Reader Matt D. sent us this message this week in response to our recent story about Love’s travel stops. By the end of this year, Love’s plans to add 30 locations to their travel stop “RV parks” with an additional 1,000 RV-dedicated sites.
Here’s what Matt wrote:
“Have any of you actually stayed at a Love’s overnight spot? Well, I have. Mostly at the four pads out front on the highway locations. 9 out of 10 times there’s always someone basically living in at least one spot.
“I was lucky enough recently to have the person next to me have a leaking sewer hose. It smelled like a black tank that hadn’t been emptied in months. At another location, the guy near me was in town working and was smoking ribs in a propane smoker designed for your backyard, except his was nicely located in the 10 feet between our trailers.
“I think this whole thing of no one to check you in or out or to see if it looks like you have a rolling meth lab isn’t going to end well in the long run.”
Have you had a similar experience at a Love’s? Please leave your thoughts and experiences below in the comments section.
##RVT1101
I agree. We also stayed in 1 that guy was smoking food . How funny is that. Think he did private parties. Think it was Kansas. Truckers don’t want us taking up their space so I get it. Honestly felt safer with truckers! Guess it was good for an overnighter. Surprised it was 40 dollars.
We stayed at a Love’s RV spot in Heflin Alabama recently. We were traveling from TX to VA and was getting expensive. We paid $30 (military discount) Electric only. The cheapest place we stayed at was a Casino ($28, fhu). It was noisy with the trucks but it was a truck stop. Space was wide enough if you had slides on both ends. Now to keep the truck hitched to RV, No. But was able to park truck next to the RV. Had no neighbors next to us but on the other side of the pumps was couple of RVers. There was potable water between the pumps so we could fill a jug if we used the bathroom at night. All and all Hubby said he would do it again. He was skeptical at first. I did make reservations on a app, CampLife but cannot find it no more. Looks like you have to use the kiosk right there at the Love’s Truck Stop. I liked the idea just brush hair, get dress, cross the parking lot and walk in to get a cup of coffee. No mess before hitting the road again. This was our experience.
We’ve stayed at Loves once thus far. On a trip from TX to IA the temperature was falling and predicted to be single digits so we abandoned a BD Welcome stop for a Loves. It was a great experience! It was noisy but what do expect in a parking lot next to an interstate. We were warm and toasty. That’s what mattered. I can see where a personal checkin is a good idea. Although the self-check in at the kiosk was quick and convenient. I also believe that the Loves RV Spots should be 1, maybe 2 nights, max. Similar to HH or BDW, just a stop over as you move on down the road.
Staying at Truck Stops has been at the VERY bottom of my list of places to overnight. I have way too many other choices to pick from versus dealing with OTR truckers who have a job to do. In the 20 years of owning a Class A coach I have only stayed at one truck stop, it was in western PA on I-90 which was a TA. After that experience is when that choice went to the bottom of my list of places to stay.
These are separate areas reserved for overnite RVs. This is not where the big rigs park idling all night. I believe you are mistaken.
Why blame the neighbors leaky hose on Loves? That could happen anywhere one would think? It is all individuals personal decision where and how long they are going to stay.
I have noticed a lot of grumbling about neighbors etc. It is what life is and we can’t control it.
Exactly! RVing is more like apartment living than country estate living. Cramming lots of people into a small space and expecting everyone to get along perfectly is folly.
I totally agree with you especially in this day and age.
We stayed at Loves RV Hookups in Kimball SD. We were just happy to find a place to park for the night in early April. Overall we liked this option because it was away from truck parking. We actually got a good nights sleep.
A Loves is not going to attract the best campers in the world. It’s a stop over/emergency on your way to your ultimate destination. Haven’t used one yet but when we do, we won’t expect 5 star accommodations. It will fill that all important gap of “we need to stop and find something close to the highway”.
If you stay at truck stops these spots should be like paradise.
