Looking for the closest campground? Just phone Google!

Google's currently experimental Google Voice Local Search lets you find businesses over the phone. I called 1-800-GOOG-411, said the city and state I was looking in, then asked for "campgrounds." The voice on the other end of the phone listed the first 8 campgrounds in the area and offered to connect me to them. Alternatively, I could get their address and phone number and even have the information sent as a text message to my cell phone. Oh... and did I mention the service is free?

Call 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411)

Of course the service can find things other than campgrounds. It's always tough to find services and stores in unfamiliar locations. Calling Google-411 can be a lot faster and less expensive than trying to use a local 411 operator.

You can use the service to find things in places you expect to visit. For example, I know I'll be traveling to Massachusetts this Summer, so I asked Google-411 to find campgrounds in the area I'm going to visit. It gave me a list of 8 campgrounds in the area and then dialed the campground's number for me.

The service is free, but the phone call may not be, depending on what your phone service plan is. The best bet is to use a cell phone with national long distance plan.