Escapees Rainbow Plantation RV Park

We decided to check out an Escapee's owned park on our trip across country - this one coming highly regarded within their park system.

For nightly stays, they offer full hook-ups and dry camping - all options being back-in sites. We opted for dry camping at $5/night (plus taxes). There are only a handful of dry camping sites, which are all very tightly packed in. Thankfully, there were only a couple other RVs present when we were there, otherwise this would have been uncomfortable. The sites are also along a line of trees, which minimizes solar collection.

The full hook-up sites are all nicely spaced, many shaded and would be quite pleasant for a longer stay. We shouldn't hesitate to opt for one of those in the future, particularly since their monthly rates are pretty darn affordable.

The rest of the park are owned home lots with a variety of structures built on them. All of which allow RV parking, which is kinda cool. There is a central community center with a pool, rec hall and laundry center (with way too few washer/dryers in our opinion). All looked kinda on the dated side.

The location is a bit off the beaten path for an overnight stop, unless you're on your way to the shoreline. But once you are there, it's a tucked away and tranquil location. If we wanted to stay in the area in the future, we'd return.

Evacuated out of FL for hurricane Irma. This CG was out of the cone of indecision so I felt safe to stay. Sites are nicely spaced and the whole CG is fairly level. A few trees in between sites and none blocking my southern sky view so sat service worked great. Upcharge of $1 a day for 50A service. Every here including the staff were very nice. Check in was simple. It is not close to much and for some that may be what you are looking for. Fair Hope is a nice town ~30 mins. Gulf Shores has some of the nicest beaches in the country ~30+ mins. Beautifully white and was very empty. Big Daddy's is a very nice casual dining place on a river <10 mins. This is the only place to eat within 25 mins. Enjoyed my stay and expect to return again when in the area.
Verizon was nice and fast. ATT needs a booster. TMobile could barely see a signal but with a booster was able to get service.

Escapee RV park. Located out in the country - half hour+ drive to Gulf Shores; 10-15 minutes to shopping/restaurants. Back-in grass sites with shade trees, and plenty of space to spread out. Nice quiet atmosphere, with little traffic noise. Dog friendly. No cable or free WIFI ($ WIFI available). Restrooms, laundry and pool are nice, but seem too far away from most sites. Friendly management. Would return because of its affordability, proximity to Gulf Shores and it's quiet country setting.

This campground was good and we would come back.

PROs
* interior roads are well paved;
* good spacing between the sites and nice mature trees;
* staff were friendly at check in;
* were able to get over the air television;
* this park is out in the country so there will be some driving to get places. We were able to explore Mobile and the Gulf Shores.

CONs
* our only complaint would be that there was no connectivity from about 7 a.m. until late at night.

This was our final stop on a month-long trip around the southeast.

We had problems with this campground from the first moment we booked with them. The staff that we spoke with on the phone were oftentimes surly and unfriendly. When we arrived, the office was closed (COVID) and we took the folder with our name on it and set up camp. We left for dinner and received a call from their staff, complaining that we had not immediately contacted them upon arrival. They were correct, but only because they had a patchwork of times you could call and we did not arrive when they were "available". Their attitude was off-putting and made us feel even more unwelcome.

After three days of rain and a forecast of more rain into the following week, we opted to leave. When I emailed a few days later about a reimbursement for the unused portion of our stay (4 days) we didn't use, I was told that there are no refunds and to read my original receipt. True enough. No refunds. I take responsibility for not catching that in the original paperwork.

The campground itself is, at best, average. Our site was mostly packed clay, and with the rain it turned into a muddy rice paddy. All the facilities (laundry, pool, one of the bath houses, clubhouse) were closed because of COVID. In all the other campgrounds we stayed in during the month-long trip, only the clubhouses (if they existed) were closed. All pools in every campground we saw, both in the Gulf Shores area and, in fact, ALL areas we traveled in, were open. When I called to ask Rainbow Plantation if their pool would be open during our stay, I received a curt "NO!" along with, "We'll probably not open it for the rest of the year." I won't get into the politically-charged arguments for how to deal with COVID, but theirs was probably one of the only pools closed in a 400-mile radius.

These are all their call. They can run their campground any way they wish, but we get to vote with our travel itineraries and our wallets. We won't be back, nor will we be renewing with Escapees. It was a very negative experience for us, and their policy of no refunds is absurd and ridiculous. It was a sour way to end our otherwise outstanding month-long trip.

In terms of the campground itself, the spacing between sites was good. The lone operational "bath house" is a small bathroom located at the rear of the closed office. Under normal circumstances, there is a full-scale clubhouse with an activity center, pool, games, etc. This was completely shut down. The campground is located in a larger community of homes with RV garages/barns/carports attached. The campground sites include full hookups, and the cell signal (Verizon) fluctuated between weak and sufficient.

The location is in Summerdale, which is about 20 minutes west of Foley, AL. Foley has all the infrastructure you would need, from restaurants, to retail, to groceries. About 20 minutes south of there are the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. If we were to return, we would try to get into the massively large Gulf State Park, which we drove through to research. If your plan is to stay in Rainbow Plantation and spend days at the beach, be prepared for a fairly lengthy drive.

This is an Escapees park. Available to all, but discounts for Escapees members. FHUs. Flat grass large back in sites; 50 amp is extra. No cable or WiFi. Our Verizon MiFi works ok but ATT is stronger here. Our portable Dish satellite works well. You can wash your rig at your site for no extra cost. There is also a place to air up tires. One change we noted was that at our site (13) and several other sites, Hurricane Sally had taken down some large shade trees. Not all the trees in the park were destroyed though. It’s about a 35 minute drive to the beach in Gulf Shores.

Other than the AT&T service comes and goes making it hard to telework the campground is in a great location. A very quiet rural area with very wide and spacious sites.

Well-spaced sites. We had a tree which was nice. Mats can only be put out on sandy areas not the sites with grass only. Be careful of red ants!!!!

This park is a mixture of full-time people , transient people, snowbirds, etc. There are homes there that also rent out Rv sites. Lots of activities and close to Fairhope and Gulf Shores.

We enjoyed our stay here. It's quiet and the park is clean. Not a lot of kids so if you travel full time with a family not many friends around. Lots of room and spacious sites for our 45 ft toyhauler.

This was our first Escapee park stay. The site spacing is great, the trees are large and beautiful, but some could do with a trim. Our site was all grass, but some are a mix of grass and dirt. Not many activities, which is fine with us, we enjoyed just relaxing and exploring the local area. The sites on Teal rd are close to county rd 28, so you will hear road noise. Con- no picnic tables, and only propane pit firepits.
Bathhouse- Did not use
Laundry Room- Clean
Pool- Not Open (closed for winter)
We camped at Rainbow Plantation - Escapees Rainbow Park in a Fifth Wheel.