We stayed overnight at Love’s Jacksonville, Fl I-295 location with our 45ft Class A and it was fine: Full hookup, 50amp service and we fit our Ram pickup on the site too. We didn’t expect royal treatment because it’s a truck stop. We’ll do it again since it provides a decent place to overnight at a reasonable price. Bad experiences happen everywhere even high dollar RV “resorts” that are staffed 24/7.
I stayed at the Love’s in Clarksville AR while headed to AZ and stayed again at the same location returning to GA. It was a great experience, reservation system works great, the Loves employees were very helpful and the location was clean and very easy to park my 45′ MH. These spots are being used regularly. My feeling is you will not find many “last minute” availabilities in the future. I agree with the general sentiment….Love’s should limit the stays to max 2 wks. Either way, I like this concept.
The photo is misleading. That’s not what most of them look like!!!! most of them are back in spots in front of the gas The pumps up front. They are noisy because of cars coming and going all the time and for traffic on the highway. if the park look like the one in the photo would be great I suspect they post the one nice one as a reference. It’s a disservice to use that photo , that’s not what most of them look like.
you pay a lot for just an electric and sewer hook up. This is meant to be an overnight stop not a campground. It really has nothing to do with the truckstop. Other than that it’s on the truckstops property.
The problem I find is that the employees are clueless about any problems or operation of the “campground” Most of it is done electronically online where you book or via a kiosk where you check in yourself no human interaction . The employees in the store generally don’t know anything about it. What could go wrong? And yes I have stayed in one.
After reading about the relatively new RV Hookups at Loves Travel Centers in the Newsletter a few weeks ago, I decided to try one out on our next trip.
I had made a reservation online (they use CampLife for their reservation system). Easy, including discounts for Good Sam, Military, Senior (all 10%). Rate before discounts was only $34.50. Got a confirmation email shortly after. There is a picture of each site. I decided parking against the truck parking was better than against the entry road for the trucks. Earplugs for sleeping in any event!
I actually parked, then checked in, due to the kiosk not work
I actually parked, then checked in, due to the kiosk not working. The electrical didn’t turn on until the checkin is complete, which is a good safety for them.
Lots of activity during our stay, of course, but nothing unexpected for a truck stop.
I spoke with a couple folks working in the store. This entire location is new as of about a year ago. They said the RV park was getting busier as word got out, but said a busy night recently had about 7 RVs out of 25 spots.
The CampLife website listed all the Loves with RV spots by city, so it was hard to envision where they are (I knew where Tyler, Tx was, but not Winona. The folks at the counter let me know the Loves app has a map of all the locations (see pic below). There’s a dedicated RV button at the bottom of the Loves app, even.
All in all, I’m very impressed by these parks set up by Loves. It’s perfect for a quick stop along the freeway when you’re heading somewhere, like Chuck was talking about trying to
Do you have an iPhone?
There is no dedicated button on Android.
Thanks
Part 3
All in all, I’m very impressed by these parks set up by Loves. It’s perfect for a quick stop along the freeway when you’re heading somewhere, like Chuck was talking about trying to promote a couple years ago. Hope it’s successful and expanding.
(I counted 5 rigs parked for the night out of 25 spots.)
After the night, I can still say I’m impressed. Steady noise as expected, but nothing to wake me up through my earplugs. No freeway noise either. Lots of lights, so even if you arrive after dark, it would be no problem to park. Definitely a place I’ll use again!
Last summer while travel across country in my pickup and pop up truck camper I was “lucky” enough to grab the last spot in the rv line up. As the temperature was in the mid 90’s, and having no AC, I attempted to sleep with all the windows open. Around 1am a large diesel truck with 5th wheel horse trail pulls up alongside my truck in a non spot. Apparently the owner of the truck decided to leave it running (at high idle) so he could use his AC. After 30 minutes of breathing diesel exhaust fumes I left my camper to bang on his window and complain about his inconsideration. He wasn’t happy. Instead of apologizing, he reared the engine, got out, banged some doors on his trailer and then decided to leave as quickly as possible. I never did get back to sleep. I won’t be spend the night in a Loves again until they implement some sort of oversight person to maintain sanity, and remind those that have forgotten about certain rules.
