It’s the end of February, which means in just a few short weeks, Bessie the Travel Trailer will be out of storage and hitting the road! As you know, most popular campground and RV camp sites fill up very quickly (seriously, some of these places are harder to get in to than FastPasses at DisneyWorld!), so we’ve already mapped out our travels for the first half of the year.
Here’s where we’ve booked some trips so far this year – have you been to any of these?
Hilton Head Harbor – April 2018 – Hilton Head Island, SC
There’s just something about Spring Break that makes me want to have my toes in the sand. Luckily, living in South Carolina, we can be on the coast in just a few short hours, so we’ve booked a site at Hilton Head Harbor for the first time.
In reviewing the web site and the postings on TripAdvisor, this place looks incredible! It’s right on the Intracoastal Waterway and has plenty of amenities (two pools, water sports access, restaurant on site).
The interesting thing about Hilton Head Harbor is that all of the sites are privately owned. When you arrive, you ride around in a golf cart to select your site – each one is set up slightly differently and is meant to draw you in.
And, you’re just a short commute away from the beach, Harbor Town and everything else Hilton Head Island has to offer.
Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg KOA – June 2018 – Pigeon Forge, TN
We have a map on the outside of our travel trailer where we can mark with stickers each state we’ve camped in. Tennessee is next on our list, so we’re excited to check it off with a stay at the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg KOA this summer.
From what I can tell, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg have bounced back beautifully from the horrific wild fires that caused so much damage a year ago. And of course, we want to do our civic duty by spending some tourism dollars with them as they continue to rebuild!
The Smoky Mountain National Park, Dollywood, plus the towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge will be great places for our family of four to explore this summer. And this will be our first time staying at a KOA property, so we’re curious to see what it’s like!
Misty Mountain Camp Resort – July 2018 – Charlottesville, VA
We can’t wait to check out the Blue Ridge Mountain area of Charlottesville, VA during this trip in July! Besides hiking, river tubing, and checking out some local wineries, we also plan to take a day trip to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello while we’re there.
Davidson River Campground – August 2018 – Brevard, NC
We’ve tent camped at Davidson River Campground before, and I can tell you, it is absolutely one of my favorite campgrounds I’ve visited to date. Nestled in the middle of the Pisgah National Forest, just up from hipster-mountain-cool town of Brevard, this smaller campground sits right on the Davidson River.
From tubing down the river, fly fishing to hiking the Art Loeb Trails that leave inside the park, this is my dream campground. And if you want to venture into Brevard, the Oskar Blues Brewery is a definite must-visit, as well as the cute shops and boutiques that line the town’s Main Street.
**This is one of those campgrounds that fills up incredibly quickly – and they only take reservations six months in advance of the date you want to go. If you’ve ever tried to sit on the computer at the exact moment in time when your DisneyWorld FastPass reservation window opens up – then you know what it’s like to try to get an online reservation at Davidson River.
If you find a date that’s open when you can go, book it, and ask questions later. You’ll be glad you did.
We’ll also probably throw in a few local trips to Paris Mountain State Park and Table Rock State Park, both in Upstate, S.C.
After being cooped up all winter, we are in major camping withdrawal, so we can’t wait to shake the winterization off and get back on the road!
Where are you headed this year? Any new places? Any repeat visits? We’d love to hear from you!
Happy travels!
You’ll love the pigeon forge/Gatlinburg area. We go there all the time. We are going in may, it is the week of the dolly parade. Gatlinburg was hit hard during the fires, but they are recovering well! When you are in Charlottesville you are very close to my home town. If you have any questions about the area, just let me know and I’ll try to help figure them out. The same with pigeon forge/Gatlinburg. 😁 I hope have safe travels!