RVT.com RV Trader Blog

More Fantastic Holiday Displays

Cruising local neighborhoods to “see the lights” is an annual holiday tradition for many American families. When you own an RV you can turn that tame evening drive into a fantastic weekend extravaganza. Don’t settle for a few strands of lights thrown over your neighbor’s shrubs. Pack the family into your RV and head for one of the country’s most fantastic light displays. These holiday light extravaganzas feature millions of lights in ornate displays and impressive lighted scenes. Ensconced in your cozy RV, you and the kids have a front row seat for the best Christmas light displays in the country.

Today we continue our list of can’t miss holiday light displays. See our last post for more Top 10 Christmas light shows.

Magical Nights of Lights in Lake Lanier, GA from Nov. 22-Dec. 30 is known as the world’s largest animated light extravaganza. Six miles of twinkling displays and live nativity with actors and animals.

Holiday Festival of Lights in Charleston, SC from Nov.14-Jan.4 turns Charleston’s main park into a magical fairyland.

Enchanted Garden of Lights in Chattanooga, TN from Nov. 21-Jan. 3 transforms the natural beauty of Rock City’s gardens. Millions of lights illuminate rock formations on the Enchanted Trail.

Southern Lights in Lexington, KY from Nov. 22-Dec. 30  is an exciting electric fantasy with petting zoo, model railway, Santa, crafts and more.

Mission Inn in Riverside, CA from Nov. 28-Jan. 4 transforms the grounds into a beautiful Victorian fantasy with Dickens’ Carolers and romantic carriage rides.

Incredible Holiday Light Displays

Nothing puts a family in the holiday mood like an RV cruise through one of the country’s remarkable Christmas light displays. When you travel by RV, everyone get’s a good view and you can whip up a pot of cocoa or some tasty hot cider on the way. So sit back, cozy up and get in the holiday spirit as you watch one of America’s Top 10 Christmas light shows glide past your RV’s picture windows.

Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO from Nov. 1-Dec. 30 is transformed into a winter wonderland with millions of lights. You’ll be mesmerized by the 5-story Special Effects Christmas Tree with 250,000 lights that blink in time to Christmas songs.

Oglebay Festival of Lights in Wheeling, WV from Nov. 4-Jan. 5 has one of the largest light displays. Drive along a 6-mile drive through 300 acres filled with spectacularly lit scenes.

Fantasy of Lights in Pine Mountain, GA from Nov. 14-Dec. 30 features a 5-mile drive past 13 gorgeous holiday light displays. Eight million lights make it the brightest Christmas display in the South.

Smoky Mountain Winterfest in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, TN fill the mountains with a fantasy of lights from late fall through February. Gatlinburg’s Christmas Parade features lighted floats, marching bands and giant balloons.

Trail of Lights in Austin, TX from Dec. 14-23 is a beautiful mile-long display of 42 lighted scenes. On Dec. 6 watch the lighting of 39 lighted streamers 155 feet tall suspended from historic Moonlight Tower. Wow!

More Wednesday.

RVIA RV Trade Show to Highlight New Trends

Outlet 2010: Let the Sun Shine is the upbeat theme of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s 47th annual national RV trade show. The country’s biggest RV show will be held from December 1-3 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY. The trade show will showcase the industry’s newest “green” RVs as well as plenty of innovative and eco-friendly products and services for the RV industry.

Growing RV sales have been one of the few bright lights in an otherwise dim U.S. economy. Increasing interest in the RV lifestyle has increased both new and used RV sales which has caused RV manufacturers to ramp up production, rehire laid off workers and hire new workers. The RV nation is certainly doing its part to light up the economy.

As the RV industry prepares to celebrate its centennial next year, 2010 is expected to herald new trends in the industry. Simplicity, discretionary thrift, mercurial consumption and green living are expected to drive the RV sales market in the coming year.  Among the highlights of the RVIA RV show will include a presentation by Silvio DiSalvatore, father of the family that won NBC’s hit summer reality show Great American Road Trip. DiSalvatore, who has repeatedly said the RV trip was the best time he and his family have ever had, will talk about his family’s summer RV experience.

RV Life Offers Best of Both Worlds

This is the time of year when RVers thumb their noses are homeowners stuck in chilly northern climes and point their RVs toward the sunny South. One of the true delights of RV living is the ability to follow the sun and the pleasant weather across the country. Many full-time RVers spend their summers in the cool forests of the North or along the balmy shores of the Great Lakes. Come November when the first snow flurries start to fly, they pack up, bid the grandchildren farewell and set off for summer camping grounds in sunny Florida or the toasty Southwest. In April and May as spring flowers start to bloom, the migration reverses itself.

Sometimes called “snow birds,” these savvy RVers have discovered a lifestyle that is not only promotes good health and happiness but is kind to the environment. Compared to the energy expended by a typical home, RVing is a particularly green way to live. Relocating twice a year minimizes heating and cooling use, reducing energy consumption even further.