Was this the Love’s RV parking spots which is different than the truck stops? You are totally separated from the trucks with hook ups and a parking pad.
We spent a night at the Love’s RV stay in Cordele GA a couple weeks ago and it was fine, noise was minimal and the lighting was good. Only used the electric, did not need to dump or add water. The restroom was clean and well supplied. Plan on using it again.
Feel like I’m in the twilight zone. I have the Love’s app. I’ve used the Love’s app. For the life of me, I don’t see anything about the RV Park info, let alone a “button at the bottom of the app”. Checked updates, there isn’t one. Checked the App Store to see if there was a different app, didn’t find one. We are leaving on a 5 week trip in 2 weeks and would like to see if any of these are along our route. Any help would be appreciated.
My Love’s app has an RV icon at the bottom right. Touching it brings up a “Find on Map” link. Shows all the Loves with RV Stops. I think I May have a “rewards” version because i get 0.10 a gallon off when I buy gas.
Considering their price you should get .70 off per gallon.
I don’t believe that there is an app, (at least not for Android phones).
This website has what you’ll need;
https://www.camplife.com/campground/Loves+RV+Stops
Thank you!
There is a Love’s app for android phones, but mine does not show the RV option. The app is yellow and has 2 red hearts.
Mine is up to date too, so it’s not an issue of being outdated.
iPhone & same. I did try filters, amenities and saw RV hook ups. Gave me a map with lots of locations & some said ‘new’. Clicked on one In Jacksonville FL. No mention of RV. I’ll just bookmark the link Gayle sent. Quite confusing!
I was curious so I downloaded the app on my iPhone. It’s called Love’s Connect with a red heart icon. I have no issue with seeing the RV icon in the bottom right. If you can’t see it, I would delete it and reinstall or contact the app developer.
Deleted and reinstalled. Still nothing. I just contacted the developer. Thanks.
Same here, although I used the locator to find and check a few of the Loves around here and I did find one that listed RV sites in the amenities. The app allowed me to begin a reservation process from there. I did not find an easy way to identify with of the Love’s have RV sites.
Loves Connect app > Stores (at bottom) > Filters (at bottom of map) > Scroll down under AMENITIES and select RV Hookup. The bubble at the bottom will say “SHOW STORES (28)” Click that and it will show the 28 stores with these RV parks. You can scroll down to “RESERVE RV HOOKUP” where it will take you to the Loves website.
Jeff, this really helped until I got to the part about show stores. I guess there are none in California or Nevada. The map will not get small enough for me to see the USA.
Thanks.
I don’t find RV Hookup listed in the amenities filter. There is a filter for overnight parking, but that is different than RV Hookup. Android version. Just deleted and re-installed to be sure I had the latest version.
We stayed at the Love’s Travel Stop in Cordele, GA on the way to the FMCA convention. Easy access and check in, some noise but was far enough away from truck stop to not be a bother. Paid $40 with full hook up. Only about 10 occupied spaces, all seemed just overnight. We looked at Google earth to view the adjacency and layout before booking. We do that for every rv park we stay at to eliminate any disappointments. Would use again.
We stopped at a Loves in Dalhart, TX on the way to San Antonio. In fairness, it was a fairly new Loves — about 3 months old. I got gas and had to go in to get a receipt. I had a reservation but asked the clerk about protocol, and she said “You want me to check you in?” – she clicked a button and it was done. There were 6 sites – back in – in front of the store. They backed to the main highway but we didn’t have any issues with sound. And we were on the opposite side of the store from the trucker lot. We were able to back in and stay hitched. The site was wide and had a large (6-8 feet) space to the next site. With the Loves app we only paid $35 for a night. Much better than a KOA for just an overnight! And we got some Chester’s chicken for dinner and sandwiches for breakfast – and hot coffee!
We just stayed there too. Was easy, affordable and had all we needed for a much needed rest!
