic Kingdom. It is fairly quiet at night, but you always hear the air conditioners from your neighbor’s trailers.
Staff: 3 Disney employees. They are, of course, Disney friendly, and they will be accommodating because they have to be.
Amenities: 3 Full hook-ups, cable TV (with several channels, but most of them is Disney stuff). No free WiFi. Not even at the Settlement Depot or Outpost. There is only one slow dial-up modem (which I could not use on my Mac). And that modem is at the Guest Relation building; that is too far away to walk. You have to drive (but good luck finding a parking spot) or take the shuttle.
Recreation: 5 Tons of stuff to do. This is Walt Disney World
Laundry Room: 4 Large room with 6+ washers and 6+ dryers. Fairly modern and clean machines, but very expensive. $2.00 for wash, $2.00 for dry.
Comfort Station: 4 Each loop has 1 comfort station. Nice and clean rooms. 4 showers (not enough for the number of sites in this loop. 1 stall is for handicap, 1 stall is very narrow. The other two stalls are large, but dressing area is too small. Stall has shower curtain, ledge for stuff, but soap slides off. Dressing area has short bench and 1 hook. Stalls are nice with tile. Stalls are very private. Lots of hot water and good pressure
Assigned RV Site #518: 3.5 Loop 500, site 518 (dog loop) Back-in site that is long with lots of room for trailer and two cars. Inside end is shady with trees and bushes. Door side has view of bushes and foliage. Other side has view of comfort station with bright light, air conditioner (noisy, but can’t hear) and ice machine (can faintly hear when drops ice). Too close to the comfort station (3 sites down). Neighbors are too close. But one neighbor was friendly and quiet, but smoked. Never saw or heard other neighbors (but can hear their air conditioners at night). Even though there are some trees and bushes behind us, we can clearly see the walkway and road. Traffic can be noisy and foot and bike traffic can be intrusive, but nice to people watch. And much easier to get on that walkway and it’s a very short walk to the Settlement to catch buses to the Outpost, or get launch to Magic Kingdom. Walking to the our loop exit to the bus pickup shelter takes much longer.
Georgia
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Elko (Perry), GA - 2010 - Twin Oaks RV Park
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 3
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: May 18, 2010 (1 night at $26.00/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 4 Pleasant looking park. Small with about 70 sites. Lots of trees and green grass. Gravel/dirt interior roads. Sites are dirt with cement patio. Area around sites are grass. No permanent trailers that I can see. Mostly overnighters. Next to highway, outside of town. It has a nice layout with long rows of pull thrus. Back ins on the outer rows. It’s clean with no junk lying around. The park has a comfortable feel to it.
Location: 4 Right next to the highway. Easy in and easy out.
Noise/Quiet: 3 Highway noise. No plane or tree noise.
Staff: 4 Managers. Very friendly and accommodating
Amenities: 3 Full hookups. No cable TV (@5 channels w antenna), Free WiFi (easy logon with strong connection.
Recreation: 3 No scheduled activities. There is a nice TV room with big screen TV, and lots of books. Games
Laundry Room: 4 Nice, clean room with 3 washers, 3 dryers. Machine are fairly new, and in good shape. Cheap $1 wash/ $1 dry.
Comfort Station: 3 Small, but clean and in good shape. Green and white tile. Stalls are spacious and all tile. But no curtain across stall. Small dressing area with bench. Fairly private, except for outer door. The door is about two feet high from floor. Same with the toilets. When you sit on the toilet the door is about knee high. Makes for little privacy. It’s weird.
Assigned RV Site #51: 3 Site is pull thru. Long and narrow. No grass on our site, just dirt. But lots of trees and shade. Too close to neighbors. And we are too close to the comfort station (no noise, but bright lights)
WARNING: There are too many bright street lights throughout the RV park at night. So be sure to have covers for your windows. Otherwise you will have light coming into your trailer all night.
Elko (Perry), GA - 2010 - Twin Oaks RV Park
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 3
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: May 18, 2010 (1 night at $26.00/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 4 Pleasant looking park. Small with about 70 sites. Lots of trees and green grass. Gravel/dirt interior roads. Sites are dirt with cement patio. Area around sites are grass. No permanent trailers that I can see. Mostly overnighters. Next to highway, outside of town. It has a nice layout with long rows of pull thrus. Back ins on the outer rows. It’s clean with no junk lying around. The park has a comfortable feel to it.
Location: 4 Right next to the highway. Easy in and easy out.
Noise/Quiet: 3 Highway noise. No plane or tree noise.
