Community Forums

Funkmoney · 08-17-2011, 05:40 PM

My wife and I were thinking of buying into a seasonal site at a campground about an hour away from home. My work schedule changes and I do not have weekends off all the time but usually get whatever day off I need.

My question is if it would be worth it to pay for a seasonal site and go when I want throughout the week/weekend or just go when I have weekends off (once a month)?

BransGram08 · 08-24-2011, 04:49 PM

My husband and I had a seasonal site for quite a few years. At first it was great. It was an hour and a half away from home. We loved it. However, the campground went under new ownership and then things began to change, and not for the better. What it boiled down to was they raised the rent every year, made the rule that if your camper was more than ten years it couldn't remain on the site if you sold it, we were required to bury a waste tank and have it professionally installed and inspected. We no longer had honey wagon service if you didn't have a tank. We paid $20 to have the tank dumped upon leaving on Sunday and would come back on Friday to find it was still full. Oh and we weren't welcome any more during the week. He wanted weekenders only. A friend of our took her grandkids swimming one hot afternoon in the lake and was told she was using the facilities too much.

Sorry for the long post, but this place really left a bad taste in our mouths. So thankful we have a new motorhome now and are mobile. I guess if I was faced with your options I would prefer to find a campground during the week. You would have more choices, instead of the same place all the time.

Superslif · 08-24-2011, 07:51 PM

That is hard to answer. Where I work I get off 8am Friday morning and have to be back at work 11pm Sunday night. So I know I'll be off on weekends. Do you really want to go to the same place every weekend. Plus I get 6 weeks of vacation I can take any time. So usually its 5 weeks in the summer for RVing. And April, May, Sept and Oct are for weekends trips...

We like State Parks first off and the things they offer. Now if fuel prices sky-rocketed, then a seasonal site might be an option. Or weekend trips are usually no more than 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes away. There are about 5-6 state parks we like that fit the bill.

JimM68 · 08-24-2011, 09:27 PM

A seasonal site (and the campgrounds that have them) is a completely different type of "camping" than the type of RVing we practice.

Generally, if the campground's website shows porches, decks, sheds, park models, or especially TT's that look like they were made in the 60's and haven't moved since, we don't go there.

A lot of people do like that type of camping. Same people year after year, they get to know each other, become friends, etc.

JMonroe · 08-25-2011, 06:18 AM

We did the seasonal site thing for a number of years. After 20 years, at the time, of weekend camping there weren't too many places within a reasonable weekend distance we hadn't been to a zillion times. The campground obviously makes a big difference. Ours would not allow permanent add ons (porches, decks and such) so it always maintained that campgound feel. The owners were also very good about enforcing the rules with both seasonal and transient campers.

For the time we did it we loved it. It was like having a 'cabin' we could escape to most every weekend. We didn't have to take the time to load and hook up, we only had to be sure to throw our clean laundry in the car before we left for work. Once we got there we were all set up. Even pulling in late at night was no big deal. We could also extend out stay on Sunday as we did not have to be off the site mid day like the transients. If one of us had to work, or had some other commitment that weekend, the other could still pop up to the campground.

It is different that transient camping. Not necessarily better or worse, just different. I say you've got nothing to lose by trying it for a year to see how you like it.