Campground and RV Park News, May 8, 2021

The latest news about camping and developments in North American campgrounds and RV parks from Janet Groene.

This news site covers breaking news for RV travel. Follow up on these tips to plan your trip according to your own dates, type of RV, budget and interests. Be alert for sudden changes due to COVID or weather. Some COVID restrictions are still in place and may vary according to the state or individual campground. Many events are still tentative.

Gather details and driving directions from multiple sources including the campground, GPS, state highway sources and event sponsors. Then call the campground directly before leaving home. Many websites are incomplete or out of date and GPS can’t always be trusted with hard-to-find campground addresses.

DISCLAIMER:  No endorsement of any campground or product is implied by this reporter nor this website.

DATELINE: May 8, 2021

FLORIDA RV RESORT SCHEDULES CONCERT

Something fishy is always happening at Camp Mack, a Guy Harvey Lodge at Lake Kissimmee. The site appeared on maps as a fish camp as early as 1836. In addition to fishing, including bass tournaments, the resort has an upcoming concert series featuring the Red Hot Roosters at Steamboat Landing overlooking the Kissimmee River. Make reservations now at (800) 243-8013 to be there for the August 27 concert. The resort has 130 paved RV sites with full hookups, Gator Mack’s Sports Bar, a marina, a clubhouse, an outfitter shop selling gear and groceries, and boat and RV storage. Don’t miss Lake Kissimmee State Park, which adjoins the resort. To ask about long-term rates call (863) 696-1108.

FLORIDA RV RESORT TO OPEN NEXT YEAR

Champions Run, a new luxury Sunlight RV resort in the heart of Florida’s horse country, is scheduled to open in Ocala in January 2022. The 387 RV sites measure 40 X 80 feet. All will be back-in and will have full hookups and free high-speed, fiber Wi-Fi throughout. Sites for long-term stays will have metered electricity. Amenities will include a tiki bar, resort-style swimming pool, fitness center, pickleball courts and a large clubhouse with commercial banquet-style kitchen, ballroom with stage, and card and conference rooms. Pre-book at (407) 630-7000.

MINNESOTA PLANS MOONDANCE FESTIVAL

The 15th Annual Moondance Jammin Country Fest is scheduled for June 17-19, and the 30th Anniversary of Moondance Jam will be held July 22-24 in Walker. The lineup of music stars include Midland, Neal McCoy, Tyler Farr, Lauren Alaina, Jo Dee Messina, David Lee Murphy, BlackHawk, The Kentucky Headhunters, Ned LeDoux and more. The festival has always been a camping event with some facilities such as portable toilets, showers, ice vendors and pump-out wagons. By 2022, Moondance expects to be a seasonal campground holding frequent events. Call (218) 836-1055 for reserved or general camping. For ticketing and other information check here.

NEVADA RV RESORT HAS NEW POOL ENCLOSURE

Preferred RV Resort, Pahrump, now has an all-weather swimming pool, thanks to a  retractable enclosure over its 30 X 60-foot pool. With more than 270 RV sites, 100 of them pull-through, the resort is a popular choice for RV groups and rallies. Located in the heart of downtown next to casinos, it has free Wi-Fi, 50-amp service, indoor spa, billiards, fitness facilities and a stained glass gift shop with instructions in arts and crafts. Fireworks shows light up the sky on holiday weekends at the Pahrump Launch Site, where qualified groups are welcome to launch their own fireworks. Check for schedules here. Resort reservations, (775) 727-4414 or here (not secure).

NORTH CAROLINA’S HISTORIC RACING EVENT

The 62-year-old Coca Cola 600 will race at the Charlotte Speedway after a big Memorial Day tribute to the armed forces. Tickets start at $59 for adults. Children ages 13 and under pay $10. Dry camping with no facilities for RVs up to 75 feet long is available. The family RV campground has restrooms with showers. Camping World Racing Resort has sites with full hook-ups. Go here for ticketing and RV camping information.

