Top Dog Cafe, Waves, NC

Top Dog Café, Waves, NC is located in a two story building with a bar (beer and wine only)on the top floor overlooking Pamlico Sound in this unassuming restaurant serving lunch daily from 11:30 to 3:00. The interior décor is early beach shack creating an eclectic atmosphere. There is no air conditioning however under cover and with fans it was comfortable on a warm July day. Note that we were here once in early September and they were already closed, but hey, this is the OBX. The menu is extensive and probably an overreach for them (would stick with the seafood entrées), and substitutions cannot be made to the luncheon entrée, however that was not an issue as we were there for their fish tacos. These are substantial tacos served with rice and black beans accented with cut scallions; we could have split one plate and been happy. As it was we each took home the second taco as they are so large with two slabs of dolphin (Mahi-mahi for those that don’t know this is dolphin the fish, not ‘Flipper’ the mammal) sandwiched between the soft taco shell with cilantro, the usual vegetable relish, and cheese. The fresh dolphin was moist, grilled just right and the vegetable relish did not overpower the delicious flavor of a great gastronomic fish. This is good food, not exceptional, and a place to return for seafood consistently well prepared. We ate here July 2019.

The Takeaway: Good seafood choices with fresh fish consistently prepared to enhance the fish and not overpower the delectable taste. Early beach décor. Don’t challenge the waitresses and do wait to be seated or be admonished, lol. Suggest sticking with the seafood and in particular the fish tacos, apparently their signature dish. Fresh fish consistently prepared. A sign on the wall says ‘my way or the highway’ and is apropos to management. We ate here July 2019.
 Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and more detailed reviews,etc.

White Oak Shores Camping & RV Resort, Stella, NC

White Oak Shores, Stella, NC is located alongside the White Oak River. When we made our advance reservation several months ago the website indicated this was privately owned and the reviews all laudatory. It subsequently, prior to our arrival, was sold to Encore Resorts (a REIT disguised as an rv park conglomerate). The previous owner developed a splendid rv park and the layout includes several sites located down a small hill by the White Oak River. The park offers grass sites with working FHU and stable 50 amp service. Approximately 50% consists of park models (most likely the reason this was an attractive acquisition for Encore) and during our stay were mostly uninhabited by the owners so the park was not crowded. Although located in rural Stella, a 15 minute ride on Rte.24 leads to the small historic town of Swansboro. 
Entering the park distinctive detailed grounds keeping and landscaping greets the visitor as they approach the office/welcome center. The entrance is wide and it was unnecessary to unhook from our 45’ motorcoach as we navigated thru the park with ample turns down the hill to our site by the White Oak River. The buildings are well maintained and the office, and store clean and neat; they were having computer issues as the transition to the Encore software platform was causing issues. The bathroom/shower building is unique in that instead of a community bath/shower room they offer individual bath/shower suites-nice. These bath/shower rooms were clean and tidy offering a distinctive amenity. At the lower level down the hill by the White Oak River is the crystal clear pool with water slide, an adjacent tiki bar with barbeque grill (was locked and chained off-why we don’t know) bathhouse, and a covered dock with space to tie up guest’s boats. We are curious, since the original owner was so meticulous in groundskeepimg and building maintenance, why the plethora of palm trees surrounding the pool area were dead and not been replaced. Likewise we were confused by the lack of WiFi which their website states is included but it is non-existent. The desk manager explained that under previous ownership the WiFi worked reasonably well and that Encore had changed over the WiFi and that it only worked up by the office. We attempted to access the intent by the office with our chromebook to no avail. The WiFi signal was 88%, however the download speed was a miserable 1.25 mps and the upload at 0.00 mps. We hope that the corporate business model displayed by Encore at their other parks we have visited does not spoil what was once a gem in Stella on the White Oak River. Our OTA (over the air antenna) pulled in several local channels. Our phone had good connection.
The Takeaway: at the time of our visit a beautiful rv campground in rural Stella, NC offering level grass sites with some sites located along the White Oak River. A recent Encore acquisition (remains to be seen if park retains its high standards) the sites afford standard FHU utilities and stable 50 amp service. The WiFi is non-existent, and OTA provided reception of several local channels. The buildings are well maintained with clean and unique individual bathroom/shower suites. Manicured grounds and landscaping. A good location from which to explore the surrounding area: Swansboro, Emerald Isle, and New Bern. We stayed here June 2019. Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.

