In 2016 I jumped into the RV World with my first rig, a 2004 Winnebago Itasca Spirit. It was the perfect first RV and I used it a ton! At the end of 2016, crazy came a knocking and I upgraded to a small Class A Winnebago Sightseer.
I spent the first part of the year renovating it, before finally getting back out on the road in September and I haven’t looked back.
So because of the short amount of time being on the road this year, I didn’t get to go to more than 10 spots this year, but I’m ranking my “Top Spots for 2017” anyway!
The tradition of letting you know some of my favorite places continues this year, like last, I’m ranking my stops, showing a couple of pics and giving you my take as to why… for me… it rated where it did in my top list for 2017.
How am I breaking it all down? Well, I’m using a mixture of things to put my list together. For example: overall beauty, cleanliness, friendliness at the park, price per night (including taxes), and if I would go there again. All of these items and more will factor into how I build out my top 10 list.
So without further ado, here are my “Top [RVJedeye] Spots for 2017!”
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5) “Cotton Hill Campground”
Location: Fort Gaines, GA
Month Stopped: November, 2017
Cost Per Night: $24.00
VLOG Link: Episode 18
Notes:
Number five on the list… “Cotton Hill Campground”
This spot is located in Fort Gaines Georgia on Walter F. George/George W. Andrews Lakes. This is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park and structurally it’s fantastic. The spots are easy to get in and out of. They do have some spots that are concrete and even some with full hook-ups. 
The views are gorgeous there are over 104 campsites. You can hike and it’s a great place to really enjoy your workout. If you bike, plenty of places to do that as well. This would clearly be higher on my list with the exception of one major flaw. At this park, you can hunt and early in the morning, gunshots go off over and over like you’re at a shooting range. I wasn’t aware of this, so on my first day when I was trying to sleep in, I didn’t know what the heck was going on and it was unnerving. I have NOTHING against hunting and maybe during non-hunting season its better, but being woken up day after day with gunfire is not how I want to relax on a getaway.
4) “Eastbank Campground”
Location: Lake Seminole, GA
Month Stopped: September, 2017
Cost Per Night: $24.00
VLOG Link: Episode 15
Notes:
Number three on the list… “Eastbank Campground”
This spot is located in Georgia at Lake Seminole, which depending on the side of the lake you’re on, you’re either in Georgia or in Florida. One of the cool things you can do when you’re there, take a hike near the Jim Woodruff Dam and you can cross over and into two states in one hike!
The park itself is clean, with wide open spots. There are pull through spots as well as back ends and for the most part everything is level. The inside tip, loops A and C are right on the lake, loop B is tucked away in the back, but still really nice spots.
You can’t swim at this part of the lake, but there is a boat ramp and it’s easy to get in and out of the water. Now don’t get me wrong, you WILL have to battle “Sugar Ants” and they are everywhere. This issue more than anything has this spot sliding down on my list. It’s beautiful to look at and be at, but the ants ARE a huge issue. If you bring some ant spray, you should be ok or so they tell me. I didn’t have any, my neighbor did have some and let me use some, so the last couple of days wasn’t as bad as when I first got there, but be prepared.
Eastbank Campground is a perfect, quiet getaway for a weekend.
3) “Falling Waters State Park”
Location: Chipley, FL
Month Stopped: November, 2017
Cost Per Night: $23.15
VLOG Link: Episode 17
Notes:
Checking in at number 3 on the list… “Falling Waters State Park”
Had a chance to do a quick weekend trip in November and picked “Falling Waters State Park,” in Chipley. Now part of the reason for this spot, only about an hour and some change from home base, which is nice. The part itself has a mix of pull through spots and back in spots. This time I landed a pull through, site 14 and it was pretty good. It’s more in the center of the park, near the bath houses, which makes showering quick and easy. There is also a dish washing station at the bathhouse as well.
While there were a lot of RV’s and trailers, there were a lot of tent campers and a lot of families. Nice to see the kids out in the park hanging and enjoying the great outdoors. At the park, there is a lake which you can swim in and what they’re known for a great big waterfall which when there is not a lot of water flowing, it’s nice to see but being honest, I expected something a little bigger. There are, however a lot of great places to hike, so you can really get a good workout in. I spent the weekend there, so there were a lot of people, I wonder what it might be like during the week… which by now you may have noticed I like the quite when I can get out… helps me just shake of the work week.