Staff: 4 Managers. Very friendly and accommodating
Amenities: 3 Full hookups. No cable TV (@5 channels w antenna), Free WiFi (easy logon with strong connection.
Recreation: 3 No scheduled activities. There is a nice TV room with big screen TV, and lots of books. Games
Laundry Room: 4 Nice, clean room with 3 washers, 3 dryers. Machine are fairly new, and in good shape. Cheap $1 wash/ $1 dry.
Comfort Station: 3 Small, but clean and in good shape. Green and white tile. Stalls are spacious and all tile. But no curtain across stall. Small dressing area with bench. Fairly private, except for outer door. The door is about two feet high from floor. Same with the toilets. When you sit on the toilet the door is about knee high. Makes for little privacy. It’s weird.
Assigned RV Site #51: 3 Site is pull thru. Long and narrow. No grass on our site, just dirt. But lots of trees and shade. Too close to neighbors. And we are too close to the comfort station (no noise, but bright lights)
WARNING: There are too many bright street lights throughout the RV park at night. So be sure to have covers for your windows. Otherwise you will have light coming into your trailer all night.
Idaho
==============================
Coeur d’ Alene - 2011- Lake Coeur d’ Alene Camp, #7
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 3
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: July 19 – 21, 2011 (3 nites) $42.00
Quality of Facilities and Visual Appeal: 3
The park is in the hills, among the trees. It is near the highway, but not too close to hear the noise. The sites are on a hill and are terraced. The interior roads are paved, but the sites are gravel and dirt. The pull ghru sites have grass. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. The pull-thrus are very longl but narrow and there is two sites per level. If there are two big rigs on a level, you have to park side by side with your slide-outs and awnings touching. If you have a smaller trailer you can pull up and be side by side. We saw some traielrs that were way to close for comfort. The back-ins are short and narrow (some are more spacious). The back-ins also are too close to neighbors. Your space can get really smoky if your neighbor has a fire in the fire pit. There are lots of trees and shade in this park.Staff: 3 Friendly and accommodating.
Location: 2
We were misled with the location of this RV park. The address on GPS and online led to downtown next to the water. But the park turned out to be 10 miles outside of town next to a swamp area that was at the south end of Banks Lake. It was not on the lake like the web site led us to believe.
Noise/Quiet: 3
There was traffic noise, but somewhat quiet at night. Day time was very noisy with all the kids screaming and running around. The park was full and there was lots of large families.
Amenities: 3
Full hookups, cable TV with 20 plus channels, but picture kept going digital. Free WiFi, but signal was on and off. When it was on it was pretty strong. Easy logon, no codes.
Rec Room/Lounge/ Pool: 4
Lots of activities for kids; a large pool with 2 spa’s, kids playground, game room, ping poing table and game room w pool table.
Laundry Room: 2 Old and run down. No folding table. 4 washers $2.50, 4 dryers $1.50.
Comfort Station: 3
Small room w only 3 showers. Shower stall was vinyl, but spacious w shower curtain. Dressing area was small with small bench, only 1 hook and solid door. All very private. Showers had lots of hot water with good pressure.
Assigned Site #7: 3
Our site had a little more space then others, but the neighbor on the up side of us had a smaller space, so their trailer was closer and their awning just about touched our slide out. Their ‘porch’ chairs were just below our slide out window, so we can hear all conversation as if they were inside our tailer. Fortunately they were not very loud and they did not smoke and did not use their fire pit. All fire pits were so close to neighbor’s trailers.
Park Residents/Neighbors: 2
The neighbors and residents were friendly enough, they were just so loud. We had kids on both sides. The one side was quieter and the kids were well behaved. The other side had loud kids and their TV was so loud and there was such loud laughing with the TV. Other neighbors and their kids stayed outside until late running around, screaming and being loud. But it is summer time and kids will be kids. But it still made our stay unpleasant, thus the low rating.
==============================
Twin Falls (Filer), ID - 2010 - Twin Falls 93 RV Park #13
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - ExcellentOVERALL RATING: 3.5
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: June 19, 2010 (1 night at $31.10 a nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 4
This is a very small RV park with only 21 sites. It has a neat, nice layout with even rows. All sites are pull-thrus. They are long and spacious with grass on both sides. A nice acrylic picnic table and no fire rings. It is out in the open with small trees all over the park. Not every site has a tree. There are no permanent trailers and no junk lying around. It is has a comfortable and safe feel to it. The interior roads are dirt and gravel. The sites are dirt and gravel and fairly even.
Location: 3
It is located about 10 miles outside of Twin Falls in an industrial area. We are right off of Highway 93. There is nothing scenic around or near the park. But it is conveniently located in the direction we are heading tomorrow.
