Southern Nights

Washing the trailer before our first trip of the year - a month-long trip "south"

As we select destinations and directions for our RV travels we try to mix “scheduled” nights and “unscheduled” nights so we can adjust our itinerary to suit our interests and needs.  We typically make advance reservations for weekends and holidays or for high profile stops, leaving many weekday nights open.  As noted in earlier blogs, we prefer state and national parks as well as Corps of Engineer campgrounds as they usually offer more space in lovely natural surroundings.  We have been pleasantly surprised to discover some small towns have city-owned RV areas.  Of course there are times when necessity and convenience require commercial RV parks. 

Booking on line, while convenient, is not always a safe bet; the pictures on a website can often be made to look much better than the park actually looks…a sort of “artistic license” and “creative interpretation”.  We’ve learned that recommendations from friends provide the most accurate appraisal of a campground, and it is in that spirit that we offer our thoughts and opinions.  On a recent trip south we enjoyed some very pleasant spots we thought we would share with you.

Price guide:         $ = $10 - $20 per night                     $$$ = $36 - $60 per night        
                             $$ = $21 - $35 per night                  $$$$ = $61 or higher per night

 

Vincennes, Indiana           Ouabache (pronounced “Wabash”) Trails Park          $$

Water and electric sites       Dump station       Pet friendly       Laundry on-site        Gravel pads; few pull-through, mostly back-in
Note:  Directions on their web site are good but it may feel like you are off track for a bit due to the remote location of the park.

First night out - our site at Ouabache Trails Park

Part of the Knox County, Indiana, Park System, this is a pleasant stop with lots of mature trees surrounding the sites.  It was several miles from any restaurants.  People were arriving for a rally and questioned how long we were going to occupy our spot, which was apparently in the middle of their gathering.  We assured them we had reserved the spot and we would be on our way the next morning. 

Rising Sun, Indiana                  Little Farm on the River     (commercial park)     $$

 

Full hook-ups       Pet friendly; lots of space to walk       Pool and camp store on-site       Gravel pads, about half pull-through, half back-in       Laundry on-site       Propane available on-site       Cabins available for rent at this resort

 

This park was the site of a rally of Ohio, Michigan and Indiana FROGs.  Our friends Joyce and Gary did a terrific job of planning and hosting the event.  Over twenty RVs convened for a long weekend of camaraderie.  There are two distinct areas available:  one is the main section of the park, around the pool, and the other is about a quarter-mile south, along the bank of the Ohio River.  We enjoyed our spacious spot by the river.  It was fun to watch the river traffic.  There were numerous coal barges making their way up river.  Several small riverfront towns – Rising Sun and Aurora, to name just two – make for interesting sightseeing.

Sophie and Mike at our site at Little Farm on the River, Rising Sun, Indiana

Barges loaded with coal heading up-river on the Ohio...the view from our site

Feed, farm and seed store in Aurora, Indiana

 


One of the beautiful homes in Aurora

Inside the harp factory in Rising Sun, Indiana

A colorful mural depicting a steamboat, painted on the wall of a home in downtown Rising Sun

 

Nashville, Tennessee                  Two Rivers Campground    (commercial park)     $$

 

Full hook-ups       Pet friendly       Pool and camp store on-site       Gravel pads, about half pull-through, half back-in       Laundry on-site       Wi-fi and cable TV       A Good Sam park       Propane available on-site

Notes:   The campground often provides complimentary entertainment, usually
                     a country and western singer
               Camping World is right next door
               Shuttle service to downtown Nashville and the Opryland complex is available for a fee

 

This is one of our favorite spots as a stopover point. It is close to restaurants, Opryland Mall, the Grand Old Opry Theatre, and Opryland Hotel and Conference Center.   We’ve stayed here five or six different times.  On our most recent visit, the one evening that we were there, the owners provided complimentary wine, cheese and fruit while a country singer entertained the guests.
 

View of the office and camp store at Two Rivers in Nashville

Our site at Two Rivers Campground

ä   Within walking distance of Two Rivers Campground is Cock of the Walk Restaurant, one of our favorites and a great place for fried catfish.


Cock of the Walk is within walking distance of the campground...just on
the other side of Camping World

 

Huntsville, Alabama           Monte Sano State Park       $$

 

Full hook-ups       Pet friendly       Small camp store on-site       Gravel pads, some pull-through, mostly back-in; very spacious sites, spaced a comfortable distance apart       Laundry on-site 

 

Located atop the highest point in Alabama, the park offers beautiful views.   Much of the infrastructure of the park was built by the CCC. 

 

The directions on their website say “DO NOT follow your GPS - please call.”  The MAN driving confidently boasts ”I can make it this way.”   So, we begin the hairpin ascent.  Signs warn “DO NOT attempt if over 35 feet in length”.   Now, I have a math-avoidance issue but even I can figure out that a 35 foot trailer pulled by a three-quarter-ton pickup is over the 35 foot limit.  Onward and upward we go.  After a while I quit haranguing HIM since, after all, I decline (or should I say, refuse) to drive the RV.  However, that doesn’t stop me from muttering comments such as ”it’s really going to be difficult backing down this narrow, serpentine road” just under my breath. When we checked in at the campground it was suggested, rather strongly, that we use the road on the other side of the mountain when we leave.   OK, so he could - and did - make it but I also got the chance to check our taillights without getting out of the passenger seat!   We enjoyed seeing the sights in Huntsville (see our June 30, 2014 blog, To the Moon and Back by Dinner) and our side trip to Tuscumbia, which we’ll cover in a future blog.

