It’s our last couple of days in Elkin, NC and we wanted to take advantage of some local hiking and a few nearby vineyards. It’s late October and the weather was perfect to experience the outdoors – beautiful blue sky, early fall foliage and perfect temperatures to...

In mine and Joan’s RV travels, I’m the kiker out of the bunch. On this stunning October morning, I had two gifts – the opportunity to hike Stone Mountain State Park located in Roaring Gap, NC and our son Joel came up for a few days to enjoy the vineyards and of course...

If you’ve been a viewer of our YouTube channel for a while, you’ve noticed we like to visit wineries. Vineyards, wineries and cellars have been a favorite stop since my corporate days working on the west coast with trips to the Napa Valley and Sonoma vineyards. Our RV...

I had the fortunate opportunity to tour the Currahee Military Museum located in historic Toccoa, Georgia. This has been a bucket list stop for some time. I’m a huge fan of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers and have wanted to visit Taccoa to learn more about these...

When Joan and I started RV life, our second destination was Leisure Acres Campground in Cleveland, GA located the foothills of North Georgia. This has become one of our favorite campgrounds and locations where we try to return every year. The town of Cleveland, GA has...

If you’ve been following Joan and me for any period of time, you know how much we enjoying visiting vineyards and sampling the wines made within a local area. Before iLoveRVlife, I traveled often to the Napa and Sonoma wine regions and I fell in love with those who...

When our RV travel takes us into an area that has hiking trails I’ll try to clear the schedule to see as many as possible. On this cool September morning, our son Joel came up to the North Georgia foothills for a few days and hiking was at the top of our agenda. We...

With Covid still having an impact on our RV travel, we decided to return to the North Georgia foothills; an area we’ve traveled to before and know much of the surroundings. Before we arrived, we called a number of locations in the area and felt very comfortable in...

Hiking Panther Creek Falls made a perfect day on this crisp September fall morning. The trail to the falls is around a 3.5 mile hike (one-way) over moderate terrain. The tail is a a mix of hills and flat area. There are a few difficult areas along the trail with creek...

Joan and I have started our late summer, early fall RV trip. We can’t express how excited we are to be back out again after months of sheltering in place. Our first stop is Tugaloo State Park Campground located on the edge of Lavonia, GA. The campground is about 10...

One of the things that Joan and I appreciate about the RV lifestyle is the wide variety of places to camp and sites to see. From small to large, we’ve have yet to stay in two places that were alike. On this stop, we wanted to experience one of the larger “family...

This was our last day in Elkin, NC. For eight days in early March, we visited a number of the Elkin NC vineyards in this area, hiked a number of great trails and overall, had a great time seeing the sites and meeting the people in this area of North Carolina. Our trip...

One of the fun things that I enjoy about our RV travels are the trails and hiking areas we often find. That was definitely the case when Joan and I visited Elkin, NC and stayed at Byrd’s Branch Campground. There were several trails near the edge of the campground and...

We continue our travels around North Carolina and visited two more vineyards in Elkin NC along with a really interesting stop at an Amish general store. This was a very pretty day to tour, a little chilly and windy, but that didn’t stop Joan and me. Aside from the...

More fun to share from our recent visit in Elkin, NC. Minutes from Byrds Branch Campground are a number of hike and bike trails. Hiking Carter Falls is just a short walk from the campground, I found a great 1.5 mile trek an easy walk along a well-marked trail. This...

One of the main reasons for this visit was the Elkin NC vineyard tours in this thriving wine region. We discovered this area last year when we stopped at Mt Airy, NC to take in all the Andy and Mayberry sites. Having an extra day, we drove 20 minutes south on I-77 and...

We discovered Elkin, NC last year when we visited Mt. Airy with all things Andy and Mayberry. A day before we left the area, we learned there were a number of award winning vineyards in the area. At one of the vineyards, we meet a couple who were staying at Byrds...

There’s so much to see and do in Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, TN. We have traveled to the area for years and I was in search for something different. And something different I certainly found - Floyd Garrett’s Muscle Car Museum in Sevierville, TN. What an amazing...

We started our winter trip. Joan wanted to see some snow before Spring. How can I say no! So off we went to Tennessee for a few days. We stopped in Pigeon Forge, TN. This was going to be a budget stop. The week was not going to be filled with the music and variety...

