Norm's Camping Recommendations

1. February 2006
    Asseteague National Seashore in Berlin on Maryland’s South Shore.

    You will never forget this campground, the home of wild horses, they're everywhere and it’s like you're invisible. They walk thru your campsite, rub against your car, sometimes gallop along the forty miles of uninhabited beach. This is a good campground buy, but you do need reservations available on line at: (http://www.assateagueisland.com/assateague_camping.htm .

    The park has dry camping but they do have water and a dump station. We like the large sites right behind the dunes, the sites on the bay side are also large. We recommend September on your way south. The beach is 40 miles long extending south to Virginia and 4 wheel vehicles are permitted on the beach. From here you can take the lightly traveled bay bridge/tunnel south and avoid Washington and Baltimore, you must turn off your propane valve. By the way Berlin is a nice little town.

    People over 62 can get a Golden Age Passport good for a lifetime for ($10). This provides access to all national parks and half price camping.

    As your organization we're here to help. If you have any questions about certain areas of the country, routes, or campgrounds send us a question and we'll attempt to answer. Campground Recommendations.

2. March 2006
    Henderson Beach State Park

    This is one of Florida’s marvelous state parks, located on the beaches of Destin FL, with its sugar white sands. The park has a mile of beach. The 60 sites are located behind the dunes in the mist of vegetation. Reservations are needed.

3. March 2006
    Grand Casino Tunica.

    One of the best places we’ve been is Graceland in Memphis, TN, not to mention the great barbeque and music to be found in this rapidly growing city. Though I’m not an Elvis fan, the presentation is extremely well done. Tunica is just south of Memphis and a great day trip campground. Tunica has 10 or so massive casinos on the Mississippi. The Grand Casino has a wonderful campground, casino and golf course. Prices are very reasonable. As well Tunica has two nice museums and a riverboat ride.

4. May 2006
    Kiptopeke State Park

    On our trip north from Florida we took the costal route to avoid the major cities of DC and Baltimore in order to stop at Assateague National Seashore in Maryland. This route takes you over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and avoids a lot of traffic congestion. Ever since we began camping we have found wonderful state parks along this route, particularly in Maryland. This year we discovered one in Virginia on the south shore and it’s right on the bay. We suspect it is crowded in the summer but in the spring and the fall I suspect it’s not the case.

    Kiptopeke State Park is located just after the end of the bridge, though pricy for a state park, is absolutely wonderful with 4000 ft on the bay. It’s known for the number of different varieties of birds that can be seen here in the winter, more than 150 species in any one winter with 294 different species seen over the years.

5. October 2006
    Mountain Home RV Park

    We have stayed in many marvelous campgrounds on this trip. Mountain Home RV Park in Mountain Home, Idaho right across from a super Wal-Mart at exit 95 on Interstate 84 was one of our favorites, beautiful, huge concrete pads, grass, free cable and wireless. Though we loved this park I suspect if we had stayed on one of Antelope Islands three campgrounds in the mist of the Great Salt Lake, we would be cheering those sites as well.

6. June 2006
    Campus RV Park

    I know we have a fair contingent going to the National in Sedalia, MO. If you get to the Kansas City area, there’s a very nice campground located in the center of Independence, Campus RV Park. You probably want to make a reservation because it’s not very large. It’s within walking distance of the drug store where President Truman worked as a boy with great ice cream and real phosphates and a nice little lunch time German restaurant right across the street from the National Park’s visitor center where you sign up for tours of Truman’s home.

    If you stop in Independence, Kansas City is a short drive and has a great free Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. For those not interested in art, there’s the Arabia Steamboat Museum, though we did not visit this museum, it has amazing remains of a the steamboat Arabia that sunk in the 1800’s and was found in a corn field, buried by the shifting river, an unintentional time capsule of another era.

    This campground is also in the shadow of the Community of Christ church, an offshoot of the Mormons. Unlike the main branch of Mormons, they permit tours of their church, whether religious or not you will be overwhelmed by their temple.

    If you take a side trip to Branson, go to the river walk and visit the Bass Pro Shop. We had never visited one and were amazed, it’s much more than a store. Beyond the sites of Branson, the hills around the area, the beautiful limestone buildings are just great. To see some prime ones go to the College of the Ozarks and visit their chapel. The C of O’s nick name is Hardwork Univ., the students earn their tuition by working 15 hours a week, working on one of their farms or in there very good restaurant, try it for lunch.

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