Tremont Outdoor Resort

Typically, we steer clear of any campgrounds that have "resort" or "RV Park" in the description. But, when you wait until the last minute (literally) to find someplace to camp over Memorial Day Weekend, you take what you can get. We ended up with an "okay" spot.

The $55/night we paid was a bit overpriced; it would have been worth it if we had one of the sites right on the river.

Even though the sites appeared to be rather close, I didn't see any of the larger travel trailers have any difficulty getting into their spots.

 A Pet Walk is available; however, I didn't see very many dog owners taking advantage of this spot. In fact, I had to walk carefully in the grass walking near the bridge. Apparently people thought that was an okay place to allow their dogs to do their business without picking up after them.

 In the office, there is a small store with a few items in it. The "resort" is close enough to a grocery store, so even if you run out of something, it's no big deal to make a quick trip to the IGA.

 There is a decent sized playground for the kids, with a small basketball court on the hill, just next to the building in the picture below.

A pavilion is also available for groups.

If camping isn't your thing, there are cabins for rent.

 The bathroom in between the tent & one of the loops was small but clean. The shower was just a trickle...literally. Luckily, this "resort" is close enough to our house that we ran home & showered on Sunday. There is a code required to open the door to keep tubers from coming off of the river and using the facilities. However, the doors didn't close all of the way, so all you really had to do is push it open.

 One plus was a place to wash dishes:

There is a separate tent area.

Amenities include electricity, water, and hook-ups, as well as cable. There is wi-fi, but I could never get it to connect...and stay connected. Cell service is extremely spotty.

There is a nice pool on the premises.

Quiet hours are from 10 pm to 8 am, but apparently they're different for the KOA that is right next to here. There are KOA cabins that are just across the river, and there were a couple of cabins that were just getting started around 10:00 pm.
Tremont Outdoor Resort is just at the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so we heard quite a bit of traffic noise, especially motorcycles. We would stay here again if we weren't able to get a spot at another campground (like Cades Cove, Elkmont, Smokemont, Mile High, or a state park).
Seeing this guy definitely made it worth it:

The view of the river from the bridge was quite nice as well:

Melton Hill Dam Campground

 

Melton Hill is one of our favorite camping spots when we want a quick get away. It is located just southwest of Knoxville, Tn., just off of I-40.  It's a very short drive to Lenoir City, so if you forget something and need to run to a store, there are some nearby.

Melton Hill is a self-sustaining TVA Campground.  It is first come, although there are plans to possibly change to a reservation system in the future. Management just switched from TVA to Recreation Resource Management. The campground is seasonal: this year it is open from 15 March through 15 November.

You can have your pick of what amenities you want at your campsite: hook-ups, electricity, and water are all available.

The sites are a decent size. We were there the 2nd weekend the campground was open, and it was pretty much empty.
The handicapped sites are very nice:

There are some sites that are "pull-over":

Those are a tight squeeze, but they're ideal for teardrops or small trailers.
The tent sites are gorgeous. They almost make me wish we were tent camping! Notice I said "almost"! Our heater came in handy at  night!

The bathrooms are decent. There are 2 in the campground; 1 is also used for people who come to enjoy the park for the day. That one got a little less than clean (obviously), but it was still "okay".
(This is the one at the top of the hill, but they are identical on the inside, except for the lower bathhouse accommodating the handicapped.)

The park got pretty busy during the day on Saturday with boaters and picnickers. There are pavilions available; some of them have grills.

Camping areas are clearly marked to keep the park's day users from roaming around the campsites.  Surprisingly, I didn't see anyone roaming or driving around the campground.  The camp host drove around what seemed like every hour.
There is an overlook with a nice observation building. I think the building is actually for the TVA police, but you are allowed to walk around and take in the views. There is also a hiking trail and a couple of pavilions in that area.

The dam area also had quite a bit of traffic, with people biking, running, or just enjoying the sunshine.

Dogs are allowed. (I wouldn't want to forget Laika!) She's a good camping dog, but when it starts to get dark, she's ready to head inside.

