My 10 Favorite RV Campgrounds After A Year of Full-Time RVing

In July of last year, my husband and I sold our South Florida home and embarked on a 2- to 3-year RV adventure. We were brand new to the RV world, had never towed a vehicle, but didn’t waste any time planning; we just jumped in with both feet and hit the road. With 18,000 miles under our belts and experiences in campgrounds in nine amazing states thus far, here are my 10 favorite RV campgrounds after a year of full-time RVing. 

My list goes in order of when we visited, leaving Florida and working our way to Utah, where we currently are.

Note: I was hosted by Jellystone Park Pelahatchie and Rayford Crossing. As usual, opinions are 100 percent mine.

1. Coastal Georgia RV Resort

Brunswick, Georgia

A hop, skip, and jump off I-95, 40 miles north of Florida, is Brunswick’s Coastal Georgia RV Resort. We used it as a base location for visiting the Golden Isles of Georgia — namely St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island, and the city of Brunswick. The park is in an area with a mild climate year-round, so the weather is always favorable. Campsites first appear to be close, but they’re in rows with cute magnolia trees offering privacy and white, lighthouse-looking hookup covers that dress up the campground. 

This campground has the Brunswick River on one side, with a boardwalk for fishing steps from your campsite, and the Intracoastal Waterway to the east. They have fun cookouts in the spacious pavilion, fire rings, a fantastic swimming pool and laundry facility, and paved roads. We’ve come to appreciate concrete with lush landscaping on our RV stays.

2. Clarksville RV Resort 

Clarksville, Tennessee

My husband is from Clarksville, so we visited the Clarksville RV Resort campground for around 2 weeks to see family. Straddling the Kentucky–Tennessee border, right off Highway 24, you’ll find this cute resort with a vintage trailer at the front, offering great photo ops. The Clarksville RV Resort is well maintained and has an excellent children’s play area, a pool, and a great little convenience store. Pull-through sites with full hookups were less than $50 per night, a bargain rate. 

While we used the location to be with family and explore downtown Clarksville (about 15 minutes away), it is also perfect for avoiding the high prices of nearby Nashville.

3. Manchester KOA Holiday 

Manchester, Tennessee

A town we weren’t familiar with, Manchester is 65 miles from Nashville and about the same from Chattanooga. We chose it to be near the Jack Daniels Distillery tours in Lynchburg and made day trips to Fayetteville and Pulaski, which offer adorable town squares and vibrant history. The Manchester KOA Holiday was excellent for parking the RV and enjoying the pool (which I had all to myself), shaded campground (which our dog loved walking around), and a plethora of campground amenities. 

Guests can rent covered wagons, two types of cabins, teepees, glamping tents, and a treehouse (it’s very cool!), plus use the fishing pond. 

4. Jellystone Park (Yogi On The Lake)

Pelahatchie, Mississippi

You’d better come amped with caffeine and lots of energy for this high-energy RV park that we absolutely loved. Of course, it is near our kid’s house so that we could have them and the granddaughter over often, but Jellystone Park is a bushel of fun. Pelahatchie is about 20 minutes away from Brandon and near Mississippi’s capital city, Jackson. It has a country-like setting, but once inside the RV park, there are so many amenities that you’ll have difficulty keeping up. 

Our favorites were:

• Pool and splash pad
• Mini-golf
• Well-stocked store
• Golf cart rentals
• Weekend movies and activities
• Holiday festivities

Of all the campgrounds we’ve been to, this is one you need a golf cart to get around. There is a restaurant and even more activities during the summer months. I recommend lakeside sites so you can have the serenity of the beautiful setting and watch the turtles, ducks, and geese.

5. River View RV Park And Resort

Vidalia, Louisiana

Located on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River is the River View RV Park And Resort, literally across the river from the historic city of Natchez, Mississippi. The setting is fantastic, with spacious campsites and a boardwalk along the waterfront, perfect for watching the American Queen steamboats sailing the Mississippi. River View RV Park is nestled in a semi-private area, has a great swimming pool, and has competitive rates. Besides all the amenities we look for in a campground, they also had a friendly staff who helped recommend restaurants and points of interest. 

