Stargazing

Smith Mountain Campground

20 RV Sites, 2 Tent Sites

Smith Mountain Campground in Penhook, VA, offers 20 full-hookup RV sites and 2 tent sites, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 50 feet. Sites come in three categories — back-in 30-amp water-and-electric, back-in 30/50-amp, and pull-thru 30/50-amp — with full-hookup sites carrying water, sewer, and electric plus a fire pit and picnic table. A bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, a dump station, a recreation center, and cabins cover the rest. Pets are welcome. A stocked fishing pond, private hiking trails, a pavilion, sport courts, bocce, corn hole, horseshoes, a playground, and creek frontage fill the family-owned grounds, with boating, picnicking, and dark-sky stargazing. Penhook sits on Liberty Road in the Blue Ridge foothills of Franklin County, less than five miles from the nearest public boat launch on Smith Mountain Lake, with the Booker T. Washington Monument, The Homeplace Vineyard, and The Coves Amphitheater all close. Rates for sites and cabins are on the booking page. Twenty sites near Smith Mountain Lake fill quickly in summer, so reserve ahead.

from $35/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

Nature's Getaway RV Park

30 RV Sites, 3 Tent Sites

Nature's Getaway RV Park in Schellsburg, Pennsylvania, offers 30 RV sites and three tent sites seven miles west of Bedford on Route 30, with 20, 30, and 50-amp water-and-electric service and rigs accepted to 45 feet. Back-in categories at both amperages join a 30-amp pull-through tier, with an outdoor pool, game room, ball field, and general store. Thirty sites span back-in water-and-electric 30-amp, back-in water-and-electric 50-amp, and pull-thru water-and-electric 30-amp categories, carrying water and electric with site WiFi, sized to 45 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Plan around the hookups — sites carry water and electric but not sewer, so manage tank capacity and use the dump station. Three tent sites and cabins round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, and firewood handle the practical side. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a game room, arcade, ball field, billiards, shuffleboard, volleyball, horseshoes, a playground, and swimming filling the rest. A state park is nearby, and the dark rural sky makes for genuinely good stargazing. Pets are welcome. Bedford County sits where the Allegheny Mountain ridges meet Shawnee State Park's forested plateau, and the old Lincoln Highway corridor has carried travelers past this spot since the road was built. Historic Bedford's preserved downtown, the Flight 93 National Memorial, and Blue Knob's skiing are all within reach, with the Pennsylvania Turnpike close. Summer and fall foliage drive the heaviest demand in the Alleghenies. Reserve ahead for holiday weekends and peak October color.

from $35/night

The Barlow RV Elk Park

4 RV Sites

The Barlow RV in Elk Park, North Carolina, offers 4 full-hookup RV sites in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 70 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, open all year behind a gated entrance. Each site is named individually — In The Trees, The Granddaddy, The Mountain Wall, and The Rock — with a general store, community fire pit, walking trails, and on-site dining. Four sites are named rather than numbered, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with site WiFi, sized to 70 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Naming each site tells you exactly what you are booking — trees, a rock face, a mountain wall, or the big one — which is a level of specificity no tiered system achieves. Seventy feet accommodates a long coach with a tow. A general store, firewood, RV storage, and on-site dining handle the practical side. Pets are welcome, with a maximum of two per site. A community fire pit, walking trails, and dog park fill the grounds, with mountains all around and genuinely dark skies for stargazing. Wine and beer tasting is nearby, and planned activities run through the season. Four sites is boutique by any measure, and the curation shows. Avery County sits in the North Carolina high country near Banner Elk, with Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, and Grandfather Mountain all close — skiing in winter, the Mile High Swinging Bridge and Linville Gorge in summer, and the Blue Ridge Parkway running along the ridgeline. Fall foliage and ski season both drive demand. Reserve as early as you can.

from $110/night

Jellystone Park™ Williamsburg

118 RV Sites, 46 Cabins, 17 Tent Sites, 2 Yurts

Jellystone Park Williamsburg in Virginia offers 118 RV sites, 46 cabins, 17 tent sites, and two yurts with 20, 30, and 50-amp full hookups, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 80 feet. Preferred premium patio pull-through, premium, and deluxe categories join a pool, mini-golf, laser tag, and jumping pillow at the center of the Virginia Peninsula. One hundred eighteen sites span deluxe back-in, deluxe pull-thru, premium back-in, premium pull-thru, and preferred premium with patio pull-thru categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 80 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. The patio category adds outdoor living space. Forty-six cabins, 17 tent sites, and two yurts round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with mini-golf, laser tag, a jumping pillow, arcade, game room, craft room, recreation center, fitness center, sports courts, basketball, gaga ball, and gem mining filling the grounds. Golf cart rentals, walking trails, biking, a playground, pavilion, dog park, and on-site dining round it out, with foam parties, wagon rides, arts and crafts, live music, and planned activities through the season. Stargazing is good on clear nights. Colonial Williamsburg, the Jamestown Settlement, Yorktown Battlefield, and Busch Gardens sit within a short drive between the James and York Rivers. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $38/night