Sorry, Lisa. I just noticed your comment was put into the Spam folder last night by our sometimes over-zealous spam filter. I’m sorry it took me so long to notice it was in there. Have a great day. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
We just stayed at the Love’s in Leavenworth, IN a couple of nights ago. I love the idea! Usually on a long trip we’ll find a KOA or other RV park that’s easy on and off the interstate, but KOAs are so expensive for just a quick overnight. We were the only camper at this Love’s location that night. It was noisy, but to be expected. While sleeping we keep our AC fan on which helped drown out the noise. Before we left in the morning we took advantage of the CAT scales to weigh our RV.
I stayed at the recently opened Loves RV Park in Cordell GA. IT WAS/IS WONDERFUL. Clean, user Friendly, nice laundry , shower, dog park. AND water park. I did not use the covered picnic sites. But definitely will try to grab one of the sites next time I go by. The price is great for people needing a SAFE. Location to stay for work (I’m a travel nurse). I stay at a ton of places. NONE are as clean as this
We stayed at loves in cordele GA and loved it. It had about 40 sites all with concrete slab and covered picnic tables. Had a community fire pit, water splash area for kids, pickle ball courts, laundry and bathroom and showers. All a short walk from pump area separated by wood fence with code access gate. Like a real campground. Going to the station store walked by an inside dog washing station. This one is done right. The ones with 4 to 9 spots better look at satellite view first
We have stayed at this one too. It looks so great and we were so happy to have found it…..until we went to bed and the trains close by run ALL night long (seemed to us about every 1/2 hour), blaring the horn each time they pass….No sleep to be had at all!
I stayed at a Love’s RV spot this weekend while traveling through Ohio. I planned on stopping at a state park, but they have a 2 night minimum stay in Ohio, so I opted for Love’s. I thought it was a great place for a stop on the road. Competive pricing, clean, and easy in and out, 5 spots and a fenced dog run.
Ours was good too
Did they ask for discount proof? Either Good Sam or Senior?
Love’s is providing a service for people too tired to continue driving & should be applauded for doing so. Love’s is providing a service for drives needing a break from the road & should be applauded for doing so. Love’s provides a service for people on the road in general; they are almost always clean, well run and safe, as well as open 24 hours when almost nobody else is post-COVID. Don’t like their parking? Need something to complain about? Find somewhere else to park, and don’t knock a brand that out performs others in service, cleanliness and safety. People that drive for a living appreciate the clean, well run, safe, friendly service from Love’s.
Agreed, we stayed recently at a Love’s RV stop in Dalhart, TX and was just what we needed, a spot to get some rest, fast, easy and right off the road.
Very well said. Couldn’t of said it better myself. These people in their high dollar rvs, coaches, whatever, need to get rid of their ” holier than thou” attitude.
We are not a Loves regular customer but when we go to one lots of creepy folks living in junk RVs We feel bad for the professional truck drivers who have to stop and be exposed to the clientele.
I think the truckers would prefer to be around those ” creepy folks” than to be near judgmental people like yourselves.
I’m completing a month-long road trip and have stayed at three Love’s RV Stops. The first, Jacksonville FL was… “meh.” Too close to the gas pumps for any level of tranquility; cars coming and going all night and frequent PA announcements. Spots are adjacent to a busy highway, while the truck lot is more secluded in the back. That didn’t make any sense to me.
Second was in Bulls Gap TN. The worst of the lot. No water or sewer hookup; 50A only. Couple of vans in the parking lot that looked like they’d been there for quite some time. Strange that this Loves has a dump station, but even those of us paying for an RV spot are required to pay $10 to use the dump station. In my opinion that ought to have been included.
Final stop: Muscle Shoals AL. This was by far the best of the lot. Secluded from the highway, gas pumps and truck parking; wide-open spaces, lawns, dog park, walking trail. Clearly the highest standard. I’d stay at this one again. But the others? Nope!
We stayed at the Newport, TN Love’s RV Stop. It was a somewhat frustrating having to download their to get a “site”.
The other drawback was no water at the site. Traffic noise was another issue, but in a pinch you do what you have to.