Community Forums

Baby Bear · 09-16-2009, 08:19 PM

Some time back there was a post asking how to tell the difference between an RV park and a Campground. We just spent 59 nights on the road and I believe I can answer that question.
A campground has about 80% stationary trailers and mobile homes.
A RV park has 80% transient customers in RV's and 5th wheel trailers.
We were very lucky as we had only 2 Campground experiences, one in Detroit Lakes MN and one in Souix Falls SD. In both situations the Trailer Life book was so far from the truth it was almost funny. (But they had nice adds) One was so tight we had to unhook the car to get to our site.
Anyone have similiar experiences?

rek · 09-17-2009, 05:29 AM

I always thought it was just a choice of words. We stayed in a trailer park listed in Woodalls as a campground and it is much different.
Not to change the subject but; we used to live in Summerville SC and noticed you spend winter in Beauford SC. We would like to do the same. I am assuming you stay at a campground/rv park in Beauford. Where do you stay?

paz · 09-17-2009, 06:47 AM

I always thought the difference between a campground and an RV park was about $10 a night.

MyLife · 09-17-2009, 07:24 AM

A recreational vehicle park (RV park) or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in alloted spaces known as pitches (sites in Europe and Australia). They are also referred to as campgrounds, though a true campground also provides facilities for tent camping; many facilities calling themselves "RV parks" also offer tent camping or cabins with limited facilities.

According to
Wikipedia

Lynnvt · 09-17-2009, 07:32 AM

We have stayed at two RV park/campground/mobile home parks that have been very acceptable. They were very convenient to people we were visiting. One was in Durham, NC and the other is in PA. The one in PA is particularly well kept and the owners are great. We pulled in last spring with a flat tire on the fiver and a couple of the workers came right over and helped my husband fix the tire. We have stayed there a few times and find it very comfortable.

chiefneon · 09-17-2009, 06:43 PM

Howdy!We've also seen and stayed at a lot of places using the term "RV Resort". Just would like to know what qualifies as an RV Resort? We haven't stayed at thing I would call a resort (golf corse, spa etc...)! But they don't mine charging you a resort price."Happy Trails"chiefneon

Theberrys · 09-17-2009, 07:09 PM

To me a RV park is mostly a overnight stay. With a few perms.
A campground is a destination. State and federal parks are campgrounds.
Places on the freeway are RV Parks.
They both have there uses and we use both.

Dick

D in Davie · 09-17-2009, 07:09 PM

From what I have been able to tell it is the decision of the owner and his advertizing exec. I have gone to some resorts that were dumps and some campgrounds with many more amenities that I could use. You have to check out the campground reviews to get an idea of what a place is like at the time the review was written.

tmh462 · 09-17-2009, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiefneon

Howdy!We've also seen and stayed at a lot of places using the term "RV Resort". Just would like to know what qualifies as an RV Resort? We haven't stayed at thing I would call a resort (golf corse, spa etc...)! But they don't mine charging you a resort price."Happy Trails"chiefneon

The difference I have noted is:
$100 extra a night.

We've stayed at a couple of RV Resorts that had golf courses and spas, but we've stayed at RV parks with those as well. We've stayed at RV parks with Mini Golf and a pool, and an RV Resort with a paved pad and a hedge between every space, but no pool.

hamguy · 09-18-2009, 04:19 AM

Antics with symantics. There is no fixed definition for either. I have stayed in RC resorts that were little more than a playground for trailer trash (mostly in the east) and some RV parks that were fantastic (mostly in the west).

In our case, it makes little difference so long as they are safe and reasonably quiet. We usually just stay in one to act as a central point for area roaming.

RedneckExpress · 09-19-2009, 12:25 PM

Out west, traditionally, a Campground is usually a publicly owned entity (e.g. State Park, BLM Campground, US Forestry Service Campground) that has campsites with the basics for "traditional" camping (e.g. Fire Pit, picnic table and a parking pad, not necessarily level). Hook ups are rarer, and sometimes even flush toilets are rare. The most common amenities are pit toilets, garbage service (though not always), and a drinking water supply. Usually the campsites are usually further apart and more grown in with native plants and trees. Campsite maximum occupancy is usually 8 people and guests are not charged extra for, even if they stay the night. Campgrounds usually tend to situated on Lakes, rivers, streams, hiking paths, ocean coasts, etc.... Depending on the type of campground, when it was built and where its located, how big of an RV that can fit or get to it is limited sometimes.

RV Parks, out west, are as their name suggests a park for RVs. They're always privately owned, usually with full hookups, and tend to have more fees and charges because they're not subsidized. They're more often close to interstate highways, and tend to have less plant life in the park and the sites tend to be closer together. Tent campers are usually more rare, either because the park doesn't allow/want tent campers or because its proximity to a major thoroughfare makes it less than pleasant to stay at in a tent. An RV Park, in some aspects, can be associated closer to a cross between a Motel and a Mobile Home Park, depending on if the park has monthly or long term sites. Part of the park is for overnighting patrons and part of it is for folks that plan to stay for a extended part of the year.

cb5300 · 09-23-2009, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paz

I always thought the difference between a campground and an RV park was about $10 a night.

Actually it's closer to $20.00....

PNWGirl · 09-23-2009, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rek

Not to change the subject but; we used to live in Summerville SC and noticed you spend winter in Beaufort SC. We would like to do the same. I am assuming you stay at a campground/rv park in Beauford. Where do you stay?

I lived in Beaufort a couple of times (former Marine spouse). My girlfriend, her husband, parents & son, own Point South. You might like that.
POINT SOUTH KOA CAMPGROUND -- South Carolina

Sheila :)

W4RLR · 09-23-2009, 07:37 PM

An RV resort is a place that my wife and I cannot visit because:

1. our rig is over ten years old
2. we are not in a motor coach
3. we don't think dropping $70 + a night to stay in our own rig is financially prudent. For that money we can stay in a budget motel and get free breakfast to boot.

Best bargain around for us is the campsite in the national forest near here. Water and 50 amp electricity, nothing but the sounds of nature, even the cell phones don't work. With my Golden Access pass, it costs $8 a night to stay.