Swimming

Norwood Campground

25 RV Sites, 10 Tent Sites

Norwood Campground in Norwood, North Carolina, sits at Morgan Mountain on the shores of Lake Tillery in Stanly County's Piedmont foothills — a well-equipped campground with 86 full-hookup RV sites, primitive tent camping in the hardwood forest, and exclusive Lake Tillery beach access that gives guests the combination of developed campground infrastructure and genuinely fine lake waterfront that makes Norwood a destination campground for the Charlotte metro, Piedmont Triad, and central Piedmont regional market. Lake Tillery's 5,000-acre Yadkin-Pee Dee River impoundment and the surrounding Uwharrie National Forest's ancient eroded mountain terrain give the campground a natural setting of understated but genuine Piedmont distinction. Eighty-six full-hookup RV sites with level pads and the infrastructure for comfortable extended stays, alongside primitive tent sites in the surrounding hardwood forest, give the campground the accommodation range from fully equipped RV travelers to minimalist tent campers who want Tillery-access and the Morgan Mountain forest experience. The campground's exclusive Lake Tillery beach access gives guests a private waterfront amenity that distinguishes Norwood from the surrounding area's public lake access points — a private beach in walking distance of the RV sites creates the daily lake swimming, fishing, and kayaking access that Tillery's warm Piedmont water sustains through the full camping season. Pets are welcome. Lake Tillery, one of four Yadkin-Pee Dee River lakes managed by Duke Energy through the central Piedmont, provides largemouth and smallmouth bass, striped bass, crappie, bluegill, and catfish fishing across its 5,000 acres of river-corridor lake water. The lake's combination of cove structure, rock bluffs, and the submerged river channel sustains a diverse and consistently productive recreational fishery that the Stanly County and surrounding Piedmont counties' fishing community has relied on since Tillery's impoundment in 1928 — one of the oldest hydroelectric lakes in the Carolinas, with the fishing character of a well-established natural system. The Uwharrie National Forest, west of Norwood in Montgomery and Randolph Counties, preserves the remnant Uwharrie Mountains — an ancient eroded mountain range whose Precambrian volcanic and metamorphic rocks represent some of the oldest exposed geology in the eastern United States, predating the Appalachians by hundreds of millions of years. The forest's hiking trails through the ancient ridges and hollows of the Uwharrie Range, the Birkhead Mountain Wilderness's primitive backcountry, and the Uwharrie Trail's 20-mile through-hiking corridor give Piedmont-based outdoor recreation guests a mountain hiking experience within an hour of Charlotte's urban core. Norwood Campground operates through the Piedmont Carolina camping season, with the spring and fall seasons from April through May and September through October delivering the most comfortable temperatures for Lake Tillery fishing, hiking, and extended outdoor activity. Summer heat in the Stanly County Piedmont is genuine but the lake's water recreation — swimming, kayaking, and evening fishing — moderates the seasonal challenge for water-focused guests. Charlotte, 45 miles west, provides the metropolitan service access, professional sports, and cultural programming that makes a Norwood campground base practical for guests combining lake recreation with metropolitan day trips. Reserve full-hookup sites ahead for spring and summer weekends when the Charlotte-area regional market's lake camping demand consistently fills Tillery-access campgrounds.

