Best/Favorite RV Resort

[Alex_and_Tee]

As my wife and I plan to start our full time RV adventure in the next few months, we have been investigating places we would like to stay. Once we take delivery in September we will spend the first month or so in Florida “shaking down” our new home to make sure everything is working properly and then start making our way out west to AZ.

My wife has never camped before and has no interest in boondocking or staying in a Walmart parking lot so we are looking at higher end resorts. I’d like to know some of your favorite places you have stayed anywhere in the US and also any places that were absolutely horrible should be avoided.

Looking forward to your responses!

[tomman58]

I may list a few later but as for our world we stay at Casinos when we can as they offer full service and let you use the hotels pool and also many times are free to us. We normally don't RV for the glitz of the park but for the value of the area outside of the park. We do stay in Florida for the winter though.

[Alex_and_Tee]

Sounds like some nice places to visit. Thanks for your recommendations! Keep ‘em coming!

[mdcamping]

Alex and Tee wrote:
I’d like to know some of your favorite places you have stayed anywhere in the US and also any places that were absolutely horrible should be avoided.

Looking forward to your responses!

Hi Alex and Tee

Bayley's Camping Resort, ME
Mt Desert Narrows Camping Resort, ME
Atlantic Oaks Campground, MA
Normandy Farms Family Camping Resort, MA
GrandView CampResort & Cottages, CT
Danforth Bay Camping & RV Resort, NH
Lincoln / Woodstock KOA Holiday, VT
Lake George RV Park, NY
The Villages RV Park at Turning Stone, NY
Watkins Glen / Corning KOA Resort, NY
Cherry Hill Park (Washington DC)
American Heritage RV Park, VA
Camp Hatteras RV Resort & Campground, NC
Ocean Lakes Family Campground, SC
Old Mill Stream Campground, PA (not really a resort but super clean park)
Edit: let me add https://www.sunrvresorts.com/resorts/mid-atlantic/new-york/sun-outdoors-association-island :C

(There is only one place I would not recommend, send me a PM if your intrested)

Mike

[LindaAnn]

I agree with another poster about the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park. The sites are good; walking distance to town of Williams, AZ, with lots of neat stores and restaurants..a good Mexican restaurant. You can ride the train to the Canyon (entertainment on the train, sack lunches and a tour bus when you get there).

Although I wouldn't call it a 'resort', there is a KOA rv park in Grants, New Mexico...It is built around a lava field, so the scenery is neat. Also, they have a menu and will make a meal for you...nice if you don't feel like cooking.

In Las Vegas a couple of years ago, we stayed at the Oasis RV Resort...it's not on the strip, but just a few miles away. Nice, clean, all amenities.

We really like the North Beach RV Park in St Augustine..lots of privacy between the sites and the ocean and beach are right across the highway.

If you ever go to California, research Casa de Fruta near Hollister, CA...it has everthing...RV park, Restaurant, and an open market with ever kind of fruit, nut, and wine...even a carousel for the youngsters. It's not the name of a town, just the name of an incredible "place".....In a couple of hours, you can drive the Big Sur.

Cannon Beach RV Resort in Cannon Beach, Oregon is great...the drive on 101 along the ocean is awesome. Mo's Clam Chowder is right on the beach..the view and the chowder are wonderful. The beach is pet-friendly.

Happy Traveling.....

[jonaz]

Cal is great for camping but the speed limit blows and so does your fuel prices. Left Oregon a month or so and paid 3.29 for diesel and got to CA and it was 4.19. Add to the fact that everywhere is packed to the gills it's just not worth going there anymore. Sure we'll go back but not this year.

The official speed limit towing in California is 55 but its more like 70. Yes, our gas prices suck! You can still find lots of places to go camping in the summer and the winter. In the winter, we go camping in the desert (Death Valley, etc) and in the summer, its the Sierras (yes, there are plenty of places in the Sierras that you can get even without an advanced reservation).

I work for the Navy and I often camp in San Diego when I go in for work but I live up here by Big Bear. I get the best of both worlds!

How many other people can say that they can be in the mountains and down at the beach in just over hours???

Also, California has a bad reputation as being a "police state" and lots of crazy, insane people...well kinda. However, when you go camping, you run into many more like minded, good hearted people who love to camp and enjoy the outdoors, just like everyone else. Just my two cents.

[jonaz]

Hey Jonas, Born in Boston, Red Sox fan - American League. And, Brooklyn Dodgers fan - National League. Moved to SFV 1956, became LA Dodgers fan ... Fan of both teams!!! So, what did we do when Dodgers played Red Sox in WS? HA HA Root for good games and didn't care who won. Magic Nights.

Trust me, we would love to see a Red Sox game in Boston one day!