Driving up Monte Sano wasn't too bad at first...

 

then it got a little more tricky...

 

This is where Yvonne said she could check the taillights
without ever getting out of the truck

But when we reached the top and got into our site, it was worth it!

Front door and porch of one of Huntsville's beautiful antebellum homes



Harrison Brothers Hardware Store.  Phone messages and phone orders were left right
by the phone when the store closed.  Today it is operated by Historic Huntsville, Inc.

Another possible place to stay in Huntsville is the RV campground  at the Space and Rocket Center.  We visited this park while we were in town, and although we didn’t stay there, it looked like a very nice park.

Actual moon rock in a glass case at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center

ä  While you are in the Huntsville area, plan a visit to Big Bob Gibson’s Bar-Be-Que at 2520 Danville Road SW, Decatur, AL 35603.  It was recommended to us by a local resident as the best barbecue in the area, and it didn’t disappoint.

 

Birmingham, Alabama                              Oak Mountain State Park       $$

Full hook-ups       Pet friendly; lots of space to walk       Swimming beach in this park       Asphalt pads, about half  pull-through, half back-in       Laundry on-site       Cabins available for rent in the park

Oak Mountain State Park near Birmingham is full of beautiful, mature trees

This park offers a serene forested area with great scenic views from the top of Oak Mountain.  It is convenient to Birmingham, especially if one uses the “back” entrance, near the campground.  There are two camping areas: “A” and “B”.  In our opinion, the section to the right of the campground check-in booth (we think that is the “A” section) is the better of the two camping areas.  The sites are more spacious and spread further apart.  This is Alabama’s largest state park and boasts several fishing lakes and an 18-hole golf course.  There is a bird sanctuary and raptor rehabilitation facility within the park.  From the parking lot at the top of the mountain, a hiking trail takes you to the cascading Peavine waterfall.
 

Our site at Oak Mountain Park

The picnic table and fire ring were removed a bit from the parking pad,
providing a great deal of privacy to sit and eat at the table

Peavine waterfall cascades down the rocks at the top of Oak Mountain

ä  For a bit of whimsy, visit the Irondale Café, located along side the railroad tracks in downtown Irondale, Alabama.  Located 10 miles from Birmingham and 24 miles from the main entrance to Oak Mountain Park, this café (actually, a cafeteria) features wonderful Southern home cooking.  Best soufflé sweet potatoes ever!  And Mike, who has always considered mac-and-cheese a vegetable, quickly pointed out that this staple was, indeed, listed under the "vegetables" heading on the menu board.  This restaurant has been a fixture in the community since it opened in 1928. It was the inspiration for the Whistle Stop Café in Fannie Flag’s best-selling novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café and the later (1992) film version Fried Green Tomatoes.  A cookbook written by the current owner (since 1972) says that they fry 60 to 70 pounds of tomatoes each weekday, and more than that on Saturdays.


Catfish, green beans, mac-and-cheese and iced tea at
the Irondale Café...a real "down-home" meal.  Delicious!

The rose show was in "full bloom" at the Birmingham Botanical Garden

 

Montgomery, Alabama                  Capital City RV Park        (commercial park)         $$

 

Full hook-ups       Pet friendly       Gravel pads, all pull-through       Laundry on-site       Wi-fi and cable TV       A Good Sam park       Small lake on property      

 

This park is a bit out of town, toward Wetumpka, but convenient to the city for sightseeing.  It is also a relatively short 40-minute drive to Tuskegee, a must-see stop when visiting Alabama.  The park features a large fenced off-leash dog play/exercise area.  This is not a park where I’d want to spend a “snow-bird” winter, but for a 3- to 5-day visit to Montgomery, it is perfectly serviceable.

It poured rain while we were in Montgomery.  This shot, out the window of our
trailer on a rainy afternoon, shows a view of Capital City RV Park

 

 Eufaula, Alabama               Lake Point Resort State Park          $$

 

Water and electric sites; dump station as you exit the campground        Pet friendly       Small camp store nearby at the marina       Gravel pads, mostly pull-through, some back-in       Boat dock adjacent to the campground       There is a lodge in this state park as well as a marina and boat launch ramp.

 

When we were there in May (2014), check in was at the marina, not at the entrance to the campground, which is a gated area.  After the season begins on Memorial Day, campers check in at the campground entrance.  Large ancient pines shade the camp sites.  The park sits on the shore of Lake Eufaula, a Corps of Engineers lake noted for bass fishing; Lake Eufaula bills itself as “the bass capital of the world.”   There is also a Corps of Engineers campground in the area called Hardridge Creek COE campground.  We chose the state park because of its proximity to the town of Eufaula (see our June 14, 2014 blog, Eufaula). 

Lake Eufaula

The road through the campground, showing a couple of the sites
at Lake Point Resort State Park

In our next edition, we continue our trek south to the Florida panhandle and westward along the Gulf Coast before we turn toward home.  Watch for more Road Stories.