What brings you back to a particular campground each time?

[racecitypat]

What is the biggest thing that attracts you to a particular campground? If you owned a campground, what would you do different to attract campers?

[cmarkj]

The views from our site is number one. Then park cleanliness friendly hosts/employees, electric and what is there to do within an hour drive. Our favorite places have become state parks and COE parks along the Mississippi River in Wisc, Ill, Iowa. Some of the views from the bluffs are breathtaking and if you look hard enough, there is always some gem of a place tucked away for a road trip, such as a micro brewery or an orchard.

[LindaD]

Full hook-ups preferably, vegetation well maintained(no low tree branches to run my moho into), level sites, ability to open our slide-outs. Amenities not really important, don't use CG facilities generally. Near the ocean/gulf ideal but enjoy woodsy CG as well. Don't enjoy camping near major roadways with the exception for just an overnight stay and need for easy access.

[DarthMuffin]

Convenience (since we mostly do weekend trips), pretty, and relaxing.

Pretty for me is trees, vegetation, mountains, water.

Relaxing for me is quiet(ish), some shade, enough personal space between sites that I feel like I'm camping and not in a parking lot (I'd pay twice the price for a site twice the size), and not having to stress about 2AM drunken revelers, dogs running free, ORVs running around all day, generators running all night and choads parking in the loop (basically, enforce your sensible rules).

Facilities, events, museums, a camp store, etc are way down on my list.

Turn-offs that make me actively want to avoid a campground are:
Parking lot feel, unless I'm just crashing for the night.
The kids playground right next to my campsite.
Campgrounds layed out poorly so that people avoid a long walk by walking through your site to get to the facilities, playground, beach, etc.
A campground known not to ever enforce quiet hours, dog leashes, etc.
Immediately adjacent to a freeway or busy rail line.

[JamesBr]

I have no one single requirement for all campgrounds I frequent. Each one depends on the destination and length of stay.

Location of course is important, I would not stay 4 hours away from somewhere I want to be because I like the park better. The most consistant item that is a must is relatively level sites, full hookup other then overnight stops, and prefer 50A over 30A in the winter months and 50A is a must in summer.

What keeps me comming back is a mixture of staff, cleanliness of the campground, amenties (different must haves depending on location and time of year.)

I really don't use the campground facilities, but if its a longer term stay (like my 2 week vacation) to have a good laundry facility or be near one.

[fireman93514]

We have had several we returned to year after year. All state parks.
location was prime. things to see and do.
space between sites. Well forested.
clean baths with showers.
fishing and swimming access close.

On the other hand We do not like parking lot campsite. We were in one in Oregon so tight the neighbor and I had to position our rigs just right to open the slides. Even them we overlapped.

[Jim_Shoe]

Ft. Chiswell is on my list as well. Its a good halfway point between Cincinnati and Williamsburg, Va. which I visit often. My first time there, the cable at my site wasn't working. The owner drove his golf cart to my site with a portable TV, coax, and testing equipment. Once he proved that his end was OK, he could have gone back to the office, but he continued to check all the way back to my TV and found a bad connection inside my RV. Then he fixed it with his own parts - no charge. Wouldn't even take a tip. That's service.

[paulcardoza]

On our priority list:
Spacious pull through site with FHU
Clean and well maintained (obvious pride of ownership).
Reasonable set of rules along with enforcement of them.
Nice dog park
Close proximity to shopping, activities, etc....

[Veebyes]

My truck has brought me back every time.

Whatever it was, it had to be a good experience from the time before. We have been in hundreds of CGs but there are a few that we use over & over. Most visits goes to Martinak SP, Denton, MD. Second would be Killens Pond SP, near Dover, DE. A far from home most visited would be St Vrain SP, Longmont, CO.

[magnusfide]

Dutch_12078 wrote:
In looking back through our trip records, the park that we have used the most often is the Ft Chiswell RV Park, Max Meadows, VA. Its location at the intersection of I-81 and I-77 makes it convenient for a night or two on our way to several areas we often frequent, including TN, NC, SC, GA, and FL. The park is only about half a mile from I-81, but because it's just over a low ridge, it's very quiet. The sites are well maintained, decent sized pull-throughs with 50/30/20A FHU, cable TV, and good (free) WiFi, with reasonable site pricing. Not a great destination park, since there's not many attractions in the area, but a great overnight stop along the way to a destination.

We appreciate Ft Chiswell too. It's clean and serves its purpose well.

[Dutch_12078]

In looking back through our trip records, the park that we have used the most often is the Ft Chiswell RV Park, Max Meadows, VA. Its location at the intersection of I-81 and I-77 makes it convenient for a night or two on our way to several areas we often frequent, including TN, NC, SC, GA, and FL. The park is only about half a mile from I-81, but because it's just over a low ridge, it's very quiet. The sites are well maintained, decent sized pull-throughs with 50/30/20A FHU, cable TV, and good (free) WiFi, with reasonable site pricing. Not a great destination park, since there's not many attractions in the area, but a great overnight stop along the way to a destination.

[Bonefish]

Davis Mts SP to the west 3 hours with trees, mountians & not as hot during the summer.

Hords Creek COE park to the east 3 hours with trees and small lake with still water in it, best in the fall, spring & winter.

Lake Brownwood SP to the east 4 hours, it has cabins that our children can come visit and have there own space. It is half way for them to travel. We use it for holidays.

Sharon

[dieharder]

It's all about value, and determining value is different for everyone.

Personally, I frequent my favourite in Massena because of amenities like cable and wifi, FHU, swimming pool for a cost of under $35/night, which is not available anywhere on my side of the border for a cost anywhere near that. Sure, the sites are smaller than a state park, but I can deal with that for what I get.

[Atlee]

My answer will not help anyone that's trying to make their CG more attractive.

We've stayed at the KOA at Lake Whipporwill in SE Orlando. We've stayed there more than once because it's withing a mile of my sister-in-law.

We've stayed at the KOA at Ft Mill, SC which is the closest convient CG to Charlotte's Panther Stadium.

So we've stayed at two different campgrounds two different times strictly because they are close to where we need to be.

If they were bad campgrounds, we would not have gone back. But they have been plenty good enough for our needs.

[HeresLucy]

A view - water, country side, mountains, etc
Trees
Spacious site - don't want to feel as though we are on a picnic with our neighbors
fire ring
Water
50 or 30 amp
Within 25 miles of a decent grocery store

Paved roads and sites - sewer hook up nice, but not a necessity