I-75 Tifton, GA M/M 63B - Campground

[jelmore]

I often wondered if building a chain of " no frills " RV parks would be a good investment. I considered starting in Jacksonville, FL on I-10 and building a park every 400 miles all the way to Los Angeles. $20/night for 50 amp, water, wifi, and a central dump site. Maybe an out of business shopping center could be leased so site work would be minimal.

What do you guys think?

Tuga, I can't tell you how many times we've thought that thought. We would do without the wifi (Sprint or Verizon takes care of that) and putting a single water source in would probably do since we all can get by at least one night on a tank of water. Thought even just a lot with a credit card 24-hour access to a locked gate would be nice and relatively secure. Of course, we'd miss out on the food next to the Walmarts. Wonder what it would cost to put in 10 50-amp pedestals with a credit card reader.

[merle&louise]

Jim,

Jon should be able to give you a guesstimate on what the power pedestal would be (my guess would be $400 each). I think you have to have a campground host to collect the money. You would need someone on site during certain hours of the day or night. CC devices give trouble and so do the electric gates; I would have someone on duty, at least during the day up until 8 PM.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

The power outlet is the cheap part. First we have to understand the premise.

There are destination campgrounds, and there are campgrounds for transients. What Tuga is talking about is a transient campground. Further definition is also required. We know transient campgrounds currently are campgrounds almost right off the highway we are traveling, Walmart, or rest areas. There is a lesser known option and that is at hotels that have a parking area for large rigs and which will charge $5 just to park overnight.

I assume all RV drivers are like me. I prefer a campground because I like being on private property and enjoy the security that offers as opposed to Walmart or a rest area. While Walmarts may have some form of security that doesn't stop the locals who were drinking at the local watering hole up the road from circling the coach and raising hell in the middle of the night. In rest areas you just take your chances.

The reason why I will overnight in a rest area or Walmart is not the price. It is because at the end of the day I want to drive to a parking spot, level the coach and go sit in the living room and relax. I don't want to spend 15 minutes checking in filling out the paperwork in a campground and I sure do not want to hear about the combination to the showers and where the laundry is located.

If a national chain, whether it is a hotel operator, Walmart, Flying J or just some new franchise ever opens up a secure RV overnight parking area close to the interstate exit I will use it. Especially if all I have to do is swipe my credit card. If it has power outlets that is even better. For someone to provide power outlets and maybe a central water supply and dump station they need to get into some serious infrastructure, and may end up with being obligated to register guests requiring the 15 minute check in. If they are charging me to park I doubt if that would be required.

Power outlets, 20/30/50 post mounted were about $85 and pedestals (that extend into the ground) were more but I don't remember prices anymore. Well under $200 however.

[jelmore]

We find great freedom in NOT hooking up. It's great not being tethered to a sewer hose and water. Having electricity would certainly be worth the cost to avoid the generator and the effort of energy management.

In Tulsa, we stay at the fairgrounds. Not much more than a parking lot with full services. I find it refreshing. Our environment is inside the bus or out on the town, both much nicer than almost every rv park. It's not camping.

I didn't know hotels welcomed us for $5. Anyone specifically, or specifically not?

[garyde]

The price of the power pedestal is the least expensive part. The trenching, conduit, wire, panels, metering, utility service all far exceed the price of a pedestal. Plans and permits extra.
On the one hand, I enjoy private Parks because many of them are unique.
Traveling long days, I check in after the office is sometimes closed,so no problem with office staff. Price is the issue, so it all depends on how many days you are on the road. Some days rest stops, truck stops, Casino's, and some days Rv parks. Oh yea, some days , friends and relatives.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

What about the PROPERTY TAXES and LIABILITY How would accidents and crime be dealt with with no one home per say?

That is why I do not agree when uncle sam starts getting in the overnight camping business. Just the advantage of no property taxes alone is huge, and unfair. How about the free security service they get by virtue of the depart. of whatever. How ya gonna compete with that. IMHO just plain wrong.

I will gladly choke up the extra 15 bucks and use the REAL GUY, for better or worse. Cracker Barrel for a nap or a quick overnight is usually very nice. Food ain't bad either. They aren't out west are they.

There is an idea a chain of restaurants with a theme, out west, that invite campers to overnight for free like Cracker Barrel does. Add Wall Mart and you have 2 very successful companies that have figured out and make that formula very profitable!

[Jon Wehrenberg]

For a time, and possibly the situation still continues we found a farily large number of Best Western Hotels had parking areas for guests that drove trucks. They advertised truck parking. So we found even if we were not a guest we could park there and all they wanted was $5. No hookups, but we were on private property, not subject to most of the problems associated with sitting out in the open in a Walmart parking lot or in a rest area.

Since then we have seen hotels with modest size RV parks right on the adjoining parcel. As a company we sold all the electric pedestals, picnic talbes and grilles to a Best Western operator in upper Michigan for about 200 sites for an RV park adjacent to the hotel. That was a vacation area and it would be a destination campground.

Joe, not sure where you are headed with your comments, but if you park anywhere someone owns the dirt under your wheels. I suspect however if you park in a rest area you are responsible for your own safety. That is publicly owned property. You may successfully sue Walmart or Cracker Barrel if something happens while you are trespassing on their property, but my guess is if that happens the corporation will stop all overnight parking so they no longer have to deal with potential lawsuits.