from $40/night

Sycamore Lodge Resort

19 RV Sites

Sycamore Lodge Resort in Jackson Springs, North Carolina, provides a lake resort camping experience in Moore County's Sandhills country, where the long-leaf pine and wire grass ecology of the North Carolina Sandhills creates a distinctive natural environment and the proximity to Pinehurst's legendary golf courses and the Uwharrie National Forest's hiking and off-road vehicle terrain makes this corner of the Carolina Piedmont a more recreation-rich destination than its modest visitor profile suggests. The resort's private lake, boat docks, cabins, hot tub, and comprehensive recreation roster create a self-contained family vacation experience in a natural setting that preserves the Sandhills character of one of the Southeast's most ecologically distinctive regions. The resort's recreation infrastructure delivers variety across water and land-based activities: a private lake with boat docks and swimming beach, an outdoor pool, hot tub and sauna, mini-golf, golf cart rentals, canoeing and kayaking, basketball, volleyball, corn hole, bocce ball, planned activities, walking trails, game room, RV storage, general store, pavilion, dog park, laundry, and Wi-Fi serve the full family vacation recreation agenda across multiple days without requiring guests to leave the property. Cabin rentals provide enclosed group lodging alongside the full hookup RV sites, and the library and fitness center serve guests whose resort stay includes reading, exercise, and the indoor recreation that complements the lake and sports programming. Jackson Springs occupies the Moore County Sandhills where the ancient marine sediments of the Atlantic Coastal Plain meet the Piedmont's harder crystalline basement rock in a transitional zone of well-drained sandy soils that once supported the vast longleaf pine forests whose resin and turpentine production defined the colonial North Carolina economy. The Sandhills region's deep sandy soils also proved ideal for the golf course development that has made Pinehurst the most celebrated golf resort destination in the United States—the Village of Pinehurst, approximately 15 miles northeast, contains Pinehurst No. 2, consistently ranked among the top 10 golf courses in the world and the site of multiple US Open championships. The Uwharrie National Forest, approximately 40 miles northeast of Jackson Springs in the Uwharrie Mountains—the eroded remnants of some of the oldest mountain ranges in the world—provides hiking trails, OHV terrain, primitive camping, and the Troy area's gold mining heritage that reflects the piedmont geology underlying the Sandhills' sandy surface. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, managed by the North Carolina State Parks system near Southern Pines, protects old-growth longleaf pine habitat in one of the few remaining stands of the mature Sandhills ecosystem, and the nature center interprets the red-cockaded woodpecker recovery program conducted within the preserve's protected pine forest. Sycamore Lodge Resort operates seasonally from spring through fall in Moore County's temperate Piedmont climate, with the spring and fall seasons providing the most comfortable outdoor conditions for the resort's lake and trail recreation and the surrounding Pinehurst golf community's prime playing season from March through May and September through November. Summer's warm temperatures make the lake and pool the primary daytime recreation anchors, and the resort's shaded Sandhills pine landscape moderates the heat better than open-terrain campgrounds in the Carolina piedmont's hotter months. The golf course access nearby extends the adult recreation options for guests whose Moore County visit combines lake camping with Pinehurst-area tee times.

from $72/night

Spacious Skies Sandy Run

61 RV Sites

Spacious Skies Sandy Run in Fayetteville, North Carolina, offers 61 full-hookup RV sites beneath longleaf and loblolly pines, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 90 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Back-in and pull-through categories with concrete patios join standard and water-and-electric tiers, with an outdoor pool, jumping pillow, gem mining, and pond. Sixty-one sites span back-in, back-in with concrete patio, pull-thru, pull-thru with concrete patio, and pull-thru water-and-electric categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 90 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric pull-through does not carry sewer at the site. Ninety feet is exceptional and accommodates the longest coaches with a tow. Cabins round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills and exchange, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. All guests check in at the main office and sign the terms — e-signature in advance is encouraged. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a jumping pillow, gem mining, walking trails, hiking, biking, a pond, creek, playground, pavilion, and dog park filling the rest. Fishing and swimming round it out. Pets are welcome. The Sandhills pine forest gives the property genuine character, and the position serves a specific market well — Fort Liberty, the largest Army installation in the country, is less than an hour north, which brings a steady flow of military families and visitors alongside travelers on the Cape Fear corridor. Spring and fall are most comfortable in the Sandhills. Reserve ahead for graduation and change-of-station periods.