White Oak Shores Site #W36, on the White Oak River

White Oak Shores Park Models

Walkway to Boat Dock

White Oak Shores Sunset

Wilmington KOA, Wilmington, NC

Wilmington KOA is located in Wilmington, NC in a residential neighborhood directly on Rte 17. The entrance is tucked between the Speedway and Ogden Carwash so keep a watch out for these landmarks as you approach. Entering the paved driveway takes the visitor to the architecturally iconic KOA office. Proceeding to our site the pavement turns to gravel and it was unnecessary to unhook from our 45’ motorcoach as the streets are wide and the turns generous. The gravel sites are level, and long, approx. 65’, with ample space between neighbors. We had reserved a ‘patio site’ which provides a large concrete patio, gas grill, brick firepit, and patio furniture with pleasant landscaping on either side. This KOA is an anomaly since our experience with KOA’s is that they offer benign neglect; this KOA is well maintained with landscaped grounds. The office building houses the bathrooms/showers which were clean and modern as was the laundry room. Next to the office is the sparkling clear pool. The park also has a community fire pit with a small pavilion close by for use by guests as well as a large dog run. A welcomed amenity is no prohibition against washing your motorcoach (they charge a small fee); this is huge for those of us that are full timers and/or travel 7 months of the year. The pictures on their website accurately portray current conditions.
 Historic Wilmington is 8.8 miles away and do visit and stroll the historic district with its notable homes sitting on the bluff overlooking the Cape Fear River. The riverfront has a boardwalk with many restaurants along its corridor. There are many points of interest in this area to keep the visitor busy for days including the USS North Carolina Battleship.
Although the campground includes cable tv we eschew such dated technology in favor of OTA (over the air antenna) and WiFi. We received numerous local HD channels from nearby Wilmington. The included WiFi internet (85% signal, -48 dBm) provided strong HD steaming capability. Cell phone service was, as expected, excellent being as the rv park is located in a metropolitan area.

The Takeaway: not the usual neglected KOA this rv park boasts long sites with concrete patios, and fire pit all surrounded by landscaped grounds. Good local HD channels and steaming HD WiFi augment the experience. The buildings are well maintained and the park offers numerous amenities per their website. Close proximity to historic Wilmington offers a unique opportunity to walk the area  with its notable homes along the banks of the Cape Fear River. We visited June 2019. Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.

