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PharmGeek · 10-22-2013, 02:07 PM

Well, we should be picking up oure AS on 11/1/13....WORST case 11/15/13...

We were planning on family visiting the week of thanksgiving, but they could not make it

Good news there, is that my wife and I both are off for that 4 day weekend

We now are trying to scramble to figure out where we can go for this 4 day weekend for our first trip...

Realize we have two children, a boy (3 years old) and a girl (nearly 10 months old).....

Right off the bat we learned about "stone mountain" near ATL and this seemed like a great choice (sorry, wife works weekend before during that rally).....we liked so much about it when reading....but its solid book that weekend, not surprising but still

Ive did a bit of reading about spots up and around Chatanooga (Trav-L-Park being one prominent example on this forum and on RV.net)...I suppose if we did that, we could take the kids to the aquarium, perhaps the science museum, and otherwise chill...perhaps do a bit of hiking...no doubt it would be fun...

Then I thought that perhaps just doing something more low key and local would be better for our first real trip out...which would be like tannehill (I suspect they are going to be booked for that weekend), oak mountain, or perhaps up in fort payne...

Is there any hope this late in the game at a good reservation...if not I will cut my losses at this point...I can spend a weekend perhaps at stone mountain weekend of 11/15 (they have availability), and the 4 day weekend of thanksgiving we will do something else....

how booked are most places on that kind of weekend? is it hopeless?

Any ideas on camp sites appreciated...I would be willing to drive no more than 3-4 hours from birmingham for a first trip I suppose...I say that number because longer than that for our 2 kids driving for a first trip could be too much for a first...

karenjude · 10-22-2013, 02:59 PM

FDR state park is one of our favorites and was when our kids were younger. Nice wooded sites. For kids: three mile nature trail through the woods - an easy hike. Rental canoes for the small lake. Playground and a small store with candy and ice cream. It's in Pine Mountain Ga about 3 hours from you. Callaway gardens is about a mile away with lots to do for the kids: bike and walking paths, birds of prey show, butterfly center, zip lines, etc - check out their website for more. Fantasy in Lights starts that weekend which the kids will love - but get tickets soon if your interested in that. The restaurants there probably do something special for thanksgiving or cook up a nice meal in your new Airstream.

Aviator · 10-22-2013, 04:57 PM

FWIW, you may wish to consider a trip up to Falluminum this weekend if you are available. There is a Ramada (I think) next to the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds and it would give you a chance to meet a bunch of your Airstream neighbors, tour a bunch of coaches (31 at last count), and have a lot of initial questions answered. If you can make it be sure to stop by the Airstream with the big red 10199 on the front, it would be a pleasure to welcome you to are little fraternity.

PharmGeek · 10-22-2013, 05:24 PM

Where is that rally at?

perryg114 · 10-22-2013, 05:47 PM

Cloudland Canyon is near Chattanooga. I have never camped there but the park is nice. I just checked and they have lots of sights open that weekend.

Cloudland Canyon State Park | Georgia State Parks

and here are some photos I took hiking a while back.

cloudland_canyon_110103 Photo Gallery by Perry at pbase.com

Monte Sano State Park here in Huntsville will most likely have some spots open. You might also look at Desoto State Park here in Bama. It is near Little River Canyon which is cool. It is also off of I-59.

Perry

karenjude · 10-22-2013, 06:17 PM

The Falluminum rally this weekend is in Hiawassee Georgia at Georgia Mountain Fair campground. North Georgia.

PharmGeek · 10-22-2013, 06:20 PM

Thanks Perry...ill check those out...my dad lives up in Huntsville....ive been to monnte sano (always want to say "monsanto" for some reason, lol)...ive seen the billboards for desoto....i LOVE the ft. payne area...especially summer swimming!! cannot wait to camp up there this summer...

KarenJude - thanks for that heads up...ill check it out there as well! I can do some research on the net tonight and talk to my wife about it

Alumitater · 10-22-2013, 07:24 PM

Monte Sano is a very nice well kept facility - would be great for a small rally.

Cheaha St Park is also nice and not too far. And just south of you at the Calera Exit is
Brierfield St Park - which is a good place to learn your AS and have a quiet peaceful getaway. Water & Elect hook ups. Nice place to let kids run around. And have several pull thru sites. That was our first experimental site. We use it lots for our half way point to Monte Sano or DeSoto or Cloudland.... we just take our time. Where ever you end up, Enjoy!

perryg114 · 10-22-2013, 08:06 PM

Stone Fort in Manchester, TN is a nice park. As with most parks it is a zoo on the weekends.

stone_fort_111002 Photo Gallery by Perry at pbase.com

Also Fall Creek Falls is not a bad one. Hiawasse, GA is a long haul from Bham. My folks use to have a place in Blairsville, GA. I hiked all over that area. The AT runs right through there.

