favorite campground and destination

[2_Retired]

DH and I are in our 60's. We enjoy history, and are looking for new places to go in the fall. We have been to many places along the East Coast (DC, Gettysburg, etc) and are willing to enjoy up to a month long "ramble" to learn more about the United States. We have a MH with toad. Question: What is your favorite historical site to visit and when you do, the best CG to stay in while there? Thanks in advance for sharing.

[dedmiston]

4runnerguy wrote:

2 Retired wrote:
DH and I are in our 60's. We enjoy history, and are looking for new places to go in the fall.

For a different view of "history", how about a trip out to the southwest to visit parks like Mesa Verde, Chaco, Canyon de Chelly, Hovenweep, Wupatki, Walnut Canyon, Anasazi Heritage Center, etc. etc.? While these ruins seem ancient, they really aren't any older than some of the old buildings one can see in Europe. How did these people survive in such a climate? Why did the build the way they did? How did these communities interact? Where did they go? If you've never been, this would make a really interesting month long trip. Try to go sometime after Labor Day or before Memorial Day to avoid the heat.

Oh, and some great scenery too!

Great advice. And the fall is such a perfect time to see the southwest.

[4runnerguy]

2 Retired wrote:
DH and I are in our 60's. We enjoy history, and are looking for new places to go in the fall.

For a different view of "history", how about a trip out to the southwest to visit parks like Mesa Verde, Chaco, Canyon de Chelly, Hovenweep, Wupatki, Walnut Canyon, Anasazi Heritage Center, etc. etc.? While these ruins seem ancient, they really aren't any older than some of the old buildings one can see in Europe. How did these people survive in such a climate? Why did the build the way they did? How did these communities interact? Where did they go? If you've never been, this would make a really interesting month long trip. Try to go sometime after Labor Day or before Memorial Day to avoid the heat.

Oh, and some great scenery too!

[Barbielab]

I enjoyed reading through the suggestions on this post and have a few things to add. Since you have done the east and are looking for new areas to explore I assume you mean west. First I would get a map that notes all the National Parks and sites. Since you enjoy history, I would next mark all the Presidential Libraries and sites. Then, depending on the amount of time you have, your traveling style, and the date (considering weather) you leave, connect the dots in an a manageable area. Rather than trying to see everything in one trip allow enough time to explore along the way in addition to seeing the main sites. As someone else noted it is not always the major sites that wow us the most.

A few suggestions:

Independence, Mo (Campus RV Park) and KC. Rich in history with all the Truman sites, the western Trails Museum, and historic homes to tour. In KC don’t miss the National WWI Museum (AWESOME) and the Arabic Steamship Museum. Go a little further west on 70 and pick up the Eisenhower Sites in Abilene. On your way to KC the possibilities are endless. Monmouth Cave NP in KY, Lincoln sites in Springfield, IL, etc.

Black Hills of SD (Custer State Park, Game Lodge Campground) This State park in itself is a destination, and it puts you in the middle of 2 NPs and 3 NMs. So much to see here a week is a minimum. As for smaller sites, don’t miss the sod house you can tour just outside the NE entrance of the Badlands, as well as the Missile silo sites. In Custer be sure to visit the small museum in town. Visiting that museum last year prompted us to visit the Little Big Horn Battlefield (7th Ranch RV Park ) on our spring trip this year. Tons on Indian wars history in this whole area.

A good late fall (early is still too hot) is through the south to Texas. Stop in Houston for NASA, the Buffalo Soildiers Museum, the Museum of Printing History. On the way to San Antonio visit the painted churches before hitting the Alamo. The hill country between SA and Austin has the WWII Pacific Theator Museum as well as lots of LBJ sites. Austin has the LBJ Library. Swing through College Station on your way to Dallas to visit the George H W Bush Library. In Dallas you can visit the George W Bush Library as well as the Kennedy 6th Floor Museum. Of course there are small towns with big sites in between.

That should get you started. As for other favorite RV Parks we have had great luck with RVparkreviews.com and the all stays app.

