We landed this afternoon at Ely KOA Journey, pretty much right in the middle of Nevada, elevation, 6500 ft. This is just a stop-over for a night, but it really is a nice campground. We plan to drive around this after and check out the town.
From here we're heading north to Idaho. Our first stop is a place called Anderson Camp. We plan to spend a couple of days there so we can check out Shoshone Falls and what's left of Twin Falls
Click on "Top Panel" to see where are and where to next
Our original thought on choosing Natchez Trace to camp at was to visit Nashville, but we never made it there. We had planned on staying for six days and moving on toward Memphis, but the couple (Bud and Melanie) next to us at Diamond Caverns were heading there the day after us so we added four more days to spend more time visiting with them. (Also, Melanie was sewing us new curtains.)
Another couple (Ron & Glenda) that we had met at Diamond Caverns also joined us a week later. On our first day there we checked out the store/cafe and met some of the local people who invited us to join them at their table for breakfast. That wound up being a daily thing. We also met three other couples there, one park ranger and his wife (Thomas & Pam), the other two (Bob & Debi) & (Rick & Kim) had also been at Diamond Caverns while we were there but we hadn't met them yet. With all the truly great people there, we added another four days to our stay.
When we arrived at the campground we went off in search of a full hook-up with 50 amps, but the only one available was in a bad location in the sun and at the time our AC wasn't working. So we then looked for a 30 amp full hookup site and found only a few of them, but they were also in full sun. So we found a great spot under the trees (I had to trim some branches while standing on the motorhome for us to back in) It was 30 amps and no septic hookup, but it was a great spot and there was a full hookup 30 amp spot that Bud and Melanie could use when they came the following day. Our park ranger friend (Thomas) set us up with a pumping service, so after five days we ponied up $10 bucks and got pumped out. When Ron & Glenda showed up, there were a few full hookup sites at the beach and we all moved over there. We occupied four of the seven beach sites for the Labor Day weekend. It was camping at its best. Thomas offered up his pontoon boat to use while he was working and once we took him up on his generous offer, we drove it back to the beach and picked up the rest of the clan and enjoyed a couple of hours out on the lake.
The weekend before Labor Day the campground hosted a charity auto show which featured mostly "Rat Rods". It was an interesting take on restoring old cars. The campground is also located right next to the Natchez Trace. The Natchez Trace is a 444-mile long national park. It's a road starting from Natchez, Mississippi extending north almost to Nashville. No commercial vehicles are allowed on the road and it has a 50 mph speed limit throughout. It followed a trail that pioneers used as they traveled north through the area. The site where Meriwether Lewis is buried is pretty close to the campground. That, and the Amish community nearby are just about the only thing to see near the campground as Nashville is about an hour and a half drive.
From what we understand about the campground is that the previous owners were going bankrupt when Thousand Trails picked it up. There are over 500 sites and it's very spread out. Because of the park's age, most of the sites are 30 amp without septic. Most of the facilities are run down and are in need of a lot of work. There are only seven sites at the beach that are near the lake that are available for "transients", the rest of the lakefront sites are annual sites. Hopefully, with enough annual sites, the park will be able to make the improvements that it desperately needs. The campground also has a lot of cabins, which we didn't learn much about. I think the number one draw to the campground is the people who live there, work there, and live nearby. Everyone we met was so nice. The other nice feature is the cafe that serves three meals a day with the best prices. Jackie and I both ate breakfast there every day for around six dollars together. I'm sure that the campground will continue making improvements and we're looking forward to our next visit.
Natchez Trace RV Camping is a beautifully wooded RV camp in Tennessee that offers camera-worthy lookouts and a relaxing getaway environment. Located right off the scenic Natchez Trace Parkway, Natchez Trace makes RV camping an adventure. Its position within an 830-acre forested preserve means fewer crowds and more privacy. This nature-focused RV camp features some of the best outdoor resources and recreation in Tennessee: a large 3 mile long lake, pontoon tours, and excellent fishing for bass, shellcracker, crappie and more.
Getting outside of Natchez Trace RV Camping can be just as exciting. Nashville offers many sports and entertainment attractions including music, theme parks, and interesting museums. Other noteworthy day trips include Loretta Lynn's Dude Ranch in Hurricane Mills and the home of President James Polk in Columbia, both of which can be easily accomplished from your home base at Natchez Trace RV camp in Tennessee.
