Thousand Trails RV parks

[Witch Doctor]

Harbor View RV Camping is a Thousand Trails RV Campground in Colonial Beach, Virginia: many historic towns near this Outdoor World RV Park in ...
3 Google reviews · Write a review. dblr Well they sure list it as one.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by dblr

...Colonial beach is a Outdoor World Park not a TT park ...

According to the Thousand Trails website, Colonial Beach is listed as a TT park as are those below in Virginia.

Explore Campgrounds

Chesapeake Bay RV Resort
12014 Trails Ln
Gloucester VA 23061

Harbor View RV & Camping Resort
15 Harbor View Circle
Colonial Beach VA 22443

Lynchburg RV Resort
405 Mollies Creek Rd
Gladys VA 24554
Virginia Landing RV Campground
40226 Upshur Neck Road,
Quinby VA 23423

Williamsburg RV & Camping Resort
4301 Rochambeau Dr
Williamsburg VA 23188

[rockwood06]

Originally Posted by dblr

One of the biggest problems has been the changing of corporate owners and how they see things, yes TT was a good thing years ago but as others have said going downhill. They do seem to put a little money into the popular parks, OC they were repairing some of the roads in Orland when I was there this summer, they were just starting the day I left.
Colonial beach is a Outdoor World Park not a TT park so not all members can go there, seems they like to sell the annual sites which is not what the system was originally set up for. As with anything you get what you put into it, we use the system the best we can but really wish things would improve.

Yes, this so true. Thousand Trails today is not the same as it was years ago.
The last I heard the owner are 7 layers and have made a lot of changes.
Over the past 5 years or so they have come with different strategies to make more money, first offering annual sites, selling off their rental units, short term member ships plans and allowing other campers that are not members weekend camping.
From what I have heard other then the Florida TT's the Hershey Preserves is the next most popular spot.

Thousand Trail was a "members only" camping resort but now that times have changed there are more and more non members coming in and that is ok, but we are see more and more vandalism in the park. This is a bad rap it seem for those that come and enjoy all that the park has to offer. Is there a connection, maybe not just quincentennial.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

According to the Thousand Trails website, Colonial Beach is listed as a TT park as are those below in Virginia.

Explore Campgrounds

Chesapeake Bay RV Resort
12014 Trails Ln
Gloucester VA 23061

Harbor View RV & Camping Resort
15 Harbor View Circle
Colonial Beach VA 22443

Lynchburg RV Resort
405 Mollies Creek Rd
Gladys VA 24554
Virginia Landing RV Campground
40226 Upshur Neck Road,
Quinby VA 23423

Williamsburg RV & Camping Resort
4301 Rochambeau Dr
Williamsburg VA 23188

What I posted was a direct copy and pasted of the listing on Google. That came under Thousandtrails RV .com You also have it listed 15 harbour View Circle. That's the only one I'm talking about. Also went to see the other one listed not a TT park Ocean View or something like that, it's right on the water but is even in worst shape. The real problem is it is a very old park with broken concrete pads and are very small. Your really 3/4 on the pad and a 1/4 off there so small, just the very old style before the slide outs came about. I have seen some nice TT but, I think most are for members only or you have to be guest of a member correct? Maybe that's why they let anyone stay there. It could be nice if they put more money into it. They just changed the electrical on one side of the park but all those spaces where filled. Plus the pool was out, they said a filter problem. Last year the guy in the Redwood told me they were suppose to do the whole park and repair the pool, Then he said they just quite making improvements the excuse they told the members was they ran out of funding, he was not a happy camper. So people moved from the old side to the new and filled it up.

[EdJunior]

We have stayed at three parks in Texas. The first one was at Lake Medina, just west of San Antonio. This was an awesome park. Very nice and very well kept up. Back then, it was right on the lake. Now the lake has all but disappeared due to the drought. And I haven't been back to the park since, so I don't know what it is like now.

We stayed at Conroe, on Lake Conroe a couple of times. This one needs a LOT of work. The lake was down quite a bit when we were there, again due to the drought, but I think it is back to normal on that front. But their biggest problem is the campsites. They really suck. They are unlevel, all on grass (sometimes overgrown), and lots of fire ants that are out of control. The recreational activities (pool and stuff) are okay, but the roads are pretty rough, and like I said, the campsites need a lot of work.

