RV Camping Archives - Page 14 of 29 - RV Inspection And Care

Hershey RV Park – A Pennsylvania Amish Farm Country Gem

Hershey RV Park is located at 493 S. Mt. Pleasant Rd. in Lebanon, PA.

It’s situated right in the heart of Amish country and only a stones throw from the town of Hershey itself.

And what a beautiful park to stay at while you enjoy all that the area has to offer.

Click here to view the Hershey RV Park campground map

Hershey RV Park Features

First, about the RV park itself. This park is easy to access for large and small rigs alike.

The roads within the park are either asphalt or gravel. And the gravel roads can get rutted and have a few holes in them, especially after a rain storm.

But the park staff is vigilant though and re-grades and adds gravel to the roads in a timely manner. So the roads aren’t a major issue here.

The sites are dirt with gravel spread on top. And most of them are fairly level so that even a bigger rig can find a good spot.

The general appearance of the park is very nice. There are rolling green hills, multi-level spots, and a beautiful pond with many geese and ducks.

The pond at Hershey RV Park — **The beautiful pond by the clubhouse at Hershey RV Park**

You can take a canoe or kayak on the pond. And they also have pedal-powered swan boats that can be used too.

They also mow regularly and trim trees and bushes so that the park looks very well maintained.

Hershey RV Park Campsites

There are a variety of sites that offer various options. So there is one area that is entirely 50 amp with full hookups. And many of the larger rigs stay there.

But they also have numerous sites that are either 50 or 30 amp with full hookups. This is a very versatile area that accommodates many rigs.

There are also a few sites that are just 30 amp with full hookups too.

And they have one area that is 30 amp with just water. This seems to be a great area for those who want a shorter stay and tenters.

Many of the sites offer shade trees and a nice view of the park.

And there is one thing that we really appreciated about this Thousand Trails park.

That is that although there are some seasonal campers, they offer many sites to campers who want to stay on a daily or weekly basis. What a plus!

Check in was easy with the onsite staff. They try to be very accommodating and direct you to the right area for the size of your rig.

In fact, it seems that all the people that work at Hershey are very helpful and friendly.

And here’s a shout out to the park staff because they keep this park immaculate!!!

RV Park Amenities

The amenities are well kept up. The pool is large with a smaller section for the little ones.

The spa is located inside the clubhouse and that’s a real plus on cooler days.

The mini golf course is in great shape and the tennis/pickle ball courts are immaculate too.

In fact, while we were there, they were scrubbing them and then pressure washing them clean. That is something you don’t see very often.

The actual clubhouse and bath houses, although a little on the older side were very clean too.

And the laundry room had 6 washers and dryers and was very clean as well.

The camp store offered a variety of goods and they also sold ice cream. Hmmm … I wonder what brand being in Hershey? LOL.

The ice cream offerings seemed to be well received by many campers and was priced reasonably too.

Campground Prices

So what is the price for such a lovely campground???? Well, as mentioned, this park is part of the Thousand Trails system.

So those who have a Thousand Trails membership can stay for $0 a night.

But you can also reserve outside of that system and the daily price is $98 a night.

If you stay for a week or more, it averages out to about $90 a night. A little pricier than some of the other parks, but very worth it in our opinion.

Internet Connectivity At The Park

How about the internet???? Well, the park offers an internet wifi as many other parks do.

It costs a little extra to hook up to their high speed option, but it is not outrageous.

In fact, we actually used their wifi system for some of the time that we stayed here.

That’s because the internet in this area was a bit spotty and extremely slow at times on our AT&T network.

It was also slower at times on the campground wifi too. But going back and forth between the two, we were able to stay connected.

Hershey RV Park – Things To Do

Now let’s talk about the area. We personally love the area around the Hershey RV Park ourselves.

There is something for just about everyone. And first off there is Hershey Park, which is something that most families enjoy.

It is an amusement park with rollercoasters and many other rides and attractions. Many in the park enjoyed going there.

But there is also a museum in the town about Mr. Hershey and how he developed his company.

And they also explain why he chose this area for his chocolate factory. Very interesting and informative.

There is also the Hershey Hotel that can be toured and the Hershey Gardens that have been established.

They are just beautiful and have a great variety of plants and trees and flowers that change with every season.

Additionally, it has a butterfly atrium with many gorgeous butterflies to learn about and see.

We enjoyed all of these things located only about 15 to 20 minutes from the RV park.

Amish And Mennonite Local Culture

But you can also travel about 45 minutes to Lebanon and enjoy a place called The Amish Farm.

After all, you are staying in the heart of the Amish countryside. So why not learn a little bit about the people that work this land?