from $40/night

Iron City Campground

41 RV Sites

Iron City Campground in Blacksburg, South Carolina, is a peaceful, family-friendly basecamp on 40 wooded acres in the Appalachian foothills of Cherokee County — a relaxed, nature-first campground near the Broad River Greenway with a fishing pond, hiking trails, and the kind of roaming space for kids and dogs that flat, fenced urban-adjacent campgrounds cannot provide. Blacksburg's Cherokee County position in the upper South Carolina Piedmont, near the North Carolina border, gives guests access to the Kings Mountain National Military Park and State Park complex, the regional trail network, and the distinct character of the southern Appalachian foothills that this corner of the Carolina backcountry preserves in a relatively undeveloped form between the Charlotte metro and the Upstate South Carolina cities. Full-hookup RV sites, tent camping, and the campground's 40 wooded acres give guests the complete accommodation infrastructure for family camping in the Cherokee County foothill forest. The fishing pond provides the on-site angling access that introduces young anglers to the sport without the licensing and trailhead logistics of public water fishing, and the hiking trails through the wooded property give guests the immediate nature immersion that a 40-acre wooded campground specifically enables. The relaxed, pet-friendly, family atmosphere reflects a campground built around the social values of rural Carolina camping rather than resort amenity density. Pets are welcome. Kings Mountain National Military Park, 15 miles southwest of Blacksburg in Cherokee County's border with North Carolina and York County's southern edge, preserves the site of the October 7, 1780 battle that Thomas Jefferson called the turning point of the American Revolution — the engagement where Patriot militia from the Carolina Overmountain communities defeated a Loyalist force under Major Patrick Ferguson in a 65-minute engagement that eliminated the British southern army's western flank and directly contributed to Cornwallis's eventual retreat to Yorktown. The battle trail through the mountain forest and the visitor center's collection of period weapons and artifacts give the small mountain park an outsized historical significance. Kings Mountain State Park, adjacent to the National Military Park on the South Carolina side of the state line, preserves 6,141 acres of Piedmont mixed hardwood forest with 16 miles of multiuse trails, a fishing lake, and a living history farm that reconstructs the 19th-century agricultural methods of the South Carolina Piedmont in the operational setting of an active demonstration farm. The park's proximity to the National Military Park and the combined trail network across both units gives active guests the full-day hiking and exploration programming that the Iron City Campground's foothill base makes directly accessible. Iron City Campground serves guests through the South Carolina camping season with spring and fall representing the most comfortable outdoor recreation conditions for the Appalachian foothill environment, and the summer months providing the full swimming pond and trail access in a forested setting that the 40-acre woodland canopy moderates against the Piedmont summer heat. Crowders Mountain State Park, 30 miles northeast in Gaston County, North Carolina, provides the dramatic quartzite monadnock geology and summit hiking that the more accessible but less elevated Cherokee County foothill terrain cannot match for the panoramic viewshed experience. Reserve RV sites ahead for spring and fall weekends when the Charlotte regional market's campground demand fills the Cherokee County foothill area's limited inventory.

Sandy Ridge Campground and RV Resort

38 RV Sites

Sandy Ridge Campground and RV Resort in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, provides a gated and well-maintained campground experience in Bladen County's coastal plain country, offering a complete recreation and social environment for families and RV travelers exploring the Cape Fear River basin region of southeastern North Carolina. Positioned in one of North Carolina's most forested and least-developed coastal plain counties—a landscape dominated by longleaf pine, pocosin wetlands, and the dark-water rivers and creeks that drain the South Atlantic coastal plain—the resort delivers organized campground entertainment and outdoor recreation in a natural setting that preserves the unhurried character of coastal North Carolina's inland communities. The resort's gated entrance establishes the secure and private character that the property's owners have designed as a distinguishing element, and the amenity package provides comprehensive on-site recreation: an outdoor pool, pond fishing, game room with arcade, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, corn hole, pavilion, playground, general store, propane fills, laundry, Wi-Fi, dump station, and firewood. Full hookup sites with water, electric, and sewer service accommodate extended-stay guests, and the pet-friendly and dog park facilities serve the traveling families whose camping agenda includes their pets. The pond's fishing access provides a natural activity anchor alongside the organized social recreation that the courts and game room deliver. Elizabethtown and Bladen County occupy an unusual ecological position in the North Carolina coastal plain where several distinct natural communities converge—the longleaf pine flatwoods, the Carolina bay wetlands (elliptical peat-filled depressions unique to the Southeast Atlantic coastal plain), and the Cape Fear River's blackwater floodplain forest all intersect in a landscape of extraordinary biological diversity concentrated in one of North Carolina's most rural and least-visited counties. The region's dark-water rivers and isolated bay lakes provide habitat for rare and endemic plant species found nowhere else on Earth. Jones Lake State Park, approximately five miles north of Elizabethtown, protects one of the most pristine Carolina bay lakes in existence—a natural lake formed in one of the mysterious elliptical depressions that dot the southeastern coastal plain in alignments that have inspired geological and even cosmological theories about their origin. The lake's swimming beach, paddling, and fishing provide the most developed public outdoor recreation in Bladen County's immediate vicinity. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina's Grand Strand resort complex lies approximately 75 miles southeast via US-74, and the historic antebellum plantation landscape of the Lower Cape Fear region provides cultural heritage exploration accessible from Elizabethtown. Sandy Ridge Campground operates year-round in the North Carolina coastal plain's mild subtropical climate, where the September-through-April shoulder and winter seasons deliver pleasant camping temperatures in the longleaf pine country and the summer months bring the pool and game room into maximum use during the school-vacation family camping peak. The coastal plain's mild winter temperatures make it a viable alternative to more crowded and expensive coastal campgrounds for snowbirds who want southeastern North Carolina's mild climate without the higher costs and competition for sites at the beach communities. Advance reservations for summer holiday weekends ensure preferred site availability at the gated resort's limited total capacity.