As you travel along I-75 through Middle Georgia, there is a treat for anyone who enjoys military history and aircraft. The Museum of Aviation is located on the edge of Robins Air Force Base and is open to the public free of charge. The museum is located on 51 acres...

When it comes to the topic of RV trip planning, this is the single most requested topic we receive from our website contact page and our I Love RV Life YouTube channel. We understand the unknowns so many face when dealing with long distance RV travel – the miles to...

We had the opportunity to visit The Hermitage, the 7th president of the United States, Andrew Jackson's home in Nashville TN. Andrew Jackson purchased the land in the early 1800's completing the first home between 1819 and 1821. The current structure is the 3rd...

Merry Christmas from I Love RV Life! We're home for Christmas. We so enjoy this time of year - fun with family and friends. This time is a mixture of Christmas school musicals and church plays with our talented granddaughter Jaymi Kate, big meals with family and of...

While recently visiting the North Georgia Mountains, we took a day trip to Amicalola Falls State Park. It has been a number of years since our last visit. The park is a beautiful place to hike, see the amazing sites nature has to offer, along with a wide variety of...

We took a couple of days to tour a few of the North Georgia sites from our recent trip. Our first stop was Brasstown Bald located around a 15 minute drive south of Blairsville, GA or 60 minutes from our favorite campground in Cleveland, GA. This is the highest peak in...

We just completed 3 months of RV travel. But, the beginning was not our best planning effort. And to top it off, we had more travel issues with truck problems, bad roads, hurricanes, wreck delays and damage to our 5th wheel. Regardless of how well you can plan a trip...

This is the second trip Joan and I made to Memphis TN over the last 4 years. Our first visit was all about Elvis and a night on Beale St. But this time we want history of Memphis music with a daytime visit of Beale St along with stops at the Rock n Soul Museum, Sun...

If you plan to travel to Memphis, TN, there's a few campgrounds close to the center of town to consider. We thought we’d seek a different experience on this stop with a weeks stay at Tom Sawyers RV Park located in West Memphis, AR. The campground is minutes from the...

Hot Springs, AR is a very interesting town with an equally noteworthy past. Joan and I have had Hot Springs on our destination list for several years. Fortunately, we were able to stop for a week to enjoy a tour of the historic bathhouses, the amazing views offered by...

Joan and I are in the middle of a 3,000 mile trip. We’ve wanted to visit Hot Springs, AR for some time. There are a wide range of campground options in and around Hot Springs, but on this leg of the trip and after some very long towing miles, we thought we would treat...

Joan and I took some time to walk around the historic district of Vicksburg, MS. Close to the river and minutes from the old train station we found the Lower Mississippi River Museum. The museum has been created by the US Army Corps of Engineers and access is free....

There is so much history in Vicksburg, MS that we had difficulty picking those few locations to fit into our short visit. Our second stop in town features the Old Court House Museum located in heart of the historic district of Vicksburg. The court house is an amazing...

Our trip to Vicksburg, MS included a visit to the National Military Park Vicksburg also known as the Vicksburg Civil War Battlefield. I’ve always been interested in Civil War History for a number of reasons. It’s hard to grasp the scale of the war in this day and age...

We have wanted to travel to Vicksburg, MS for some time to experience this city’s rich history. Wanting a comfortable campground close by, we found the Ameristar Casino RV Park to be perfect for our needs. Located minutes from Exit 1-A off I-20, the campground is next...

I love American history. From those who lived on this land before the settlers arrive and throughout the history of the amazing country. On this trip, we have experience so much from historic homes, a lighthouse and forts, but this stop was different. Joan and I had...

While visiting Gulf Shores, AL we discovered the Fort Morgan Alabama Historic Site located on the point of Fort Morgan Peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay. This fort has an extensive history starting as Fort Bowyer during the War of 1812 then as Fort...

Joan and I travel on a budget. Every now and then we will splurge on a campground that may be at the higher end of our budget, but then we’re looking for places along our travel route that may be a little more affordable. One such place is Rainbow Plantation...

Our campground travel formula is pretty simple. We have a budget we need to manage for each trip since we may be on the road for over three months at a time. On this trip, we started off with a splurge that was at the top of our expense list which meant we had to find...

On a recent trip to the Georgia coast, we took a day to see the sites at St. Simons Island. St. Simons Island is the largest of the Golden Isles barrier Islands. The Poet Sidney Lanier immortalized this island in his poem Marshes of the Glynn. “Affable live-oak,...