Noise/Quiet: 3
There is a lot of traffic noise day and night. Neighbors are very quiet. No motors, air conditioners, water heaters running all night. There were no children so that help keep things quiet. All the neighbors were also quiet.
Staff: 3
Very friendly and helpful. Don’t know if she was staff, manager, or owner.
Amenities: 4
Full hook-ups with cable TV (40+ channels that come in very clear). Free WiFi with easy logon, strong signal, but connection is slow.
Recreation: 2
No scheduled activities. No playground or pool. There is a putting green and a really nice spa and hot tub gazebo.
Laundry Room: 4
Nice, but small room with two washers ($1) and 2 dryers (.75). The machines are clean and in good condition. The room has a lot of cutesy Victorian décor like wood plaques, dolls, etc. There are lots of magazines, paperbacks, VHS, DVD’s to exchange.
Comfort Station: 2.5
It’s a very small room with two toilets and two shower stalls. Very clean, but small. The stalls are vinyl with shelves and shower curtain. Small dressing area with stool and accordion doors that latch with a magnet that does not always work. Then door stays open and you lose the privacy. Toilet stalls also have accordion doors that work the same way. Shower water does not get very hot and the pressure is not too good.
Assigned RV Site: 3
We are close to the office and comfort station. This is okay at this park as there is not a lot of traffic or noise being so close to these buildings. However the office and nearby billboard have too many lights at night. If you don’t have the right curtains, it invades the trailer and makes it to bright to sleep. Our site is long and spacious. There is a lot of room between neighbors. Both sides had short trailers and were parked high and low on their sites. We parked in the middle so no one was looking into each other’s windows. That made it feel more spacious
==============================
Coeur d’ Alene - 2011- Lake Coeur d’ Alene Camp, #7
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 3
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: July 19 – 21, 2011 (3 nites) $42.00
Quality of Facilities and Visual Appeal: 3
The park is in the hills, among the trees. It is near the highway, but not too close to hear the noise. The sites are on a hill and are terraced. The interior roads are paved, but the sites are gravel and dirt. The pull ghru sites have grass. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. The pull-thrus are very longl but narrow and there is two sites per level. If there are two big rigs on a level, you have to park side by side with your slide-outs and awnings touching. If you have a smaller trailer you can pull up and be side by side. We saw some traielrs that were way to close for comfort. The back-ins are short and narrow (some are more spacious). The back-ins also are too close to neighbors. Your space can get really smoky if your neighbor has a fire in the fire pit. There are lots of trees and shade in this park.Staff: 3 Friendly and accommodating.
Location: 2
We were misled with the location of this RV park. The address on GPS and online led to downtown next to the water. But the park turned out to be 10 miles outside of town next to a swamp area that was at the south end of Banks Lake. It was not on the lake like the web site led us to believe.
Noise/Quiet: 3
There was traffic noise, but somewhat quiet at night. Day time was very noisy with all the kids screaming and running around. The park was full and there was lots of large families.
Amenities: 3
Full hookups, cable TV with 20 plus channels, but picture kept going digital. Free WiFi, but signal was on and off. When it was on it was pretty strong. Easy logon, no codes.
Rec Room/Lounge/ Pool: 4
Lots of activities for kids; a large pool with 2 spa’s, kids playground, game room, ping poing table and game room w pool table.
Laundry Room: 2 Old and run down. No folding table. 4 washers $2.50, 4 dryers $1.50.
Comfort Station: 3
Small room w only 3 showers. Shower stall was vinyl, but spacious w shower curtain. Dressing area was small with small bench, only 1 hook and solid door. All very private. Showers had lots of hot water with good pressure.
Assigned Site #7: 3
Our site had a little more space then others, but the neighbor on the up side of us had a smaller space, so their trailer was closer and their awning just about touched our slide out. Their ‘porch’ chairs were just below our slide out window, so we can hear all conversation as if they were inside our tailer. Fortunately they were not very loud and they did not smoke and did not use their fire pit. All fire pits were so close to neighbor’s trailers.
Park Residents/Neighbors: 2
The neighbors and residents were friendly enough, they were just so loud. We had kids on both sides. The one side was quieter and the kids were well behaved. The other side had loud kids and their TV was so loud and there was such loud laughing with the TV. Other neighbors and their kids stayed outside until late running around, screaming and being loud. But it is summer time and kids will be kids. But it still made our stay unpleasant, thus the low rating.
