Stargazing

Outside Inn Campground

Immerse yourself in farm life while you camp at Outside Inn Campground, a one-of-a-kind getaway in Santee, South Carolina, near beautiful Lake Marion. Nestled on 55 acres of peaceful countryside, our family-friendly campground offers 25 full hook-up RV sites, glamping accommodations, complimentary Wi-Fi, and nearly 2 miles of scenic walking trails. What makes Outside Inn special is our interactive farm experience, where guests can meet and enjoy friendly animals, including our beloved Highland cow, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, and chickens. Whether you're looking to slow down, reconnect with nature, or create unforgettable family memories, there's something for everyone to enjoy. From relaxing around the campsite to exploring the farm and surrounding attractions, Outside Inn is the perfect place to unplug, unwind, and experience the charm of country living. Join us year-round and discover why so many guests return to make lasting memories at Outside Inn Campground.

from $45/night

Oak Island Campground

52 RV Sites, 2 Onsite RV/Trailers

The Brunswick County coast delivers sun, sand, and Southern charm, and Oak Island Campground puts campers within one mile of it all. Positioned in Southport, North Carolina — a postcard-pretty waterfront town just south of Wilmington — the campground bridges the best of both worlds: uncrowded family beaches on one side and a walkable historic downtown on the other. With a trolley stop on the property, guests can reach Oak Island's sandy shore and Southport's shops and restaurants without ever moving the rig, making this a particularly practical base for families who would rather spend time at the beach than shuttling between parking lots. The campground hosts 51 full-hookup sites with 30- and 50-amp electric service, water, and sewer connections, and pull-through options accommodate big rigs up to 50 feet. A two-story pavilion with ample seating serves as the social heart of the property, and community fire pits, outdoor ping pong, and a dog park give everyone room to spread out between beach runs. Practical amenities — Wi-Fi, on-site laundry with washers and dryers, and clean bathhouses — keep longer stays comfortable, while a camper storage facility less than a quarter mile away handles oversized gear and boats between visits. Oak Island itself stretches nearly 14 miles of Atlantic coastline with uncrowded beaches and calm, family-friendly surf backed by maritime forests of live oaks and sea oats that provide habitat for shorebirds and loggerhead sea turtles during nesting season. Anglers can drop lines from the Oak Island Pier, one of the longest on the North Carolina coast, while kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders enjoy the calmer waters of the Intracoastal Waterway on the island's north side. Multi-use paths trace the island from end to end, making cycling a practical way to cover ground between beach access points without a car. Southport, three miles from camp, rewards an afternoon stroll with a waterfront promenade, eclectic dining, and the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport. The ferry from Southport to Bald Head Island runs year-round, putting that car-free, golf-cart island within easy reach for a day trip. For a genuine adrenaline jolt, Skydive Coastal Carolinas operates adjacent to the campground and offers tandem jumps with ocean views. The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, about 25 miles north, and the historic districts of Wilmington round out the regional options for days when the beach takes a back seat. The campground operates year-round, with spring and fall offering mild temperatures ideal for cycling and exploring Cape Fear's historic sites without peak-season crowds. Summer brings full beach season — arrive during turtle watch weeks in July and August for a chance to witness hatchlings making their way to the sea. Winter stays are quieter, popular with snowbirds and those looking for an off-season retreat along the Carolina coast. Book well ahead for summer and holiday weekends; the combination of beach access and on-site trolley convenience keeps Oak Island Campground in high demand throughout the season.

from $77/night

Growing Faith Farms

Enjoy all that nature has to offer at our mountainview glamping retreat. Growing Faith Farms is a small farm and glamping retreat located in the Brushy Mountains of NC. We are about 30 minutes from Boone, 15 minutes from Wilkesboro or Lenoir, and 90 minutes from Charlotte. Owned and operated by Joseph and Christina Angott, Growing Faith Farms was established in 2021 to introduce people from all walks of life to a slower pace. There is so much history and beauty in these mountains just waiting to be explored. Come visit and see where humanity and heritage unite to form a magical connection with the land and nature in a unique experience.