There is a bus tour of the area, a farm area, and they also show you what a typical Amish home looks like.

And they explain the difference between the Mennonite and Amish cultures.

We have to say that the Amish work ethic truly makes this area a beautiful one to look at.

And there are plenty of places around that offer Amish cuisine and baked goods too. All are worth a try, especially the baked goods.

Other Interesting Local Areas

If you go the other direction for about 45 minutes, you can get to Harrisburg. There are many things to see there.

But we actually went to the fire museum and saw how things have progressed over the years. Very interesting.

But Harrisburg has so much to offer being a larger city, so there is something for everyone there.

We didn’t get a chance to go to Stroudsburg, PA but there is a railroad museum there. And many other sights that we will probably explore another time.

Stroudsburg lies about 1 hour away. So a little further, but definitely within a day trip. So as you can see there is much that can be done in the area!

Hershey RV Park – Places To Eat Locally

Places to eat!!!! There are plenty of these. There are basically all of your chains in all three places we mentioned.

But there is also more Mom and Pop places and regional restaurants too.

We loved eating at Primanti Brothers in Hershey. It’s a small regional restaurant chain that offers a tavern/grill feel.

And they serve absolutely delicious sandwiches, etc. (the pastrami was to die for).

Then you can wash it down with your favorite beer, wine or mixed drink.

Located right near Hershey park, it is a great place to go after a day at an amusement park.

But we also ate at a diner call the Soda Jerk Diner located near Hershey Park as well. They serve a great breakfast and American Home style cooking.

Where To Get Supplies

Okay, that all sounds good, but what about places to provision?

Well, right on the road coming in from Hershey to the RV park are two great places.

One is a farm stand called Risser-Marvel Farm Market. Great local produce and a selection of jams, jellies, sauces, mustards, whoopie pies, and shoo fly pies.

There is also an Amish market called Country Pride with very good prices on many things.

A selection of spices, and stock items that is varied and well priced. And they have a great deli too.

Also, if you drive about 12-15 minutes away to a town called Palmyra, there is a Walmart and a Weis store there. And that pretty well takes care of everything else you need.

Just an FYI – that the farm stand and the Amish store are closed on Sunday.

There is also another Weis store and a Redners in Hershey where you can find provisions too.

And if you need a Costco or other big box stores, Lancaster PA offers that.

Oh and one more thing, both Hershey and Lancaster offer Tanger Outlet Stores, which is something that may interest some.

Hershey RV Park – Our Conclusion

So as you can see, there is so much to do and to see in this area. But now, how do we rate the Hershey area and the park itself???

The area is a definte 5++ stars. Just a unique and interesting place to visit.

Hershey RV Park itself we would give a 4.5 star rating. The park itself is great.

But there are just a few minor things we would like to see improved. Especially for us was the internet connectivity.

But this is definitely one of our overall favorite parks in our travels.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR A FANTASTIC PARK AND STAY!!! We will be back. 🙂

Campgrounds vs Boondocking

The following is a transcript of my podcast on “Campgrounds vs Boondocking”:

“Hello everyone and welcome to the RV Inspection And Care channel podcast.

Today’s subject is “campgrounds versus boondocking”. And you know, really there’s so many ways to go camping in your RV.

And there’s no one right way for everybody. Lots of folks love to spend most of their time in campgrounds, if not all of their time.

Then there are others that love to spend most or all of their time boondocking. And then there are those that mix the two together.

Whatever works for you is fine. Now, for the sake of our discussion today though let’s go ahead and define what boondocking is.

That’s because it means different things to different people. But for this discussion, boondocking doesn’t mean overnight stays.

You know, at rest stops and Walmarts and places like that. No, boondocking refers for this discussion to going out in rural areas for an extended period of time with no hookups.

Okay, so now that we have that definition going for us, let’s get started on the pros and the cons of campgrounds vs boondocking.

Click here to view all of my RV podcasts

The Pros And Cons Explained

And the first pro of campgrounds is the hookups. The easy hookups that you have available to you.

It’s so nice to just pull into your site, hook up your electric, hook up your water, and probably even be able to hook up your sewer in many cases.

And then you’re all set. Then when you leave, you just unhook and you’re gone. Well, that’s a real advantage!

Campgrounds Pro #2

Another advantage is having access to larger bathrooms and showers.

A lot of people like that. Rather than using the bathroom and shower that many times is smaller and more cramped in their RV.

Instead, they have these really nice showers and bathrooms, and so that’s an advantage too.

campgrounds pro #3

But now, the next pro for campgrounds is amenities. Things like pools and volleyball and mini golf.

And all those other things that campgrounds love to give you to make your stay there enjoyable.

