Evaluating Recent Campgrounds

Last time I described some of the factors that are important to us about a campground. Now I am going to talk about some of our recent campgrounds and how they compare.

Carowinds Camp Wilderness. As much as we complained about working for Carowinds, the campground rates pretty well on our list of criteria (The Finkston Scale). The sites were large. The Wifi was good. Laundry was inexpensive and we were usually the only ones using it since most everyone else went out to the laundromat. People there were generally friendly and we met a wide range of people. Grocery stores, shopping and restaurants were only about 10 minutes away.

But, we won't be staying there in the future, even though we are slated to return to the area for a couple weeks in April. Why? The cost. As workers, we paid only $175/mo for our site. But, if we return, the monthly fee is $900 and that's a deal breaker.


Twin Lakes Campground, Cumming, GA.  In theory, this was a nice campground, yet we hated it. We picked our site based on a map. Problem is, the map didn't show that the site was up a steep hill so if we wanted to walk around the lakes, we either had to drive down or walk up and down a very steep hill. We could have opted for a site down below, but they were more like a parking lot with RV's very close together. The water pressure was so bad, we filled our tanks and used our water pump in order to up the pressure. The WiFi sucked and during the 10 days we were there, we maxed out the data on our personal wireless connection.

No laundry on site, though they told us there was a laundromat a mile away. That was accurate, but when we went there, the cars were parked two deep. Hardly how we want to spend our day off.

We mentioned the water pressure problem to someone in the office, but no one ever addressed it.

The other weird thing about this place was the atmosphere. No one was openly hostile or mean, but when we drove through people just stared. It was like those Westerns when the stranger comes to town and no one says anything, they just stare.

The final straw, however, had to do with money. First, it was $660/mo which is rather steep, particularly considering what I've listed above. In addition, it was cash only. When our plans changed, they were willing to give a refund, but only by check. And, the guy who writes the checks only writes them on Thursdays (WTF?) so we left on a Tuesday with a promise that our money would be refunded by check in two days and mailed to us. We did get the check, but the wait was an anxious time.

Historic Banning Mills, Whitesburg, GA This was a rather different campground because it was part of a larger complex with climbing walls, zip lines, cabins and yurts. The campground was fairly rustic with more leaves than I care for on the ground. We were happy to be right next to the laundry facilities, but they were out of order.

This place was also at least 20 minutes from the closest grocery store, so it felt remote.

The staff were very friendly and helpful and the overall atmosphere was nice. Our neighbors were particularly interesting and welcoming and we were sorry not to be able to spend more time with them. We didn't really meet any of the other residents, but they were friendly and there was a feeling of community there.

The WiFi was good and reliable.

Another thing I liked --- it was so remote that at night the stars popped from the sky.

The trash situation was annoying. There was one dumpster and we had to drive to it.

At $500/mo it was a much better value than Twin Lakes.

Pine Mountain RV Resort, Pine Moutnain, GA Our current location. We've only been here a couple days, but this place rates pretty well on The Finkston Scale.

First, the campground is tidy and well kept. There are ample laundry facilities and they are clean.

Our site isn't extremely large, but as you can see it's scenic with pine trees all around. Our last site was rustic. This site gives the appearance of being rustic because of the trees and pine needles, but it doesn't have leaves and branches all over the place.

No cable, but the WiFi is reliable and strong.

There's a grocery store and a couple of variety stores within a mile or two. We're also close to some tourist places that we'd like to visit.

The staff is helpful. Plus, there's an employee named Tater. How can you put a value on being able to say "Hey, Tater, how's it going?"

There's an "exercise room" which includes a treadmill and elliptical. Not sure we'll make use of it, but it's there.

Trash is picked up from our site twice a day.

But, the big deal for me is the steam shower. You have to make a reservation, but currently there are very few people here so that's not a problem. I extolled my pleasure with the shower in an earlier post. Click here. 

The monthly fee here is $550. As you can see by comparing the prices of the other campgrounds described above, it's a pretty good deal. It seems there's no real rhyme or reason for pricing. There are other sites here that are nicer with concrete pads and cable TV access, but they are $200 more per month. If we were here during a time of year when we'd be more likely to spend time outside, we might consider one of the pricier sites, though $750/mo is at the top of our price range.