As a public service, I’ve decided to take it upon myself to review two of the things more near and dear to me at this point in time – Campgrounds and brewpubs (I’ll talk more about the latter in my brewpub review).
Now, bear in mind that we have totally different ideas of what a campground should be than a family of four or a retired couple might have. We have no children, so a playground doesn’t do us much good and chances are we’re spending our weekdays working. We also shower and take care of other personal business in the motorhome, so we don’t normally go checking into the shower house or the public restrooms. Not that there’s anything wrong with either, mind you, but I felt it important to add a disclaimer up front in the event your view of the world differs from mine.
That said…
First on the block is River’s Edge Mountain RV Resort in Murphy, NC.
We enjoy this park for a myriad of reasons. First, and probably foremost, it’s relatively close to the house which means we can sneak away for a long weekend but be close enough to run home if we need to feed the cats (normally we have a cat sitter – trust me, they do NOT starve) or some other work-related catastrophe comes up. While the park itself is not huge – there’s 49 lots – the sites are and are easy to get into and out of. There are a select number of river lots that back up to the Nottely River and, while you’re not supposed to swim in it (they’re downstream from a dam) it is nice to look at and affords a slightly larger grassy area for your enjoyment. There’s not much in the way of shade as it’s a relatively new park, but if you’re into satellite TV, then that might be something you look for.
While wireless is available (2.4GHz and 5GHz), usability wasn’t all that great in the evenings. I don’t think it’s a lack of bandwidth but rather a lack of hardware and configuration. They did mention that it was a rather new system that they installed, so perhaps they’ll work out the kinks over time. If you want better service, bring 5GHz gear or a cellular hotspot and light up your own rig.
The park itself is very well maintained. The grass is always at an appropriate height and there’s no garbage laying around to speak of. All the sites have level concrete pads, wide enough for your RV and a picnic table, and asphalt parking areas. The park is almost directly off a four-lane highway but rarely were we disturbed by road noise, even at night. Also worth mentioning is the fact that this park is rare in that it’s the only one I’ve ever been where the camp hosts actually permit the washing of RVs. I wouldn’t say he came out and encouraged me to wash ours, but the idea came up several times in conversation. To further reinforce this, each site is provided with two hose connections along with the usual electrical outlets and 88 channels of cable television.
Fire pits are available, but are rather small, of the portable variety, and, as we found out on our first stay there, aren’t always in the best shape. Installing true dug out fire pits would be a definite improvement … perhaps that’s on the to-do list. There is a large pavilion on the site that is used for activities that the resort sponsors along with a good sized fire ring. The first time we stayed they had a band one night and karaoke the next – not sure if the karaoke was a plus or a minus though. There is no pool, nor any playground, so if lounging waterside or searing your butt on the slide is your idea of fun, you’ll be sadly disappointed.
As for stuff to do nearby… There is a relatively new casino about 10 miles or so away. We haven’t been in it as we’ve heard that they’re not exactly generous with the payouts (well, less so that normal, I suppose) and the food court inside would be on par with a shopping mall. Oh, and no free drinks while you play. Downtown Murphy has the typical old, small town feel to it, complete with the usual array of shops and local restaurants. There’s a flea market not far from the campground and no shortage of highway-yard sales along the main road through town during the weekends. There is a lake nearby if boating is your thing and you’re not too far from several areas where you can go white water rafting. We’ve not done either so I’ll leave it to you to do what you will.