Staying at fairgounds

Our local fairground in Marietta, Ohio just upgraded their site - mostly in response to the needs of oil and gas industry.

I have stayed at municipal and county fairgrounds in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and have visited the camping areas of several more, if you want to broaden that to include rodeo venues, horse racing tracks and regional exposition centers.

Facilities vary from a tight parking spot with water and electricity to full service RV parks, and I've paid as little as $2 a night, as much as $40 in a fairgrounds RV park. Most I've seen don't take reservations for non-event periods, but some of the more upscale RV parks at fairgrounds do.

Fairgrounds etc are an option for me only when there is no major event going on. The RV parking areas are usually way undersized for demand during a fair or other event, and while some places have spill-over areas with lesser facilities, those get filled too when something is going on.

I found out about Fairground CG's due to a breakdown. the local police escorted me to one.

I then started looking for them. I use them all the time. I love em. They are usually empty so you are not packed in like sardines like at most CG's and I love the peace and quiet.

Even if they say there are no sewer hookups that just means at the site. There are ALWAYS a dump station on the grounds. You just have to look for it. Usually alongside the barns.

They are all not just dirt lots. Using them ONLY during 'off' season is a must. Never when the Fair is in town!

Des Moines Iowa is my fav, always make a point of stopping there.

Here is the view of Iowa's gold capped capital building from atop my Fairground CG site.



My Toad enjoying the view


The entire 2,000 site CG all to myself! Full hookups and a fantastic shower facility.

Stopped for the night ended up staying a month! :C

Thank you guys for the info.

We've used fairground parking many times. Each one will be different but we've never had to have reservations. We always check online to see if they have any major activities going on though as that would be a different ballgame. We've stopped over for a night when the grounds were empty. Great! We mainly travel secondary roads and that's where you'll find some nice, real country ones.

Recently spent 2 nights at fairgrounds in Raleigh N.C. nothing fancy but price was right, staff excellent and location convenient. I will use them again when in the area.

I have stayed at the Missouri state fair grounds in Sedalia Missouri. It does have hookups but is just a large area with nothing there but a bath house. Never used the bath house tho. I go there because my family is in Sedalia and its a good thing to have my own place while there. Never very many other people there. we see the campground fee collector usually the first night we are there, tell him how long we plan to stay, pay him CASH for the time we plan on being there. Cash being the operative word. He wants cash and nothing but. 30 amp service but if you pick the right spot you can have full hookups.

Fairground at Jerome, ID is another inexpensive 'paved parking lot' with power and water. Convenient overnight location not far off I-84, exit 165.