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SylviaJane64 · 07-04-2011, 07:19 PM

Hello Everyone - I am in the process of purchasing my first Airstream and want to live, full-time, in it , for close to 1 year prior to "taking on the US of A! I currently live in the city and would like to give up my apartment and live in the Airstream (with my 2 dogs) and retain my job in Chicago. I need to be relatively close to the city and to O'Hare as I fly quite a bit for my job.

Does anyone have any idea of an RV Park or something similar (near the city), where I could live in my Airstream? I checked out a place in Sycamore, IL (it was fine) but too far.

I appreciate any and all feedback!

Lothlorian · 07-04-2011, 07:30 PM

Hi:

I don't want to sound negative, but I have family up there and I have taken my airstream the last two summers to visit my family in the New Lenox/Frankfort area. You have very few places to camp. The Campground we stay is in Joliet because it is close to home. We like it because it has full hook up. There is no trees and it sits on I-80. You have trucks and traffic 24 hours each day. I have searched all the parks and also camped at Kankakee State Park, but it was empty and full of mosquitos. It was pretty scary. I would look for a farmer who would let you camp on his farm and is located close to Metra. Good Luck

I have looked and looked. The other campgrounds are the empress casino, and they have a few by the Chicago Nascar track. Most campgrounds in that area close in October and don't open again until April.

Brian

SylviaJane64 · 07-04-2011, 07:34 PM

Thanks, Brian! I thought this might be the case as I have been doing quite a bit of research on-line. However, I thought since I am not "in the community" yet that I might not know much. I appreciate your feedback! BUMMER!!

Lothlorian · 07-04-2011, 07:40 PM

Sylvia we do most of our camping in So. Ill. I am an old Saluki and we will retire there. When I was young we would camp Warren Dunes in Michigan and Grand Haven. You have many places to camp in the North. If you make a trip south You will have all kinds of good campgrounds to spend the night when you get tired. The campgrounds in the South stay open all year. Atlanta has great campgrounds to stay plus you are not that far out from the city.

Brian

Becky B. · 07-04-2011, 08:29 PM

Not sure if this one is open year round, but it's near 394 which is a pretty straight shot to Chicago:

Emerald Trails Campground

Tom Nugler · 07-04-2011, 08:32 PM

Welcome to the Forum.
Are you looking at a trailer or motorhome?
As you’ve found out most parks around here are seasonal. I don’t know of any that offer full hook-ups year round. Have you tried searching the Woodall’s Campground Directory?
You may find a park that has year round facilities but with the water being shut off in November you’d have to find a way to fill your tanks periodically. Even then, with the winters we’ve had lately, I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a snow covered trailer, in an unplowed park, waiting for the temps to drop below zero and running low on water.

Good luck,
Tom.

Air Apparent · 07-04-2011, 08:49 PM

Lehman's Lakeside RV Resort in Marengo is about an hour from O'Hare and is open year round. The link is Best Holiday Lehman's Lakeside RV Resort - Woodall's Campground Directory

SylviaJane64 · 07-04-2011, 08:52 PM

Thanks you all! And, thank you for the Welcome, Tom! I will look into all of this! Yes - I imagine a harsh winter in an Airstream (I'm getting a trailer) would be quite challenging! I appreciate it!

Sylvia

bredlo · 07-05-2011, 01:14 AM

I wonder if renting a portion of someone's private property with a home on it might be worth looking into. It'd possibly get you closer to work, and you'd have year-round water and electrical being in someone's backyard vs. a seasonal campground.

Just a random thought.

Lothlorian · 07-05-2011, 04:35 AM

If I was to camp all year in my airstream near chicago I would want to put it in an enclosed building. I did not winterize my airstream when I kept it in So. Illinois (near Kentucky) and all the fittings split on the plumbing. I had drained the water heater and all the plumbing and they still split. IT was kept in an enclosed steel building. The building did not have heat.

Brian

dwightdi · 07-05-2011, 05:57 AM

I would vote fo Lehman's . It is very close to I 90 that would get you into Ohare or Midway fairly quickly. Not too close to have a noise problem. Park is nice as well as the people. The park that Blue Bird has his trailer at is nice but further out. The local WBCCI is Northern Illinois and I write the website for them. We have 65 members that will offer you assistance.

Riverrat6270 · 07-12-2011, 01:31 PM

Welcome to the forums. I come from the Capital City and have my Excella at the lake nearby. Wouldn't trade it for anything. Try to spend every weekend there but always a couple times a year I can't get there. Had one of the white box trailers and enjoyed the unit, then it got totalled, sat down and made a realistic list of features of what I wanted, then went shopping and ended up in Chattanooga, Tenn. one Saturday morning with a check in my pocket. No regrets. Good luck.