We also stayed at Columbus, on the Brazos River. The river was...yeah, you guessed it...sorta. It was very low, and had lots of stillwater mossy stuff on it. Again, due to the drought. I believe it may be back to normal also now, but I couldn't be sure. This park was about midway between Medina and Conroe. The sites were decent enough, but could use some upkeep. The road to get to it was pretty rough, but not unbearable.

I will not go back to Conroe until they do some work on theirs. I would go back to Columbus, and Medina as well. I just hope Lake Medina recovers sometime in the near future. It hurts to see it so low.

Hope this helps.

[chuckw5kav]

The DW and i stayed at a thousand trails here in Washington
State and another in SeaSide Oregon as a weekender without
a membership. The one in Oregon was not bad and look like
they were updating it with more cabins. It had two sections
to it, members and non-members, since we were traveling with
friends that had a membership they let us stay with our
friends on the members side after they complained....

The one in Washington was clean but I saw allot of
overgrown site's that could not be used, also so junk trailers
hid out back in a couple of the overgrown site's. I'd say the
park had maybe over 170 or more sites with about 30 or
40 overgrown and not usable....People were friendly in both
places and didn't try to sale us a membership even thought I
do get a number of emails now from them...

Reading about them I don't see how anyone can afford them
unless you were a full timer, a weekender wouldn't get their
many worth IMO, I love camping but not going broke doing
such

[dblr]

Originally Posted by gljurczyk

Harbor View RV Camping is a Thousand Trails RV Campground in Colonial Beach, Virginia: many historic towns near this Outdoor World RV Park in ...
3 Google reviews · Write a review. dblr Well they sure list it as one.

Yes you are correct I got the name wrong as I confused it with the address, Outdoor World and Thousand Trails are all owned now by Equity Life Properties but are separate operations, not every membership lets you camp at every park, they have different levels of membership. We have not camped at Harbor View yet so I could not write a review of that campground. They do show it on the TT web site but like I said not everyone can use that park, they also list some Encore parks but all you get there is a discounted rate like a daily rate.

[ependydad]

I must be real easy to please.

I stayed at Harborview in Colonial Beach, VA. We actually enjoyed it. We first camped there in our pop-up in 2011. Interesting place with every site having full hookups but no dump station. In a pop-up, that meant that I had to dump our cartridge toilet down the 4" sewer connection. We camped there again in 2012 and 2013 but not this year. Overall, I found the people (workers and other campers) incredibly friendly. The first year, everyone knew us because my daughter (then 7) is quite the social butterfly. There was one area under the trees that the sites were pretty tight, road hard to make out, and there was a lot of tree debris everywhere. I wasn't even crazy about parking there in our pop-up. But the rest was decent. Glenn is right about the concrete pads- they're all pretty small. But honestly that hasn't been an issue- we just park where we can and ignore it.

I've also camped twice now in Orlando for Christmas 2012 and this summer (2014). I assume our experience in the "off season" is a bit different than their busy snowbirding months, but we didn't have the water issues (though, from watching Thousand Trails groups on FB- I have read of them). dblr is right, this summer- they started patching the roads and fixing them up. There were also some new signs going up. Overall, I thought the pools and play equipment were all decent (better than others, I'd say). We like it here.

I regularly stay at Circle M in Lancaster, PA. Decent place, but it sounds like they have rules issues over the summers that the managers constantly fight. I only camp there in the spring and fall because they have an indoor pool. That said, it could be cleaned up a little better, but it's always been sufficient- a place to park, water, electric and sewer.

I regularly stay at Gettysburg Farm in Dover, PA. They're showing a bit of age roughness around the edges- the pool + kiddie pools need some attention, but I did see that they're updating the bathrooms. The playsets equipment could use some attention, but the kids have always been happy.

We have stayed at Kenisee Lake in Jefferson, NJ and found it sufficient. Some of the buildings could use a little work, but the campsites and piers on the lakes were all in good working order. It had the smallest pool that I've ever seen. And, the worst of the campground (sarcasm) was my bad parking- they let me park myself and I sunk my tires in mud. Otherwise, the folks there were friendly (seasonal neighbor and workers alike).