from $70/night

Camp Clearwater Family Campground

112 RV Sites

Camp Clearwater Family Campground in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, offers 111 full-hookup RV sites on White Lake, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted up to 105 feet. Luxury back-in, premium pull-through, and standard pull-through categories sit behind a gated entrance, with a beach, boat ramp, fishing pier, and mini-golf on the property. One hundred eleven sites run in luxury back-in, premium pull-through, and standard pull-through configurations, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 105 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Laundry and restrooms handle the practical side. Two booking notes: the office is closed Wednesdays and staff are occasionally out at RV shows, so call ahead, and a $10 booking fee applies to each reservation on top of listed rates. The lake carries the recreation. A beach gives direct swimming access, a boat ramp and fishing pier serve boaters and anglers, and boating runs from the property. Mini-golf, a ball field, basketball, volleyball, gaga ball, an arcade, a playground, a dog park, and a pavilion fill the grounds, with on-site dining and a boutique shop for meals and supplies. A gated entrance controls access. Pets are welcome. White Lake is a Carolina bay — one of the shallow elliptical lakes found almost exclusively on the Atlantic Coastal Plain — and its artesian-fed water is exceptionally clear, which is the reason families return. The surrounding Bladen County landscape carries longleaf pine restoration and bottomland hardwood forest along the Cape Fear watershed. Summer lake season drives demand. Reserve ahead for warm-weather weekends.

from $40/night

Roaring River Vineyards

7 RV Sites

from $25/night

Spacious Skies Peach Haven

111 RV Sites, 5 Cabins, 14 Tent Sites

Spacious Skies Peach Haven in Gaffney, South Carolina, offers 111 full-hookup RV sites, five cabins, and 14 tent sites in the Cherokee County hills, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 141 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, behind a gated entrance. Premium patio back-in, pull-in, and pull-through categories join deluxe and standard tiers, with a pool, mini-golf, jumping pillow, and gem mining. One hundred eleven sites span back-in, deluxe back-in, deluxe pull-thru, premium patio back-in, premium patio pull-in, and premium patio pull-thru categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with fire pits and picnic tables, sized to 141 feet. One hundred forty-one feet is the most generous length allowance in this batch and accommodates anything on the road with room to spare. Five cabins and 14 tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. All guests check in at the main office and sign the terms — e-signature in advance is encouraged. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with mini-golf, a jumping pillow, arcade, recreation center, clubhouse, gaga ball, horseshoes, corn hole, gem mining, golf cart rentals, walking trails, hiking, a pond, community fire pit, and dog park filling the rest. Fishing runs on site. The Piedmont uplands here once supported peach orchards across Cherokee County, which the name acknowledges. I-85 is close, with Charlotte 60 miles north and Spartanburg 30 south. Summer and fall drive demand. Reserve ahead for holiday weekends.

