Category: RV Camping

Wilmington RV Campground – Lots To See In Ohio From There

Wilmington RV Campground is located at 1786 State Route 380 in Wilmington, OH.

This RV campground is situated literally about 5 minutes or so off of Interstate 71 at exit #45.

Yes, amazingly this is a Thousand Trails park located this close to an Interstate!

It’s so nice to be able to access it so quickly and have such good roads to get to it, even if traveling in a large RV.

The dates of operation for this RV park is mid-April until closing at the end of October.

Click here to view a map of Wilmington RV Campground

Wilmington RV Campground Features

We thoroughly enjoyed this park for a number of reasons. As was mentioned it is very close to the Interstate, so easy on, easy off.

Secondly, the staff here is very friendly and accommodating. When we arrived they were helpful in directing us to the area where they have a few 50 amp sites.

And then they let us know which ones were available so we could pick one of them.

But they only have about 9 sites, and a couple of them have seasonal residents in them. So, getting a 50 amp site with hookups can be challenging. They seem to have plenty of 30 amp sites available though.

Another reason this park was so nice is that it seems to be kept up well. For instance, they have a lot of grounds onsite and yet they keep them mowed, trimmed and looking good.

Most of the sites themselves are fairly level. So even if you have a larger rig, you should be able to level up fairly well.

Wilmington RV Campground Amenities

The amenities in this park are good overall. In fact, they have a large swimming pool that seems to be enjoyed by many in the park.

And their mini-golf course is small, but in decent shape. Their laundry room and rest rooms are clean, but showing the signs of aging.

They definitely could be updated. We noticed they had many activities planned, that if you are so inclined, you could definitely join in and be a part of.

As I mentioned at the beginning, this is a Thousand Trails Park. But it can also be booked outside their system for about $69-$70 a night for full hook-ups.

There are 169 sites, but once again, quite a number of them are seasonal or annual sites. 50 amp sites are very scarce, but 30 amp seems to be much easier to get.

Wilmington RV Campground Connectivity

They also offer WIFI near their ranger station and clubhouse that you can access for free.

But we were also able to use our hotspot to bring in AT&T cellular internet with good download speeds. And our signal from T-Mobile for our phones was adequate too.

So if you have to work remotely, you can definitely do so in this park with your own equipment.

Wilmington RV Campground Surroundings

How about things to do in the area? Well, this is a beautiful part of Ohio. There are many farms, lots of rivers and wildlife preserves.

And there are plenty of state parks around too, which are gorgeous. You can also enjoy waterfalls just off the roads you are traveling on that you can stop and see for free.

An example of this was the beautiful waterfall nearby at Indian Mound Reserve that was even easily accessed by wheelchair. Just gorgeous!!!!!

There are also lots of lovely, quaint eating areas such as Clifton Mill in Clinton, OH. They have good food, especially their pancakes, and beautiful surroundings to enjoy.

Clifton Mill Restaurant in Clinton, OH
Clifton Mill Restaurant in Clinton, OH

Not far away in Yellow Springs, OH is Young’s Jersey Dairy Farm. They have delicious ice cream featured there!

But also two mini golf courses, a driving range, batting cages, and adorable goats and cows. A really fun place for kids of all ages.

And just up the road from the RV park is a place called 73 Grill, that offers good food for a good price.

Are their places to go to get provisions nearby???? Yes, Wilmington is less than 10 miles away and offers a Kroegers, Walmart, and hardware stores.

Some Great Eating Spots In The Area

There are also your usual fast food restaurants, but in downtown Wilmington there are more Mom and Pop places to check out.

We have to mention that we ate at a place called the Kava Haus. As you guess, great coffee but also fantastic panini’s.

In face, it was one of the best sandwiches we have had in a long time. Reasonably priced and family owned. Very accommodating. We would go back ANYTIME!!!!

There is even a local farmers market on the weekends in the center of town. And, if you are into flea markets, there is a big one called the Caesar Creek Flea Market that is open every weekend.

And the good news is that this just touches on a few of the things that can be done in the area.

Conclusion

So, where do we rate this park on the scale of 1-5???? We would give it a 3.5. Why?

Mainly because the amenities need to be updated some, but the big thing is โ€ฆ. the lack of 50 amp sites. And many of the sites, as is true in most Thousand Trail parks are taken by annuals.

But the park is pretty and well kept up. And it’s in a beautiful part of Ohio. So we would definitely return.

Chateau De Pique Winery – A Great Place To Stay In Your RV

Chateau De Pique Winery is located at 6361 N. Country Rd 760E in Seymour, IN.

Oh my goodness!!!! What a beautiful place to spend a few days.

We absolutely fell in love with this beautifully landscaped and quiet countryside winery. And it’s just about an hour south of Indianapolis, IN.

First let me say that we found it a real treasure to find. Especially so on Memorial Day weekend, when so many camping RV parks have been booked up for months.

Click here to visit the Chateau De Pique Winery website

Chateau De Pique Winery Features

You can access this beautiful winery either on Harvest Hosts or Hipcamp. But on Harvest Hosts you can only stay a night or two.