==============================
Twin Falls (Filer), ID - 2010 - Twin Falls 93 RV Park #13
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - ExcellentOVERALL RATING: 3.5
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: June 19, 2010 (1 night at $31.10 a nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 4
This is a very small RV park with only 21 sites. It has a neat, nice layout with even rows. All sites are pull-thrus. They are long and spacious with grass on both sides. A nice acrylic picnic table and no fire rings. It is out in the open with small trees all over the park. Not every site has a tree. There are no permanent trailers and no junk lying around. It is has a comfortable and safe feel to it. The interior roads are dirt and gravel. The sites are dirt and gravel and fairly even.
Location: 3
It is located about 10 miles outside of Twin Falls in an industrial area. We are right off of Highway 93. There is nothing scenic around or near the park. But it is conveniently located in the direction we are heading tomorrow.
Noise/Quiet: 3
There is a lot of traffic noise day and night. Neighbors are very quiet. No motors, air conditioners, water heaters running all night. There were no children so that help keep things quiet. All the neighbors were also quiet.
Staff: 3
Very friendly and helpful. Don’t know if she was staff, manager, or owner.
Amenities: 4
Full hook-ups with cable TV (40+ channels that come in very clear). Free WiFi with easy logon, strong signal, but connection is slow.
Recreation: 2
No scheduled activities. No playground or pool. There is a putting green and a really nice spa and hot tub gazebo.
Laundry Room: 4
Nice, but small room with two washers ($1) and 2 dryers (.75). The machines are clean and in good condition. The room has a lot of cutesy Victorian décor like wood plaques, dolls, etc. There are lots of magazines, paperbacks, VHS, DVD’s to exchange.
Comfort Station: 2.5
It’s a very small room with two toilets and two shower stalls. Very clean, but small. The stalls are vinyl with shelves and shower curtain. Small dressing area with stool and accordion doors that latch with a magnet that does not always work. Then door stays open and you lose the privacy. Toilet stalls also have accordion doors that work the same way. Shower water does not get very hot and the pressure is not too good.
Assigned RV Site: 3
We are close to the office and comfort station. This is okay at this park as there is not a lot of traffic or noise being so close to these buildings. However the office and nearby billboard have too many lights at night. If you don’t have the right curtains, it invades the trailer and makes it to bright to sleep. Our site is long and spacious. There is a lot of room between neighbors. Both sides had short trailers and were parked high and low on their sites. We parked in the middle so no one was looking into each other’s windows. That made it feel more spacious
==============================
Thursday, April 8, 2010
North Carolina
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Asheboro, NC – 2010 – Holly Bluff Family Campground #39
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 2
Would you stay here again: No
Unfortunately there are not many places to choose from in this area. The campground closest to the zoo is even worse.
Dates: April 28 – 29, 2010 (2 nites at $27.00/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 2 First impression was that the place was a dump. There was a large meadow in the middle of the park with a playground, basketball hoop, etc. And it looked like a private residence on one end away from the sites. Then a road all around the meadow and on the other side of the road were the sites. One side had back ends that were not clearly marked, very short and narrow with a slope behind. According to the map there were two more rows of sites down the slope, but could not find a road that led to them. We where in two rows of pull ins, again, not clearly defined and could not make out the road between the rows. Some trailers were parked partially in that road. There were other sites and a third side of the meadow, but could not find how to get to them. All those sites were probably permanent trailers. We could see a lot of junky trailers.
Location: 4 The only thing we wanted to see in Asheboro was the North Carolina Zoo. This park was very close to the zoo. It was also close to down town, but not close enough to hear any noise.
Noise/Quiet: 4 Very quiet place. No traffic, train or plane noise. Neighbors and residents were also quiet. Dead quiet at night.
Staff: 3 Private campground. Owners run the place and they are a very old couple. They are very nice and friendly and very accommodating, but they really need to retire. The wife really had a senior brain and was hard to understand her. The husband led us to our site and helped us back into it, but actually caused it to be more complicated and was more ‘in the way. Also the wife could not find our reservation and Dave had called a second time to confirm it (talked to the husband, he probably did not write it down or tell the wife). Fortunately there were empty sites.
Amenities: 4 Full hookups, no cable (but could get @ 5 channels with the antenna). Free WiFi had an easy logon, good signal and a good connection.
Recreation: 1 No organized activities. There is a pool (closed at this time) and game room. Not a good place for kids.
Laundry Room: ? Did not see or use. After seeing the comfort station, didn’t even want to check out the laundry.