Perry

PharmGeek · 10-24-2013, 10:35 PM

a buddy also threw out there "Chester Frost County park" near chattanooga, TN...

Any experience there?

Another person on FB suggested KOA chattanooga west (although my other buddy said this location is less "campy")??

Cloudland looks great...I will be going there and stone mountain very soon....man, this is fun, so many places to see!

PharmGeek · 10-24-2013, 10:36 PM

bummed a bit, although not surprised, trailer pickup now delayed to 11/15/13.....we thought things were certain for 11/1 just last week

oh well, what is an addition 2 weeks (I say in my head HELLL)

Ridgerunner3 · 10-25-2013, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PharmGeek

bummed a bit, although not surprised, trailer pickup now delayed to 11/15/13.....we thought things were certain for 11/1 just last week

oh well, what is an addition 2 weeks (I say in my head HELLL)

I wonder why there is so much delivery schedule slip? Didn't they originally plan the delivery for around the middle of October? I don't think the automobile industry has that kind of schedule slip on special orders.

Have you thought about going south for your Thanksgiving trip? St. George Island (East Point, FL) or Fort Pickens (Pensacola) are very nice campgrounds.

PharmGeek · 10-26-2013, 08:23 AM

Ridge - the finish date originally was 10/24 or 10/27 as I recall - 3 day delay and the 11/1 pickup was shot - this forced me logistically to pickup on 11/15

I have not strongly considered FL actually - not sure how much more fun it will be with kids at that point as opposed to something a bit closer...

Still undecided though

m.hony · 10-26-2013, 08:31 AM

You will be going to FL in January anyway. Go to another destination- or go to Topsail and then tell us all about it.

PharmGeek · 10-26-2013, 08:38 AM

Yeah - ill wait and do topsail anyway - plus we are maybe going to port st joe or st George island in may 2014

PharmGeek · 07-10-2014, 09:45 AM

Im back to planning the same 4 day weekend for Thanksgiving again, but my travel radius is more in the 5 hour range, 6 tops.

My initial thoughts were perhaps up in the great smoky mountains fill a colder and snowy get away...could be fun...so elkmont maybe? or if I dont want as much the risk of snow, could do cloudlands GA or lookout mtn up in fort payne, AL...

I am going to go to hungry mother's state park in august (this is in Marion, VA).

Stone Mountain GA was already fully booked!!

Protagonist · 07-10-2014, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PharmGeek

Im back to planning the same 4 day weekend for Thanksgiving again, but my travel radius is more in the 5 hour range, 6 tops.

My initial thoughts were perhaps up in the great smoky mountains fill a colder and snowy get away...could be fun...so elkmont maybe? or if I dont want as much the risk of snow, could do cloudlands GA or lookout mtn up in fort payne, AL

Go West, young man! Lake Lincoln State Park near Brookhaven, Mississippi is only 4½ hours from Birmingham via I-20 and I-55. I was there for last Christmas weekend, and had a site right on the lake. That was the first time I stayed at a campground where the deer wandered through the campground at dawn and dusk (as long as no one's dog scared them away, anyhow). Come to think of it, I might go there for this Thanksgiving weekend myself— I haven't planned that far ahead yet…

George Payne Cossar State Park near between Grenada and Batesville, Mississippi is even closer to you, only 3½ hours by way of I-22 and US-78. Deer wandering through the campground there, too. I stayed there last New Year's weekend. The water in the lake tends to be low in the winter months, so there might be a mudflat between your campsite and the water, but the deer don't mind…

You won't see any snow at either of those parks for Thanksgiving weekend, but that also means you won't get snowbound.

PharmGeek · 07-10-2014, 04:24 PM

I'll check those out! Thanks!

m.hony · 07-10-2014, 06:48 PM

George Payne Cossar is da bomb, but it is also the red bug capitol of the world!
I always have a sack of deer corn to feed the herd of nearly tame deer.
We have been to Cossar several times this year.
They have a hayride every Saturday night.
Check out Lake Lurleen State Park just west of Northport, AL.
North Abutment in Grenada is also nice. We might have been there 10-12 times this year.
We usually stay at the North Abutment at Thanksgiving. We have stayed at Cossar for Thanksgiving. We do our Black Friday Christmas shopping from the trailer and stash the Christmas gifts in there.

Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

PharmGeek · 07-10-2014, 07:49 PM

unrelated, but we are planning a weekend stay now at a CoE park near Tuscaloosa called “burchfield branch park”...reviews are great...we have waterfront sites booked (we as in myself and iggywalker) and there is a small deck on each spot...and short walk to small beach...and iggywalker will likely pull my bassboat there with us...gonna be fun summer swimming weekend

Ill be checking into all these parks mentioned...

Also considering cheaha state park east of B-ham....but not sure if they have nice flatish biking trails good to tow the kids behind us in. How bout those MS sites? decent biking trails any of them?