from $30/night

Jellystone Park™ Golden Valley

112 RV Sites, 157 Cabins, 26 Tent Sites, 6 Glamping Sites, 29 Cottages, 4 Lodges

Jellystone Park Golden Valley in Bostic, North Carolina, offers 112 full-hookup RV sites, 190 cabin, cottage, and lodge units, 26 tent sites, and six glamping sites across more than 600 acres, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 80 feet behind a gated entrance. Creekside premium and Creekside Red Carpet categories join a water park, zip line, mountain coaster, and disc golf course. One hundred twelve sites span Creekside premium back-in, Creekside premium pull-thru, Creekside Red Carpet back-in, and Creekside Red Carpet 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. Every RV category is creekside, which is unusual — there is no inferior inland tier. One hundred ninety cabins, cottages, and lodges, 26 tent sites, and six glamping sites make the lodging inventory extraordinary. A general store, laundry, propane fills, restrooms, showers, firewood, and RV storage handle the practical side. A daily resort fee covers mini-golf, the playground, and the amenity program. A water park and outdoor pool anchor the summer, with a hot tub and sauna alongside. A zip line, disc golf course, mini-golf, laser tag, a jumping pillow, sports courts, tennis, pickleball, volleyball, basketball, ping pong, golf cart rentals, walking trails, hiking, a lake, creek, playground, pavilion, dog park, on-site dining, and a bar fill the rest. Six hundred acres at the base of the Blue Ridge makes this one of the Southeast's most expansive family resorts. Summer and fall foliage drive demand. Reserve well ahead.

from $57/night

Big Rig Friendly RV Resort

20 RV Sites

Big Rig Friendly RV Resort in West Columbia, South Carolina, delivers exactly what its name promises—a purpose-designed, large-rig-capable RV resort in Lexington County just west of the South Carolina capital, providing the accessible utility connections, generous site dimensions, and complete service infrastructure that Class A motorhome and fifth-wheel travelers require when visiting the Columbia metropolitan area. Positioned in the western suburbs of South Carolina's capital city, the resort serves both short-term travelers accessing Columbia's state government, university, and military installations and extended-stay guests using it as a base for regional exploration including Congaree National Park and the Lake Murray recreational corridor. The resort's facility is defined by its commitment to big-rig accessibility—golf cart rentals for internal property navigation, full hookup utility connections with premium electrical service, big-rig-friendly drive lanes and turn radii, RV storage, outdoor pool, fitness center, general store, dog park, pavilion, playground, laundry, Wi-Fi, and showers collectively deliver a resort-quality stay without the site-navigation frustrations that older campgrounds with narrow lanes and tight turning radii impose on large motorhomes. The pickleball courts and pool provide social and recreational engagement, and the pet-friendly policy accommodates the traveling dogs and cats that extended-stay RV guests commonly bring on longer journeys. West Columbia occupies the south bank of the Congaree River directly across from Columbia's downtown skyline, connected by the Gervais Street Bridge in a crossing that provides one of the most photographed sunset views in the Midlands region. The Congaree River's Two Notch Road floodplain downstream from Columbia contains the terrain that becomes Congaree National Park—the largest intact expanse of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States, where champion-size trees including the national champion water hickory and loblolly pine grow in a floodplain ecosystem that floods dozens of times annually and sustains the forest's extraordinary productivity. Congaree National Park, approximately 20 miles southeast of West Columbia, protects 26,000 acres of old-growth bottomland forest where kayak and canoe trails through the park's Cedar Creek corridor provide the most intimate access to the towering hardwood canopy and the diverse wildlife—including river otters, bobcats, alligators, and the barred owl that are particularly vocal on evening paddles in the park's interior. Lake Murray, the largest lake in the Midlands, lies just south of the resort and provides 650 miles of shoreline for boating, fishing, and swimming in a recreational reservoir that anchors the Lexington County outdoor recreation economy. Fort Jackson, the Army's largest basic training installation, is approximately 10 miles east. Big Rig Friendly RV Resort operates year-round in the South Carolina Midlands' subtropical climate, where mild winters from November through March attract snowbirds who value the resort's big-rig infrastructure and central South Carolina's moderate temperatures as an alternative to Florida's more crowded and expensive winter RV market. The spring and fall seasons deliver the most comfortable conditions for exploring Congaree National Park's trail and paddling network, and summer's heat makes the pool and fitness center the primary daytime draws while the park's shaded bottomland canopy keeps trail temperatures significantly cooler than the surrounding agricultural landscape.

