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GlenCoombe · 02-05-2007, 02:40 PM

I've parked overnight in many a restaurant parking lot after enjoying dinner... and my excuse is that I don't want/need to drive until the cocktails wear off.

Generally very quiet after 10p.m. unlike Wal-Mart which seems to come alive at midnight.
Funny the comment about the lot sweepers... I've never had one come by but at 3 a.m. ..... 6 a.m. would be just fine by me.
All in all WM serves the needs of Americans who are taken in by the selection and price of their goods. This doesn't make them the best or the most desirable neighbors but it's hard to move an 800 lb. ape from his roost.
All my silk clothing comes from China, but again that's another story.

overlander63 · 02-05-2007, 02:43 PM

Cracker Barrel is also good about allowing overnight parking, just ask management first. Local ordinances may prohibit it.

codybear · 02-05-2007, 02:48 PM

Cracker Barrel is great for breakfast!!!..we stopped at many out east and south and at our last trip to Tucson..great potato cheese bake for breakfast!..bet that would be a great overnite place..you can even sit on their front porch and rock away on their rocking chairs for sale there!!!

SteSpot · 02-05-2007, 04:29 PM

Our RV driving coach taught us to park in a big store lot in a way that no one can box you in...first pick a place far from the entrance, that has several empty car spaces and that has a curb barrier at one end. Pull across the car spots and up near the barrier with enough room to pull out but not enough for a car or truck to park there.....sort of angle your tow vehicle out a little to make it easy to pull out and the trailer is tucked in behind......I would never have thought about it but it wouldn't be fun to come out of shopping at Target or WM and not be able to leave when we want.....pj

Poprivet · 02-05-2007, 04:43 PM

I always ask permission and I only stay in walmarts that are in out of the way places. If the Walmart is in a popular RV resort areas, they get a lot of pressure about letting RV's stay in the lot for free - the your are into my rice bowl thing. I have never had a problem.

I to like Crackerbarrel - also church lots. Small town parks are good but I check with the local police.

bobchevy89 · 02-05-2007, 04:58 PM

I personally think the Walmarts of the world encourage sprawl - around here anyhow they seem to
So if Walmart wants to be part of America's cultural fabric, it had better think twice before posting signs against sleeping in the parking lot. Traveling place to place at will, without rhyme or reason is practically a constitutional right in this country, and while sleeping in a parking lot certainly isn't my idea of the great outdoors, if we've gotten to the point where we're gleefully paving over the entire country, we'd better not be turned away when we need to stop for the night.
, Airstream was here first. Dammit.

[/quote]

If this statement is what you mean,

then a bunch of campers can pull up in your yard and camp out.

it would be their constitutional right to do so. the house you have there infrenges on animal rights. so burn down your house and rip up the driveway. plant trees for the little birdies. DON"T BE CHEAP find a camp ground. also if you notice you can't park in rest areas .look up the state lists of rest areas .sob' were there on the road also.

firedog · 04-02-2007, 06:43 AM

HI just completed my first cross country trip.I was tempted to stay in a free stopover at Wallymart.I always pushed ahead after seeing the RV line up at WM.I stayed in state parks and private CG.I only overnighted 2 times in a rest stop.Once in Florida very nice place with security at night.And once in Penn,on my way home.If I was on a budget fulltimeing I might consider it.

hollandranch · 04-25-2007, 08:17 AM

I can't believe that people go with their nice trailers to a dirty place like a Walmart parking lot. I am from Europe and there is it forbidden to park your trailers just anywhere and it is also to dangerous. When you are a member of one of the campingclubs you pay only 10 Dollars for a hookup!

SilverRanger · 04-25-2007, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollandranch

I can't believe that people go with their nice trailers to a dirty place like a Walmart parking lot. I am from Europe and there is it forbidden to park your trailers just anywhere and it is also to dangerous. When you are a member of one of the campingclubs you pay only 10 Dollars for a hookup!

I would gladly pay $10 for a campsite, even without any hookups. However, that's very rarely the case here. As long as campgrounds keep charging $20-$40 per night for a few hours rest, I'll suffer the lack of atmosphere. Hey, it's dark anyway. Actually, the two times I haved stopped to rest at Wal-Mart, I found them clean, and the staff very accomodating. Both times I checked the nearest campground first, and they both wanted $35+. One even wanted an extra $4 for any kids or guests. However, I do agree that no one should be camping, in the traditional sense, at Wal-Mart, but only for a few hours to rest, if allowed.

starflyte1 · 04-25-2007, 03:51 PM

I haven't read all the posts in this thread, so this may have been covered already.

We just joined Passport America and stayed in 3 PA parks. Paid $15, $15 and $16.10.

