I was lucky to find this park for my few days stay in Palm Springs. I love that it is an older park, but not run-down, just older. It has kind of a 70s vibe which I like: casual, low-key, but spacious and with a pretty view of the mountains. I actually prefer the vibe here to the fussier vibe at the brand new parks. Very mellow. The hot tub works too! The park is very convenient to Cathedral City and downtown Palm Springs. I will revisit.
So as I was driving down the northeastern Florida coast I kept hearing about this campground. People said it was impossible to get into but I showed up around noon and got a spot for the night. The campground reminds me of the best San Diego state park campgrounds, in that you can park right on the bluff overlooking the beach, and listen to the waves crash all night. It is a simple campground with just a row of sites up and down one road on the beach bluff. All sites are back-ins, and they aren't very deep. But being on the beach makes everything amazing.
I wanted to come through Athens and this was the closest park to the town. It's in the woods, with very pretty trees, very quiet. There's a lake (manmade I think) that sits very peacefully next to the campground. All in all it was a very peaceful stop. There's some good food in the town a few miles away.
I stayed for two days while touring Charleston. The campground is very spacious and well-maintained, with concrete pads and grass. Showers are spotless, almost like home showers. The drive to Charleston is fine without traffic, but one day the traffic was backed for miles. There are some nice restaurants very close: Angel Oak, which is amazing, and, the Glass Onion a few more miles down the road.
I came into Myrtle Beach kind of late, and fortunately Apache Family Campground had a guardhouse with someone working around 7:30 pm. He gave me a map and I set off to find my spot, which turned out to be difficult because the rv spaces aren't really marked, they just have picnic tables at odd angles on uneven grass. It was really confusing in the dark.
Once parked I walked to the pier restaurant to eat. The campground is dark but I soon realized I was right at the beach, which is cool, and made up for all the cramped spaces and slightly rough vibe of the campground. I had a nice fish plate and some wine at the restaurant. In the morning I walked on the beach and then left for Myrtle Beach State Park, which was more scenic.
The campsites at Anastasia are what I imagined all campsites would be like before I got used to rv parks which are usually not much more than concrete pads. My spot here was perfectly secluded with lots of tropical foliage, and a pretty picnic table and even a tree in the site. I could hear the ocean from my camper which is the best. Also, the price is right at around $31. It's not really in walking distance of the town due to the long path out of the park but you're still right in the city and an easy drive to restaurants and shopping.
A good option if you want to sightsee on St. Helena Island (Gullah culture, beach, etc) and don't want to have to fight to get a spot at Hunting Island. The park is spacious with lots of trees and shade, and pretty large sites. There is an alligator-watching lookout, and a pretty extensive playground. Frogmore and the Penn Center aren't far down the road.
My favorite park in the US so far for so many reasons. First off the beach is gorgeous and empty (no big hotels like Myrtle Beach). The foliage in the park is super lush and interesting-- palmettos and trees with spanish moss hanging, gorgeous. Sites are bigger and more private than most parks. Price is right. And within ten or so miles drive of the park are great restaurants and sights in Frogmore. Hunting Island is a gem.
I really dug this campground for the way the sites are superprivate-- completely surrounded by thick foliage. Feels very beachy, with dirt roads and big sites, situated between the beach and the river. It's too bad it's so expensive ($66 with taxes for a pull-thru). A previous reviewer said it was "70s" but as far as I know that's kind of a bonus-- has that back-to-the-beach vibe. Waking distance to a few restaurants/bars. Nice park.
Kind of a quirky park in a good way. It is older, with lots of natural vegetation (woodsy). Feels like you are in the woods even though you are in a semi-suburban area of New Jersey. Homey registration office with cool nautical-themed fixings around it. Sites are small and the woods can be difficult to navigate so you need to be very skilled with your rig to get in here. No sewer hookups so you have to use the dump site. I used the showers and they were just fine. Saturday night there was a very loud dance party in the common area. Was calm during the week. A good place to get away on the Jersey Shore, despite a few inconveniences.