Obviously it is free through Harvest Hosts but be aware that you are boondocking during your stay. If you are OK with this, it is just a beautiful place to relax.

If you do want hookups though, there is one place onsite where you can hook up to water and 50 amp electricity.

Obviously, there is a fee to pay for hookups, which when we were there was $35 a night.

We booked this through Hipcamp and therefore were able to stay for 4 nights instead.

Just a noteโ€ฆbe sure that you have a long water hose (35ft. or more) and an extention for your 50 amp electric cord.

You can access both of these hookups but you need a little longer hose and cord than you do at most campsites.

Also, you have no sewer hookups either. So be sure you are prepared for that.

But after you are hooked up or parked, OH what a beautiful place to stay!!!!

Chateau De Pique Winery entrance
Chateau De Pique Winery entrance

The Beauty Of Chateau De Pique Winery

If you like to walk, you have plenty of land to walk on. Beautiful terraces of grape vines, and an outside venue where they hold weddings that is gorgeous. Especially when there are many plants and flowers in bloom.

Of course, on Friday night through Sunday night, they have wine tastings too. So if that is something you enjoy doing, it is right on premises.

At night the stars are beautiful and sitting out by a propane firepit enjoying the serenity is a welcome change from many campsites in an RV park.

Enjoying all this beauty, is it far away from things that we all need to access to continue traveling? NOT AT ALL!!!!

The Surrounding Area

All of that can be found in Seymour, IN. The city itself is only 5 miles away, about a 10 min. drive.

It has a Home Depot, Walmart, Harbor Freight Tools, Tractor Supply and many other Mom and Pop places.

The Main Street town area is just adorable. Lots of little places to explore if you are so inclined.

How about eating places???? They have all the typical fast food places, if that is your preference.

But we also ate at a little local diner called Sunshine Cafe, which had good food for a good price.

But Seymour also has dinner places too. It is not a huge selection but definitely can meet the needs of most everyone.

Also, remember that Indianapolis is only about 1 hour away. So if you are in the area and require more selection of restaurants you can always head up to Indy.

And about an hour the other way is Louisville, KY. So you are not terribly far away from anything either large city has to offer.

Connectivity At Chateau De Pique Winery

Last thing that we always need to ask aboutโ€ฆ.connectivity???? Ours was great!

Because you are nestled between some fairly big cities, connectivity was really good. Our T-Mobile phone connections were great.

Be aware that there are no WIFI hookups at the winery. But if you are using an internet hotspot, such as ours through AT&T, that will work just fine in this location.

Our Conclusion

So how would we rate this little jewel of a find???? We would probably give it a 4 out of 5.

We ourselves enjoyed it so very much. But be aware of what it is and realize that there are no amenities, no restrooms or showers.

And you do not have the support of a campground office. The owners and managers on the site are very accommodating and helpful though.

They try to make your stay as very comfortable as they can. Would we go back again???? In a hot second!!!!

It was one of our favorite stops on our trip cross country and we would definitely go back again.

Thank you Chateau de Pique for a wonderful, beautiful, and relaxing place to rest on our trip!

An RV Water Softener System – Why You Really Need One

In this article I’ll be discussing an RV water softener system, and why you might need one.

First of all, let’s get into the subject of what a water softener actually does. Because it seems like an odd name. After all, how do you soften water?

Disclosure: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means โ€“ at no additional cost to you โ€“ I earn a commission if you make a purchase using our affiliate links. I only link to products and companies I use and feel comfortable recommending. The income goes toward supporting the free content on this website

Watch my video about RV water softeners

Table of Contents

How Does An RV Water Softener System Work?

Well, the way a water softener works is that the water from the faucet goes in one side of the water softener.

And then in the body of the softener there’s resin particles that attract the hard water minerals out of the water.

In other words, they grab these minerals away from the water as it flows through the water softener.

Then the water flows right on up and out the other side of the softener and into your RV.

Now without a water softener there’s hard minerals in the water like calcium, magnesium, iron and so on.

And these minerals just keep building up in your RV water system. They build up in your RV pipes, in your faucets, in your appliances, and so on.

This buildup of mineral deposits just goes on for quite some time. And eventually it creates problems!

What Happens Without An RV Water Softener System?

Now there are several bad results that can come out of hard water. And number one is bad taste.

Bad tasting water is certainly something you can tell right away. But hard water also causes odors and rust stains.

Yes, if there’s iron in the water you’ll start to notice rust stains in your sinks and on your kitchen appliances.

Also, believe it or not you can actually have dry skin from hard water too.

So all of this building up in your appliances and your faucets is not good. It will shorten the life of your appliances and you just keep having problems over and over with them.

So it’s something that really does need attention. It’s not an imaginary problem at all!

And interestingly, nearly 85% of homes in the US are dealing with hard water.

So again, it’s not a a problem that happens every now and then. Or is an issue in only a few places here and there. It’s a very prevalent problem!

Do You Need An RV Water Softener System?

So what I recommend is to find out if it’s something you need to address in your RV travels.

To do that, you could get a test kit for your RV water and then see what it tells you about your water hardness.