OHIO STATE PARK HOSTS TRIATHLON

Caesar Creek State Park, Waynesville, will host the Cincinnati Triathlon and Multi Sports Event on August 8. See top athletes enter three categories: Olympic, Sprint Triathlon and Sprint Duothon. In the ultra-challenging Olympic-style event, athletes swim 1500 meters, bike 24 miles, then run 6.2 miles. The park, built at a 2,830-acre Corps of Engineers lake site, has RV, tent and equestrian campsites as well as boat camping. Fish, boat, hunt in season. See the Nature Center and check the calendar for more scheduled outdoor activities. For information about the triathlon email: zoomracingUSA12 at gmail.com. Make camping reservations here.

PENNSYLVANIA RV RESORT HAS BLUEGRASS FESTIVALS

Since 1979, the Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival has had international praise and awards. This year its dates are May 13-16 and August 19-22 at the Granite Hill Camping Resort, six miles from Gettysburg. The 150-acre resort has special events most weekends and offers swimming in a new pool, mini-golf, horseshoes, fishing and RV sites with optional 50-amp power. Rates vary widely according to time of the year and days of the week. Hear talented bluegrass stars and enjoy food trucks, vendors and nonstop music. Separate tickets are required for the festival: (717) 642-8749. For camping reservations call (800) 642-TENT

UTAH STATE PARK HAS FREE GEOLOGY TALKS

Now though October 23, free 30-minute geology talks at remote Capitol Reef National Park explain the unique natural phenomenon that is this vast wrinkle in the earth. Located in south-central Utah in the heart of Red Rock Country, the park and its 100-mile-long Waterpocket Fold, a geologic monocline, is a place to hike and photograph its natural wonders. See  the Chimney Rock pillar, the Hickman Bridge arch, Capitol Reef and its white sandstone domes and the monoliths of Cathedral Valley. Daily talks in the amphitheater are subject to cancellation. The only developed campground has 71 campsites. Reservations are available here.

WISCONSIN CAMPGROUND’S ZANY BOAT RACE

You’ll set sail in a cardboard boat. What could possibly go wrong? Expect to laugh a lot while watching and to get wet if you participate in the crazy Cardboard Boat Races at Merry Mac’s Campground, Merrimac, on July 30. A family-friendly campground between Devil’s Lake and Lake Wisconsin, the 40-acre campground has frequent events including children’s activities, an on-site restaurant and plenty of toys on and off the water for family fun. (608) 493 2367

WYOMING RODEO RIDES IN JULY

Get ready to stirrup some fun. The Central Wyoming Fair & PRCA Rodeo to be held in Casper  July 9th -17th is nine days of great camping, a parade, roaring rodeo action and just about the biggest durn carnival midway in them thar parts. Half of the 88 full-hookup sites have both 50- and 30-amp hookups. Electric-only sites are in the main parking lot. Use of water and dump stations is $10. For ticketing information check here. For camping details go here. (Note: Those websites are not secure.)

Stay Tuned
South Carolina is creating a new state park but it will be a few years before it’s ready for RV campers. The wild and scenic Black River in Williamsburg and Georgetown Counties will be rimmed with a network of parks, trails and recreation areas. Nucleus of the project is a newly donated, 310-acre property near Kingstree. A master plan will be finalized in December.

The campground at Joe Wheeler State Park, Rogersville, Alabama, has been closed since it was devastated by a tornado in December 2019. A new opening date is yet to be announced.

Read more of Janet Groene’s Campground and RV Park News here.

Janet Groene is the author of more than 25 books including Living Aboard Your RV, 4th Edition, available at Amazon.com. Her new Farley Halladay book, “May Misfire, a Yacht Yenta Mystery,” is available at Amazon.com and on all e-book platforms including Kindle, Nook, Google Play. See Janet Groene’s weekly Solo Woman posts at SoloWomanRV.

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