General Policies:
Reservation & Payment Policies:
Helpful Information:
We do not allow pets in some accommodation types; however, we do allow service animals and a service animal may have stayed in a non-pet rental.
The Alabama cabin is the perfect getaway for the Crimson Tide fan. This newly remodeled cabin has everything for you to completely unwind. This cabin has 2 full beds and a nice size bathroom with a shower and is nicely decorated in Alabama colors. Be sure to enjoy the wildlife here while sitting on your deck.
The deluxe cabin sleeps 4 people and is located near the beach. These rentals include two full size beds. The back porch has a ceiling fan and patio table and chairs overlooking the lake. No pets.
The deluxe cabin sleeps 4 people and is located near the beach. These pet-friendly rentals include two full-size beds. The back porch has a ceiling fan and patio table and chairs overlooking the lake.
Welcome to the Fishing Cabin! Your perfect getaway for making memories. Screened in deck overlooking Chief Creek Lake right next to Natchez Trace Parkway. Fully stocked cabin: Towels, linens, pots, pans, stove, refrigerator, and a flat-screen TV. Sleeps 6 and 1 1/2 bathrooms
The newly remodeled Hunting Cabin is a perfect place for the family. It sleeps 6 and has 2 full bathrooms and the deck on the cabin overlooks Chief Creek Lake. Pack up the kids and food. The rest of your supplies is furnished in this cabin. A fully stocked kitchen, linens and towels, stove, refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, toaster, and a flat-screen TV are here waiting on you. You and kids will make lifetime memories here.
Gather up the family and friends for a one of a kind experience at our lodge. Overlooking Chief Creek lake, this huge lodge has five bedrooms and three baths. With eight full-size beds, you can sleep 16+ people. Be sure to spend time out on the large gazebo right on the lake. With the gazebo's gorgeous, wrap-around deck, the lodge is the perfect place for outdoor weddings, family reunions or just making memories.
Phone Reservations Only - Please Call 888-551-9102 to Reserve Today .
The Nashville Cabin is the perfect place to get away and just relax. It has all the amenities of a home decorated in the music industries motif. Fully stocked kitchen, stove, refrigerator, towels, linens, microwave, and a flat-screen TV. Screened in the deck for you to enjoy the scenery and wildlife surrounding Chief Creek Lake located next to the famous Natchez Trace Parkway. Sleeps 4 with a large handicap bathroom.
The Pavilion has tables and chairs to seat 75. With a kitchen area, sink, refrigerator and more, it is an ideal location to host your wedding, reunions or party.
These three-bedroom cabins sleep 8 people and include two queen beds, two full-size beds in each room as well as one twin bunk. The large screened back porch has a patio table and chairs. Linens included. No pets.
Steps away from the lake and near a large grassy expanse, the big red barn is a great option for your wedding, reunions or party. This unique barn comfortably holds 75 and has a bonus loft space.
Venture back to the days of Route 66. This newly remodeled cabin takes you back to when times were more relaxed but has all the modern amenities. Lay back and relax on the 2 full-size beds that sleep 4 people, while watching your favorite movie on the flat-screen TV. After your shower in our spacious bathroom, go out on the screened-in deck and enjoy your favorite beverage.
These rental cabins sleep 4 people and are complete with linens and kitchens. Numbers are limited, so reserve one today. Call for availability.
These rental cabins sleep 4 people and are complete with linens and kitchens. Numbers are limited, so reserve one today. Call for availability.
Escape to the newly remodeled Tennessee cabin next to Natchez Trace Parkway. Perfect for the dedicated Vols fan!! Decorated with official orange and white Vols furnishings. The Tennessee cabin has 2 bedrooms with queen beds and sleeps, 4 people. The extra-large bathroom includes a full-size closet and a large handicap walk-in shower. This beautiful cabin features, AC/Heat, full kitchen, w/refrigerator, stove, microwave, toaster, coffeemaker and all necessary utensils to cook up a meal. After watching the game on the flatscreen TV, gather on the screened-in deck overlooking Chief Creek Lake. Memories made here will lure you back again and again.