Comfort Station: 1 Oh my gawd, this place is awful. There is only one small building that is very old and run down. The bathrooms are small and cramped. The showers out in the open and not private at all. There are two stalls with a solid door. Bare walls and cement pad with the water pipes if full view. There are no shelves or hooks to put shampoo, etc. The dressing area is common with a long bench. There is no privacy at all. There is a shower curtain to block view from entrance. I will not be using this facility. It’s sponge baths for two days.
Assigned RV Site #39: 3 Our site was okay. There was an Airstream rally parked in the pull thrus where we were assigned, so we asked to be away from the Airstream, but those were the sites against the slope and they were too close and too small. So we took the site in the middle of the Airstreams. It was a spacious site under the trees. And the Airstream people were very quiet and also nice.
=====================================
Asheville, NC – 2010 – Campfire Lodging’s #D-18
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 4
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: May 3-5, 2010 (3 nites at $50.00/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 4 To get to this place you have to drive up a steep, narrow mountain road. I don’t know what we would have done if we came upon another car, let alone an RV while driving up this hill. I was really getting nervous about this place. But when we crested the top and drove onto the property it was like WOW. This is a very small place with about 20 sites. The place was quiet, peaceful and pleasant. The first thing you saw was about 5 premium sites along the hill top overlooking the valley and what a view. These sites were at an angle so that the side of your rig was overlooking the valley. These are $15 extra, but well worth it. These premium sites looked close together, but they really are not. They are layered so that they are not right next to each other. Out site was on the other side of the hill top against the forest. It was primitive but under the trees with lots of shade. The interior roads are gravel and they circle around a small grassy meadow. The office is right at the entrance of the property and it is a cozy cabin like place. The staff was very friendly and personable, but not too accommodating. I had asked for another site (see below) and she said they were full up. But she did not even attempt to switch around other reservations (this has been done at other places) to accommodate us. The property does go down the slope behind our site where there are the tents and yurts. There is a small pond and hiking trails. A very nice place.
Location: 5 We are out in the residential area just outside of town. We are off of Biltmore Ave, the street that goes directly to the Biltmore (the attraction we wanted to see in this town).
Noise/Quiet: 4 We can hear a train and it runs a long time, but no horns. No traffic noise . So very quiet day and night. It is very relaxing to hear the birds chirping every morning.
Staff: 4 The woman that runs the office is new age type. Very friendly and personable (but did not go out of her way to accommodate us when we asked for a different site). I don’t know if she owns the place or just manages it.
Amenities: 4 Full hook-up, cable TV (several channels – we did not get a list of channels like most places), free WiFi with easy log on and strong signal and good connection most of the time, but slow when in Facebook and Farmville
Recreation: 3 No organized activities. No pool or playground. Not a good place for kids.
Laundry Room: 3 Small w 2 washers, 2 dryers. Has a table for folding. Machines are old, but in good shape.
Comfort Station: 4 The comfort station is in a rustic, cabin like building. There are about 6 private rooms with shower, sink, and toilet, and one room is the laundry room. The bathrooms are a bit small. Showers have shelves and seats, vinyl, but very nice. Lots of hot water and good pressure.
Assigned RV Site: 3 Our site was good, but would have been much better if it wasn’t across from the office (could hear the pump for the air conditioning). I told her that was one of the reasons for wanting another site so she turned it off. Didn’t hear it for the rest of our stay. But our site was right next to the narrow dirt road leading down to the tent sites, pond and yurts. There was lot s of traffic on that road and people would walk their dogs down that way. They all could see right into our trailer window. So there goes the privacy. And the traffic was distracting. The site was nice, spacious, very shady with trees all around. And you did have a small view of the mountains on the other side. But that road was annoying. Would have been very happy with the site if that road was not there. The site was dirt and gravel with a picnic table and fire ring. There was a lot of space between the site next door.
Asheboro, NC – 2010 – Holly Bluff Family Campground #39
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 2
Would you stay here again: No
Unfortunately there are not many places to choose from in this area. The campground closest to the zoo is even worse.
Dates: April 28 – 29, 2010 (2 nites at $27.00/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 2 First impression was that the place was a dump. There was a large meadow in the middle of the park with a playground, basketball hoop, etc. And it looked like a private residence on one end away from the sites. Then a road all around the meadow and on the other side of the road were the sites. One side had back ends that were not clearly marked, very short and narrow with a slope behind. According to the map there were two more rows of sites down the slope, but could not find a road that led to them. We where in two rows of pull ins, again, not clearly defined and could not make out the road between the rows. Some trailers were parked partially in that road. There were other sites and a third side of the meadow, but could not find how to get to them. All those sites were probably permanent trailers. We could see a lot of junky trailers.