Well, that’s that’s a real advantage. That’s a pro, especially if you have a family.

campgrounds pro #4

The next pro is that when you stay at campgrounds, you usually have the best possible internet access while you’re camping.

And what I mean by that is that usually campgrounds are located fairly close to towns or urban areas.

And this is where there is access to the internet, especially on a cellular use of the internet.

So that’s an advantage. And you know, I have to say that for us when we have gone across the US camping, we stay in campgrounds most of the time.

And roughly 90 to 95 percent of the time, using our hot spot, we have excellent internet access. So that’s a pro for campgrounds.

campgrounds pro #5

The next pro is that you can plan your travels out in advance well if you’re a planner.

And the reason you can do that is because of reservations. You just call in advance and you make a reservation.

And so when you show up you’re pretty well assured that you’ve got a spot. And that’s nice for those who like to plan in advance.

campgrounds pro #6

The next pro is that you can often be very close to urban areas or towns or places that have attractions.

You know, like museums and things like that, that would be nice to go and visit. So that’s a pro too.

campgrounds pro #7

The next pro is about security. But it’s not really about being secure because that’s kind of controversial.

Some people that are boondockers are quick to tell you: “Hey, we’re just as secure as anybody where we are, even though we’re out there. There’s no problem with security there”.

But we’re not going to talk about that. We’re going to talk about how people FEEL.

And very often people FEEL more secure in campgrounds. When they know especially that there’s maybe a gate at the entrance, or maybe a security force that patrols and things like that.

So oftentimes people feel more secure in campgrounds.

Well now, let’s move on to the cons of campgrounds. Because it’s not all pros.

Campgrounds vs Boondocking – Campground Cons

And the number one con is the expense of campgrounds. Yes, if you stay every night of the year in campgrounds, well you’re going to run up a pretty good bill.

Especially if you don’t have something like a discount membership, or a membership like Thousand Trails.

Those can really bring your camping costs down quite a bit. But even so you’re still going to be spending more money in campgrounds than you will boondocking. And that’s pretty clear.

campgrounds con #2

Now the next con is that you’re going to have to camp next to other RVers. And when I say next to them, usually there’s very little separation between sites.

And in some cases, it’s kind of ridiculous you know, how close you are.

In some campgrounds, you’re within inches of each other slides. And so that can be kind of irritating. So that can be a con for staying in campgrounds.

campgrounds con #3

The third con is a big one. And that is the irritation of some campgrounds.

You know, when we’re talking about staying next to other RVers, well it could be any number of things.

They could be playing loud music. Their dogs could be barking all the time.

They could be just loud people and have lots of people over. And they’re all just partying out there.

Well this can be a little bit of an irritation. Because you’re really close by someone else, and that noise just filters right over to your campsite. Well, that’s a con for some campgrounds.

campgrounds con #4

The next con for campgrounds is less nature intensive experiences.

You know, campgrounds, many of them get you closer to nature. But you you’re not really immersed in nature like you are when you’re out boondocking.

So for some that’s a con. Because they still have to get out and drive to go and really be in nature.

campgrounds con #5

The last con is if you don’t like to plan, if you’re spontaneous, well then you’re going to have a struggle for reservations.

These days especially after Covid, reservations are becoming more and more vital to be able to get a spot in campgrounds.

And so if you’re kind of spontaneous, the old days of just being able to show up and make sure you get a spot, well they’re getting harder and harder to find. So that can be a con with campgrounds too.

Campgrounds vs Boondocking – Boondocking Pros

Campgrounds vs boondocking - a lovely scenic boondocking spot — **A beautiful and scenic boondocking spot**

Now let’s talk about boondocking pros though. And the number one pro for boondocking is that it’s CHEAP!

In many cases when you’re staying on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land, it’s even zero dollars a night.

And that’s hard to beat. So it’s a very economical way to camp in your RV.

boondocking pro #2

The next pro is that there are tons of scenic spots to choose from for boondocking.

And when I say “scenic spots”, I mean just blow your eyes out, drop dead, gorgeous spots.

And there’s lots of places on the internet where you can find out about these spots.

So you can go out there and enjoy the most beautiful places to camp. That’s so huge, and that’s a great pro.

boondocking pro #3

And the third pro is that you have more opportunities when you’re boondocking. For things like hiking, biking and kayaking.

That’s because you’re right out in nature. You’re right there!

So if you’re adventurous, and if you love to be active, well then boondocking can be a real help for that.

boondocking pro #4

The next pro is the space that you enjoy when you’re out boondocking.

As opposed to campgrounds where you’re right by other people.