I don't even know where to begin with this campground. It is a Thousand Trails park so that we figured it was nice enough to book for a week giving us time to visit Savanah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. Because of a visit to the hospital in Florida, we cut two days off the front of our stay, then after getting there, we cut two more days off of the end of our stay. We stuck it out for three days so that we had time to spend a day in Savanah and a day in Charleston. Both cities are beautiful and worth a long visit, but not while at this campground which is halfway between the two cities. When we arrived at The Oaks, it was flooded. A lot of the campsites were underwater and not usable. Some were underwater and had RV in them. A few like ours had enough gravel that we could get in and out of the coach without swimming. But if you stepped off the gravel... (like when I hooked up my utilities) you sank in the muck. With so much standing water, the mosquitoes ruled the day preventing you from staying outside longer than necessary. There are RV's that have been there for years rotting away, some partially covered with plastic tarps. The lady who worked in the office was very friendly but seemed clueless to the condition of the park. When we asked about it, she said that the park was located in the "lowlands" and that was to be expected. (We drove to the KOA park next door and it was very nice) One positive note, the small pool was well maintained and looked inviting. Thousand Trails needs to do a lot more than just adding gravel to this park. We will never return there.
While we were there we drove an hour south to Savanah and took a free walking tour of part of the city. The young lady that was giving us and four others the tour was very knowledgeable about the city and its history. I can't say enough about how beautiful the city is. The squares, parks, and buildings are amazing. We definitely want to return and spend more time in the city. The stairs in this photo were typical of the many row houses throughout the city. I can't express enough my good impression of this city. The following day we drove an hour north to Charleston. It too has a fascinating history, only we didn't do a tour. (next time we need too) We walked down Market St. then turned onto "Rainbow Row" (a street lined with colored row houses) At the end of the street was a seawall that paralleled some of the nicest biggest homes that I've seen. This led us to White Point Gardens, a public garden beside the water that offers paved paths, military statues, canons & picnic areas. At the southern tip of the gardens is Oyster Point where locals gather daily to fly large Confederate flags (and other flags as well) in protest of something. I'm not sure what though. The people on the other side of the street protesting the protesters told us that it was because 12 years ago South Carolina removed the Confederate flag from the capital building. However, I think there is more too the story than that.
Lowcountry RV camp near historic Savannah
Experience the beauty, relaxation and the perks of nature at The Oaks at Point South RV Resort. Within 45 minutes of this Lowcountry RV camp, you'll find attractions like Hilton Head, historic Savannah, Georgia, and the Atlantic Ocean. Our campground also boasts a convenient location near Interstate 95, allowing all of our guests to enjoy everything South Carolina has to offer.
Back at the resort, guests can look forward to an array of activities. Test your hand at mini golf, go for a swim, enjoy fishing or hit the trails for a hike. We're pet-friendly, so don't forget your four-legged friends!
We don't usually stop at KOA campgrounds, but this was the only campground in West Virginia along our route that worked without going too far out of our way. The campground has long pull-through sites but were very close together. If everyone would have parked their cars or trucks in line with their RV then it would have worked. For some reason, they didn't. After speaking with the camp host the prior night about two trucks that would need to be moved for me to pull forward to get out, both were still parked the next morning so we had to figure something else out. I still had the dinghy attached and didn't want to disconnect to back out. The large 5th-wheel a site over from me was also blocked by the same two trucks and frankly, our front in. If I backed up some, then he could fit. (I was still on my jacks) The folks on the other side of him parked their truck behind him half in his spot so he couldn't back out. So I quickly got things stowed away, he backed up as far as he could so that I could pull forward in front of him and head out the wrong way up the street. That worked, I hope that he got out as well.
Other than the tight sites, the campground was quite nice. It had a sandy beach on one of the three ponds with large floating toys for kids to play on. It had a few nice rental cabins along one of the ponds. The tent sites were set up really nice and you could even rent sites that featured patios complete with furniture and a nice fire pit. Overall the campground was pretty decent, better than other KOA's that we have visited. It's a great one or two-night stop-over right off the freeway. We would return if our travels bring us that way again.