Location: 4 The only thing we wanted to see in Asheboro was the North Carolina Zoo. This park was very close to the zoo. It was also close to down town, but not close enough to hear any noise.
Noise/Quiet: 4 Very quiet place. No traffic, train or plane noise. Neighbors and residents were also quiet. Dead quiet at night.
Staff: 3 Private campground. Owners run the place and they are a very old couple. They are very nice and friendly and very accommodating, but they really need to retire. The wife really had a senior brain and was hard to understand her. The husband led us to our site and helped us back into it, but actually caused it to be more complicated and was more ‘in the way. Also the wife could not find our reservation and Dave had called a second time to confirm it (talked to the husband, he probably did not write it down or tell the wife). Fortunately there were empty sites.
Amenities: 4 Full hookups, no cable (but could get @ 5 channels with the antenna). Free WiFi had an easy logon, good signal and a good connection.
Recreation: 1 No organized activities. There is a pool (closed at this time) and game room. Not a good place for kids.
Laundry Room: ? Did not see or use. After seeing the comfort station, didn’t even want to check out the laundry.
Comfort Station: 1 Oh my gawd, this place is awful. There is only one small building that is very old and run down. The bathrooms are small and cramped. The showers out in the open and not private at all. There are two stalls with a solid door. Bare walls and cement pad with the water pipes if full view. There are no shelves or hooks to put shampoo, etc. The dressing area is common with a long bench. There is no privacy at all. There is a shower curtain to block view from entrance. I will not be using this facility. It’s sponge baths for two days.
Assigned RV Site #39: 3 Our site was okay. There was an Airstream rally parked in the pull thrus where we were assigned, so we asked to be away from the Airstream, but those were the sites against the slope and they were too close and too small. So we took the site in the middle of the Airstreams. It was a spacious site under the trees. And the Airstream people were very quiet and also nice.
=====================================
Asheville, NC – 2010 – Campfire Lodging’s #D-18
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 4
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: May 3-5, 2010 (3 nites at $50.00/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 4 To get to this place you have to drive up a steep, narrow mountain road. I don’t know what we would have done if we came upon another car, let alone an RV while driving up this hill. I was really getting nervous about this place. But when we crested the top and drove onto the property it was like WOW. This is a very small place with about 20 sites. The place was quiet, peaceful and pleasant. The first thing you saw was about 5 premium sites along the hill top overlooking the valley and what a view. These sites were at an angle so that the side of your rig was overlooking the valley. These are $15 extra, but well worth it. These premium sites looked close together, but they really are not. They are layered so that they are not right next to each other. Out site was on the other side of the hill top against the forest. It was primitive but under the trees with lots of shade. The interior roads are gravel and they circle around a small grassy meadow. The office is right at the entrance of the property and it is a cozy cabin like place. The staff was very friendly and personable, but not too accommodating. I had asked for another site (see below) and she said they were full up. But she did not even attempt to switch around other reservations (this has been done at other places) to accommodate us. The property does go down the slope behind our site where there are the tents and yurts. There is a small pond and hiking trails. A very nice place.
Location: 5 We are out in the residential area just outside of town. We are off of Biltmore Ave, the street that goes directly to the Biltmore (the attraction we wanted to see in this town).
Noise/Quiet: 4 We can hear a train and it runs a long time, but no horns. No traffic noise . So very quiet day and night. It is very relaxing to hear the birds chirping every morning.
Staff: 4 The woman that runs the office is new age type. Very friendly and personable (but did not go out of her way to accommodate us when we asked for a different site). I don’t know if she owns the place or just manages it.
Amenities: 4 Full hook-up, cable TV (several channels – we did not get a list of channels like most places), free WiFi with easy log on and strong signal and good connection most of the time, but slow when in Facebook and Farmville
Recreation: 3 No organized activities. No pool or playground. Not a good place for kids.
Laundry Room: 3 Small w 2 washers, 2 dryers. Has a table for folding. Machines are old, but in good shape.
Comfort Station: 4 The comfort station is in a rustic, cabin like building. There are about 6 private rooms with shower, sink, and toilet, and one room is the laundry room. The bathrooms are a bit small. Showers have shelves and seats, vinyl, but very nice. Lots of hot water and good pressure.
Assigned RV Site: 3 Our site was good, but would have been much better if it wasn’t across from the office (could hear the pump for the air conditioning). I told her that was one of the reasons for wanting another site so she turned it off. Didn’t hear it for the rest of our stay. But our site was right next to the narrow dirt road leading down to the tent sites, pond and yurts. There was lot s of traffic on that road and people would walk their dogs down that way. They all could see right into our trailer window. So there goes the privacy. And the traffic was distracting. The site was nice, spacious, very shady with trees all around. And you did have a small view of the mountains on the other side. But that road was annoying. Would have been very happy with the site if that road was not there. The site was dirt and gravel with a picnic table and fire ring. There was a lot of space between the site next door.
