Walmart experiences?

[BatDude]

Hi all,

As we head south from Michigan after the Turkey day it is clear that no campgrounds are open until we reach the Carolinas.

There is a KOA open along the route to Jekyll Island so that works.

However the thought of staying in some 2-bit hotel along the way where our Scamp could be subject to damage-break ins etc. makes me think even though winterized (no water) we would be better off dry camping at a Walmart.

They would have any snow cleared from the parking lots and we have a full propane tank so we would have power (12 v) and heat but just no water.

We have the Stay Anywhere app on the tablet and the Walmart RV guide so should not be difficult to find one when the driving exceeds daily driving energy.

Sound like a sound plan?

Bad Dude

[Jack L]

With all the "Black Friday" and other holiday madness Walmart might have a full parking lot.

[Bob Miller]

Wal-Mart Guides can get outdated in a matter of days, especially around the holidays. Try to call your intended target stop on the morning before you get there to confirm. Ask for the Customer Service Desk for confirmation.

[BatDude]

Black Friday?
Good point.

This would likely be Sunday so hopefully miss the first crush of shoppers.

[Bob Miller]

You do know that Thanksgiving Sunday has been listed in the past as the most congested traffic day of the year by AAA...

[Byron Kinnaman]

I suggest that you pick Walmart Super centers that are open 24 hours. Always go in and ask at the customer service areas before spending the night. They'll direct you to where they want you.
Also consider Rest Areas. We've slept in a number of them. If all else fails there's truck stops.
Have fun.

[Jack L]

Some Cabela's stores and some Camping World stores allow overnight stays. Some Cabela's have RV dumps and fresh water also. One I stayed at even had a horse corral and dog kennel.

[emers382]

Also Cracker Barrel. We have never stayed at Walmart having heard they can be noisy. Sure CB is usually right on the Interstate (except for one we stayed at in MI this year) but since my wife loves the gift shop and we have nothing like them in Canada we make them our overnight stopover going south and on trips to ON as well. Just ask inside to confirm you can stay. Their web site indicates which have "bus and rv parking available"

What us great is pulling in starting the furnace then go in for supper and back out to a warm trailer.

Adrian


Sent from my iPhone using Fiberglass RV

[LyleB]

While not with an RV, I have had luck at a larger restaurant, with a good sized lot. Stopped in for a late night dinner a couple of hours before they closed. Explained out situation, that all motels were full and we couldn't find a place to stay. They allowed us to park in their lot overnight, just wanted us to leave prior to the morning rush. Generally police won't bother you on private property unless the property owner complains - at least that's my experience.

[floyd]

We have stayed at WalMart many times while in transit and found it to be a pleasant experience. They have hot food in the deli, shopping for food and sundries, and RedBox with movies for rent. They have security cameras in the parking lot and a welcoming company policy for overnighters.
Managers change every eight hours and Arkansas makes all their decisions for them anyway, so we haven't yet sought them out for permission.
Lots are posted in communities or stores which don't allow overnight parking, which warns us not to enter or buy there.
We tend to stay in smaller more somnolent towns with the Walmart close to the exit.

(CrackerBarrel is usually very quiet with several shady parking spots and you wake to the smell of breakfast cooking!)

[BatDude]

Tnx all,

After Byron and Anne introduced us to Scamping w/o a hook up in Death Valley earlier this year we are gaining more courage to Scamp under varied conditions.

Much of the departure date to parts further south than SE Mi. will be weather dependent. Likely we will move on Sunday, but could be as late as Monday or as early as Saturday.

Given a choice I would rather have bumper-to-bumper traffic than 3' of that white obscenity AKA snow.

[Kevin A]

If you're going down the route to Lexington, KY to Knoxville, TN and then over to Jekyll Island, there is a year-round campground at Levi Jackson State Park in London, KY (about an hour from the southern KY border). The fees are about $28 with electric and water. However, the Cracker Barrel and Walmart sites sound good, too. On that same route is a Cracker Barrel at Exit 41 in London, but it does sit on a hill.

[frank_a]

We have an app on our I[ad for rvparky. It i.d.'s all sorts of places, lots of them free for over-nighters.

RV Parky | RV Parks & Campgrounds Directory, Reviews, Photos

[steve dunham]

We have made four trips in the winter from NW Wisconsin to the SE states.
Wisconsin ,Illinois ,and Indiana have State Parks that are open year round.
Illinois has several SP's that have heated bathrooms with showers and campsite water that are open 365 days a year.
They keep the park roads and a limited number of campsites
clear of snow .

[jen b]

What everybody else said about Walmart.

I have stayed overnight at a lot of truck stops, mainly the Pilot and Flying J stops. Even as a solo lady traveler I feel safe enough, and Pilots have very nice clean showers. Many of them don't mind if you park out front, away from the drone of the truck engines, but I tend to go back with the trucks because in some rural places, the truck stop is the only place for miles around for young people to hang out. And that means a lot of noise, loud idiot conversations, and 20 year old guys revving their trucks, and nobody needs that kind of nonsense.

[BatDude]

Tnx all for the useful and helpful comments.

We be getting braver and braver...
but the fear is that we may OMG decide to try going Full timing.

Well like early this year with our bat project based in Blythe, CA in Feb. we left Michigan early January and did not return until the first week of April.

Now we will be gone from Nov-April.

So almost like full timing, just temporary LOL

If I could figure out how to house my main Dell workstation, 4 external networked RAID file and BU servers and an on-board very high speed broadband Internet in the Scamp we likely could try it.
Perhaps that word "Retirement" needs to be part of my lexicon and not "under employed" with the bat conservation research.

[BatDude]

Hi Jen_B,

From my research I have read that the "20 year old guys revving their trucks" is caused by testosterone toxicity...

It does subside with time in 30 years or so.

[jen b]

Originally Posted by BatDude

Hi Jen_B,

From my research I have read that the "20 year old guys revving their trucks" is caused by testosterone toxicity...

It does subside with time in 30 years or so.

hahaha I always want to go and first knock them upside the head with something, and then reassure them: It's okay honey, we know your truck has an engine, and you're male... It's cool, you don't have to remind us.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by jen b

hahaha I always want to go and first knock them upside the head with something, and then reassure them: It's okay honey, we know your truck has an engine, and you're male... It's cool, you don't have to remind us.

So what would cause that reaction?
Estrogen toxicity?
(just so they don't call you Honey! Then they would really experience your wrath Huh?)

[mary and bob]

If you don't have one, get the KOA campground book, free at any KOA, and you can then look up the locations and when they are open. If you belong to AAA they have the regional Woodall's books. We plan a route, then locate campgrounds that are open along that route. We like electric hookup for the fridge and electric heater, and sometimes cable TV. We don't hook up water or sewer for an overnight stop