From the get-go, we liked this place. (after the swamp that we had just left anything would be better) Briarcliffe turned out to be much better than expected. As a Coast to Coast member, there was a $3 resort fee and $5 for 50amps per night. It's open to the public for $72 a night. All the sites are paved, back-in and we didn't see any bad sites. The pool was really nice and it has a small restaurant. The park is divided between full-time residents and RV'ers which is nice to have them separate. It is one of those parks where you can sit outside every night and enjoy the evenings. People are out walking, but mostly driving golf carts and are very friendly. It was easy to meet new friends. Great atmosphere with the exception of a couple of campers flying their flags, but it is South Carolina and I guess it's to be expected. There are places to express your politics, family campgrounds shouldn't be one of them. (sorry for the rant) Briarcliffe will definitely be a campground that we will return to. It is truly one of the better RV resorts out there and we've seen a few.
Myrtle Beach is a really fun town with lots to do and even more to eat. The beaches are great! We spent several days just walking the beach and doing a little swimming in the waves. The water is a perfect temperature to hang out in for hours. One day when we were out there, a school of small skates (I counted eight) swam by between us and the shore. We also spent an afternoon on a casino cruise ship. It takes you out to "International Waters" then opens its casino for a few hours and brings you back. The whole trip was five and a half hours and set us back $33 and included a decent buffet. With Jackie winning $550 on a slot machine, it was a good day.
The best part of the visit to Myrtle Beach was finally getting to meet Brandon and his girlfriend Kate. I met Brandon on Facebook (he share the same name as my nephew). We've been friends for a couple of years and meeting him and Kate in person was great.
Type: Deluxe
Good Sam Rating: 10/9*/9
Address:
10495 North Kings Hwy
Myrtle Beach, SC 29572
Phone: (843) 272-2730
Fax: (843) 272-5188
Reservations Phone: (843) 272-2730
Reservations Fax: (843) 272-5188
Resort Information: On the Intracoastal Waterway in Myrtle Beach, known for its beaches, entertainment, shopping, and recreation. Over 100 golf courses in the area. The resort is in walking distance of Barefoot Landing Shops, Alabama Theater and House of Blues.
Directions: Hwy 17 between Myrtle Beach Mall and Barefoot Landing. From Hwy 501 S: Hwy 22 to Hwy 17/N Myrtle Beach. Ex to N Myrtle Beach. The resort is on L approx 1 mi N of Myrtle Beach Mall. Driving S on Hwy 17: Resort 2 blocks past Barefoot Landing on R.
Web Site: briarcliffervresort.com
EMail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Full Sites: 174
Check-In/Check-Out Times: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m./ Noon
Rental Unit Check-In/
Check-Out Times:
Rental Types:
RV Site Minimum Stay: 1 night
Rental Unit Minimum Stay:
Open: Jan 1 to Dec 31
Peak: Jun 1 to Sep 30
Maximum Electrical Service: 50 amps
WiFi Available: Yes
Maximum RV Length: 45 feet
Elevation: 0
Amenities: Recreation hall, large outdoor pool, mini golf, playground, basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, laundry, fitness, cable TV, group activities, church services, gift shop, hot showers, ping pong, ice available, RV supplies, golf nearby, shopping nearby, nearby beach. Wi-Fi access in the campground. Tourist attractions nearby: Barefoot Landing shops, Alabama Theater, House of Blues.
RV Notes: Additional charges: 50 amp $5/night, resort fee $3/night, tax 12%, golf cart $5/day licensed driver only with proof of insurance ($50,000), additional vehicles (after RV and tow) $2/day 18 ft or under, $2.50/day 18 to 30 ft. No tents, self-contained RVs only. Call resort for add'l details. Office hrs Sat-Sun: 9 a.m.- 5 p.m., Mon-Fri: 8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Accepts Pets: Yes
Pet Restrictions: Unruly, misbehaving, obnoxious pets will be removed from the property. Not allowed in bldgs. Must be on leash max 10 ft.
Visitor Mail Accepted: No
Visitor Mail Restrictions: General Delivery, North Myrtle Beach, SC 29598
Below is a link to the Thousand Trails Campgrounds that we have visited.
- Indicates Trails Collection Resort