In fact, it could be miles before you find another camper when you’re boondocking.

Or it could at least be several hundred yards. So if you like a lot of peace and quiet, that’s where you’re going to enjoy it.

Or if you like to play your music loud, well you can go ahead and do that.

You’re not going to bother anybody else, because you’re out there and there’s nobody near to you. And that’s a big a pro!

boondocking pro #5

The next pro is that when you’re boondocking, these boondocking spots are very often close to national parks and national forests.

So you really have a lot to choose from in those areas. Especially again, if you’re adventurous and you love nature.

So all of those are great pros for boondocking.

Campgrounds vs Boondocking – Boondocking Cons

But what about the cons? Well, the number one con is that you have to get very good at conserving power and water. (edit – you must also conserve waste as well)

And if you don’t, you’re not going to be boondocking very long.

When we’re talking about conserving, you have to bring your power along with you, your electricity.

And you have to bring your water along with you. And then you have to manage it while you’re out there.

Because it’s not an endless supply like you have when you’re in a campground.

So you’ve got to learn how to do that. And for some, that’s a real challenge. So we’ll put that down as a con.

boondocking con #2

The next con is that there’s often no nearby convenient place to resupply.

You’re often very far away from grocery stores and Walmarts and things like that.

So you have to plan those out. And then you usually have a pretty good drive to go take care of those things.

boondocking con #3

The next con is that boondocking can be very difficult for those with larger rigs.

The smaller your rig is, the easier it is to get in and out of boondocking spots wherever you want to go.

But the bigger the rig is, the more difficult it is to go out in those really rural areas.

You know, the ones way out there. So that can be a con if you have a bigger rig.

boondocking con #4

The next con is internet connectivity. Again, if you’re way out there, then the chances of cell towers being out there for internet access can be very small.

And even phone access too. So that can be a con.

If you really need access to the internet, then you’ve got to rely on something like a cell booster to get it.

But even then, that can be really challenging in some way out areas.

boondocking con #5

Now the next con is there are no reservations. You can’t call ahead and reserve a spot for your boondocking.

So it means that sometimes you’re going to drive out there and find out that it’s already taken.

Or that it’s just not what you thought it was going to be. So reservations are not something that is part of the boondock camping experience. And that can be a con for some.

boondocking con #6

The last con is that there are far fewer spots available to boondock in the eastern part of the US.

Especially as opposed to the western part. But now, the flip side of that is there’s so much land in the western part of the US that’s BLM land or available for boondocking.

In fact, you could camp for years and never camp in the same spot twice.

So you’ve got plenty of availability out in the West. But the eastern half of the US gets much more challenging.

Now that doesn’t mean that there aren’t boondocking spots there. But it’s a lot more difficult to find.

Well, those are the pros and the cons of campgrounds versus boondocking.

My Overall Conclusion

And here’s my conclusion on the subject of campgrounds vs boondocking. My general take is that campgrounds are best for RVers that like convenience.

So if you want convenience then that’s the best way to do it. If you like to stay in control of things.

And not be too challenged by camping itself, then campgrounds are the way to go.

But boondocking is best for those who love adventure. They love nature, and they’re happy to get out there in it.

They don’t mind having inconveniences and so on. Well then, boondocking is a great experience for them.

And as I said earlier, either way you go, you’re going to be able to enjoy your RV camping.

Well that’s it for now. Have safe and happy travels my friends …. until next time.”

Gettysburg Farm RV Campground – Lots To See And Do

Gettysburg Farm RV Campground is located at 6200 Big Mount Road in Dover, PA.

What a unique and totally enjoyable park this is! And it’s located only about 30 minutes from the historical town of Gettysburg.

This RV park gives you a total feeling of being out in the country. But without being far from most things you want to visit and enjoy in the area.

Getting to the park is very easy and is definitely big rig friendly. Some corners are a little tight for a large motorhome, but still very doable.

This park is part of the Thousand Trails campground system and has a total of 249 sites.

And as a Thousand Trails member you can stay here for $0/night.

As is often the case, it can also be reserved outside of the system for about $69 a night. And weekly costs average out to about $60 a night.

Click here to view the Gettysburg Farm RV Campground map

Gettysburg Farm RV Campground Features

This campground is very friendly to big rigs. We easily navigated this park with our motorhome.

It’s true that the roads were dirt and gravel. But they seem to often come around and fill in the holes that develop because of rain, etc.

Although there are some seasonal guests, they leave plenty of sites for travelers. And we truly appreciated that.

They have one large section of the park with full hookups including both 50 and 30 amp sites.

And there is another section that has full hookups with just 30 amp service.

