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Old 07-09-2015, 10:19 AM   #1
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Travel Resorts of America

Anyone a member of Travel Resorts of America? We are members and love it. Of course being in Ohio with three of their resorts helps. Our favorite is Rocky Fork Ranch Resort but we have only been to the three in Ohio thus far. We will be heading to the Gettysburg Battlefield Resort for Labor Day.

We hope to make it to Sycamore Lodge (NC), and Bass Lake Resort (NY) next year. I know there are many people who are against this type of membership camping, but we have been members for two years and could not be happier. Six great resorts all very family friendly with lots to do both at the resorts and nearby plus Coast to Coast membership included.

If anyone is a member we would enjoy meeting up at one of the resorts sometime.

I am prepared to get badgered about my post by those against it, but I think sharing my positive experience is worth it to anyone who may be considering something like this.
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Old 07-09-2015, 10:32 AM   #2
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Thanks for sharing! This is why I enjoy this site. We learn so much from others.
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Old 07-09-2015, 12:56 PM   #3
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Been a member going on 3 years and have been to all except in Fl. Very nice accommodations. Really liked Gettysburg.
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Old 07-09-2015, 01:22 PM   #4
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We have been members since 2011. We love sycamore lodge!!! You can see some pictures I posted here
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Old 07-09-2015, 01:25 PM   #5
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We were members and were told we could never get out of the membership. We were not told everything when we joined. Anyway it took a lawyer to finally get us out, and we would never join again. There are way too many restrictions!!!
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Old 07-09-2015, 01:56 PM   #6
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We are members through the in-laws. So far only been to Gettysburg. We go several times a year and like it for what it is. It's nice, well maintained and has lots to do. It can be a bit close depending on what site you get Of course we aren't the ones paying for it and if it came down to it wouldn't be. Our preference is for state parks and smaller places. We would not join a members CG like this or TT. Like our freedom and not feeling like we have to go somewhere because we are already paying for it.


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Old 07-09-2015, 02:02 PM   #7
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[QUOTE=loumichelle735;918154]We are members through the in-laws. So far only been to Gettysburg. We go several times a year and like it for what it is. It's nice, well maintained and has lots to do. It can be a bit close depending on what site you get Of course we aren't the ones paying for it and if it came down to it wouldn't be. Our preference is for state parks and smaller places. We would not join a members CG like this or TT. Like our freedom and not feeling like we have to go somewhere because we are already paying for it.


Lou,

We camp a lot so we do end up at a lot of other places but get plenty of use out of our TRA membership as well. In fact we are going to a non-TRA CG this weekend. We also have a Disney trip planned to camp at Fort Wilderness (Disney's CG). The TRA also included Coast to Coast which is hundreds of CGs all across the country.
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Old 07-09-2015, 07:51 PM   #8
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Hi Randy. I'm not even completely sure of the costs involved but it isn't too cheap is it? Have you ever calculated it out what it cost you on a nightly basis? I believe one of their big selling points is site availability. With the membership we have access to we can book 3 months out and sometimes have trouble getting a site. Gettysburg is a very popular place for sure. I'm just not sure we'd get our money's worth out of it. I thought they did away with the coast to coast. Or was it thousand trails?


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Old 07-09-2015, 08:00 PM   #9
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Lou,

TRA still has Coast to Coast so that must have been Thousand Trails. For me we are young and have a long time of camping to enjoy it. Considering most resorts as nice as these are $60+ per night for us it has been well worth it. Gettysburg is one of the most popular resorts by far. Living in Ohio I have three resorts with the farthest being about 3 hours away. We spend most of our time at Rocky Fork Ranch and it is huge. They have horseback riding, gun range, archery range, golf driving range, indoor pool, outdoor pool, lake
With boats, nature center, cabins, and so much more. If you only camp a few times a year it is not worth it, but we are out as much as we can get out. Sometimes it is last minute and we never have an issue getting a site.
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Old 07-09-2015, 08:21 PM   #10
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Booking can be difficult. It depends on if you want 30 or 50 amp, fhu or w/e and what membership plan you have. 90 day booking plans have no issues. 60 day booking plans have some issues (what I have). 30 day booking plans, forget it. They do over sell the membership. The tours have become a running joke among members. That said, sycamore is our favorite campground. We use it a lot but camp elsewhere too. Yes, it's expensive, especially if you buy in full price but to us the campground is worth it. Many buy resale memberships for just the transfer fee of a few hundred bucks and then just pay the yearly membership fees. This cost depends on your particular membership plan as these appear to be fully customizable. I do caution anyone financing a new membership through them, it will be financed on a credit card and not a loan. The coast to coast membership is a separate yearly fee. So yes, there is a list of negatives but to us the positives outweighed the negatives. Would I do it again? Yes but I would buy resale instead of new membership. As stated above, membership campgrounds are not for everybody but neither are state parks, boondocking, tent camping, etc. That is the beauty of camping, everyone has there way of doing what they enjoy.
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Old 07-10-2015, 06:51 AM   #11
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Ray,

Thanks for the thoughts. We also camp a lot, mostly weekend trips so the far TRA options aren't too practical. Gettysburg is nice and close. We are also reenactors so we Iike the local history in Gettysburg and close by as well. The Ohio places look really nice so maybe one year will get out there for Labor Day or some other long weekend. I can see TRA would be worth it if you get there a good bit. Maybe we'll catch each other at some point. This Labor Day we are at Hickory Run State Park. Safe travels!