[FULLTIMEWANABE]

In recent times, one of the most awe inspiring places we ever visited was Antelope Canyon near Page AZ. Still to this day we often talk about how incredible it was to underground and witness. We also were wowed upon first overlook of the Canyons in Utah at the major national parks there. Admittedly by day 3 we had red rock overload (too much of a good thing maybe?), but absolutely places definitely worth visiting and nice CG sites.

[Busskipper]

2 Retired wrote:
DH and I are in our 60's.

We enjoy history, and are looking for new places to go in the fall.

We have been to many places along the East Coast (DC, Gettysburg, etc) and

are willing to enjoy up to a month long "ramble" to learn more about the United States.

We have a MH with toad.

Question: What is your favorite historical site to visit and when you do,

the best CG to stay in while there?

Thanks in advance for sharing.

Couple East Coast spots would be Williamsburg, VA and the Biltmore in Asheville, NC.

I live in Annapolis, and have visited the DC area Hundreds oF times and still have only barely scratched the Surface.

If you are in for a real Road Trip look into the Mountains of Colorado - Plenty of History and just Flat Out Beautiful in the Fall - Aspen in Colorado

Think you could give a little more info on where and what you really enjoy, and we will likely get a closer reply as to what you are after.

Let us Know what you decide and How you enjoy it,

[donkeydew]

if you like history you can't go wrong with mesa verda np in Colorado.
the civilization the cliff dwellers had is unreal.it is impossible to understand what they did without seeing it.

[mdcamping]

Letchworth State Park in NY, rated one of the ten best state parks in America. Besides all the incredible water falls, scenic venues.

The Genesee Valley Canal, which was part of the old Erie Canal runs through the state park, very cool while walking the trails and coming across almost 200 year old engineering/artifacts that was once a canal system.





We stayed at The Ridge Campground

Mike

[RGar974417]

We loved Yellowstone. With the America the Beautiful pass all National Park entrance fees are free and camping in any federal campground
( COE,Forest Service,National Parks ) are half price. We also enjoyed the Outer Banks and visited the Wright Brothers Memorial and stayed in the National Park Campground at Frisco for $13 a night.We also visited the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum and the Life Saving station in Rodanthe.Arizona has a lot to see. We went to the Grand Canyon, Jerome,Tuzigoot and Ft Verde Army Post. We also toured Canyon De Chelly and the Hubbel Trading Post.Another trip we enjoyed was Kansas. Stayed in a State park near Manhattan and visited the President Eisenhower Home the Museum of Telephany, Ft Riley infantry Museum, First Territorial Capitol and 2 Pony Express Museums one in Marysville and Hollenberg. In Georgia,we stayed at Veterans Memorial State Park and visited the Ft Benning Infantry Museum, Andersonville and the Confederate naval Museum.

[pld33270]

Hi,

My wife and I have enjoyed camping on the Blue Ridge Parkway and even up on Skyline Drive. The parkway in itself has some interesting history. We wonder off in the mountain towns and often find history by accident. In Va, there is Monticello, southern NC there is Biltmore (touristy, but lots of history as well) and Cherokee (same as Biltmore, but history can be found there). There are a few preserved homesteads as well.

[FLGup]

Have you been to Williamsburg and Yorktown? If not, that area can keep a history buff busy for weeks. We spent two different summers there. Best place to stay was Williamsburg Christian Retreat or American Heritage RV. They are outside of town but are quiet.

[2_Retired]

Thanks again for all the great suggestions. I'm certain we will follow up on some of them!

[bukhrn]

The entire Boston area is loaded with history, just don't try to drive downtown, we stayed at the Hanscom AFB Famcamp, (if you're retired military), not the best campground we've ever stayed in, but adequate and well placed for touring the area.

[Bob806]

We've camped in 37 states, mostly at State Parks. It's truly hard to narrow down a favorite, but I'd rate Acadia NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Palo Duro Canyon in Texas, Minnesota's Hwy 61 State Parks, and the UP of Michigan as my top tier. Also, the SPs in Arkansas are very very nice, along with Oklahoma.

West Virginia & Kentucky are beautiful places to visit too.

[TenOC]

Not too far from you Andersonville GA and the POW musume. I stayed at C2C Southern Trails in Unadilla GA.

You can also see Jimmy Carter while in the area.

All the military bases have good musumes