I think that most likely you’ll be surprised. That’s because usually you’re going to find that you’re dealing with some hard water issues in many RV parks and campgrounds.

You know, campground water to begin with has all sorts of issues. And we have found that it can be very suspect as you travel from park to park.

You just never know what you’re going to get for water when you are in a campground.

And that’s why a lot of RV owners have water filters. And of course, water filtration is a very good thing to have in your RV.

It can get rid of the larger particulates in the water and things like that. But water filters do not soften the water.

And that’s the last necessary step to make sure that you are enjoying the best quality water possible.

So you need to remove those hard water minerals that can cause so many problems for you and your RV.

The Benefits Of An RV Water Softener System

And I feel strongly that once you have a water softener you’ll notice a real difference in your water quality!

It’s hard to explain, but just the feel of the water is different. You’ll begin to notice that your soaps and your cleansers suds up more. Your shampoos just work better and so on.

And your shower nozzles don’t get clogged easily anymore. And your appliances will be cleaner inside and they will function better and last a lot longer.

So there’s a lot of good things that come from having soft water for use in your entire RV.

Now let me describe how we use our own water softener system here in our RV.

A Little Bit About RV Water Filtration

First of all though, I made a video a while back about the water filtration system that we use in our RV.

And you can go watch that if you like first. Because what I explain in that video is that I actually use two different methods of filtration for our RV water.

Click here to watch my video on RV water filtration

This is for the water that we use in the sinks and shower and things like that.

The first filter is a blue water filter that almost everybody recognizes. It is a very common type of RV water filter that you often see many RVers using.

And we actually like this kind of filter as the first stage of water filtration for our RV.

Then the second water filter I use is in our water bay in the RV. And it’s very similar to a house water filter.

It’s also a higher quality filter than just the blue one that we use at the water faucet in campgrounds.

But between the blue filter and the house filter we get really good filtration for our RV’s water.

Where The Water Softener Fits In With Water Filtration

So then, what I like to do is put the water softener in between these two filters. That way there is a little filtration first out of the the blue filter before the water goes into the water softener.

Then the water goes into the house filter before it goes inside the RV.

I have to say that we find that this system works very well for us and really handles our water needs well.

Now of course, you can set it up any way that you want for your RV and your needs.

And really, as long as the water is softened before it goes into the RV, it’ll work just fine.

But we find that this arrangement actually makes the water softener last longer before you have to do a little maintenance to it.

Maintenance For An RV Water Softener System

Now let’s talk a little bit about maintenance for your RV water softener system.

That’s because there is a little bit of maintenance that goes with water softeners. And you need to know about that in advance too.

But the good news is that it’s not a lot of work, and it’s so cheap and easy to do.

Remember those resin beads that are inside the water softener that we talked about?

I mentioned above in this article how they attract all the hard minerals out of the water that passes through the softener.

Well, there comes a point that they get kind of saturated. You know, they have grabbed all these minerals out of the water for a while.

And those mineral deposits keep building up until finally there comes a point that there’s just not enough resin to keep softening the water.

So there has to be a way to get those minerals loosened off of the resin and then get them out of the water softener.

That way the resin in the softener can work like it should again.

Recharging Your RV Water Softener

And the way to do that is with regular old table salt. It will do the job just fine.

So first of all, go ahead and take the top off of the water softener. This is the very top. Not the where the hoses connect to the softener, but the very top cap.

The next step is that you get your box of regular table salt ready. And again, let me emphasize that there’s nothing special about this salt. And it’s very cheap to buy!

Now you pour it into the water softener. Just empty the entire box of salt into the softener through the top.

Once you do that, then you can turn on the water faucet and allow the water to start going in through the water softener again.

But don’t use too much water pressure at first. You just want it moving through at a nice little flow that’s barely coming out the other side of the softener.

What’s happening is that table salt is now rinsing those hard water minerals off of the resin beads.

And then those minerals are being taken right out of the water softener as the water flows out the other side.

How To Know When Your RV Water Softener Is Recharged

So rinse the water softener at a very low pressure setting for about 15 minutes. Then you can turn the flow of water up much higher to fast rinse for another five minutes or so.

After that is finished, test the water coming out of the softener with your test kit. This will help you know whether the softener is working correctly again or not.

You could also take a little cup and drink some of the water to see if you still have some salt taste left in it.

If the salt taste is gone, and if the water is soft that’s coming out the other side, you’re all set!

At this point you have regenerated your water softener and it’s ready for another period of solid service.

So once it’s regenerated, make sure that the top is back on really good and go ahead and reattach the outlet hoses.

Then it’s right back in the system and ready for use for another few weeks or so.

Conclusion

Now let me say that we love our water softener! In fact, everything that uses water in our RV benefits from the water softener and just works better.

Click here to view the RV water softener system that we use on our rig

We just love the feel of the water that comes out of our RV faucets whether it’s in the kitchen, or bathroom.

In fact, I would say that overall, our RV water softener system has been one of the best purchases that we have made.

And therefore we feel very confident that we can recommend water softening as a an important part of RV life.

After using it on a daily basis, we feel it will make a real difference for you just like it has for us!

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