My husband, Fabgrandpa, and I started RVing in 1996. My sister, Linda, and brother-in-law had owned a folding camper trailer for many years, but I had never seen the inside of it. I just though it was a glorified tent. One day, Linda called me and asked us to join them on a weekend at a Corp of Engineers campground in north Georgia. We decided to go, but stay in a cabin on the lake. The rent for the two days that we stayed in that cabin cost four times as much as what my sister and her husband paid for a week of RVing in the campground.
Before my husband and I left to go home, we went over to look at their little RV. We were amazed that it was so comfortable, so roomy, and that it had an air conditioner! We went home and bought a folding trailer RV that week. Life as we knew it changed as soon as we bought that RV.
We were thrilled that we could go anywhere we wanted to go, and find a campground to stay in at a much much more inexpensive cost than staying in typical lodging like hotels, motels, cabins, and condos. We went RVing every weekend the first year, often going to the same Georgia State Park, High Falls. We soon discovered that we could go to an RV park near our home and go back and forth to work from our RV. Life was so good! We eventually sold our house and lived full time in an RV for more than 13 years. Here are some of the favorite places we went, in no particular order, that you just have to get out and Go RVing to as soon as you can. I know once you get yourself into an RV, you are going to have so much fun!
1. Mission, Texas
We traveled from our home in Georgia to deep south Texas in 1997, and stayed in our RV in this beautiful state park in Mission, Texas. The campground is now closed, but there are many RV parks in the area so that you could visit this park in the daytime. It is a birders paradise. We saw many species of birds that were so colorful! There are also native animals that we had never seen before such as badgers, Chachalaca, and river otters.
2. Dahlonega, Georgia
This is a beautiful member owned RV park and lodge nestled in the north Georgia mountains. If you are not a member you can still camp there if sites are available. It is the perfect place to park your RV for a few days and enjoy the surrounding area’s many attractions. Go panning for gold, see the gold museum, and hike on the Appalachian Trail. Or take a drive through scenic mountain roads to Helen, Georgia and poke around in the unique shops selling German goods. Once the sun goes down, if there is no moon, it is the darkest place I’ve seen in Georgia.
3. Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Yes, we were dressed up and sitting in the RV park next to our folding trailer. My youngest daughter got married in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. There are many RV parks and campgrounds in and near Pigeon Forge, and tons of things to do. This is one of the very few times we had more than two people sleeping in our RV. My son, his wife, and baby boy stayed with us inside, and my oldest daughter and her friend slept in a tent. Pigeon forge is the home of Dollywood, an Elvis Museum and gift shop, ATV trail rides, and much more. Watch out for all the brides and grooms walking around town in their wedding attire, too.
4. Verde Valley, Arizona
Along I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff Arizona, you’ll find Montezuma’s Castle National Monument. Ancient pueblos built into the mountain side, Sycamore trees beside the river, and Montezuma’s Well are so amazing to see. The Anasazi people lived here long ago, and left their mark on the area. Sedona, the Verde Valley Wine Trail, and the Verde Valley Archaeology Center should all be on your list of things to see in the area.
5. Meridian, Mississippi
We loved the Okatibbee Water Park in Meridian, Mississippi. The campground was on a lake, which provided fishing, swimming, and boating. In the city of Meridian, there is the Jimmie Rodgers Museum, the Highland Park Dentzel Carousel, and Dunn’s Falls. Or, you can just be lazy and enjoy the quietness of the woods.
6. Joshua Tree National Park, California
Joshua Tree is located outside of Palm Springs, California, and has some really cool rock formations. There are also plenty of Joshua Trees, the plant for which the park is named. They are a type of yucca, and grow taller than a house. There are several campgrounds in this national park, and some can accommodate RV’s. They don’t take reservations, though, so it is first come first served. The scenery here is well worth the drive.
7. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
I absolutely loved the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania area. There was so much to see and do, that you really need at least two weeks here. Besides the famous Civil War Battlefields, there are many farms in the area. Go on a ghost tour and see if you can hear them. You can drive down almost any road and find a stand to buy fresh fruits and vegetables in season. Granite Hill Campground hosts two bluegrass festivals each year. It’s a short drive to Lancaster where you will be able to see Amish quilts, and maybe even an Amish horse and buggy driving down the road.
8. Urbana, Virginia
Located on the Rappahannock River, this RV park is so gorgeous! The dock boat has plenty of slips for parking your boat, and you can put crab traps in the water. Nothing is better than freshly caught and steamed crabs! We went for a day trip to an asparagus farm, and Norfolk is about 80 miles away if you want to check out some of the sites in town.
9. Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
Bryce Canyon in Utah is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I loved the Hoodoos, and the red rock formations leading up to the park. You have to go.
10. Grand Canyon North Rim National Park, Arizona
If you have an RV, there is no other place in the United States that you must see during your lifetime. The Grand Canyon is magic. I had the privilege of living at the North Rim in my RV for five seasons. I saw it nearly every day, and it looked different every time I saw it. Shadows and sunshine, fog and snow, all make the formations in the canyon give up its beauty to the people who see it. Go RVing now, as soon as you can, and see some of the America you live in with a new perspective.
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Go RVing via Burst Media. The opinions and text are all mine.
