New "racinos" popular with RVers

It didn't take RVers in Indiana long to discover the state's two newest "racinos" (casinos at racetracks.) I called one of them this afternoon to find out if RV parking is available and the person who answered the phone said, "Of course, there are four or five motor homes out there already." The two new casinos at Indiana's race tracks are definitely RV-Friendly and both permit free overnight parking. They are open 24 hours daily and security is good.

The best news for travelers is that both facilities are located within a mile of the interstate exit, so you won't burn too much fuel to get to the free overnight stop:

--Indiana Downs, opened last week, is just off I-74 at exit 109.

-- Hoosier Park, opened on June 2nd, is just off I-69 at exit 26.

Greenville, MS

Another interesting casino destination on the Mississippi River is Greenville. There are three casinos docked on the river in Greenville. Lighthouse Point and Bayou Caddy's Jubilee Casinos are located next to each other on Lakefront Rd. Last year Harlow's Casino Resort opened in Greenville near the Mississippi River bridge in the heart of the Delta. The resort features a modern casino with 900 slots and 29 tables including a poker room. There are two restaurants, a hotel and an entertainment venue at Harlow's featuring concerts and sporting events.

All three Greenville casinos are RV-Friendly. Harlow's is currently in the process of building an RV Park, expected to open this summer. Meanwhile, RVs are invited to dry camp in the parking lot. For Lighthouse and Bayou Caddy's, RVs should park at the shuttle lot, corner of Alexander and Walnut and use the shuttle to go to both casinos. Overnight parking is permitted.

Don't let the high prices of gas get you down. RVers who love the traveling lifestyle will always find a way to cut back on other expenses so we can continue the traveling we love. One of the ways to save is to do some free dry camping, and casinos offer a great opportunity for safe free overnight parking. Our guidebook Casino Camping will help you find the RV-Friendly casinos all over the U.S. If the book helps you to save just one night's camping fee, it pays for itself!

Happy travels!

Summer in Mississippi

Mississippi is known at the "Casino Capitol of the South." If your summer travels take you into this lovely state, there are several popular casino destination areas there including:
- the Gulf Coast with at least a dozen casinos stretched along more than 26 miles along the state's scenic southern coastline,
-- Tunica County in the northwest corner of the state and
-- Other locations up and down the Mississippi River.

Casinos are not the only attractions in Mississippi. One of the most popular historic spots is the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Vicksburg is rich in Civil War history. It has more monuments then any other U.S. National Park...many of the monuments are located on an interesting 16-mile driving tour. Downtown Vicksburg is a charming southern town with brick streets, shops, art galleries and outdoor murals that tell the history of the town.

There are four casinos in Vicksburg -- all are riverboat style docked along the Mighty Mississippi. The best place for RVs to park is at the Ameristar RV Park on the east side of Washington St, just three-tenths of a mile north of Interstate 20 -exit 1A. Daily fees are moderate and a discount is given at the RV Park for Ameristar players club cardholders. All sites are pull thrus and there is an outdoor pool at the park.

There are four casinos in Vicksburg. Ameristar and Diamond Jack's are across the road from the RV Park. Horizon Casino is downtown, about 2 miles up river from the RV Park and Rainbow Casino is about a mile south of the RV Park. Delta blues and jazz music by local talent are often featured at the casino lounges.

Reminder: Casino Camping is a good resource to have onboard your RV. The book -- a guide to RV-Friendly casinos -- lists casinos all over the U.S. and it pinpoints their locations, along with descriptions and accurate directions to individual casinos.

Summer is pretty in the UP

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan -- known as "The U P" -- is a popular summer vacation destination. Outdoor non-gaming activities abound all year on this rural and mostly wooded land mass, north of the main portion of Michigan, near Canada and surrounded by three of the Great Lakes. Summer is especially lovely in the U P. If Michigan is on your travel itinerary for this year, you'll be happy to know that there are nine RV-friendly casinos in the Upper Peninsula. Here are a few you may want to consider:

Kewadin Casino & RV Park in Sault Ste. Marie is close to Canada on the east side of the Upper Peninsula. Sault Ste. Marie is Michigan's oldest city. Kewadin's RV accomodations are reasonably priced at $10 per night and the Park is a convenient home base for sightseeing in the area. Local attractions include the Agawa Canyon and the world-famous Soo Locks. The Kewadin casino includes over 700 slots, 21 gaming tables, restaurant, deli and sports bar. RV guests are invited to use the indoor pool and other amenities at the hotel. The Bawating Gallery at the resort features the largest collection of Woodland Indian art in the Midwest. To get to this resort take I-75 to exit 392, before the bridge to Ontario, go east on Three Mile Rd 2.4 miles, then north on Shunk Rd for .9 mile.

Basically, there are two ways to get to the Upper Peninsula -- from the main part of the state (south of the U P) you drive across the spectacular Mackinaw Bridge that spans the Mackinaw Straits. There is another RV-friendly Kewadin Casino at this gateway to the U P. Although it does not have RV hookups, there is ample parking for overnight dry camping for self-contained RVs. Kewadin Shores Casino at St. Ignace is open 24 hours and has over 800 slots, 24 gaming tables and three restaurants. To get there take exit 348 from I-75, go north on Mackinaw Trail for 1.4 mile.

The Upper Peninsula is accessible from the west where it is adjacent to northern Wisconsin. The Lac Vieux Desert Resort is located in the pristine forest land of the western U P. It has an RV Park with 14 sites reasonably priced at $5 per night. The casino has more than 700 slots and 18 gaming tables plus a restaurant, snack bar and 9-hole golf course. This resort can be found in Watersmeet, MI, two miles north of the junction of US-2 & US-45.

On the north shore of the western U P is the Ojibwa Casino Resort that has 12 full hookup RV spaces available for $15 per night. This casino is located near Sandpoint Lighthouse on Keneenaw Bay on Lake Superior.

Detailed information about all nine casinos on the Upper Peninsula, including a map that pin points all locations, can be found in the fourth edition of Casino Camping, available at the RV Bookstore.

New casinos to see this summer

The Midwest has added new casinos in Iowa, Indiana and Michigan:

In Iowa, The long-awaited second Wild Rose land-based casino -- a replacement for the old Mississippi Belle II in Clinton, IA -- is scheduled to open in mid-July. It will be situated on 29-acres just off US-30 in Clinton. It will have a casino within a 60-room hotel, buffet restaurant, sports bar & grille and an indoor/outdoor event center. The new resort joins its sister Wild Rose Casino Resort located on US-18 in Emmitsburg. The Emmitsburg facility has a reasonably-priced RV Park; the Clinton resort will not have an RV Park when it opens. But there is plenty of room for RV parking.

In Indiana, two racinos, casinos at race tracks, open this month. Each racino will have 2,000 slots and electronic versions of the most popular table games. The racino at Hoosier Park opened this week. Its location is just off I-69 at exit 26. The racino at Indiana Downs is expected to open later this month. It will be located just off I-74 at exit 109.

In Michigan, the Saganing Eagle's Landing Casino opened in January in Standish, MI. The new casino is owned by the Saginaw Chippawa Indian Tribe, the same organization that owns the popular Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant. It is open 24/7 and features 700 slots and 58 gaming tables, including 18 in the poker room. The casino is RV-Friendly.

Traveling to Maine this summer?
You may want to check out the all-new Hollywood Casino in Bangor. It had been operating as a temporary slots parlor since November 2006 while the new casino was under construction. The Hollywood Casino has a 1,000 slots and the Epic Buffet. It is located near the Bangor Raceway and OTB in historic Bass Park in downtown Bangor just a mile from I-95.