We also are regular visitors to Seapines in Swainton, NJ. This park got a beautiful new pool and it sounds like the bathhouses saw refurbishing the past year or so. It's a heavily wooded park and sometimes a bit TOO wooded for getting around in big rigs and being able to park. Otherwise, they're a super popular destination and getting a sewer site can be tricky- they offer a pumpout service for free.

Where else? We have stayed at the Hershey TT park and enjoy it there. Nicely kept, but a bit overbearing on the rules (I caught heck for jumping into the pool). Lots of different feels to the campground depending on where you camp.

And, Williamsburg. Nice place, but incredibly close to the highway. This one felt quite a bit more run down than others- but we were there in early April. Again, this is a great fringe-season destination because it has an indoor pool. This isn't the most big rig friendly- they recommended (and I do to, now) to park the camper and find your site in your vehicle only. I'm glad that I did as there was a turn or two that would have SUCKED.

Hmm, there's more - Diamond Caverns in Park City, KY. This place was likely very nice in it's hay day. It definitely felt rough around the edges from the buildings to some of the "cabins" to some campsites that they have given up on and have let be reclaimed to nature. That said, it was a great location to go to Mammoth Cave and a stopping for in our travels from Alabama to Indiana. We stayed 5 days.

And lastly, some "Encore" parks that are sort of/kind of affiliated but not quite. We payed to stay at Twin Mills in Howe, IN and Lake Magic in Clermont, FL. Being Thousand Trails members, we get discounts. And the "Encore" parks are owned by the same folks as Thousand Trails. Again, both parks were decently kept.

There literally has never been a park that I couldn't find something that needs improving. I've never had one hit 100% of every point in terms of refurbishment, tidiness, and neighbors.

But as I said, maybe I'm just easy.

[ChrisAndGarren]

We received a 1 year TT membership with our MH purchase - I'm pretty certain we won't buy one after the few trips we have taken.
Seaside - the park is a good location, has 2 sides that aren't connected. All have water/sewer, but you can't keep your stinky slinky out unless you have a ramp (can't be on the ground, not a big deal cause we have one) and one side is 30 amp, one side is 50 amp. Most of the amenities are on the 50 amp side, but that's where many of the permanent setups are, so when we arrived at about 6pm there weren't any spaces available in that area for our MH, so we headed back to the 30 amp side.
It was our first TT experience, so we didn't realize they don't assign you a site, you have to drive around to find one you "like" can can fit your vehicle into. I felt everything was kind of run down and not being kept up. Most of the people we talked with were not TT members, but had paid for the nights outright.
Our other experience was with the "original" park in Centralia washington. Wow, this place was a nightmare. First, it's on a hill. And in the woods. We arrived late, and the whole "drive around and find someplace" when it's dusk is really not the most awesome experience, especially when the spots are overgrown - Plus, there aren't sewer hookups at the sites, so we had to dump when leaving (which isn't a huge deal, just a hassle)
Again, it was tough to get our 36' MH (with nothing being towed) around.
The other park that is close is "Encore" so we'd have to pay to stay there (but I've heard it's nice) and there aren't any more within 2 hours.
Because we weekend camp mostly, I think I prefer having an assigned spot so I can get to camping immediately - we don't typically arrive in the mid afternoon when any of the "good" spots at a find your own are available.
So, I think the $500+ per year they want to charge me is going to be a bit more than I want to spend. I'd rather go to our state campgrounds (we hadn't prebooked much this year with the MH being new, but we never had problems finding a site SOMEWHERE to camp)
Just my opinion!
Garren

[Kaadk]

After scanning through this thread I've got a question. How can there be permanent sites? When I looked into TT before they stated you could only be on a site for 2 weeks.





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[ChrisAndGarren]

when I asked, there are different "types" of memberships that allow you to stay at your home park as a permanent location.
I could however, be mistaken.

