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.
After a two and a half hour drive from Virginia Beach (70 miles), we were happy to finally get to Williamsburg. There's an unmanned gate with a keypad to let you in. Once the arm lifts, you follow the arrows on the road to the very center of the campground to the office. The office gave us a choice of a couple of sites that didn't work out and then another couple. On the second go-round, we decide on the least sloping site. We still wound up with tires off the ground to level. The campground was fine, but felt crowded and could use work on some of its sites. The office staff was extremely nice and very helpful. The pool was nice and the lodge was fine, but the games all cost money to play. Being there in June, the humidity was such that it wasn't comfortable to sit outside. But with it being so close to Williamsburg, Yorktown Battlefields, & Jamestown, we really didn't spend much time in the campground.
Williamsburg was very educational. They offer 50% off on their annual passes for veterans, so it was cheaper to buy an annual pass than a three-day pass without the discount. They also give 10% off on everything for veterans. Colonial Williamsburg is separate from the town, there are no cars and everyone working there is playing a 1776 character. Some of the actors were outstanding, especially the barber. We did find that eating there was very expensive ($7 for a hotdog) and sit-down dining was even more expensive. However at the end of the Colony is a William & Mary College store that has a coffee shop/cafe in it, which was very reasonably priced. I visited Williamsburg in the early 70's and sent my sister a photo of me in a tri-cornered hat and she sent me a photo from that trip.
We also visited the Yorktown battlefield. It is a national park so with your park pass it's free. I believe it was $14 per person without one. We took the free one hour "Ranger Tour" in which a Park Ranger walked you outside the visitor's center and told you the story of the Battle of Yorktown. This was very well done and interesting. Then we took the driving tour of the park that shows the locations of earthworks, redoubts (outposts) the surrender field, the home where the surrender was signed and other interesting historic spots. We also walked the town of Yorktown that has a nice beach waterfront area along the York River. After Yorktown, we decided to drive over to the site where the Jamestown settlement was. We checked out the glass blowing demonstration where the glassworks ruins were found, but when we got to the settlement, it was raining so we opted to skip it. With your national parks pass it was only $5. I guess we will have to come back.
From our last campground in Newport, NC, the drive to Indian Cove was crazy. I can't imagine how anyone could possibly make the trip without GPS. The roads are narrow with no aprons on either side, but after hours of white-knuckle driving, we made it to the resort. Other than the surprise of a $9 per night resort fee, we were very impressed with the park. The sites had concrete pads to park on and lots of green grass to get out and enjoy. Most every site backed-up to water and are spaced enough so that you aren't camping on top of your neighbor. The pictures can far better describe the park than I can. It has three pools, one is open every day and two are open just on the weekends until the middle of June and then they are open every day as well. Our visit included a beautiful June weekend, so the park was filled with kids. Saturday night they had a DJ and a big graduation party. If you're a boat owner, you tie your boat up at night right at your site. The park is very well laid-out and all the sites are very nice. This is definitely a park for us to return to.
While we were there, we made a couple of trips to the beach at Virginia Beach. We had to try out my daughter's suggestion of Chick's Oyster Bar. On the weekend we were there, there was a boardwalk art show/sell. The boardwalk (paved) runs between the beach and the hotels, there is even a separate path for bicycles just a few feet away. Virginia Beach is beautiful with lots to see, do, and eat. When we visit here in the future we will plan on staying longer.
Type: Deluxe
Good Sam Rating: 9.5/9*/9
Address:
1053 Sandbridge Rd
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
Phone: (757) 426-2601
Fax: (757) 721-6029
Reservations Phone: (757) 426-2601
Reservations Fax: (757) 721-6029
Reservations EMail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Resort Information: Two minutes from the Atlantic Ocean at Sandbridge Beach, 20 minutes from Virginia Beach. Wooded and open campsites border a freshwater channel leading to the wildlife refuge at Back Bay, with largemouth bass, speckled perch, and channel cat. Nearby: Festival Park, Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, Outer Banks of North Carolina.