If you have been following our travels, you know we enjoy visiting historical sites. We like to find places off the beaten path and enjoy sharing the sites with others. And the older, the better. That was the case with our recent tour of Fort King George Historical...

Just minutes off I-95 at exit 49 is Inland Harbor RV Park in Darien, GA. The campground is located about 60 miles south of Savannah and 20 miles north of St. Simons. The campground is big rig friendly offering easy access, large pull-thorough spaces, full hook-ups...

While camping at Huntington State Park near Murrells Inlet, SC, we discovered Atalaya Castle located between the campground’s north and south loops. If you are a follower of my past blogs and YouTube videos, you know that I am a huge history fan. I’m equally intrigued...

We were going to skip the beach this year. After a number of years traveling throughout Florida, we wanted new places to visit and sites to see. I had a friend share about a camping trip to Huntington State Park Campground between Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet,...

I’ve always been intrigued with the idea of searching for Georgia gold. Prior to the 1849 California Gold rush, Georgia had its own starting in the early 1830’s. While the Georgia gold boom was short lived, it’s still known today as having the purest gold ever found....

If you’ve ever been to Helen, GA, then you know it’s one of those special places. Joan and I first visited Helen in the mid 80’s. Much has changed since then, but the town hasn’t lost the quaintness that has made this Bavarian inspired town so special. Helen is best...

We were a few miles south of Blairsville, GA and took the afternoon to see some of the beautiful North Georgia waterfalls in the area. All along Highway 19, we started at Vogel State Park, next on to Helton Creek Falls and finished the day at DeSoto Falls. All are...

Having fun in the Smoky Mountains is exactly what Joan and I experienced spending a fun week with the kids, grandkids running around the Smoky Mountain National Park, Bryson City, Cherokee and camping in the community of Deep Creek, NC. This is our first return to...

Smoky Mountain Campground is located in Deep Creek, NC just minutes outside of Bryson City, NC. The campground is less than 100 feet from the Deep Creek entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The Deep Creek, NC area is well know of tubing the creek from...

Joan and I always look forward to discovering new vineyards and wineries in our RV travels. While staying in Mt. Airy, NC we discovered there were over 30 vineyards within a 30 minute drive from our location at Mayberry Campground. We took an afternoon to explore the...

We continue our tour of the North Georgia Wine country and discovered Cavender Creek Vineyards in Dahlonega, GA. We were fortunate to meet Claire Livingston, the owner of Cavender Creek and we immediately felt like we had come home. We are especially fond of vineyards...

Joan and I were looking for a fun place to visit in the upper part of North Carolina. We found Mayberry Campground located in Mt. Airy, NC. Mayberry Campground is located minutes from the interchange of I-77 and I-74 a few miles from the Virginia State line. We found...

Joan and I are huge Andy Griffith fans. We watch the old reruns with Andy, Barney, Opie and the rest of the gang on a regular basis. We were looking for some summer time in the North Carolina Mountains and found a number of nice campgrounds near Mt. Airy, NC - the...

Joan and I are fond of state and federal parks. Sometimes we’re looking for a quiet place to escape where others are located in areas that feed our tour desires. Lake Hartwell State Park gave us one of those great places to escape. A beautiful campground found in...

We are often asked, “How do you find such great campgrounds and places to visit?” After a number of years of RV travel, we have found a number of website and phone apps that are invaluable in our RV trip planning. We break the video into two sections - the first...

FDR State Park and Campground is a located in Pine Mountain, GA, just minutes for I-185 and Columbus, GA. The camping area are made up of a number of loops with camp site ranging from spacious wooded lots to those with a great view of Lake Delanor. Spacious Wood and...

Joan and I have been on a nature kick recently. Usually happens every year with everything in bloom and the desire to experience all Spring has to offer after a cold Winter. We visited Callaway Gardens located in Pine Mountain GA after stopping for a week in nearby...

One of the great things about RV life is the adventure. When Joan and I plan to visit a new area for the first time, we Google and TripAdvisor to see if there are places of interest we may enjoy. You may find a few pictures or a blog, but sometimes, it's hard to...

Ever so often in one's RV travels, you stumble upon a campground that leaves a lasting impression. This was the case with River Country RV Campground located in Gadsden AL. Joan and I were heading south from Nashville and decided to take a new route through Alabama....

