Table of Contents
I’m going to divide this into two posts, which will be out of order, but I want the VA Parks all in one post, and we spent 2 days getting there, and 2 days getting home, so I’ll keep the getting there and home content together in this post. Part 1 also contains some content on packing and organizing the RV (those photos were taken at the end when we unpacked, so scroll if that’s what you’re looking for).
So You Travels: Virginia State Parks RV Trip Part 1 - Getting There and Home
So You Travels: Virigina State Parks RV Trip Part 2 - Epic Virginia Adventure (click here)
Introduction
Summer vacations are something I grew up with and looked forward to. My parents planned some epic travel for us, so it was something I always planned on doing with my own kids. I’ve got the outdoor travel bug, and it’s a bucket list item for me to visit every US National Park.
I’m a few years behind on travel blogs, but it’s time to start catching up, and sharing these epic adventures of ours. This one is from June 2020 It’s been a while, so I’m grateful I at least kept up with my Instagram posts while we were traveling, so I can use that to jog my memory here.
Our National Parks travel took a break when the world shut down for the pandemic. I didn’t want to miss out on our family adventure, and outdoors was deemed safe, so this was the perfect year to plan an RV trip. I remembered at some point reading that Virginia State Parks are nature on the level of National Parks, so I dug in to research, and came up with this epic map.
Virginia State Parks Road Trip Map
Pre-Travel RV Trip Planning and Packing
We chose the Large Cruise America RV. We chose this company because we’ve passed their fleet on the road in previous years. Another option would be RV sharing (like airbnb). We went with Cruise America, because we wanted their 800 support if anything went wrong or we needed help, as this was our first trip.
We chose the Large, because there was a lot of room to spread out. We slept above the driving cabin, in the dining / living area, and in the bedroom in the back. We got a hitch bike rack, and brought our bikes on the trip. We used them a lot!
I used the packing list from the Cruise America website, and checking off the boxes was like a scavenger hunt! I used bins to keep everything organized.
Day 1: Fort Lauderdale, FL to Jacksonville, FL
We picked up the RV around 11 am and spent a few hours loading everything from my organized bins into the vehicle. We eventually hit the road around 4:30 pm, stopped 2 hours north at Moe’s for dinner, and ended up spending the night at my in-laws in Jacksonville! There was some Connect 4, some Battleship, some napping, and Jackbox with my Mensa friends! Seriously thankful to that crew for making the last few hours of driving so much fun!
We learned a few things. 1. The RV can connect to house power. 2. Connected to house power, it blows the house fuse if we try to run the AC. We are hoping this does not happen at campsites the rest of the trip!! 3. Those bins I packed in came in very handy. Anything not secured when the vehicle is in motion will go flying when the truck stops or turns!
10 hours of driving today until we reach our destination. Good thing we have a bin full of games! I’m scared, but willing to take a turn driving today. Not sure hubs is too excited about that. You hit a pole in a parking lot in a guy’s car once, and he never lets you live it down! But seriously proud of how he got behind the wheel and is handling this thing like he’s driven big trucks his whole life!
Day 2: Jacksonville, FL to Williamsburg, VA - Anvil Campground
A looooooooong day of a loooooooooong drive. We spent the night at Bubbie and Grandpa’s house in Jacksonville, and continued on our journey. We learned 2 new card games, and played checkers. We stopped for gas twice, checked out South of the Border between SC and NC, and towards the end of the day, after spending over an hour scouring cities adjacent to 95 for an outdoor adventure, discovered Rocky Mount, NC and the Tar River Trail, beginning at Battle Park.
We got there late, just before sunset, so we rushed through our ride a bit and didn’t stop as much as we usually would to enjoy the nature and scenery, but it was a beautiful, amazing find nonetheless. We loved this asphalt trail through the woods and next to the river!
We used the generator in the parking lot to have dinner in the RV, whatever we had in the fridge and freezer, and finished the drive to the campground.
Things we learned today: 1. If you pee while the RV is in motion, flush ASAP when you stop. Do not do this 5 times in a row without flushing as we did. Because when the car moved around, the urine sloshed around and got all over the bathroom. Me and Lysol spray had a fun cleaning date later that night. 2. If the RV doesn’t get power the first time you plug it into a campsite, check the breaker on the campsite power.
Days 3 - 8: See So You Travels: Virigina State Parks RV Trip Part 2 - Epic Adventure
Because this is too much information for one post, and I want the Virginia State Park Road trip content in one post, click here.
Day 9: Damascus, VA to Jacksonville, FL
We started heading home. When I saw our route passed through Charlotte, NC, I knew we had to stop at the amazing Cabo Fish Taco NODA, that Lee and I discovered last summer. It was amazing! We chased our tacos with some ice cream from Jenni’s which we discovered in TN in 2017. Not pictured, we parked and paid by phone app for 3 parking spaces! Also ok and worth every penny. The tacos were THAT good!
We played Connect 4 and Othello and stopped at the Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary in SC to explore and stretch our legs. Upon arrival, Ben slid down the boat ramp into the water, and showered while Jaron and I explored.
On the last leg of our journey for the day, Jaron and I watched ‘A Walk in the Woods’ about a man and his friend walking the Appalachian Trail. It seemed appropriate after encountering sections of it this trip!
Instead of staying at my in-laws, on the way back, we stayed at the KOA in Jacksonville. It was easier to power and water the RV here, and we wanted one more campground for our last night!
Day 10: Jacksonville, FL to Ft Lauderdale, FL
Pics from the last day. 1. I hadn’t driven the entire trip and had wanted to, so I took a lap around the RV park before we headed out. 2. We got a new game, Slapzi, from the gift shop because we are huge fans of Tenzi, and it was equally fun. 3. We stopped in Viera and had Blaze for lunch bc pizza was more rare than usual this trip. 4. We picked up Chloe! 5. Snapped a few pics of our organized chaos before we unpacked. These cabinets we used for some cereal and games (L), and all of Ben’s stuff (R). Once we made the beds, we left them that way, except for the table. The top bunk was too long for a fitted sheet, so a top sheet worked just fine. I used the fitted sheet as a top sheet without a problem. 6. We had all of our dry pantry goods in this bin that we never bothered unpacking. The cooler provided overflow space for items like mlik that were too large for the fridge. 7. The bedroom had ample cabinet space, and we unpacked some and lived out of a duffle bag some. 8. The big outer storage compartment in the RV held extra drinks, supplies, and our paddleboards. 9. I think the RV at the end of the rainbow was a great way to end the day, and this fabulous adventure!