BTW, we love watching the Padres play at Petco Park but it doesnt matter if the Dodgers are playing in Oakland, Anaheim, San Diego...Dodgers fans will always outnumber the home team fans, except maybe in San Francisco.
Still, Petco Park is a great place to watch a game.

[monkey44]

Hey Jonas, Born in Boston, Red Sox fan - American League. And, Brooklyn Dodgers fan - National League. Moved to SFV 1956, became LA Dodgers fan ... Fan of both teams!!! So, what did we do when Dodgers played Red Sox in WS? HA HA Root for good games and didn't care who won. Magic Nights.

[goducks10]

jonaz wrote:
My favorite campgrounds are around Zion National Park, Utah..Bryce Canyon National Park is amazing as well.

I love Arizona, Nevada as well but why stop there?

Come to California and you will be amazed...Yosemite, The Central Coast(Avilla, Pismo, etc), The Sierras, even Half Moon Bay (40 minutes from San Francisco) are phenomenal. San Diego is nice too...you can camp at Mission Bay RV Park or Campland on the Bay and catch a Uber to downtown San Diego, even see a baseball game at beautiful Petco Park (I'm a Dodgers Fan)...great experience.

BTW, I was born and raised in Florida...I know Florida like the back of my hand but there is no comparison to camping in California. Yes, the gas is expensive out here but it is well worth it.

Cal is great for camping but the speed limit blows and so does your fuel prices. Left Oregon a month or so and paid 3.29 for diesel and got to CA and it was 4.19. Add to the fact that everywhere is packed to the gills it's just not worth going there anymore. Sure we'll go back but not this year.

[jonaz]

My favorite campgrounds are around Zion National Park, Utah..Bryce Canyon National Park is amazing as well.

I love Arizona, Nevada as well but why stop there?

Come to California and you will be amazed...Yosemite, The Central Coast(Avilla, Pismo, etc), The Sierras, even Half Moon Bay (40 minutes from San Francisco) are phenomenal. San Diego is nice too...you can camp at Mission Bay RV Park or Campland on the Bay and catch a Uber to downtown San Diego, even see a baseball game at beautiful Petco Park (I'm a Dodgers Fan)...great experience.

BTW, I was born and raised in Florida...I know Florida like the back of my hand but there is no comparison to camping in California. Yes, the gas is expensive out here but it is well worth it.

[bobsallyh]

"RV Resort Park" means different things to different people. But keep in mind, the meaning varies between park owners. Some owners seem to think they have a "Taj Mahal" and it is no more than a regular RV Park. Don't trust their internet info as many never resemble what you read or saw on an advertisement. I'm betting with in the first year of full timing you will start to ignore "RV Resort" signage. We have been full timing for 17 years and have yet to stay at a "Resort". The sign might have said "RV Resort" but only in the owners mind.

[keepmotoring]

Definitely Blue Water Key Resort in Key West. Each site is privately owned. Most come with tiki huts, on the water, and some with docks. Highly recommend but is very expensive.

[dedmiston]

Addy15 wrote:
There is a very nice resort called Indigo Bluffs near the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. It has a regular campground side that is very nice as it is, but they also have a "luxury" side which we found absolutely fantastic. We stayed on the "regular" side, but had we known how nice the "luxury" side was, we would have happily paid the higher price for that.

{SNIP}

Shhhhh.

We're not supposed to tell anybody about this place. It's the most amazing "RV Resort" we've ever stayed at. I laughed though when they handed me the remote control to open the gate to get into the "luxury" side of the park.

Everything about this place was heavenly, especially the surroundings and the people.

I think we stayed there for three nights, but I wish we could have stayed longer. We were really winging it on that trip with no plan or itinerary. We fell in love with this area and the climate, and took our foot off the gas to explore more slowly. We visited the U.P. and then stopped in the Ontario side of Sault Ste. Marie for another four nights before turning back west and looping around Lake Superior and starting our long trip home again.

Indigo Bluffs was the nicest place we stayed on our 11,000 mile trip. The facility was perfect and the hosts were priceless.

[Addy15]

There is a very nice resort called Indigo Bluffs near the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. It has a regular campground side that is very nice as it is, but they also have a "luxury" side which we found absolutely fantastic. We stayed on the "regular" side, but had we known how nice the "luxury" side was, we would have happily paid the higher price for that.

The other nice resort that we have been to is the West Glacier KOA near the west entrance to Glacier National Park.

Those are probably the two nicest places we have stayed.

[Alex_and_Tee]

Yes we plan on joining Passport America and Good Sam's. We get a year of Thousand Trails with our RV purchase and will probably add a zone or two and upgrade to be able to visit the Encore parks as well. Not convinced that one of the higher membership levels are worth it though. If anyone can comment we would like to understand the advantages or disadvantages. I see us staying in one spot for longer than 21 days (likely 3-4 months) and, when we do travel, I think 14 days in one spot is plenty.