We're considering opening a RV park in the SouthEast and were wondering what people look for in a RV park. We have 5+ acres on a major lake but want to limit it to 12 spots. There are no surrounding houses and the land is a pristine field with tall deciduous trees along the perimeter. A great spot for boating, fishing, canoeing, etc. The land is easily accessible by a major highway 5+ miles away.

Many people seem to have problems finding a suitable year round spot for their large RVs so we're considering this as a our target market.

We envision people keeping their RVs there year round for convenience but want to restrict it in such a way that the grounds stay clean and free of clutter.

What would be a reasonable rate?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys !!!

You might want to keep a few spots open for overnighters, let's see, you are saying 12 spots, you would have to do a market analysis, maybe keep 2 spots open, and let that number fluctuate depending on need. To keep the grounds free of clutter, you might need rules as to what can be put outside. It's on a lake? Sounds great!

JJ

I own a medium size park in the west. I would suggest a few things. First, be sure you have a rock solid electrical system installed. You must offer 50 amp service. Be sure your sewer/septic system is adequate for the anticipated flow. With a lot of trees, you will need to carefully plan the site layout to offer easy access and exit. A big problem may be making sure the RVs have clear views to the south to accomodate satellite systems. Also, you will need to have some way for the guests to access the internet from their site. If you have a local cable provider you may be able to pay them to install cable and internet to each site. If not, a good wifi system is almost a must. If you are considering year round occupancy, be sure to check the state and federal laws. You may lose a lot of flexibility in guest management. Many states give permanent residents a lot of rights you may find inhibit your ability to manage the park the way you wish. For example, if you offer long term leases, you may run afoul of the equal housing opportunity act if you screen your residents too closely. Be sure to have a lot of rules regarding what may be constructed on the site. Some people's idea of what a deck, outbuilding, skirting etc. should look like may differ considerably from what you would find acceptable. Also, if you allow storing of other vehicles, boats etc. be careful what your rules say you will allow. I would also consider an age limit on the permanent RVs. This will prevent your RV park from becoming a run down mobile home park. As for pricing, the higher your prices, the better your clientele will be. Most people equate price to quality on a subliminal level. If there are three hotels in the area, one is $100.00 one is $85.00 and one is $25.00 most people automatically assume the $25.00 property is a dump and the $100.00 property is the nicest. This holds true for RV parks. Be sure to consider all your expenses before setting your prices. I assume you are doing this as a business venture, so you will need to make a reasonable return on your investment.

Good 50 amp service, water, and sewer. Good Wi-Fi and cable TV or for those like us a place to get our sat. dish up for internet and TV. Cut back the trees so they aren't running along the side and tops of the RV. Pull thrus are nice, but if it's all back ins make them at an angle from the interior road. So much easier to back in. Make the sites 70 ft long and nice and wide. Picinic tables are nice. Make the interior road wide enough. Gravel is fine on the sites. On interior roads it's fine too as long as it's not pea gravel or really large rock. We have motorcycles. No campfires are even better. I know most people like campfires.

Decent signage from the highway, good access so you dont prang the rig on the way in, a quiet location away from railroads etc and some nice scenery, plus the usual hookups.

Thats all I want, not fussed about "resort" features etc, the countryside can povide the best entertainment and scenery, so many sites have all the amenities but seem to be located in the devils own back yard or virtually on a railroad. Kinda reminds me of the Amarillo KOA, a nice enough little site but advertised as "away from the interstate noise" well, due to its proximity to two airfields and a railroad, wouldnt have heard the I40 had I been actually parked on it!

So if you have a nice pretty quiet spot, you are almost there allready.

My thought are 12 spots seems like it is too few. I agree with space for overnighters. I tend not to stay in places that don't allow tents because of the nature in what I use for an rv. If the tents are allowed they often allow what I have either the bus or van. When I do stay somewhere for a night or two what I like in the restroom showers is unisex wheelchair toilet and shower in one room as it is easier for us to manage dealing with a wheelchair and her limited ability to use some shower facility's. I bring a folding toilet seat to use for a shower chair in the van and the bus I have a shower chair in it and often don't use campground facility's then.

I have been seeing updated campgrounds with the unisex facility's and they can be viewed as a pain if there are too many people using them which makes for a line waiting to use and a good thing from a wheelchair users point of view.

I was at a campground cabin a couple years ago and their so called wheelchair cabin shower was very lousy for any wheelchair. You couldn't roll in and the little corner seat was too small for someone with a problem to use without slipping right off. I won't be going back to the cabin again. I should start taking pictures of good and bad places for this. Right now I do post reviews with my thoughts on wheelchair use.