Directions: From I-64: I-264 E to Ex 17A, Independence Blvd S, bear R. L on Princess Anne Rd. L to 2nd light where road becomes Sandbridge Rd. Approx 3 mi to resort. Sandbridge Rd is a narrow, twisting rural road.
Reservation Requirements:
Web Site: indian-cove.com
EMail: jlivingston@indian_cove.com
Full Sites: 300
Check-In/Check-Out Times: 2:00 p.m./ 10:00 a.m.
RV Site Minimum Stay: 1 night
Open: Mar 2 to Dec 31
Maximum Electrical Service: 50 amp
WiFi Available: Yes
Maximum RV Length: 40 feet
Elevation: 0
Amenities: Recreation Hall, outdoor pool (3), adult lounge, shuffleboard, horseshoes, tennis, basketball, boating available, boat ramp with kayaks, canoes, paddle boats, general store, playground (2), tenting, firewood, handicap access, ice available, grocery, fire rings, ping pong, laundry, picnic tables, group activities, pool table, propane, hot showers, game room, beach, tourist attraction nearby, golf nearby, fishing nearby, boating nearby. Nearby: Festival Park, Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, beaches. Outer Banks of NC, a wildlife refuge.
RV Notes: Additional charges: Park fee $9/night collected in cash or credit card. No gas powered golf carts. No pull-through sites. Drive-ups not accepted.
Rental Notes: Rental units available. Trip Points not accepted. Contact the resort directly.
Restrictions:
Accepts Pets: Yes
Pet Restrictions: Not in rental units.
Visitor Mail Accepted: No
Visitor Mail Restrictions: Fed Ex or UPS allowed.
The trip to Harbor View is another fun-filled nightmare of no-shouldered backroads, but very doable. The campground assigns you a site and escorts you to its location. It probably wasn't the site I would have chosen, but the next day really great people moved in across the way which made the site perfect. The campground is nice, but like a lot of the Thousand Trails parks, it could use some work. It looks like projects that got started years ago never got finished and things like the tennis courts were just let go. The very small game room was the only "Rec Center" available. There was a larger room that was locked up for special events. Repaving the main road and adding more gravel to the camping loops and sites would go a long way. Sometimes I get too critical of these membership campgrounds, but they are what they are. Overall the campground had a good camping feel, lots of trees, green grass, and friendly people. We would certainly return there in the future.
We chose Harbor View because it was the closest campground in our network of membership campgrounds to Washington DC. It was sixty-some miles to a Metro station and a quick train ride into the city. On our visit to the capital, we spent four and a half hours of our day traveling to and from the city. Once in the city we walked a little over six miles and took in as much of the city as we could during our short visit. To see the city, you really need to stay in the city and take a week or two. We did manage to visit several memorials, spend part of an hour in the American History Museum (Smithsonian), eat off a "roach-coach" with an albino squirrel (probably the most photographed squirel in the city) and join the poor people's march. (Fight Poverty, not the Poor) It's too bad the drive kept us from spending more than just the one day.
Just five miles down the road from the campground is Popes Creek, Washington's birthplace. It's a 500 plus acre park with a nice visitor's center and offers an hour or so walking tour with a park ranger. It is well worth the visit. We learned quite a bit. The one thing that stuck with me was that King George would give colonial farmers three free acres for every slave that they owned in hopes of controlling more land than Spain or France in the Americas. We also visited Westmoreland State Park which has a nice campground, a beautiful pool and a beach along the Patomic River that was great for hunting shark teeth fossils. Finally, on our last day, we checked out the town of Colonial Beach. Along the beach road, were osprey nests every other block and we got to see about a dozen osprey in about a half-mile strip.
Explore historic towns from a Harbor View RV Campground
Historic towns are at your fingertips when booking your stay at Harbor View RV resort. Quaint waterside towns, nearby wineries and an array of on-site amenities make staying at this Harbor View campground a memorable experience.
Become one with nature and soak up the beauty of the Virginia countryside. Nearby colonial towns offer a look into American history while access to the nation's capital is well worth a visit. A pristine location combined with endless recreation make Harbor View Resort a vacation you won't want to pass up!
Below is a link to the Thousand Trails Campgrounds that we have visited.
- Indicates Trails Collection Resort