[OldCoot]

After buying a membership and upgrading to Platinum Plus in 06, I would not do it again for what you get. Neglecting the initial cost, the $526/yr maintenance fee makes it worthwhile as this year it averages out to approx. $8.77/night which is very reasonable. All fees considered to date for us add up to just under $29/night. Every year, that number will decrease the longer we stay members. Is it a good deal? Not in my book, but we'll live with it. No sense crying over spilled milk.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

After scanning through this thread I've got a question. How can there be permanent sites? When I looked into TT before they stated you could only be on a site for 2 weeks.

My understanding is you can pay a yearly fee over and above your yearly membership fee to keep a site the entire year and renew it every year.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

My understanding is you can pay a yearly fee over and above your yearly membership fee to keep a site the entire year and renew it every year.

Correct. My sister did it at Gettysburg Farm for a few years.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

After buying a membership and upgrading to Platinum Plus in 06, I would not do it again for what you get. Neglecting the initial cost, the $526/yr maintenance fee makes it worthwhile as this year it averages out to approx. $8.77/night which is very reasonable.

I got lucky, my initial cost was free for a national membership. I don't have the Elite perks, though I'm considering it for the park-to-park ability.

I haven't averaged my nightly costs for TT parks, but including TT and non-TT parks, I'm able to keep my average nightly cost at under $20/night which isn't bad because most times when I pay for camping it is $30-75/night depending on where we're at.

[D_B Travelers]

This has been an interesting thread with many confirming our experience with TT; it is sad to see a company that apparently once was a premier RV park abandon their business model when acquired by another company. The TT park at Lake Texoma COULD be an excellent park if it received a massive transfusion of funding to fix (read: replace) the roads and put up some road signs helping new arrivals find the correct area. The pools and clubhouse areas all appeared to be in very good condition and were being used, but we did not try them out as we had guests at the camp. Also a previous post mentioning the daunting task of finding your own site with 50A service could have been turned into a positive if one of the 4 "Rangers" sitting in the check in station would have suggested that you park your rig and get into one of the (three) golf carts parked outside and they would take you to look for a site. That would have been a big customer service plus, especially on those roads. I emailed TT on Friday, and while their automated response said someone would respond within one business day, I may yet receive something today.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by D_B Travelers

Also a previous post mentioning the daunting task of finding your own site with 50A service could have been turned into a positive if one of the 4 "Rangers" sitting in the check in station would have suggested that you park your rig and get into one of the (three) golf carts parked outside and they would take you to look for a site. That would have been a big customer service plus, especially on those roads. I emailed TT on Friday, and while their automated response said someone would respond within one business day, I may yet receive something today.

Interestingly enough- that is how it works at Diamond Caverns and Harborview. They take you around on a golf cart to help you find a site.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Interestingly enough- that is how it works at Diamond Caverns and Harborview. They take you around on a golf cart to help you find a site.

That would be nice @ all TT parks, but I always get the excuse "The budget has been cut and we are short of staff" even tho' there are 3 or 4 folks sitting on their duffs at check in doing nothing. Orlando use to man the gate, but not anymore. Orlando check is a nightmare for 1st timers. Now that we've stayed there for 8 yrs, we pretty much know which sites in what area we want.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

That would be nice @ all TT parks, but I always get the excuse "The budget has been cut and we are short of staff" even tho' there are 3 or 4 folks sitting on their duffs at check in doing nothing. Orlando use to man the gate, but not anymore. Orlando check is a nightmare for 1st timers. Now that we've stayed there for 8 yrs, we pretty much know which sites in what area we want.

I agree that it would be nice.

No kidding about Orlando. I only knew that I wanted the "D" section from something that I read online (about it being more tree coverage than others).

Though for 2 of our 3 check-ins, we did not end up in the site that we original requested. We just call up after getting backed in to change and it hasn't been a problem. (Though, I did read there can be issues with that during their busy season.)

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I agree that it would be nice.

No kidding about Orlando. I only knew that I wanted the "D" section from something that I read online (about it being more tree coverage than others).

Though for 2 of our 3 check-ins, we did not end up in the site that we original requested. We just call up after getting backed in to change and it hasn't been a problem. (Though, I did read there can be issues with that during their busy season.)

We prefer E, F or G