RV Campsites Getting Luxury Facelift

RV campsites are getting the luxury treatment. A host of exciting new amenities is showing up at RV campsites and resorts across America. Perennial standbys — mini golf, pinball machines, swimming pools, fishing ponds and basketball hoops — are still around, but they’re being quickly elbowed aside by hot tubs, athletic courts, fitness centers, laser tag, Wi-Fi connections, electronic game rooms, water parks, elaborate water slides, skate parks and gourmet coffee shops, to name a few.

Your family can still enjoy bingo nights and hayrides, but more RV sites now offer summer camps for kids that include gold panning, dinosaur digs, pottery making, historic re-enactments, horseback riding, boating and much more. For adults, there are wine and cheese tastings, dances, barbecues, stocked fishing lakes and tours of historic sites.

RV camping is attracting a flood of new devotees happy to save money while vacationing, and these former resort dwellers are looking for the same amenities and luxuries they enjoyed at swanky island resorts in happier financial times. But that’s not the only thing spurring campground owners to modernize their properties. An influx of still-active retiring Baby Boomers, plugged-in teens in tow, is embracing the relaxed RV lifestyle, introducing a new generation of travelers to the RV industry. Many campgrounds hope to attract these upscale parents by offering activities to keep the kids – and their parents – occupied and happy.

Their plan seems to be working. RV campsite rentals were up by 3% on Memorial Day weekend and demand is expected to rise over the summer. “A lot of people are camping today instead of other forms of travel,” Bobby Cornwell, director of the Florida Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, told the Palm Beach Post, adding that RV owners are camping more than ever.