Drive time to Natchez is less than 10 minutes, plus you can hit drive-thru daiquiris (a Louisiana specialty) in 4–5 minutes. Don’t worry; they are meant to be taken home for enjoyment, not drinking and driving (if you aren’t familiar with this Louisiana concept).

6. Blue Water RV Resort

Freeport, Texas

We chose Blue Water RV Resort to be near Galveston but far enough away to enjoy some downtime and a calmer setting. Blue Water is 25 minutes or so away from the touristy parts of Galveston and trendier restaurants, but we loved getting away from it all and concentrating on all things camping-related. Blue Water has many amenities, including a swimming pool, fishing area, convenience store, and to-go frozen drinks. 

My favorite thing at this park was the special activities and the staff members that conducted them. We had a wine-glass painting class one afternoon, bunco another, pizza and movie night on the weekend, and several other things throughout the stay. The cost to RVers is zero.

Fun fact: We brought our kids down from Mississippi to stay in the darling little cottages that Blue Water rents. 

7. Rayford Crossing RV Resort

Spring, Texas

Rayford Crossing RV Resort is one of the premier campgrounds in Texas. It’s swanky, y’all. As soon as we pulled in and saw the beautiful pool setting with tiki umbrellas, I knew that it was going to be a high-end experience. Located near the towns of Conroe, Houston, Spring, and The Woodlands, this is a great place for day trips or to never leave the property — you decide. There are plenty of things to keep you busy, such as a billiards and game room, horseshoes, a fully-stocked library (the best one I’ve seen yet), a stocked fishing pond, and a fantastic fitness room. 

FYI: Though the park is already massive, 175 new sites are coming in late summer 2022. 

8. Woodland Lakes RV Park

Conroe, Texas

Another favorite Texas RV park was in Conroe, a suburb of Houston. Woodland Lakes RV Park has several full-time RVers and campers but plenty of daily or weekly sites. There are a few ponds, one of which we backed right up to for excellent views of the duck families that live at Woodland Lakes. There were four different species of ducks at the park, each with ducklings due to the time of year. We spent so much time watching them and enjoying the friendly park. 

Woodland Lakes also had a nice laundry room, which we only use for oversized items such as bedspreads.

9. Red Barn RV Park

Roswell, New Mexico

We found a sweet little RV park online — Red Barn RV Park — for our Roswell, New Mexico, adventures. The park was about 10 minutes from town and had the most amazing sunsets yet. The park appeared small, and we were concerned when we pulled in as we had booked a pull-through site… but all the sites we could see were backed up to a fence running parallel to the highway or along the neighboring farm property. The crisis was averted when a worker opened the white fence for us to pull through. Once we disconnected from our 5th wheel, we drove our truck around into the campground, and they closed the door. Viola, we were backed up to the fence, too. 

Red Barn RV Park was well decorated and had a nice little common room with private bathrooms and a laundry room. I took more pictures of this small RV park and its gorgeous setting than any other I’ve been to. Our rate was under $60, and I would 10/10 recommend staying at this park.

10. Lakeside RV Campground 

Provo, Utah

After 4 months of being in Texas (namely West Texas) and New Mexico, we were never so glad to see so much green in the Lakeside RV Campground. For months, we fought dust storms, wind gusts, and dirt parks (no concrete), so the massive amount of trees and pretty flowers against the mountain scenery in every direction was epic. Lakeside RV Campground has a beautiful park, meticulously maintained walking/hiking paths (10 acres total), a great dog park and stocked store, plus great Wi-Fi. 

We were about 15 minutes from downtown Provo but enjoyed the scenic drive each time we went out to explore.

Pro Tip: Don’t sweat the tree limbs; they keep them all trimmed so they don’t interfere with your rigs.

Looking to hit the road and stay there? Here are some resources:

• 10 Things To Know Before You Hit The Road For An Extended RV Trip
• 8 Essential Tips For First-Time RVers
• 50 Amazing RVs To Rent In All 50 States, Plus Where To Camp