The perfect RV campground

I really didn't want to jump into this, but I now see that maybe I should.

In all of our travels, we have probably paid for only a few dozen campgrounds aside from those where we attended rallies and then had zero choice in the matter. That situation has made me very sensitive to private space. Many of the campgrounds were we attended rallies worked very hard to earn the term "cramp ground". Some were as a writer posted were arranged so the neighbors slide (we don't have) was right at our window or door. But worse still to me those times when their sewer dump was so close to our door that it had to be watched for when entering or leaving the coach.

I would hope that you could afford some space, Wisconsin is not high land value, but I do not know how taxes are there. If you can, offset one slip (I am a waterman) from the other to avoid the utility crowd issue.

Another to put in the plan is that you have a slip inventory available. So, if a guest wants more space for a slide or awning, you van offer it (with an expected surcharge). Just make no issue of it. If the guest has a 102" wide coach and 4' slides, he can deploy them if he chooses to do so. You may find that a good portion of the owners have do not know the actual dimensions of the fully deploy rig.

You can also have trees and have that in the inventory so you can offer satellite ready slips. I happen to like trees more than I like television, but I have heard about this enough.

If you do have WiFi available, please make it clear that it does not have the bandwidth for streaming (IPTV). I no longer even try to use any campground internet as it has never seen any that was capable of more than simple e-mail.

Oh, Yeah, I almost forgot...
Have a number of slips prepared to cold weather guests. So, those should have heated water taps and metered full 50amp power. I am not sure what else goes with that, but we used to do most of out travel in October because of DW employment. In the north, freezing was an issue.

Whatever, I wish you great success in this enterprise.

Matt

SkyWriting wrote:
I'm looking to design the perfect campground. What do you think is missing from RV campgrounds?

- Management
- experience
- nature trails
- broadband
- lectures
- scheduled events
- food
What have you experienced that is missing?

So, actually all the things you identified would be at the BOTTOM of my list. My list would be

Location
Hookups (FHU or electric only with dump station).
Level site (doesn't have to be concrete)
Large site... Decent distance between sites (don't want to sit on top of each other)
Nature trails or hiking trails will be nice, one item off your list.

Not interested in scheduled events... broadband - I bring my own.
Lectures - I can't think of anything I want go sit down to hear. Im not going camping to go sit down for a lecture.

Management: not sure what you're meaning here. If you mean a well managed park, okay.. but reality is, generally speaking, my interaction with the management staff is on check-in. Don't even have to interact at checkout at most places.

Price is down towards the end for me too. I'll pay more for a decent place with hookups and nice, large sites.

Mike

bgum wrote:
Price vs all above.

Some people do seek amenities.
Consider the popularity of Disney World vs.

Free Camping Near You | Go Camping for Free!Free Camping Near You.

westernrvparkowner wrote:
I would doubt that more than 1% of the RVing public would choose a park because the park had lectures. Unless you have some kind of remarkably unique property, nature trails are another non-starter. Food would only be important if you were extremely remote with no other dining options anywhere around. Most RVers are looking for destinations beyond the park unless you are considering a seasonal park.
For most any park the primary focus should be utilities, facilities and hard amenities. Quality hookups, good roads, clean bath facilities, a good laundry and well groomed landscaping is much more important than anything else. Management is often in the eyes of the beholder. A park managed tightly will appeal to many and be a turn off to many more. Same with the other way around. Echoing the post of another (who probably stole if from one of my many other posts making the exact same point :D) attempting to please everyone will mean you will please no one. Decide on the market segment you wish to capture and build the park to meet those needs. If you haven't built a park before, consider hiring a professional park consultant. They will likely save you tens to hundreds of thousands in construction costs and prevent you from building a huge white elephant that will suck the life out of you.

I already have chosen a potential site and am seeking how to upgrade it past tent camping. It includes forest and a lake, which is unique to the surrounding plains. The structures on the site are large enough to hold conferences as well as expansive natural brick paved outdoor spaces. Past owners did not properly identifying their market niche, which is a mistake I would avoid.

This is my first post on this topic and not my last inquiry.

Busdriver wrote:
Pull up a map of scenic hills rv park , in Berlin oh as close as I have found for my needs

That is definitely in the direction I am looking, with less than 50% pavement.
Scenic Hills

valhalla360 wrote:
Focus...you won't be able to be all things to all people.

Figure out who you want to serve and if you can make a go of it serving those people.

That's what I'm doing. Thanks!

bgum wrote:
Price vs all above.

Interesting price is at the bottom of my list.
I'm not rich with money to burn. However there are lots of other factors I consider price is generally not one of them.
For instance I prefer site 50 amp service. Generally I will always select a 50 amp CG over a less expensive 30 amp site.
I will generally take a more expensive site closer to the attraction vs. a cheaper site on the outskirts of the attraction.
Naturally I will always prefer a larger more secluded site vs. a cheaper smaller site.
There are many factors I consider before price come into play.

BarabooBob wrote:
Elevation. For me it seems like the perfect campground would be in the Rockies at about 7,000 ft above see level. But that is just me.

I doubt I will be looking there, but if I have to build a small scale mountain range, thatwould would be something to remember.

midnightsadie wrote:
distance between trailers.I hate it when somebodies slide out is inches from my rv. one more level site.

Thanks! I hate that view as well!

ScottG wrote:
Just an observation but that list seems like it was made up by someone without any experience in RVing.
Frankly, the above poster summed it up nicely.

Starting from the age of 10, I've travel camped. We usually have stopped driving close to midnight, and left after breakfast.

We each have our individual styles. Which is the reason for my question now that I have enough savings to buy an Rv park.