Camping in the South

A totally different experience from our “beach” vacation spots would be camping in the South. Think warm to hot weather much of the year, vast forests, rivers, and creeks, complete with swimming, hiking, campfires, and bicycling. Camping has proven to be one of my personal favorite vacations.

photo from Wikipedia Commons

I love the quiet times in a wooded area, especially state parks where time moves slower than at home. We like to sleep in, then cook a late breakfast before going to ride bikes, paddleboat, or hike the trails and perhaps snap a photo of a white-tailed deer. The afternoon might be spent napping in a chaise lounge or exploring local attractions. Evening means grilling supper, a campfire, and s'mores. What could be better than that?

Observation point/David Crockett

Two campgrounds are favorites of ours: one in Tennessee and one in Alabama. David Crockett State Park is a state park in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, located on Shoal Creek and commemorates the historical activities of famous frontiersman David Crockett in the local area. The park was established in 1959 on 1,100 acres of land that includes the site where Crockett had his mills and distillery. A 40-acre lake offers opportunities for fishing and boating. Visitor facilities include two campgrounds and a restaurant. While camping in the heavily wooded area, it’s not uncommon to be visited by wild turkeys, deer, or raccoons.

View from paddleboat

The park's two campgrounds contain a total of 107 sites, each equipped with a table and grill plus electrical and water hookups. Bathhouses provide hot showers, commodes and lavatories.  Campsites are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. While there, we enjoy the paddleboats on Lindsey Lake, wonderful hiking trails that lead down to Shoal Creek and Crockett Falls, and bike riding.

Joe Wheeler State Park is a 2,550 acre park in Northwest Alabama, located along Wheeler Lake. Beside the 110 wooded, yet modern campsites, complete with water, electric and sewer, there are primitive sites for the individuals who want to “rough” it. The park includes a resort lodge, full service convention facilities, restaurant, a marina with 140 boat slips, a 2.5-mile looped trail for hiking and biking, and an 18-hole championship golf course.

No matter where you live in the United States, think camping. My brother and his family also enjoy camping and they live in Anchorage, Alaska. More about this in next week’s post.

What kind of trouble—er—adventure could the characters in your next novel find while camping at their local state park?  

This week’s writing prompt:  Joe pushed through the dense underbrush that flourished beside the hiking trail near their campsite, Mary clutching his hand tightly. He jerked to a stop when…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camping

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_Birthplace_State_Park

http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/DavidCrockettSP/

http://www.alapark.com/JoeWheeler/Camping/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Wheeler_State_Park