The latest news about camping and developments in North American campgrounds and RV parks from Janet Groene and the staff of RVtravel.com
DISCLAIMER: Information is believed current at press time but conditions can change quickly. Check ahead online for dates, rates and rules, as well as a campground’s location. No endorsement of any campground or product is implied by this reporter nor this website.
DATELINE: September 27, 2019
BIKE RIDERS TO GET NEW FLORIDA RV CAMPGROUND
The Cross Florida Greenway bicycle and hiking trail will soon have a new camping resort where riders can leave their RVs. A 34-site campground is being built in Ocala on six acres with direct access to the Greenway. The camping resort will include a snack bar and 13 permanent cabins.
CALIFORNIA CAMPGROUNDS CLOSE FOR SEASON
October 14 is the closing date for Pinecrest Campground in Stanislaus National Forest, headquartered in Sonora. The campground has 200 sites. Common hydrants provide water but filling RVs is prohibited. Some sites have limited electric service and some areas have handicap accessible restrooms. Reservations are made through the National Recreation Reservation Service (1-877-444-6777).
BLUE RIDGE CAMPGROUND OPEN UNTIL NOVEMBER
Blue Ridge Campground in Angeles National Forest, which is headquartered in Arcadia, stays open until early November. No piped-in water is available and campers must have a National Forest Adventure Pass. Sites for RVs to 20 feet are said to be open in “summer” only, so call (661) 269-2808 or (760) 249-3504 for current conditions and additional information.
FLORIDA MUSIC PARK ROOTS FESTIVAL
Spirit of the Suwannee is a music park with full-service camping or a full-service campground with concerts. Take your pick. It’s a travel highlight for a music lover’s visit to North-Central Florida, offering an almost nonstop schedule of blockbuster music events featuring big-name acts. Be here October 10-13 for the Roots Festival with more two dozen acts headlined by Sam Bush, the Del McCoury Band (IBMA Bluegrass Album of the Year) and Samantha Fish. It’s important to get camping reservations and tickets as early as possible.
FLORIDA’S SILVER SPRINGS NOW A STATE PARK
The oldest tourist attraction in Florida, known for its glass-bottom boats, Silver Springs is no longer a theme park but a serene and leafy state park offering 52 RV sites and a long list of special events. Be there for the last two of the 2019 Concert Series in the open air acoustic amphitheater, where 2 p.m. concerts play in a setting of natural beauty. John Dickie IV headlines the October 19 concert and Brian Smalley is on stage for the December 21 season ender. Tours of the park and springs are still available too.
FLORIDA YOUTH RANCH BLUES FESTIVAL
Come for the day or stay on for a weekend campout in a wooded, 80-acre campground. Camping With The Blues is a rain-or-shine family-friendly and dog-friendly festival with nonstop music from the covered stage to informal jam sessions. Each day’s session begins and ends with a campers’ acoustic jam. Programs begin Friday at 4 p.m., go on all day Saturday and into the evening, then end on Sunday afternoon. A children’s arts and crafts program is planned for all day Saturday. Some water and electric hookups are available. Dates are October 18-20 at the Sertoma Youth Ranch in Brooksville. (941) 758-7585.
NEW YORK STATE PARKS OFFER DISCOUNT
Now through October 14, make reservations for camping at more than 30 state parks on the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River and enjoy a 50% discount. Vehicle entrance fees are also discounted. A two-night minimum stay is required.
NORTH CAROLINA TO GET NEW CAMPGROUND
A groundbreaking ceremony has marked the start of construction of an RV park in Catawba County in Maiden near Hickory, North Carolina. Named 321 RV Park it will have 73 full hook-up sites. The park is privately owned and family operated. An opening date has not been announced.
OHIO CAMPGROUNDS CLOSE EARLY
A water main break caused the closure of all campgrounds at Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area near Pedro, Ohio. They’ll remain closed through the end of the season. Reservations will automatically be cancelled and refunded.
OHIO COUNTRY CONCERT BOOKING NOW
Dates for the 40th Anniversary edition of Country Concert at Fort Laramie, Ohio, next year are July 9-11, 2020. Tickets and reservations for the iconic event, which has been held since 1981, are now available. Choose from a long list of RV camping packages that include 20- or 50-amp electric and different VIP seating options. It’s a three-day blast of parties, music, vendors and good company. Next year’s artist lineup has not yet been announced.
Stay Tuned
• Slated to open next year is Ohio’s sixth Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort near Dayton.
• In 2020, Premium and Extended Stay RV campers will receive added benefits at the Daytona, Florida, Speedway except during the DAYTONA 500. They include free admission to UNOH Fanzone/Pre-Race Access and access to the venue for General Admission Frontstretch Seating. Call (800) PITSTOP.
• The 80th Anniversary Sturgis (South Dakota) Motorcycle Rally is scheduled for August 7 – 16, 2020. Get RV reservations ASAP. Wristband options at the Steel Pony Campground are for 6, 10, 14 and 21 nights.
ADDITIONS FROM RVTRAVEL.COM STAFF
Four applicants are hoping to build the Sun Recreational Vehicle Development park, a 631-space RV park, on 90 acres near Fruitland Park in Lake County, Florida. Some of the spaces would be for permanent park-model RVs. The park include a clubhouse and pool, as well as bathhouses throughout the park. City commissioners are opposing the park, expressing a fear of the park being a way to bring low-income housing to the area.
Montana State Parks will install eight new campsites to the existing campground at Ackley Lake State Park, southwest of Hobson. Fire rings and picnic tables will be installed at each site. Overnight camping will thus be increased and will hopefully alleviate the need during peak season to force visitors into overflow camping areas with no amenities.
Restoration of I.B. Magee RV Park in Port Aransas, Texas, will soon begin. It’s been closed for two years due to major damage from Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The process to get the park repaired and reopened has been a tough battle for county officials, because they got nowhere trying to get assistance from FEMA. Then a bid for repair work was too high, which delayed the process several more months. Now they have a general contractor lined up, and a groundbreaking ceremony will be scheduled soon.
Janet Groene is the author of 25 books including Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Edition, available at Amazon.com. Her brand-new book, “February Felony – A Yacht Yenta Mystery,” is available at Amazon.com.
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