WINTON WOODS CAMPGROUND, CINCINNATI, OH

Our Opinion: Rave.  This county campground on the north side of Cincinnati is lush, green, and appealing.

Date of Stay: May 23 through May 26, 2010.

Weather During Stay:  Warm and humid, highs in the mid-80’s, lows in the upper 60’s.

Site Description:  This campground is a very small piece of a very large county park, with lakes, fishing, and boat rentals; biking, hiking, and equestrian trails; a golf course and disc golf; and a huge, very cool playground (removed from the camping area).  The campground itself was recently renovated and expanded, and we were in one of the 37 new, 50 amp FHU sites. 

12 of these new sites are pull-throughs, the remainder are back-ins.  Back-ins have gravel pads and concrete patios; pull-throughs have concrete pads and patios.  All sites have picnic tables and fire rings.  Roads are paved.  Photos of every site are available on their website, here.

The older part of the campground has 68 shady sites with 30 amp E only (no water or sewer), suitably sized for Class C and B RV’s and smaller trailers (or tents).  There is a launch ramp for canoes and kayaks in this section of the campground.

A deluxe dump station is set up to handle rigs both arriving and departing.  The bathhouse includes showers and laundry.  The campground office includes a small store and snack bar (including ice cream).  There are also 8 new, deluxe camping cabins and 10 basic cabins.

Rate: Varies by type of site: $25/night (30 amp only); $35/night for FHU back-ins; $45/night for FHU pull-throughs.  Senior discount (10%) Sunday-Thursday.  We paid $31.50/night for our 4-day weekday stay, plus a one-time day use pass fee of $5 (annual fee good in all Hamilton County parks).

Phone/radio/TV: Good Verizon signal for the aircard and phones.  No obstacles for our roof-mounted satellite, and over a dozen channels on the antenna including several PBS stations.  NPR is available at 91.7.  WiFi is available, but we didn’t use it.  Maybe an extra fee (Tengo).

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain:  Elevation is under 500 feet, with green, slightly hilly terrain.  Views are of other rigs, grass, and big green trees, including towering pines.  Some sites have views of the lake.  Very little shade in the new section of the campground.

Lighting/Noise:  Pleasantly dark and very quiet at night.  Lots of bird sounds in the morning!

Favorite Sites:  For a big rigs, the new sites are best - easy parking and good services.  We thought the pull-throughs were the worst of the new sites, in a row down the middle of the campground with campground roads both front and back.  On hot summer days, the back-ins on the far side (14F through 25F) have the best orientation, facing slightly northwest.  We were in 17F.

Hiking/Walking:  Excellent!  Trails circle the lake and wander all over the park.  Pleasant walking in the older part of the campground, too.

Comments: We really enjoyed this well-cared-for park.  Great amenities, with large sites and plenty to do on-site.  Convenient shopping nearby.  20 minutes to downtown Cincinnati.

KENTUCKY HORSE PARK, LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY

Our Opinion: Recommend.  A convenient campground in the heart of Kentucky horse country, adjacent to an interesting attraction.

Date of Stay: May 20 through May 22, 2010.

Weather During Stay:  Moderate temperatures with a giant thunderstorm one night.

Site Description:  260 W/E sites (no sewer hookups at any site) are arranged in two sets of concentric rings.  All sites are back-ins, all 40-50 feet long, and very few are level.  Roads and sites are paved, but parking pads are extremely narrow, barely wide enough for an RV.  Plenty of grassy area between sites, though; no problems for slides or awnings.   Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. 

Some E only sites are available in a separate area, on grass.  Two large dump stations are available on site, along with bathhouses, laundry and a camp store (with ice cream).  We also noticed a honey wagon making the rounds.

Rate: Standard sites are $27/night for 30/50 amp E and water.  That goes up to $35 on holidays and for special events (which means horse events).  10% discount for seniors, 62+ years.  Electric-only sites are $23/night.  Rates drop between Nov 1 and March 31.

Phone/radio/TV: Verizon phone signal was good, but our aircard signal was up and down.  Lots of trees mean you need to pick a site carefully for a roof-mounted satellite, but about a dozen channels were available on the antenna.  NPR is available at 91.3.  WiFi is available for an outrageous fee ($15/day, $25/week); we didn’t use it.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain:  This is a slightly rolling, grassy park at 1,000 feet. Views are of other rigs, grass, and big green trees.

Lighting/Noise:  No bright lights bothered us at night, and the park was reasonably quiet by 9 or 10 pm.

Favorite Sites:  No particular favorites here.  Very few sites are level; most big rigs either had wheels off the ground or up on blocks, or simply were not leveled (including ours).  Sites are not very long, so tow and towed vehicles are often parked on the grass.

Hiking/Walking:  Excellent!  This campground is immediately adjacent to the Kentucky Horse Park, with plenty of walking and, in season, great entertainment.