Wilmington KOA, Site#028

RVPARKY.COM-Analysis and Critique

Regarding trip planning and researching RV parks we have found no other app, whether free or fee based, to be as user friendly, comprehensive and intuitive as free rvparky. We have no connection with this app. Although some apps attempt to integrate all sorts of extraneous info, i.e. fuel mileage, fuel used, trip routes, etc; rvparky focuses on four major components. First there is no limit on how many stops can be incorporated into your trip; second a created trip automatically adjusts the dates of future stays as the previous stays are adjusted-very cool; third the mileage between each stay is calculated so if we do not want a 400 mile day a stop-over place can easily be inserted; and fourth each location (city, town) selected then provides the user with a comprehensive list of rv parks in the vicinity with pictures, reviews, rates, etc. 
Expanding upon the above highlights please note that rvparky does provide ancillary information based on what the user enters in the ‘My Account’ page. This page allows user info, i.e. your email address and display name (default is a number which can be changed to whatever one likes), and a picture. The ‘My RV’ tab allows entry of type of rv, a description, rv length and height, as well as miles per gallon (this is only to provide a rough estimate of what your rv will use based on the trip your create). Accordingly all this information is rather generic and not as sophisticated as some other apps. However we consider those perks as unnecessary and ancillary to trip planning. Trip planning should not be cumbersome and laborious as it is on many apps and as it is on Google Maps, Good Sam, etc. 
The beauty about planning a trip on rvparky are several:
1. Choose ‘Create Trip’ and enter the simple and quick information requested. If you do not know the date your trip will start simply pick today’s date (this can be changed later). 
2. The next page allows one to enter as many trip destinations as desired (we routinely enter 43 destinations for our trips). The destinations can be moved to change order or a destination inserted or removed.
3. Next, and this is particularly exclusive to rvparky, the app automatically adjusts the dates of each destination based not only on the start date, but also changes all future destinations dates as the length of stay is changed at any destination. A real time saver and a savvy tool in organizing the trip.
4. The mileage between each destination is shown and is intended as an estimate. And we emphasis here not to adhere to the rvparky choice of route shown on their map. Because of the size of our motorcoach (length, height and weight) we routinely plan our route using Rand McNally Motor Carrier’s Road Atlas. This permits us to take the path less followed, i.e. follow the Mississippi River Road vs. the Interstate with confidence that we are on a truck route.
5. Instead of interminably searching thru Good Sam, Big Rigs, Google Maps the process of searching for camping parks is simplified by choosing ‘find a place to stay’(this search feature can be adjusted in settings so as not to incur information overload). The search is exhaustive (Good Sam does not list camps that are not Good Sam members, and other apps have equally restrictive search engines). The rvparky search for camps in the vicinity of the city chosen makes trip planning a more pleasurable experience. And we have found the rvparky reviews to be more reliable than other sites.
The Takeaway: rvparky provides a user friendly and easy trip planning tool for scheduling your next trip whether it is only a few destinations or a hundred. It is not intended to be an all inclusive planner; rather its forte is date scheduling numerous destinations which has become paramount in today’s overcrowded camping scene. We encourage use of Rand McNally Motor Carrier’s Road Atlas, Google Maps/Google Earth in tandem with rvparky to create an enjoyable driving experience between RV parks.
Go to www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions, etc.

Oak Plantation Campground, Charleston, SC

Oak Plantation Campground is located in the historic antebellum southern town of Charleston, SC. It is interesting that Charleston does not boast a truly class A resort given its notoriety for: restaurants that challenge the best of what is offered in NYC, Las Vegas, etc;  the historic downtown with its mansions; the  preserved antebellum plantations; the beautiful beaches and miles of waterways; offshore fishing, and temperate weather. However the traveler can avail himself of this rv park which offers an amenable experience. Its given name accurately describes the park as it is covered by large live oak trees that are all trimmed up a minimum of 20’ and back from the roadway. The acres of carpeted grass grounds are impeccably maintained, and although most sites are grass or minimal gravel the spaciousness between sites, the live oaks, a bucolic setting amidst the busy Savannah Hwy. belies its nature. This campground has been run by the same family for generations and has made a concerted effort to continuously maintain and upgrade the buildings and grounds. Entering and exiting is from Savannah Hwy. (Route 17); when entering from the north it is an easy right turn; coming from the south is more challenging as a left turn must be made across 4 lane Savannah Hwy. When exiting north it is far better to instead go south, then right at the first traffic light one hundred yards away and circle around on Bees Ferry Road. 
We cannot recommend any other rv park in the area with the exception of James County Park Campground. James County Park is a pleasant rv park, the one issue being the 12’ height of the live oak trees that line and cover the city streets leading to this park which unfortunately want to grab anything on your roof as their own. Not to miss is the annual Holiday Festival of Lights.
Oak Plantation campground as previously stated is a huge 100 acre flat grassed environment with numerous old live oak trees. The sites are separated by large swaths of grass and the sites are long and level. Some sites have concrete pads that will accommodate small rv’s, and there are sites with water and 30 amp only.  A pool up front by the busy Savannah Hwy. is the only amenity aside from a children’s playground and an adult size chess board with life-size chessmen. There is also a covered open air pavilion for rallies. The brick bathroom/shower buildings are exceptionally clean and spacious, although a bit dated; the showers are all tiled. Another separate brick building houses the laundry and additional bathrooms/showers. Note that just south of this park on Savannah Hwy. shortly after the first light and on the left is the fresh shrimp mobile trailer market, Southern Shrimp; the owner, Eddie Corley, shows up Thursday thru Sunday or until he runs out of shrimp. He stores his trailer at Oak Plantation so check with them to ascertain his days and hours selling fresh shrimp caught at the SC/FL border.
Entering the park is a wide parking area with the office/registration building on the right. We prefer to unhook when registering at the office. Although driving to the assigned site in our 45’ motorcoach with the tow is possible as there is good turning clearance some of the turns are hard against ditches (which keep the park from flooding) and  so it is much easier to drive to the assigned site unhooked (for those with a 5th wheel or a shorter motorcoach this is not an issue). Also, to their credit, and this always aggravates me, the large oak trees have been trimmed high up so that our 13’ foot height was not an issue. FHU is provided, the 50 amp service is stable and provided 70 amp constant draw, the site was to their credit level, and new picnic tables are provided. 
The few pictures on their website, rvparky, and Google Maps (Maps provides an excellent view of the park via Google cameras as they do a drive thru) are representative of current conditions. In addition reservations must be made by phone and requires a non-refundable deposit. WiFi was acceptable for retrieving email; it does support streaming music and movies (70% signal, -60dBm; also recorded 95% signal,-38dBm). Accordingly the WiFi spans marginal to HD streaming with our Winegard ConnecT antenna. Using our Winegard Rayzor Automatic enabled us to pull in the numerous local tv channels in HD.

