A vast amount of my job, until recently, involved travel. Lots and lots of travel – airplanes, rental cars and hotels…lots and lots of hotels. My role at work has since changed quite a bit and has me staying home with my only travel occurring when summoned to the mothership. As said mothership is in Louisville, KY and is within a day’s drive, we now take it as an opportunity to spend a week in the motorhome as I much prefer that to spending a week sleeping in a hotel bed of unknown grosstasticness and having my schedule dictated by the airlines.
A view of the other sites
We found Charlestown State Park on our first camping/working trip to Louisville. It got great reviews on a bunch of different sites and was relatively close to where I’d be working for the week. I had scoped it out from a data service perspective on a previous trip and felt confident we’d get decent cellular service while there. The only drawback, on that trip at least, was that we were “out of season” which meant that they didn’t accept reservations but a call to the park office reassured us that they’d have a full hookup site when we arrived.
We enjoyed our first stay so much that we booked our next Louisville trip there as well, even though I would be working a bit further south than I had previously. The drive to the office was a bit longer, but the campground made it totally worth it.
So first and foremost … there is no wi-fi service at this park, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise as it’s a state park. The Verizon service, however, was generally adequate for our needs. If you’re hoping to get DirecTV service, pick a site that faces east and look at the pictures on the DNR’s website as there’s a fair chance there will be a tree in your way.
What a sucky view…
All that said, however, if you’re not stuck inside due to the weather (or work!) I doubt you’ll miss any of that. The campground itself is gorgeous with lots of walking trails, relatively flat areas to walk or bike and loads of wildlife to watch. If boating is your thing, there’s a boat ramp on the Ohio River to launch from. As we spent most of our stay working, we spent our off hours sitting under the awning watching the bunnies. If there’s one thing this park has it’s bunnies. They’re everywhere. Clearly they’ve been busy.
As for the amenities, the sites are relatively level (ours was a bit high in the back but nothing we couldn’t overcome), paved with asphalt and had plenty of room for our Jeep. Most sites are quite wide, with plenty of space for whatever outdoor activities you may enjoy. All sites included a picnic table and a fire pit and most of them also included a grill. The grounds are well kept, clean, and mowed regularly. Even the restrooms and shower facilities were clean and well lit.
Regarding the fire pit – the Indiana DNR is pretty particular about the firewood you burn. Most states seem to be picky about this of late in an effort to prevent the spread of various tree diseases and parasites. Have no fear, however – they sell officially sanctioned firewood at the front gate and there’s a feed store a mile or so down the road that also sells it.
Site 123
We didn’t partake of much in the way of touristy stuff, but the county fairgrounds are a short jaunt down the highway. I saw a sign for Saturday night auto racing but the County Fair was in town while we were there which evidently preempted race night. There is a JayC grocery store relatively close by which, as they’ve been acquired by Kroger, looks a lot like a small Kroger (imagine that!). Their selection isn’t huge, but they’ve got the essentials. The usual assortment of fast food establishments and pizza delivery places are scattered about for your dining convenience.
One thing I have to recommend, if you’re a fan of doughnuts, is a visit to Jeff’s Bakery in Jeffersonville. You’ll be tempted to buy a dozen doughnuts while there as there’s just too many to choose from, but unless you’re hosting a doughnut tasting, scale your purchase back. Not because the doughnuts aren’t tasty – they’re flippin’ incredible – but because one must weigh at least a pound…give or take.
A traffic note – If you’re using GPS to navigate and haven’t updated in the past few months, pay attention to the fact that the intersection of I-265 and Indiana 62 now includes two roundabouts where previously there were traffic signals which was a bit of a rude discovery after ten hours of driving. If you’re coming from I-65 north you can avoid that by continuing up I-65 to Sellersburg (exit 9). The drive from there is fairly drama free.
One last piece of interesting trivia: Evidently, state law in Indiana states that you can buy beer, wine and/or liquor in the grocery store, which is handy BUT! if you want cold beer you must visit a liquor store. Interestingly, if your cashier is under 21 they can neither ring up your booze nor bag it. Also of note is the fact that no alcohol can be sold on Sunday be it in the grocery store or elsewhere. If you really need a sixer, head over the state line to Kentucky, they don’t have any such foolishness.