Copyright Janet Groene 2025. To donate in support of this free newsletter use your Paypal account to JanetGroene at yahoo.com
Does your National Campground Brand
Have a Loyalty or Rewards Program?
Should you rush to join?
Copyright Janet Groene
From the looks of things, mom and pop campgrounds are disappearing . In their place are large chains, many of them owned by large corporations, developers and conglomerates. You can travel to every corner of North America, staying with one brand, and accumulate free stays with every trip.
With a brand name you can expect the same standards throughout the chain. For workampers it can mean steady jobs with the same chain while traveling from one place to another. I
It may also mean a money-saving loyalty program that rewards you for staying within that brand everywhere you travel.
SHOULD YOU JOIN A REWARDS PROGRAM?
* If there is any cost involved, consider the program’s dollars-and-cents benefit to you according to your own travel region and frequencies.
* Do points expire? Are they transferable to an heir if you die or quit RV-ing?
* How frustrating is it to redeem points? (Some phone trees and websites will drive you nuts.) How about blackout dates?
* Do all member campgrounds honor points or are they good only at “participating” members?
* Are points good for free camping nights or just perks, discounts and cheesy merchandise. How high are thresholds? Based on your travel patterns, are chances good that you’ll rack up enough points to be useful?
* Take a close look at how many member campgrounds are located within the regions where you travel.
* No matter where you camp, keep an eye peeled for loyalty programs. They are not just in the well-known chains. Some independent parks have perks for regulars and repeaters. Some state parks have campground loyalty programs.
CAMPGROUNDS; GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS
Disclaimer: These are spot news reports from our local sources, not reviews nor recommendations. Information may be premature or incomplete. It’s presented here so you can follow up as the story develops.
Hot dates are in red. City and State are in Boldface.
To RV travelers and campers BYOB means Bring Your Own Bed. See weekly reports, news and scuttlebutt about new destinations, dates and upcoming RV sites for a vacation, weekend getaway or just overnight. Return week to https://solowomanrv.blogspot.com
RV PARK UPGRADES & EXPANSIONS (also see Closures)
Maryville, Missouri just become even more attractive to RV travelers. In the works at the town’s RV parks re 20 new campsites and full hook-ups for all.
Virginia state parks that have full-service campgrounds and are open all year are Douthat, Hungry Mother, Pocahontas, and Shenandoah River. Those that have full service campgrounds that close in winter will reopen March 7 with new upgrades. Important! Check ahead for new fire restrictions and rules.
NEW AND FUTURE CAMPGROUNDS, RV PARKS
In the Lake Mead Recreation Area, the Cottonwood Resort & Marina, Searchlight, Nevada, has a new campground with nearby lake access and 40 non-electric RV and tent sites accommodating rigs to 23 feet. Showers are $5. Water spigots are located around the campground. The resort has a gift, shop, convenience store, marina and a seasonal café. The resort is best known as a houseboat rental/houseboat hotel center. https://cottonwoodcoveresort.com/lower-campground/
Opening in May in Silver Bay, Wisconsin is the family-owned Camp Door campground with 77 sites, 30 of them reserved for seasonal guests and 47 for overnighters. All sites have full hook-ups. The new clubhouse has restrooms, showers, a game room and a camp store. Grab reservations ASAP. Go to https://camp-door.com/
Things look promising for the proposed Native Ridge Motorcoach Resort at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. The $10 million luxury resort on Shawnee Bend will cover 44 acres and have outdoor kitchens, fire pits, hot tubs, a private pool, custom lighting, nature trails, a dog park, and lake access with use of a private dock. Memberships will be available. An opening date could be this year or later. For now try Lakefront Living Realty at (573) 693-1613.
Add another overnight oasis to your list. The newest Love’s Travel Stop is now open in Elliston, Virginia. Fuel up, eat, shop, take a shower, walk the dog and sleep safe and sound.
SCUTTLEBUTT
According to the White Mountain Independent in Show Low, Arizona, it’s a good possibility that the former Concho Golf Course will become the Concho Creek RV Resort. If plans go ahead for the two-phase plan, a 40-site RV park will have full hookups. In Phase Two, a laundry, shower and restroom will be added. The park will be for travelers and short-term tenants. No long-term residents will be accommodated.
Despite denials of recent zoning amendments, hope is still alive for a campground, mountain bike park, children’s park and possibly horseback camping in Eagle Bay, British Columbia. Although some locals oppose the plan for a 105-acre park, the property owner also has support from many local and area residents. In six months, new applications can be submitted.
Nisqually State Park, Washington, is a day use park now but plans are in the cards for a campground with water service and a dump station. Current construction projects will cause some park closures through 2025. Check head. This is a new state park on ancient lands, so development is in partnership with a local Tribe. Expect facilities and exhibits that are sensitive to local lifestyles and cultures.
SAVE THE DATE
Stagger Lee Music & RV Park in Hazelhurst, Georgia will host the 4th Annual Headin’ Home Fest. Save October 23--25 for camping, music, food, vendors and family fun featuring nonstop bluegrass talent. The park offers large RV and motorhome sites with water and electric or full hookups. Wi-Fi is free. (912) 367-7900.
April 6 is Spring Festival time at Skidaway Island State Park, Georgia. (It’s near Savannah). Plenty of back-in and pull-through RV sites with water and electric are available if you reserve early. (Georgia residents get a two-month head start. Others can 12 months ahead.) Enjoy the spring sunshine while you shop from Georgia vendors and dine from food trucks. Hike or bike trails that wind through Spanish moss-hung oaks. Discover spring wildflowers. Go to (www.) Gastateparks.org/, tel,. (912) 598-2300.
Michigan’s famous Faster Horses festival was canceled this year but here’s another chance to celebrate country music. Come to The Groves of Michigan, in Brooklyn, Michigan, for the weekend of July 18-20 to enjoy a country music festival. Details are still in the planning stages. The site has 1,600 RV campsites and its event center can accommodate about 5,000 people. The Groves offers daily, weekly and monthly rates. Go to (www.) thegrovesofmichigan.com/ (517) 858-9218
Get tickets now for the upcoming Fair Well Concert at the Expo Center RV Park, Redmond, Oregon, July 18-19. On the schedule are more than 30 artists headed by stars including Tyler Childers, Dwight Yoakum and Cody Jinks. A variety of RV camping packages are available and shuttles will be provided. Tickets/camping packages go fast, so go to (www.)FairwellFestival.com/tickets
Some closures of some parts of the park can be expected during the massive upgrades that will take place this year at Harrison Lake State Park, Fayette, Ohio. North Campground in the park won’t reopen until Fall, 2025. Check ahead. The good news is that day use facilities remain open, all RV sites will soon have full hookups and at the South Campground, more pull-through sites will be available by June. Check with (www.) ohiodnr.gov (https://ohiodnr.gov/)
Big things are happening at Carter Caves Resort State Park, Olive Hill, Kentucky, which has 129 campsites. A massive makeover will include upgraded water and electric hookups throughout, more sewer hookups and a new bathhouse and camp store. The jobs should be complete by the end of the year but for this season, the campground is closed. Check ahead at (www.) KentuckyStateParks. ReserveAmerica.com/
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE SAMPLES OF PAST POSTS
Never miss another news break. To receive a quick poke each time new posts go up here, email janetgroene@yahoo.com and put RV Yes in the topic line. Your email will never be sold nor shared.
No comments:
Post a Comment