All in all, not a bad stop, “Falling Waters State Park,” nice little stop off.
2) “Torreya State Park”
Location: Bristol, FL
Month Stopped: September, 2017
Cost Per Night: $19.50
VLOG Link: Episode 15
Notes:
Number two on the list… “Torreya State Park”
A nice, small… wait… cozy State Park, this spot is a good quick getaway. The campsites are small, you’re going to meet your neighbors, whether you want to or not. 
There are hiking trails, which I love because it’s how I get my daily excerise. Watch out for the Copperhead Snakes that are around, but I did not see them at all during any of my hikes.
The bathrooms are clean, showers wide and the hot water comes up quickly. On the website it does make it seem like you’re closer to the river than you actually are, so be aware of that.
“Torreya State Park,” thumbs up again for the Florida State Park system.
1 Tie) “St. Joseph State Peninsula State Park (Shady Pines)”
Location: Port St Joe, FL
Month Stopped: October, 2017
Cost Per Night: $29.11
VLOG Link: Episode 16
Notes:
OK, something unusual this year a tie if you will… “St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, (Shady Pines)”
This spot, was absolutely fantastic! First of all, it’s right on the Gulf, which after you hop over a dune, you’re at the beach and the water is amazing! Every day I was there I spent time in the water and it was a mixture of swimming and just playing in the water. Beautiful, white sandy beaches and plenty of places to be around folks, or walk off on your own.
Add to the great beaches, plenty of places to hike and or ride your bikes and it’s one of the best places out there. There are two camping areas at this park, last year I stayed on the other side of the park, so this time I was in Shady Pines, so my streak of staying at a new place every trip continued.
If you want to kayak or paddle board there are plenty of places to do that on the Bay side or Gulf.
Now the only reason why this didn’t run away with the top spot this year, there are a couple of things you need to be aware of. The bathrooms/showers need to be updated and the days I was there, one of the days the bathhouses and park had some kind of water problem, so they shut everything off and that is not fun.
Also it is a very tight fit, getting in and out of the park and spots with your RV. I don’t have a very big one at 29 feet, so you have to be aware of everything when you’re driving. You can get into your spot after spending some time, but when you get ready to leave you have to drive around the park loop to exit and the road is very narrow. When you add extra cars, sticking out, kids running around, it takes some careful driving to make your way all of the way around.
Despite some of the challenges of “Shady Pines at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park,” this is a must get to if you’re in the area.
1 Tie) “Camel Lake”
Location: Bristol, FL
Month Stopped: September, 2017
Cost Per Night: $17.50
VLOG Link: Episode 15
Notes:
And my other number one pick… “Camel Lake”
Those of you who’ve followed along, know that in my first year of RVing, Camel Lake was the site of one of my “Epic Fails.” I’ve heard from some folks that have said, it was not as epic as I thought, but to me, beginning on my RVing journey, it felt… well… epic!
So when I was planning out a spot to head to this year, the location kept coming up on my radar so I said, what the heck! Boy I am so glad I did.
Camel Lake is outside of Tallahassee, inside an hour and half drive and a perfect getaway. When I stayed there, there was the camp host, Bobby a really cool guy and one other couple… that was it! Camel Lake may be one of the best kept secrets around.
The spots are not huge, but large enough to get most sized RV’s in. There is the lake, hence the name and you can swim in it, and there is a little beach.
The bathroom and showers are clean. The water pressure, is decent, but I don’t have a lot of hair, so it didn’t bother me at all.
Now, you WILL have to dump your grey/black tanks outside of the park, there is no place to dump at the actual park.
Around the lake there is a very nice, well designed hiking trail and if you just want to get away and enjoy some quiet times, this is the spot for you.
Cell service is spotty at best, but if you are looking to disconnect and chill… here you go!
So a truncated 2017, looking forward to hitting many more spots in 2018. This is the second year doing the list and I will continue the tradition next year as well. I hope you enjoyed the list and if you get out and hit up some of these spots, shoot me a note and let me know what YOU think of them as well!
Happy 2017… Here’s to an even more amazing 2018!
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