Comments: Too bad no effort was made to provide level campsites!  Still, the green grass and huge trees make a pretty campground, and the proximity to the Horse Park, Lexington’s premier equine facility, provides great entertainment.  Lots of horse people in the campground, zipping to and from the Horse Park in golf carts and on scooters.

AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

Our Opinion: Recommend.  This complex, on the east side of Memphis outside the I-240 loop (easy access), makes a convenient home base for exploration of Memphis or, in our case, a family visit.

Date of Stay: May 2 through May 19, 2010.

Weather During Stay:  We had it all (except cold): sun, rain, heavy humidity.  Severe thunderstorm warnings and flash flood watches. 

Site Description:  The Agricenter is similar to a fairground, and the 300 site “campground” is fairground-style: long rows of rectangular pull-through sites with a variety of utility hookups and limited amenities.  Sites are level, a combination of gravel and grass, easily swamped by rain. Showers and a laundry room are available – we didn’t use either.  Roads are gravel, and potholed.  Onsite storm shelter.

Our site has a gravel pad with 50 amp FHU.  Others have 30 amps, and many have just W/E.  Reservations are recommended if you want a FHU site.

Site 54 in Sunshine	Waterlogged Site 54

Rate: $30/night for 50 amp FHU; $180/week.  Other configurations are cheaper. 

Phone/radio/TV: Strong Verizon signal for the aircard and phones.  No obstacles for our roof-mounted satellite, and over a dozen channels on the antenna.  NPR is available at 91.1.  WiFi appears to be available, but we didn’t use it

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain:  Elevation is low, and the terrain is flat and grassy.  Views are of other rigs, grass, big green trees, nearby agricultural fields and the buildings of the Agricenter:  the permanent Farmer‘s Market, event center, and the Memphis NOAA weather center (the NOAA weather radar site).

Lighting/Noise:  High floodlights come on at night, but we were parked far enough away to minimize the glare.  Reasonably quiet at night, but the road behind the campground gets noisy by 7 am.

Favorite Sites:  The 50 amp FHU sites are in a section of the campground separate from the less expensive (and very crowded) sites favored by the semi-permanent campers who live here while they work in the area.  We were in site 54, with open space on our curb side.  Half or fewer of the sites in our area were occupied, so we all had plenty of space.

Hiking/Walking:  Excellent!  Trails along the Wolf River are accessible by foot from the campground.  A huge regional park (Shelby Farms) is adjacent to the Agricenter with miles of paved walking/biking trails. 

Comments: Though the campground is nothing special, the location is great.  Surrounded by grass, green trees, and agricultural fields, the camping area has a rural feel, but all kinds of shopping and restaurants line Germantown Road, a 6 lane adjacent thoroughfare.  Germantown is an upscale area of Memphis and feels very safe.  NOT a destination campground, but recommended for full timers who can make their own entertainment.

UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI CAMPUS, OXFORD, MS

Our Opinion: Rave!  A great place to park while visiting Oxford and the University of Mississippi - but pick your dates carefully to avoid football season.

Date of Stay: April 30 and May 1 , 2010.

Weather During Stay:  Scary.  Severe thunderstorm warnings, tornado watches and warnings and flash flood watches.  Heavy rain; lots of lightening and thunder.

Site Description:  This is not really a campground, but our “site” has 50 amp E, water, and cable TV.  We parked in one of the two parking lots on the University of Mississippi’s (Ole Miss) campus that have RV hookups.  These sites are leased by football fans during the football season ($1,400 per season), but are available to RV’ers during off season when no other big events are going on (in which case the lots would be filled with cars and unavailable to travelers).

Our lot is on Taylor Road, just north of the traffic circle and south of University Ave. on the west side, across from the baseball stadium.  For information on availability and directions, call Reed Russell (Physical Plant) at 662-915-7051 or 662-915-2131 during normal weekday working hours.

Rate: $25/night, payable by check to University of Mississippi.  Deliver to the physical plant or mail to Physical Plant Department, 700 Hathorn Rd., University, MS 38677.  Mark your check “for RV Parking”.

Phone/radio/TV: Strong Verizon signal for the aircard and phones.  No obstacles for our roof-mounted satellite - and 80+ channels including local networks are available on the included cable TV.   NPR is available at 89.5.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain:  Slightly rolling terrain at 500 ft elevation.  Views are of cars in the lot, the baseball stadium, and many green trees.

Lighting/Noise:  The parking lot is lit at night with high streetlights, but we parked in such a way as to minimize the glare.  Quiet at night.

Favorite Sites:  If you are lucky enough to arrive at a time that the lot is available, pick based on slope and which direction you prefer to face.

Hiking/Walking:  Great walking on this historic campus, or walk a mile to the lively square in adjacent Oxford.

Comments: In spite of the terrible, dangerous weather when we were here, we would return.  The friendly town of Oxford is vibrant and lively, and the Ole Miss campus is beautiful.  With good internet, cable TV, and solid shelter nearby, it felt like a secure place to wait out the bad weather.