from $79/night

Pine Ridge Campground

23 RV Sites

Pine Ridge Campground sits along the I-26 corridor in Roebuck, South Carolina, positioned at one of the most convenient travel crossroads in the Upstate—just a few miles from I-85 and within easy reach of Spartanburg, Greenville, and the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway. The campground serves both through-travelers looking for a quality overnight and destination campers using the Upstate as a base for exploring the Southern Appalachian foothills. The pine ridge campground offers full hookup sites with 30 and 50-amp service, including paved pull-through options that accommodate large rigs without maneuvering challenges. WiFi, coin laundry, LP gas, and a dump station with easy access handle the practical needs of a modern RV traveler, and the game room and playground ensure younger guests have something to do regardless of weather. The one-acre catch-and-release fishing pond is stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill, sunfish, crappie, and catfish, and the main office rents fishing rods, paddle boats, and golf carts for guests who want to make an afternoon of it. A small dog park, community firepit, and swimming pool round out the on-site amenities. Rustic cabins with electricity and park model accommodations are available for guests who prefer a more enclosed option. The Upstate South Carolina landscape around Roebuck is defined by rolling piedmont terrain transitioning into the Blue Ridge foothills—a patchwork of farms, small towns, and creek drainages that feels genuinely rural despite its proximity to two of the state's largest cities. Pine Ridge's wooded setting provides a natural buffer from the highway corridor that brackets it, and the fishing pond anchors the property with the kind of quiet, un-engineered activity that travelers who camp for the stillness of it will appreciate. Spartanburg, about ten miles north, is the cultural hub of this stretch of Upstate, with a revitalized downtown, the BMW Manufacturing plant (open for public tours), the Chapman Cultural Center, and a growing restaurant and brewery scene. Greenville, roughly 25 miles west, consistently ranks among the South's most livable cities and offers the Falls Park on the Reedy River, a walkable downtown, and an extensive restaurant corridor along Main Street. The Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway (SC-11) begins nearby and traces the base of the Blue Ridge through peach orchards, apple stands, and state parks including Caesars Head and Table Rock—both within a straightforward day's drive from the campground. Pine Ridge Campground is open year-round, making it a viable option for travelers moving through the I-26/I-85 corridor in any season. Summer brings the heaviest use of the pool and fishing pond, while fall draws leaf-peepers positioned for foliage drives along the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway. The campground's strong highway access and full-service amenities make it a dependable choice for RVers who want more than a gravel pad for an overnight, and the fishing pond and community atmosphere reward those who slow down for a multi-night stay.

from $48/night

Spacious Skies Hidden Creek

108 RV Sites, 18 Cabins, 26 Tent Sites

Spacious Skies Hidden Creek in Marion, North Carolina, offers 108 RV sites, 18 cabins, and 26 tent sites at the base of the Black Mountains, with 20, 30, and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 60 feet behind a gated entrance. Premium creek-front pull-through and lakeview categories join standard back-in sites, with a pool, mini-golf, and gem mining. One hundred eight sites span back-in 20/30-amp, back-in 30/50-amp, premium creek-front pull-thru, premium lakeview back-in, and premium lakeview pull-thru categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric, sized to 60 feet. The creek-front and lakeview premiums are the ones to request. Eighteen cabins and 26 tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills, restrooms, and firewood handle the practical side. All guests and visitors check in at the main office on arrival and sign the terms. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a lake and creek supporting fishing, boating, and swimming. Mini-golf, gem mining, a jumping pillow, arcade, recreation center, billiards, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, and corn hole fill the grounds, with walking trails, hiking, golf cart rentals, a playground, pavilion, community fire pit, and dog park besides. Pets are welcome. McDowell County's gem mining tradition is genuine rather than a novelty, and the surrounding hollow-and-ridge terrain marks the Blue Ridge's steepest eastern escarpment. Summer and fall foliage drive demand in the North Carolina mountains. Reserve well ahead for October.

from $25/night