They also have a section down by the river that has 30 amp and water but no sewer.

If that is where you wish to be though, they provide a honey wagon for sewer service.

It operates on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday’s for free. You just have to be sure to sign up ahead of time.

Also, we noticed that most of the sites were fairly level. So as you can see, they try to make it comfortable for just about everyone that comes in.

And this park also has a very welcoming staff who try to make your stay enjoyable.

Gettysburg Farm RV Campground Amenities

The onsite camping store carries a variety of goods that could come in handy too.

They even serve ice cream by the scoop and we found many took advantage of that perk.

The amenities are good for the most part. The miniature golf is kept up and in nice shape.

The basketball courts, playground area, the horseshoe pits, and the pool were all good too.

There are a few things that could use improvement though. And one is the bath houses.

Just now, they finished renovating one bath house. And it is beautiful.

The other two are badly in need of some updating though. And we assume these facilities will be updated sometime in the near future. At least we hope so, because they need it.

During our stay at the park though, the laundromat was closed for maintenance.

But there is a decent laundromat in town that you can go to if you need to. However, not having one onsite during our stay was a little disappointing.

The Best Part of Gettysburg Farm RV Campground

The grounds of the RV park are kept up well. There are beautiful flowers, unique farm equipment, and well mowed and manicured green spaces.

The best part of the whole campground, though, is the animals. We enjoyed them so much! And if you have children, they will enjoy them too.

They have goats, a llama, alpacas, chickens, peacocks, a pig, cows and horses. And they sell feed at the camp store to feed them.

One of our favorite horses at Gettysburg Farm RV Campground — **This is Tucker – one of our favorite horses at Gettysburg Farm**

We especially loved the three horses…Danny, Tucker, and Ring. When we came by the barn, they always came right over to be fed and enjoy a pet.

Also, Theodore, the Jersey cow was super friendly too. It was so much fun feeding them and watching the children interact with the animals too.

Internet Connectivity

But for many of us who work on the road, the question is – how was connectivity??? Well, we had very good connections through AT&T.

In fact, we enjoyed good download and upload speeds. If you do not have your own hotspot though, the campground offers complimentary wifi near their buildings.

And you also can connect through a private internet provider that they offer. But of course, there is a charge for that.

We didn’t use that service ourselves. But we didn’t hear of anyone complaining about not being able to have connectivity of some sort if they wanted it.

The Area Around Gettysburg Farm RV Campground

So then, what is there to see in the area? Well, what can we say???? You are right near historic Gettsburg!

There is so much history to be seen in this area. While there, we visited the Seminary Ridge Museum, and the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center.

Both had so much information and were extremely informative. After those, you can also take the Gettysburg Battlefield Self-Guided Driving Tour.

If you do, it will make all the information that you learned come to life. And we thoroughly enjoyed that!

But maybe you want to do other things in Gettysburg. And if so, there are many unique stores with goods that would be peculiar to that time period too.

If you are into specialty shops, it could make for an enjoyable day just doing that.

Local Places To Eat

And, of course, there are plenty of places to eat. There are many different cuisines with outdoor as well as indoor areas to eat.

We ate at the Lincoln Diner in Gettysburg which had decent family style food for a good price.

And we also enjoyed a place called Hunts Battlefield Fries & Cafe.

They served amazing fries, good burgers and excellent chopped beef cheesesteak sandwiches. We would definitely go back.

We also ate at a place called the Appalachian Brewing Co. It offered an outdoor Beer Garden and many Pub style foods. Again, we thoroughly enjoyed it and would go back again.

One thing to be aware of though …. in the township itself. And that is that parking in town is at a premium.

In fact, the on-street parking can tend to be a bit expensive. So just be aware, so you can prepare for that.

Shopping Around Gettysburg Farm RV Campground

How about places to provision? Well about 5 miles away there is a small township of East Berlin.

And in that town there is a Weis supermarket. You can get just about anything you want there.

They also have gasoline that was a good 10 cents less per gallon than many of the other places around.

And if you need more stores than that, right on the outside of Gettsburg is a Walmart. And many of the bigger box stores.

So you can always go there for those things. Again, Gettysburg is about 30 minutes away, so it is not a very long drive to do that if you need to.

Our Conclusion

As you can see, we were very happy with the area and campground. So how would we rate the RV park?

Well, the area was a definite 5. So much to see, and all the little towns and farms in the area were absolutely beautiful.

As for the campground – we would give it a 3.8.

As we mentioned, some things need some attention. But to be fair, they seem to be being addressed.

The whole environment was delightful though. This is our second visit here and we will definitely be back!

Thanks to our hosts for a great two weeks in Gettysburg!!!!