from $30/night

The Barlow RV Elk Park

4 RV Sites

The Barlow RV Elk Park in Elk Park, North Carolina, is a boutique mountain RV park with just four full-hookup sites in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Avery County — an intimate, carefully curated camping experience near Banner Elk in the high-country corridor where Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, and Grandfather Mountain sustain the most concentrated alpine and ski resort environment in the southern Appalachians, giving guests the specific high-elevation mountain character and the dramatic Blue Ridge scenery that this northwestern North Carolina corner delivers at a density unmatched anywhere else in the eastern United States south of the White Mountains. The four-site scale gives the Barlow its boutique identity and its guests the genuine privacy and quietude that larger campgrounds structurally cannot provide. Four full-hookup RV sites give the campground its defining intimate character — a camping experience defined by the mountain setting and the proximity to the Avery County high-country attractions rather than by on-site amenity density, reflecting the specific appeal of a small, well-positioned boutique property where the surrounding landscape is the primary attraction and the campground infrastructure is the comfortable base from which to access it. The Elk Park location in Avery County's high valley gives guests the 3,000-foot-plus base elevation that distinguishes the Banner Elk corridor's summer climate from the piedmont heat below. Pets are welcome. Beech Mountain, five miles north of Elk Park at 5,506 feet, is the highest elevation incorporated town east of the Rocky Mountains — a ski resort community whose Beech Mountain Resort ski area sustains winter skiing and snowboarding, whose summer mountain biking trails on the ski slopes and the Beech Mountain Parks and Recreation trail network give the resort its four-season outdoor recreation character. The mountain's elevation gives it measurable temperature advantages over the valley communities below, and the Blue Ridge Parkway access via the Linville area and the parkway's high-country corridor near Beech Mountain provides the summit ridge driving and hiking experience that parkway travelers specifically seek in the Avery County section. Grandfather Mountain, 12 miles southeast of Elk Park via U.S. 221, is one of the most ecologically significant mountains in the southern Appalachians — a 5,946-foot summit in the Blue Ridge Mountains privately managed as a nature preserve and state park hybrid, whose Mile-High Swinging Bridge suspension footbridge, museum of natural history, and native wildlife habitats housing black bears, white-tailed deer, bald eagles, and river otters give it the character of a natural attraction of extraordinary quality. The mountain's eight distinct ecological communities from cove hardwood to boreal spruce-fir forest represent the most compressed elevation-driven ecological succession gradient in the eastern United States. The Barlow RV Elk Park serves guests through the Avery County mountain seasons — summer from June through August delivering the high-country cool and outdoor recreation, the fall foliage season from mid-October through early November bringing the most dramatic color display in the high-elevation spruce-fir and hardwood forest, and the winter ski season from December through March serving the Beech Mountain ski market that specifically values the walking-distance or short-drive proximity to the resort lifts. Sugar Mountain Resort, adjacent to Beech Mountain, extends the ski and snowboarding options with its own terrain and lifts. Reserve sites well ahead for the fall foliage peak and ski season weekends, when Avery County's limited boutique campground inventory fills against strong demand from the Charlotte, Raleigh, and Triad markets.

from $110/night

Nantahala Ridge Campground

3 RV Sites, 5 Cabins

In the deep river canyon where the Nantahala flows cold and clear through a corridor of rhododendron and hemlock in the heart of the Southern Appalachians, Nantahala Ridge Campground occupies a prime position just minutes from both the Nantahala Outdoor Center and the town of Bryson City in Swain County, North Carolina. The campground serves as a gateway to whitewater paddling, mountain biking, trout fishing, and hiking in one of the most scenically concentrated outdoor destinations in the Eastern United States—a corner of the mountains where the Nantahala National Forest and Great Smoky Mountains National Park converge within a short drive of every campsite. Five cabin rentals provide roofed alternatives to RV and tent camping for guests who want the mountain setting without the gear. Full-hookup RV sites with 50-amp, 30-amp, and 20-amp electrical service, water, and sewer connections serve motorized campers, with Wi-Fi keeping guests connected throughout the grounds. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring, and laundry facilities support extended stays in the canyon. The five tiny-home-style cabins are equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi, private fire pits, and all the essentials for a comfortable mountain retreat—a polished alternative for guests who prefer a roof and a bed over a sleeping bag and a slide-out. The Nantahala River is the campground's defining natural neighbor—a federally designated Wild and Scenic corridor whose eight miles of continuous Class II and III whitewater draw hundreds of thousands of paddlers, tubers, and rafting guests annually. The Nantahala Outdoor Center, less than a mile from camp, provides guided rafting trips, kayaking instruction, and rental equipment for the full spectrum of river experience from complete beginner to competitive paddler. Mountain biking on the Tsali Recreation Area trails—nationally recognized singletrack loops above Fontana Lake—adds a complementary high-speed dimension to the river-focused itinerary. Bryson City, the charming county seat of Swain County five minutes east, has grown into one of Western North Carolina's most beloved mountain towns, anchored by craft breweries, local restaurants, and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, whose excursion trains wind through the Nantahala Gorge on a route that reveals the canyon from a perspective inaccessible by road. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the United States, begins just north of Bryson City at the Deep Creek trailhead—one of the park's quieter and most scenic entry points. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians' Qualla Boundary and cultural center lie minutes west, providing a living introduction to the history and artistry of the mountain's original inhabitants. Spring and early summer bring peak whitewater conditions as snowmelt and rain fill the Nantahala to its most dynamic levels, while fall delivers the spectacular foliage that turns the gorge walls gold and crimson from mid-October through early November. Summer is the busiest season at the river and in Bryson City's dining district, making early reservations essential for cabin sites and the most desirable full-hookup pads during peak holiday weeks. The campground's proximity to both the river and downtown allows guests to park the vehicle, walk to the put-in and the brewery on the same evening, and wake up to the sound of whitewater the next morning.

from $49/night