The Takeaway: Charleston is a bucket list must and Oak Plantation is the campground of choice. A pastoral campground on the periphery of Charleston that has been well maintained and offers the best rv park experience in the vicinity. Not class A, not a resort; moreover offering quiet solitude among mature live oak trees with large spacious grassed sites. Accessed directly from Savannah Hwy. and 11 miles from historic downtown Charleston with shopping and gastronomic delights. WiFi ranges from marginal to HD streaming (not sure why the inconsistency). Pictures on web site, rvparky, and Google Maps are representative of actual conditions. We have visited this campground for over a decade; last visited June 2019 and again August 2019. Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.

Oak Plantation, large, level,spacious lots

Oak Plantation, Site#G7

Oak Plantation Pool

Magnolia RV Park, Kinards, SC

Magnolia RV Park (their website does not always pull up) is located in Kinards, SC off Exit 60 on I26;  long ago it was a KOA. We use this as a layover, to divide the trip, when traveling between Charleston and the Sevierville, TN area. The reservation link on their website does not function so a phone call is in order.We stayed at Magnolia RV back in October 2014; we visited again in June 2019 and the improvements were striking.  Although still a bit rustic it is apparent that thought and effort have been applied to improve the park’s overall condition. Pulling into the campground on the dirt & gravel road one finds the office building to the left. This building houses the welcome center, small store and bathroom/shower facilities. The obvious architectural features are a dead giveaway that this once was a KOA. The building has undergone a facelift and obvious improvements. The bathroom/shower facilities accessed from the side of the building apparently were renovated in 2017 and show well with tile floor, tile walls and contemporary fixtures-all a welcome improvement. Likewise the laundry is clean sporting new washers and dryers. The road and turns are adequate for us to proceed to our pull-thru site with a 45’ motorcoach and car in tow. The pull thru was long (did not have to unhook) and level. The few trees are trimmed up and back from the road; the site includes a picnic table. FHU is relatively new and the 50 amp service was stable. One is in rural SC with apparently no local attractions, but let your heart not be troubled. Just 16.5 miles away is the historic town of Newberry and the iconic Newberry Opera House; well worth a visit. The sparkling clear pool looked as if a new concrete apron had been installed and was surrounded by new pool furniture. And adjacent to the pool is a new playground. WiFi is provided and we were able with our WiFi antenna to access the internet and stream movies and tv with some buffering (WiFi signal 90%, -53dBm). Our OTA (over the air antenna) received very few channels as we were too far off the grid. Our cell phone received 3G LTE. It is encouraging to experience the obvious interest the owners have in improving their campground and we encourage them to continue their efforts.