Tennessee
==============================
Blountville, TN - 2010 - Rocky Top Campground #35
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 3
Would you stay here again: Maybe
Dates: March 28 – 29, 2010 (2 nites at $31.15/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 3
This is a very small RV park that is in the hills and forest and away from the highway. The park has about 33 sites and is in a sloppy layout with sites here and there, some short, some long, at odd angles. Paved interior roads with gravel sites, paved patio pad with picnic table and lots of grass. Fire ring on site. There were a lot of trees on the property. Some sites had trees, some were out in the open. The environment felt comfortable and pleasant.
Location: 4
The park is located close to the areas we wanted to visit. It’s close to the town of Bristol where we spent some time visiting.
Noise/Quiet: 3
There is a main road running the length of the park that must be on a steep hill because you can hear the cars gunning it to make the ascent and trucks using their loud air breaks coming down the hill. There is a lot of truck traffic. There is also a train nearby. You can hear the train horns, but not the train. It is fairly quiet at night.
Staff: 4 Owner on site. Very friendly and personable.
Amenities: 4 Full hook-ups with Cable TV (about 80 channels!) and free WiFi. Easy logon with a good connection.
Recreation: 0 No pool or other areas for activities.
Laundry Room: 3
This room was really strange. It’s a closet with doors opening up on small, deep space with some almost new, modern washer/dryers. The area is very small, but very nice.
Comfort Station: 4
Small but nice and clean and attractive. The show was all in tile and very spacious with a nice dressing area. Shower had a glass door and a solid wood outer door. Stall had a bench and plenty of hooks.
Assigned RV Site: 3
We got to choose a site, but took the one assigned to us. It was a nice site that was long and very spacious on one side, but too close to the site on the other side. Fortunately it was empty for our whole stay. In fact the RV park was almost empty. There were a few overnighters and a few permanent trailers which were not near us. There was a garage with some vehicles behind a gate close to our site that was unattractive and one of the days the gates were open and a vehicle was being used, but did not impact us.
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Blountville, TN - 2010 - Rocky Top Campground #35
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 3
Would you stay here again: Maybe
Dates: March 28 – 29, 2010 (2 nites at $31.15/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 3
This is a very small RV park that is in the hills and forest and away from the highway. The park has about 33 sites and is in a sloppy layout with sites here and there, some short, some long, at odd angles. Paved interior roads with gravel sites, paved patio pad with picnic table and lots of grass. Fire ring on site. There were a lot of trees on the property. Some sites had trees, some were out in the open. The environment felt comfortable and pleasant.
Location: 4
The park is located close to the areas we wanted to visit. It’s close to the town of Bristol where we spent some time visiting.
Noise/Quiet: 3
There is a main road running the length of the park that must be on a steep hill because you can hear the cars gunning it to make the ascent and trucks using their loud air breaks coming down the hill. There is a lot of truck traffic. There is also a train nearby. You can hear the train horns, but not the train. It is fairly quiet at night.
Staff: 4 Owner on site. Very friendly and personable.
Amenities: 4 Full hook-ups with Cable TV (about 80 channels!) and free WiFi. Easy logon with a good connection.
Recreation: 0 No pool or other areas for activities.
Laundry Room: 3
This room was really strange. It’s a closet with doors opening up on small, deep space with some almost new, modern washer/dryers. The area is very small, but very nice.
Comfort Station: 4
Small but nice and clean and attractive. The show was all in tile and very spacious with a nice dressing area. Shower had a glass door and a solid wood outer door. Stall had a bench and plenty of hooks.
Assigned RV Site: 3
We got to choose a site, but took the one assigned to us. It was a nice site that was long and very spacious on one side, but too close to the site on the other side. Fortunately it was empty for our whole stay. In fact the RV park was almost empty. There were a few overnighters and a few permanent trailers which were not near us. There was a garage with some vehicles behind a gate close to our site that was unattractive and one of the days the gates were open and a vehicle was being used, but did not impact us.
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Nashville, TN - 2010 - Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park, #413
RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 4
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: March 25 – 27, 2010 (3 nights at 41.29/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 4
This is a large park with around 200 sites. It’s a nice layout with even rows. All the sites are pull-thrus. Interior roads are dirt and gravel as well as the sites. The areas on either side of the sites are grassy with some trees. Some sites are shady, others are out in the open. The sites are long and spacious that offer lots of privacy. You are not too close to your neighbor. There are two comfort stations in the middle of the layout, same row but about 10 sites apart. This park has a comfortable feel to it. Our stay here was very pleasant.
