earlmcfarlandiii

Should have called first, but found both 10 and 13 sites available…$20 a night as advertised by others. Dan Looten, owner/manager very agreeable and helpful. It’s a neighborhood lot with two sites only for drop-ins—the rest are semipermanent residents. Laundry is available, but not sure of the details on accessing it, as I just needed 30amp for the night. More or less self service with payment envelopes and a Dropbox. Suited me just fine. Only drawbacks are the rutted street road access and that Panhandle is 9 miles north of I-40. Would stop again, though calling first would be smart. Earl

Hosted as a courtesy to casino patrons, I felt no pressure to lose my life savings here and did appreciate the full hookup amenities, the security patrolling regularly, and this gracious example of kinship with our Native American brothers and sisters. No 30amp issues experienced at site #1. Filled up late evening but only one other RV here at 6:30 when I arrived. Perhaps a carry out breakfast at the hotel restaurant this morning.

As rest stops go, this is a really pretty one, with lots of grassy areas and abundant parking. Got here at about 9:00 and there were about 10 open spots in the truck parking. The large car parking area was empty.

Arrived after dark and self-serviced registration next to the Fender’s Motel office door. No phone answer that late in the evening also. Very helpful and friendly custodian/manager in a golf cart the next morning welcomed me and gave me the overnight rate for these front sites across from the motel ($38.50) without Passport America’s discount. Easy back in and quiet night. Grateful they were accommodating. Earl

Bob Overbeck and his wife Norma keep a beautiful place here. Most campers are from the local area, and the spots generally are full on weekends. Weekdays, unless a holiday week, are generally open for walk-ins per Bob. My pup, Henry, and I arrived unannounced on a Friday before the 4th, and we were treated with helpful respect and courtesy. Bob even found a shady place for us to set up dry, and moved us to an electric spot cancellation and out of the 95 degree heat with the gift of an ice cold beer. Best beer I ever tasted. Quality folks here, all politics aside. At almost 80 years on the planet, I can’t get too worked up over a Trump flag. Life’s too short to miss meeting good people.

Day manager very helpful and friendly. I paid in cash, but no provisions are made for offering change. That was okay, as he deserved a tip anyway. I soon upgraded my site to a “premier” pull-thru which has a concrete pad…needed to get my small dog away from prior site’s German shepherd neighbor. Manager was gracious and accommodating, applying his “tip” to the extra $5 premier fee. Showers and bathroom kept up nicely. Would stay here again.

Just off US 40 and 2 miles from I 70 make this easy-to-get-to spot a real find, especially last-minute. Extremely helpful and friendly staff. Didn’t notice US 40 road noise on Wednesday night. Hookups are in the center of islands with pull throughs on either side. Not as complicated as it sounds and well-marked. Adjoining motels looks nice and is pet-friendly as well. May try $5 breakfast at the Inn…it’s highly recommended.

A beautiful setting on the bank of the Tennessee River, hosted by Mickey and Bill. They maintain this TVA gem perfectly, despite many full-timers and unexpected guests (no reservations, though I was told that one may pay in advance to hold their site for a day or so). Delightful and helpful people in an absolutely lovely setting.

New owners Sherry and Shawn are delightful
people, willing to go that extra mile to help travelers settle in and feel welcome. Please disregard the 1-star review below, as it surely does not apply in 2023. Lovely 2-day stay to attend a Kent and Shannon Rollins book signing at the library. All expectations were met and exceeded. This is a gem!

Stayed here overnight after a late departure from Olympia WA and a very late - 10:00pm- arrival in the dark. Many spots were open, and all had reserved signs on them. On close flashlight inspection, these were for future dates, so I picked one and walked a few hundred yards to the fee station and filled my envelope with a $20 bill for a pull-thru. This National Park reservation protocol may be good to know, as I drove past other park areas that appeared taken with reserved slots, but that had open sites.
I haven’t dry camped much, and this may be no new news for others. Check-in is at 2:00 and check-out at 1:00.