Two parks had free wi-fi, and all had cable and full hook-ups. We don't use the facilities, just the hook-ups. All three parks were clean and we felt very safe.

Devoman · 04-25-2007, 04:59 PM

They let you park at our walmart on the beach.Sometimes I would see them there for days.The problem here for us though is the lack of campground space so they end up finding places like walmart.All of them are packed out during the spring and summer.
Right now there are no rv or campers as there is some room in the campgrounds now.

volvophile · 04-30-2007, 05:31 AM

Ive overnighted a couple of times in the Walmart in Dumas Texas. Its a good stopping point between Colorado Springs and AustinTx, and the grocery store in the same parking lot has pretty good doughnuts.

I live a few miles away from the Colorado Springs Walmart on Platte and Chelton, which is on the Do Not Park list.
This is more for your safety than for Walmarts laibility or city ordinances. They run about 2-3 shootings/stabbings a year.
Apparantly theres not enough bars or strip clubs in the area to compete for that type of business

yukionna · 04-30-2007, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clancy_boy

This is not my story but it's my in-laws. They were an their way to Raleigh NC for a 1.5 year transfer and decided to spend the time in their RV vice renting or buying. They got there a day early for their rental spot so they decided to spend the night at Wally World. Nice new clean parking lot and they went in to fill up on supplies to give their business to the place. The next morning around 7am the manager was pushing a shopping cart around with a coffee pot and donuts - knocking on all the RV door. His first statement was "you cannot camp here" then "how do you like your coffee?" and "what kind of danish would you like with that". Seems there is a local ordinance that forces his hand - but its only requirement and enforcement is that he has to tell you that you cannot stay there, so he does it each morning. No reason to be rude about it.

The Wal-Mart in my area has a local town ordinance too but they have posted a sign in the lot that indicates that overnight parking is prohibited.

With regards to the no sign, it is highly recommended that whenever you plan to overnight at a Wal-Mart, that you stop into the Wal-Mart to double check with the manager if it is ok to do so. Your in-laws were lucky as it could have been the local police pounding on their door at 3 am to ask them to move on.

Also, Wal-Mart sells a street atlas for the US and it lists all the Wal-Marts and if they allow overnight parking.

clancy_boy · 05-01-2007, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yukionna

The Wal-Mart in my area has a local town ordinance too but they have posted a sign in the lot that indicates that overnight parking is prohibited.

With regards to the no sign, it is highly recommended that whenever you plan to overnight at a Wal-Mart, that you stop into the Wal-Mart to double check with the manager if it is ok to do so. Your in-laws were lucky as it could have been the local police pounding on their door at 3 am to ask them to move on.

Also, Wal-Mart sells a street atlas for the US and it lists all the Wal-Marts and if they allow overnight parking.

You're right Yuki, they never used that Walmart again, but alot of time when we visited it had campers in the parking lot that look like they were there for an "overnite" shopping session.

The Walmart homepage has free downloads of their GPS locations for use in many common GPS receivers that add the locations as a point so they pop up as you go down the road. Comes in handy while traveling.

Mike

Marti · 05-01-2007, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TroutStream

I read an anrticle in the Vancouver Sun on the weekend stating that WalMart in British Columbia was going to ban overnighters because of complaints from RV park operators (losing revenue). I'll try to track down the paper to confirm... may be in the bottom of the bird cage.

Ken

well if the paper flew south, then that's ok... it made some real happy camper outta the feathered guy...

tinny · 05-01-2007, 09:23 PM

I have stayed at many wal-mart parking lots, we always go in and ask, and of course leave it like we were never there. I have done this with camper and the semi/52trailer. I have met so really nice people this way.

Mac1 · 05-03-2007, 05:19 AM

Here's a laugh.....
I went in to wal-mart yesterday in Goldsboro to get some things for the up coming trip west and asked for a Wal-Mart directory. No one in the store new what I was talking about. They do allow overnight parking. Oh well, win some lose some.

Mac

ZoominC6 · 05-03-2007, 05:37 AM

Try Googling WalMartRVparking and look at all of the information available there, at a price of course.

Have any of you had success gaining permission to park overnight on church parking lots? I would think that this might be a great, quiet and safe option. Any thoughts?

HAPPY TRAILS

GreatPumpkin · 05-03-2007, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac1

Here's a laugh.....
I went in to wal-mart yesterday in Goldsboro to get some things for the up coming trip west and asked for a Wal-Mart directory. No one in the store new what I was talking about. They do allow overnight parking. Oh well, win some lose some.

Mac

Mac - ask for the Wal-Mart Atlas. It lists all the Wal-mart locations. Usually it's in the book/magazine section, and you can find it at the checkouts also.