Location: 4
Located outside of the city, right next door to Gaylords Opry Land (big resort and the new Opry Land performance hall). Next to that is a big shopping mall. We were fairly close to all the sights we wanted to visit. However, we were near the highway. It’s a fairly large park with about 200 sites. They are all pull-thrus and are in even rows. Not all are level, and some are low to where it would flood when it rains. Gravel and dirt interior roads and sites. Site has picnic table, but no fire pit. The sites are long and very spacious. You are not too close to neighbors. There are lots of pine trees and grass on the sites. The park has a good first impression and feels comfortable.
Noise/Quiet: 3
There is some highway noise, but fairly quiet at night. We could also hear train horns, but it was in the distance.
Staff: 3Employed young people, but very friendly and accommodating.
Amenities: 3
Full hookups. No cable TV, but could get about 8 local channels with the TV antenna. Free WiFi with easy log on and strong signal.
Recreation: n/a
No organized activities, but there is probably a lot going on during the summer. There are two playgrounds and a large pool and a game room.
Laundry Room: 4
Small with 4 washers/ 4 dryers. Room was clean and neat (no junk). Machines were in good shape. We did not use on this trip.
Comfort Station: 3.5
There are two comfort stations in the park. Clean and in good shape. 4 shower stalls with private door and small dressing area with shower curtain for shower. Shower was tile instead of that cheap vinyl stuff. Showers were and good shape. Lots of hot water with good pressure.
Assigned RV Site: 3
We got to pick out our site. We were in between both the comfort stations, and far from the other guests. In fact the park was almost empty and we had no neighbors around us during our stay. Our site was long with lots of space on both sides. However, the site was on a hill and therefore not level. Did not realize this until after we moved into the site (I picked out the site, so did not look for that problem). But we jacked up the trailer and all was well.
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RATING: 1 – Yuck, 2 – Poor, 3 – Fair, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
OVERALL RATING: 4
Would you stay here again: Yes
Dates: March 25 – 27, 2010 (3 nights at 41.29/nite)
Quality of Facilities; Layout and Visual Appeal: 4
This is a large park with around 200 sites. It’s a nice layout with even rows. All the sites are pull-thrus. Interior roads are dirt and gravel as well as the sites. The areas on either side of the sites are grassy with some trees. Some sites are shady, others are out in the open. The sites are long and spacious that offer lots of privacy. You are not too close to your neighbor. There are two comfort stations in the middle of the layout, same row but about 10 sites apart. This park has a comfortable feel to it. Our stay here was very pleasant.
Location: 4
Located outside of the city, right next door to Gaylords Opry Land (big resort and the new Opry Land performance hall). Next to that is a big shopping mall. We were fairly close to all the sights we wanted to visit. However, we were near the highway. It’s a fairly large park with about 200 sites. They are all pull-thrus and are in even rows. Not all are level, and some are low to where it would flood when it rains. Gravel and dirt interior roads and sites. Site has picnic table, but no fire pit. The sites are long and very spacious. You are not too close to neighbors. There are lots of pine trees and grass on the sites. The park has a good first impression and feels comfortable.
Noise/Quiet: 3
There is some highway noise, but fairly quiet at night. We could also hear train horns, but it was in the distance.
Staff: 3Employed young people, but very friendly and accommodating.
Amenities: 3
Full hookups. No cable TV, but could get about 8 local channels with the TV antenna. Free WiFi with easy log on and strong signal.
Recreation: n/a
No organized activities, but there is probably a lot going on during the summer. There are two playgrounds and a large pool and a game room.
Laundry Room: 4
Small with 4 washers/ 4 dryers. Room was clean and neat (no junk). Machines were in good shape. We did not use on this trip.
Comfort Station: 3.5
There are two comfort stations in the park. Clean and in good shape. 4 shower stalls with private door and small dressing area with shower curtain for shower. Shower was tile instead of that cheap vinyl stuff. Showers were and good shape. Lots of hot water with good pressure.
Assigned RV Site: 3
We got to pick out our site. We were in between both the comfort stations, and far from the other guests. In fact the park was almost empty and we had no neighbors around us during our stay. Our site was long with lots of space on both sides. However, the site was on a hill and therefore not level. Did not realize this until after we moved into the site (I picked out the site, so did not look for that problem). But we jacked up the trailer and all was well.
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