The Takeaway: located in rural Kinards, SC a must visit is the historic town of Newberry and the iconic Newberry Opera House. An acceptable stop-over campground on the I26 corridor that is making obvious strides to improve its infrastructure, buildings and amenities, and still a bit rustic. WiFi is moderately broadband with slight buffering. Sites are long and level with new FHU utilities. We stayed at Magnolia RV back in October 2014; we visited again in June 2019. Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.

Magnolia RV Park, Site#22

Magnolia RV Park, New FHU

Magnolia RV Park, Remodeled Office, Bath,Shower,Laundry

Magnolia RV Park, Pool

Magnolia RV Park, Playground

Pontchartrain Landing, New Orleans, LA

Our stay at Pontchartrain Landing just  outside New Orleans was for two nights as we were just passing thru on our way East. It is located  on the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal which connects to Lake Pontchartrain. We did stay here once before in April 2014. The website pictures are disingenuous.
While we in no way appreciate dirt streets and lightly graveled rv sites this most recent visit exhibited lack of maintenance. The roads inside the park send plumes of dust as each car and rv passes by augmented by pot holes and mud. The rv sites are cantilevered so it is difficult, even with auto leveling, to obtain a level motorcoach, and the sites have seen their better day of being gravel filled. Landscaping has been ignored and all the palm trees are dead with no apparent attempt to replace them. The view along the canal is nice enough (industrial/marine), but does not compensate for the dust and rundown physical plant. It matters not what class of site is chosen; they are all dirt with dying palm trees.
Again, another rv park owner practicing benign neglect knowing that demand exceeds supply and any constructive criticism is met with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. This park is located in a marine/industrial zone down a narrow road that is literally falling apart.
WiFi does not exist at all despite the advertisement to the contrary. The park’s quote on their WiFi-“will work for checking and sending e-mail* surfing the web posting to social media*”(* states “connection speed and upload times will vary depending on how many other users are connected”). 
When we comment on WiFi we speak from a position of authority as we have installed on the roof of the coach a Winegard  ConnecT. This is a wonderful product and outperforms the Winegard advertising pitch. It receives WiFi in almost every park including most of the hotspots in use at individual rv’s (do not be concerned about security as your hotspot is WSA encrypted). In addition the ConnecT router broadcast signal reaches all the way from the front of my coach to the rear thru some very thick walls; it even broadcasts thru the exterior walls which have a skin of aluminum so I can control my stereo and home theater with my phone. Using our ConnecT we could not locate the Pontchartrain Landing WiFi. In addition there appeared to be an apparent blocking of our own cell phone as a hot spot (not sure what was going on with that). We did use our OTA (over the air tv) antenna to receive many HD tv channels from New Orleans. Reviewers have commented on the pricing and lack of WiFi. For our part we would expect streaming quality WiFi at this given price level.

We rarely use the rv park baths and showers preferring to use our own on the coach and unfortunately we did not inspect the bathrooms so we cannot comment on the cleanliness of the park’s bath facilities. The medium sized sparkling pool offers a welcome respite from the warm Louisiana summers and lacks an adequate number of chairs and lounge chairs. And given the proximity to New Orleans one may opt to reserve a site in this park; we do not. A short 30 minute drive to the north side of Lake Pontchartrain offers a real class a rv resort. 

The Takeaway: A neglected rv park with no maintenance nor grounds keeping. There are better stopovers along the I10 corridor in this area. If the reason for visiting is New Orleans, which we assume it is for most of us vagabonds, we suggest booking at a real class A rv resort 30 minutes North of New Orleans and driving into NOLA for day trips to return to the pleasant experience of a class A resort with all the amenities. We stayed here April 2014 and May 2019. Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.