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Old 07-10-2015, 06:58 AM   #12
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Booking can be difficult. It depends on if you want 30 or 50 amp, fhu or w/e and what membership plan you have. 90 day booking plans have no issues. 60 day booking plans have some issues (what I have). 30 day booking plans, forget it. They do over sell the membership. The tours have become a running joke among members. That said, sycamore is our favorite campground. We use it a lot but camp elsewhere too. Yes, it's expensive, especially if you buy in full price but to us the campground is worth it. Many buy resale memberships for just the transfer fee of a few hundred bucks and then just pay the yearly membership fees. This cost depends on your particular membership plan as these appear to be fully customizable. I do caution anyone financing a new membership through them, it will be financed on a credit card and not a loan. The coast to coast membership is a separate yearly fee. So yes, there is a list of negatives but to us the positives outweighed the negatives. Would I do it again? Yes but I would buy resale instead of new membership. As stated above, membership campgrounds are not for everybody but neither are state parks, boondocking, tent camping, etc. That is the beauty of camping, everyone has there way of doing what they enjoy.

Asquared,

Since we are in a popup the electricity isn't much of an issue. We don't even have AC. We can book 60 days out and for the most part that is more than enough. The prime weekends are were we have problems. The kids liked the Halloween weekends but it's a toss up every year. Thanks for the thoughts. I hadn't considered the resale angle. That might make it doable. We also see the sales tours and just shake our head knowing it means more competition for sites. They recently bought a second site to Gettysburg as overflow but it is not close to Gettysburg really and has historically been more of a seasonal CG. Safe travels! Thanks for the info.


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Old 07-10-2015, 12:26 PM   #13
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Love our TRA membership

We have been members for about 3 years now and love it. I realized by going to the resort meetings on Saturday mornings that members must not have taken the time to read everything that was given them or must not have received clarification on things that were not clear. When we first joined I read through everything. I made notes on everything and then made up two notebooks. One notebook is just for Coast to Coast. The second notebook is for TRA. Whenever I'm not clear on something I call and have always been given great information.

We live in Pennsylvania and are headed to Rocky Fork next week. This will be our first time there and I'm really looking forward to it. We camp at least once a month between May and October so that's six months of camping that would cost us a fortune otherwise for 5 to 7 days. We have not had the opportunity to take advantage of the Coast to Coast since I have two dogs that can't be boarded due to age/sickness. I'm sure after they have passed and I retire we will utilize everything available to us.
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Old 07-10-2015, 12:31 PM   #14
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We also enjoy Sycamore Lodge. the grounds are well kept, the staff is friendly and always have activities going. Yes it can get very crowded. We look at the membership cost as paying the camping fee upfront. We know it will take a long time recoup but it is nice to have a place we can go not far from home but also get away from it all. The other campgrounds are a bonus.
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Old 07-10-2015, 12:34 PM   #15
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SMR,

What section are you in at RFR? We love RFR but be warned it is on a hill and can be very unlevel. I suggest taking extra leveling blocks.
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Old 07-10-2015, 12:38 PM   #16
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SMR,

What section are you in at RFR? We love RFR but be warned it is on a hill and can be very unlevel. I suggest taking extra leveling blocks.

We are in T10. Thank you for letting us know about it being hilly. We run into the same thing when we go to Pymatuning Adventure Resort.
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Old 07-10-2015, 12:46 PM   #17
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We are in T10. Thank you for letting us know about it being hilly. We run into the same thing when we go to Pymatuning Adventure Resort.
You are probably ok on that side of the hill. We usually stay on the other side where more of the sites are. The Pull through full hookups where you are going to be are nice but kind of out of the way from the rest of the world out there. You will be near a lot of cabins (nice ones).

I am sure you will have a blast. If they did not already tell you, DO NOT follow your GPS to the resort. You will end up on some dirt roads that will likely be impassable if you have anything more than about 15' of trailer.

I would presume you will be coming in on I-77. If so you get off exit 54 and head east to the stop sign. When you get to the stop sign turn right and follow the signs. You will see a big white sign about 5ish miles down to turn right to the resort. I hope this helps.
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Old 07-10-2015, 12:55 PM   #18
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We have not had the opportunity to take advantage of the Coast to Coast since I have two dogs that can't be boarded due to age/sickness. I'm sure after they have passed and I retire we will utilize everything available to us.

Coast to Coast have a no pets policy?


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Old 07-10-2015, 05:53 PM   #19
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Each campground has their own policy.


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Old 07-10-2015, 06:12 PM   #20
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How accessible is rocky fork for a 40 ft fiver?
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