As always, we also ate some pretty good food/chow:

The only other time we've been to Melton Hill is the last weekend of the season, so I don't know how hard it is to get a spot other times of the year. They don't have reduced rates for government workers or TVA employees, but they do honor Golden Age, Golden Access, and America the Beautiful; however, if you camp in a premium site, they are not honored. Find out more at RRM's website here

Another good camping weekend, but then again, any weekend is a good camping weekend!

Ft. De Soto State Park, Florida

We stayed at Ft. De Soto on our way home from The Keys at the advice of our James Island neighbors. We only stayed 1 night, but we were very impressed with how beautiful this campground was.
The sites were shaded and private.

They were fairly wide, we just happened to get a site that had a tree in the way of the drive, so it took a few tries to get the trailer in. It would have been extremely difficult if we had a larger camper/trailer.
Each site has water & electricity; there are sanitary disposal stations. Grills are also provided. There are no fire pits, but campers can rent one from the store for a small fee.
Each of the waterside sites had a grassy area, then a small private beach.

 Private beach:

From the beach looking back at the site:

Another view from the beach:

We aren't certain what the sites on the other side of the campground are like since we didn't take the time to ride around and look.

The bath houses are large and appear to be well taken care of. There are washing machines that are coin-only just outside of the bath houses.

Right when you pull into the campground, there is a small store with staples. They also appear to sell pizza and other small snacks. A Snack Bar is also in the park, but it was closed when we arrived. It is a short drive to grocery stores and restaurants.

According to their website, there is also primitive camping available, but pets are not allowed in that area. A permit is required to camp on Shell Key Reserve.  

There are 7 miles of  paved walking trails connecting the "keys" within the park. There is a fort, a quartermaster museum, dog park, canoe trail, as well as a ferry to Egmont Key.  

We definitely want to go back to Ft. De Soto State Park to take in everything it has to offer!

Knights Key, Florida

2017 Update: Our beloved Knights Key is no more, due to a developer buying the land with plans to put up condos. If anyone knows of a campground in The Keys that you can actually reserve a spot, please contact us!
Between Christmas and New Year's, we have spent the last 3 years in The Keys. We found a very nice private campground in the Mid-Keys, right before you go over the 7 Mile Bridge: Knights Key. It's close enough to Marathon that you can ride a bicycle to just about anywhere you want to go. It's close to restaurants, shops, and convenience stores, but you would probably want to drive to a grocery store.

Compared to other private campgrounds in The Keys, the sites are decent size. The following is a picture of the site that we've had all 3 years. Our next door neighbors drove their camper to the beach for the day, so the picnic table you see in is theirs.

The views from the campsites on the water are beautiful:

There are some sites that come with a place for your boat:

All sites have water & electricity, but no hookups. They do offer a service that will come and take care of your toilet needs for $10 each time. The only exception is the tent area, which is really just a big field:

The campground has spacious, clean bathrooms.

 There are laundry facilities onsite that take credit cards. There are 4 washing machines, and 6 dryers. 

There is a restaurant in the campground that serves everything from fish to lasagna to sandwiches. They also serve breakfast. Customers can eat inside, or at one of the many outside tables in the shade. the food is excellent, but have cash on hand...the restaurant doesn't take credit/debit cards. There  this also a "Tiki Bar", but be aware that it does not have a liquor license so only beer, wine, and what I call "over the counter drinks" (drinks you can get at the grocery store) are served. It also doesn't take credit cards.  (The website indicates that the restaurant and Tiki Bar are only open December-March.)
If you are there for an extended time, the campground has a book club that meets, as well as other activities.

Everyone at the campground is extremely friendly, which is one of the reasons we keep going back. They have a wonderful New Year's Eve party, complete with a pot luck, DJ, and dancing. The party is at the Tiki Bar, which is where everyone gravitates at sunset to view the end of the day with the 7 Mile Bridge in the background.

If you're looking for a campground in The Keys, this is definitely the place to be. To visit their website, view rates, and make reservations, click here.