Anchor Down RV Resort, Dandridge, TN

Anchor Down RV Resort is located in Dandridge, TN overlooking Douglas Lake. We will grant this as a resort since they do have a permanent food trailer down by the pool serving good food, not fast food. Interestingly the cook is a renowned BBQ chef (he has his own smoker behind the food trailer) having won many awards and we can attest, as former SC residents, that his BBQ is the real thing-moist, tender with just a hint of seasoning and smoke. Adding to the resort experience is an extensive number of amenities. The rv park is perched on the side of a hill leading down to Douglas Lake. The paved streets are wide and easily navigated in our 45’ motorcoach with a tow vehicle. The concrete pads are level; even those perched on the side of the hill, and include an ample concrete patio. Sites include an in-ground fire pit (some sites even boast beautiful stone fireplaces), and picnic table. The views of the Lake are mesmerizing. Gravel and grass separate the sites with ample spacing between neighbors. The campground is well maintained, landscaped and spotless; any trees are trimmed up. Walking down the hill leads to the sparkling clear swimming pool (a salt water kiddy pool is adjacent) with a sufficient number of lounge chairs and tables to accommodate guests escaping the warmth already evident in June. As previously mentioned the food trailer is nearby the pool bathhouse. Upon entering the resort we stop at the welcome center and are greeted at the drivers’ window by a receptionist before entering the building to register. The efficient registration gets us underway to our reserved site. The on-line booking is part of a growing trend in the rv park industry to not only automate but to augment the guest experience. Their website includes pictures of each site along with pertinent info as to length of rv it will accommodate, FHU info, etc. A specific site can be chosen and booked on line taking minimal time. We have mentioned in previous reviews this is the future and welcomed. Leaving the pool and walking further down to the lake is the boat dock including boat rentals, an expansive sandy beach replete with a large covered open air pavilion, volley ball beach area, swimming, floating water rafts, and two huge water slides that empty into the lake below. Back up on the hill is the standalone bathroom/shower, laundry facility that is well maintained, contemporary and quite clean and neat. 
The FHU is appropriate and the 50 amp electric stable allowing our 60 amp draw to work flawlessly. WiFi is included and HD streaming movies was possible with no buffering amid a full park (WiFi signal 82%, -47dBm). The OTA (over the air antenna) received a few local channels from Knoxville, 26 miles to the west. Phone service was 4G LTE.
This resort is strategically nearby the interesting Town of Dandridge, The Smokey Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway, other attractions, and of course the tourist Mecca’s triumvirate: Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg only 30 to 45 minutes away. And do not overlook the informative tour at the Busch Brother’s baked bean plant.

The Takeaway: A real gem located on the shores of Douglas Lake offering an award winning chef serving good in-house smoked BBQ. A modern, clean Class A rv resort with enough amenities to keep the attention span of a petulant child captivated. The private bathroom/shower rooms are well maintained and exceptionally clean. Good FHU and stable electrical. WiFi delivers broadband with HD streaming. Well laid out park site plan with memorable views of the Lake. All level concrete pads with upscale options to book a site on line with a stone fireplace and lake views. We visited June 2014, September 2016, and June 2019. Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.