Not only does living year-round in a sunny, outdoor environment encourage exercise, boost vitamin D absorption and promote RVers’ good health, but green RV living gives a nice boost to the planet’s health too. As RVers will tell you, it’s the best of both worlds!

Are you ready to embrace the RV lifestyle? RVT.com makes it easy to buy the RV of your dreams online.

You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby

Scarred with age, its coat of paint a distant memory, the 1929 Studebaker RV recently discovered in South Carolina is a real blast from the past. We discovered the story (make sure you check out the great pics) on the Hemmings Auto Blog posted to globalpost (click the link for story and photos).

Back in the early days of automotive history, Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone and Thomas Edison were camping buddies who, like President Theodore Roosevelt and other manly men of the day, often set out into the wilds to commune with nature. According to the post, Firestone is rumored to have built an RV on a 1929 Studebaker chassis and this ancient RV may have been one of a limited production.

Taking a look at the venerable hulk, it’s possible to see inklings of early RV models. The well-weathered Studebaker has the look of an army truck circa 1950 with a roomy cab and diamond grill-covered windows in the rectangular van-like cargo area. It’s safe to say that this early RV lacked the comfortable amenities of its modern incarnations.

Whatever the actual history of this supposed ancient motorhome,  the “Dulce Domum” painted on the vehicle’s side certainly expresses the sentiments of modern RV owners everywhere. It’s Latin for “Sweetly at Home.”

You won’t find used RVs as old at the 1929 Studebaker dinosaur found in South Carolina, but you will find plenty of comfortable, modern, new and pre-owned RVs in excellent condition for sale at great prices on RVT.com.

RV Shows Offer Chance to Compare Models

Ready to try out the relaxed, enjoyable RV lifestyle? Or perhaps you’ve been RVing for awhile and are considering upgrading to a newer or bigger RV? Maybe you just want to get a look at the hot new green RVs everyone is talking about? If you’re thinking about buying an RV, the place to go is an RV show. One of the nation’s biggest RV shows, the 57th Annual California RV Show, is coming up October 16-25 at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA. You can find other RV shows around the country on the RVT.com website.

At an RV show you can check out all the top RV manufacturers and their most popular models under one roof. It’s a great way to comparison shop. See what’s standard and what new features are being offered. Walk through a variety of models and get a true feeling for the space available and whether it’s a good fit for you and your family. Bring the kids. They’ll have as much fun at an RV show as you will.

At an RV show you’ll find plenty of folks to answer your questions and fill you in on the latest advances in RV technology. You’ll also pick up plenty of useful how to and been there done that tips from veteran RVers. Use the show to create a shopping list of must have features, then do your shopping online at RVT.com where you’ll find hundreds of new and used RVs at great prices.

RV Is a Gift for the Whole Family

Halloween isn’t quite here but stores are already setting up Christmas displays. It’s a little early to get into the holiday spirit, but some gifts take more time and planning than others. This holiday why not give your family a gift that will bring you all closer together. Give your family an RV.

Doing things together as a family, psychologists now tell us, is the best way to keep kids engaged in healthy activities and out of trouble. Numerous studies have shown that when families eat dinner together, children do better at school academically, are better integrated socially and are better able to stand up to peer pressure. If you can get all that from sharing a burger and a little chitchat, think what the togetherness of an RV vacation could do for your children.

RV families not only eat together when they travel, they explore and learn together and have fun together. While RVing, children have an opportunity to help out and contribute to the family which builds self-esteem. Family activities and games give parents and children a chance to bond and talk. When parents spend time playing with their children, children are more apt to come to them in times of trouble. Started when children are young, RVing can form the cornerstone of a positive parent-child relationship that can carry you both through the turbulent teen years.

Who suspected something as enjoyable as RVing could have such deep psychological benefits? Just ask any RVing family; it does.

Homeschoolers Use RVs as Mobile Classrooms

Parents who homeschool their children are investing in RVs as mobile classrooms. Book learning has its place, these parents argue, but there’s nothing like actually being there to give a child a true appreciation for what he’s learning. It’s not a new idea.

Occasionally, you’ve probably read about a family who packed the kids into their RV to crisscross the country for a few months or a year. The advantage of seeing new sites and meeting new people is obvious. But for most families it was a unique and short-lived experiment. When the kids reached middle school or high school, it was back to the traditional classroom. Today, however, the proliferation of homeschooling has turned an occasional adventure into an educational choice for many RVing families.

History and geography lessons particularly lend themselves to onsite learning. An RV tour of Civil War battlefields allows kids to put themselves in the picture. Hike along the Appalachian Trail to experience the difficulties the pioneers faced when starting their trek west. Spend a day helping out on a farm to learn about how food gets to the table. Tour a factory to find out how things are made. Explore geology and paleontology while fossil hunting. When you have an RV classroom, the opportunities for learning are endless — and exciting.