Cove Creek RV Resort, Sevierville, TN

Cove Creek RV Resort is located in Sevierville, TN within the bucolic Weirs Valley. This is not the definition of a resort, as we keep mentioning, in the true sense of the word unless one includes the adjacent and separately owned Hillbilly’s Restaurant. Also, adjacent to the rv park property is a newly constructed moonshine distillery. This is a favorite campground due to beautiful Weirs Valley surrounded by striking mountains now dotted with vacation homes. This is a unique area in the Smokey Mountains so there is much to explore. The entrance into the rv park is wide and all streets paved. The welcome center/office houses a nicely furnished lounge area complete with fireplace and a rally center. The grounds are well maintained and there are no issues with trees nor shrubs hindering our motorcoach. Of the 113 level sites 22 are concrete with concrete patio, in ground fire pit and picnic table; the remaining sites are gravel with a picnic table. Between sites is a grass area and distance between neighbors is not too close to preclude a modicum of privacy. The property is well maintained and landscaped. In the center of the park is the sparkling clear pool (pool lacks adequate number of chairs and lounges) and bathouse which contains bath/shower rooms, an exercise room and laundry. The bath/shower rooms are clean and contemporary. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Dollywood are all only 30 minutes away so visiting those bustling tourist communities is a short trip from the quiet solitude of Wears Valley. WiFi is included and streaming movies was possible, however with a full rv park we experienced slight buffering (WiFi signal 81%, -60dBm); OTA (over the air antenna) provided fair access to a few local stations as the mountains block most OTA signals). Cell phone service was good at 4G LTE. Good FHU connections and the 50 amp service was stable supporting our continuous 60 amp draw. The pictures on their website are representative of current conditions.

The Takeaway: nestled within bucolic Weirs Valley, with a river running thru it, and close to the triumvirate: Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg. The well maintained buildings and bath/shower facilities with landscaped grounds define Cove Creek.  The sparkling pool offers a relaxing swim (pool lacks adequate number of chairs and lounges). WiFi is fair with some buffering, however OTA (over the air antenna) reception is poor due to the surrounding mountains. A perfect place from which to explore the Smokey Mountains and yet be apart from the attractions of: Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg only 30 minutes away. We visited September 2014, August 2017, and May/June 2019. Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.

Safe Harbor RV Resort, Nashville, TN

Safe Harbor RV Resort is located 24 minutes East of downtown Nashville,TN on J Percy Priest Reservoir. This bucolic setting is close to being a resort as it only lacks a restaurant, otherwise pool, beach, cable tv, WiFi, are all inclusive. A shuttle to downtown and boat rentals are available at a reasonable cost. Adjacent to the rv park is a full service marina.  The rv park streets are paved and the large sites are concrete with full length concrete patios, most sites enjoying water views;  sites include picnic tables, charcoal grills, fire pits and offer pull thru’s, back-ins and large buddy sites. This is a relatively small rv park with 126 sites. A 45’ motorcoach with tow did have to unhook at the entrance, however navigating the streets and parking was not an issue as the streets and turning radii are adequate. Although the rv park is located on a two tier sloping hill the pads are extra wide and level with the space between sites mostly crushed stone providing generous space between neighbors. Landscaping is minimal not interfering with our motorcoach  and there are no trees nor overhangs. The FHU is suitable and the 50 amp electric stable. WiFi is included and streaming movies was possible, however with a full rv park buffering was frequent (WiFi signal 87%, -60dBm); OTA (over the air antenna) provided good access to numerous local Nashville HD stations). The registration/welcome center houses the guest check-in, a small store, bathrooms and showers all which were clean and modern. Down the hill and between the two sections of the park is the pool providing a hospitable crystal clear respite from summer’s warmth with ample pool furniture. Adjacent to the pool is a large open air pavilion with stone fireplace and bathouse facilities. Another of few rv parks that offer on line reservations featuring a picture of the actual site with specs (i.e length that can be accommodated, FHU specs, etc) and the ability to book a specific site which in our estimation is a great benefit. The pictures on their website accurately depict the current condition of the campground.

The Takeaway: a fresh clean rv park with well maintained grounds away from the urban clatter. The buildings, as the grounds, are satisfactorily maintained and the contemporary bath/shower facilities sparkling clean. The large concrete pads provide ample space to park; generously wide resulting, in effect, a patio spanning the full length of the pad. The close proximity to Nashville, available shuttle, and lake access for swimming and boating make this a unique place to stay and explore the Nashville area. We conveniently found this rv park using the excellent free trip planning tool of rvparky. Note that this park is not listed on Good Sam! We visited May 2019. Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.