Nashville Nashville! What a town. This is one of our favorite places to visit. There's so much history that we've shown from our previous visits from the Carnton House, Andrew Jackson's Hermitage and Belle Meade Plantation. Then there's the music. Steeped in country...

We love coming to Nashville TN and have done so since we started RV travel 5 years ago. There is so much to see and do. We've tried several campgrounds in the area, but our favorites has been Two Rivers Campground located off Music Valley Dr. Two Rivers is a very...

We had the very fortunate opportunity the visit the Hay House located in Macon, GA. We were provided a private tour and were able to visit 7 floors of this amazing house. The Jonston-Felton-Hay House was constructed between 1855 and 1859 and declared a National...

As RV travelers, Joan and I really enjoy sharing the places we visit and tour. We have traveled thousands of miles with many more thousands planned. But, with our tours and stops from these travels, we realized something was missing! Our hometown of Macon GA. This is...

Before we leave home or a campground, we always run through our RV checklist. Prior to creating the RV checklist, we often overlooked something important that could have resulted in a dangerous or costly mistake. We all have stories to share - forgetting to latch the...

It's one of those fun things Hiking Stone Mountain in Stone Mountain, GA has been on my bucket list for sometime. Is this one of those monumental milestones in life? Nah! But, it is one of those fun things that I have wanted to accomplish for a very long time. The...

Stone Mountain Campground located in the Stone Mountain Park is an absolute oasis in the middle of metro Atlanta, GA. This campground is so nice. It's similar in age to many of the Georgia State campground, offering a rustic feel. This is a very large campground with...

Goats on the Roof. Seriously, we went to Goats on the Roof in Tiger, GA located in the northeast Georgia mountains. We've driven past this place a dozen times and today I just had to stop. It was popular, we barely got the last parking place in the lot. I didn't know...

Gem panning in North Georgia was one of those activities I've never considered. More so, I never heard of it until we stayed in the mountains this year. A couple friends suggested, sharing they pan for gems, it's a fun escape and encouraged me to give it a try. Home...

CeNita Vineyards is another very interesting North Georgia Vineyard just minutes from Cleveland, GA. Joan and I mistakenly took the wrong entrance into the vineyard and arrived in the middle of the vineyard where their event space is located. Great move Jerry! This is...

Enjoying the new drone and wanted to share a flyover of Leisure Acres Campground. We're ending our October stay in the North Georgia Mountains. Joan and I are finding that after 4 years of RV travel, we have a couple of favorite locations we enjoy returning to where...

There are a number of vineyards throughout Georgia. Several have been a staple for the area and Frogtown Cellars is one of these. Entering this well established winemaker, you are struck by the beauty, both the vast vineyards as well as its amazing tasting room and...

We took a last minute trip to leave the middle Georgia heat and head towards the mountains. No particular destination had been set and were so happy we found Riverbend Campground Pigeon Forge. We had no idea the entire area of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN would be...

We have created this series after all of the fun we had last year touring the North Georgia Wine Region. Joan and I are not wine connoisseurs and our formula for wine is very simple - if we like it, we'll drink it. And one thing is for sure, we love the wines in North...

You never know where the RV adventure will take you. Sometimes to beautiful mountains, maybe a historic location or just a place of peace and quite to get away. But, this weekend was different. This was a packed, 3-day weekend of camping and travel baseball in Dublin,...

YoutubeFacebookJoan and I returned to Ocean Grove RV Resort in St. Augustine, one of our favorite RV resorts in Florida, and we were excited to find all of the upgrades recently made to the campground. So much, we did something we rarely do, we created this second...

The St Augustine Lighthouse, the surrounding grounds and buildings were amazing. The lighthouse was built in 1874 and the Keeper's house followed in 1876. After many years of neglect and a fire that heavily damaged the Keepers' House, the Junior Service League of St....

We are back again this spring and it is so much fun as a St Augustine beach bum. We're here four a couple of months. Bike rides on the beach have become my favorite. Most of the video was shot days before and a few days after Memorial Day weekend. We had great sun,...

It was a beautiful Saturday morning in St. Augustine, FL. After several days of heavy rain, Joan and I escaped to have a little fun and tour something new. We've visited St. Augustine for years and never toured Fort Matanzas National Monument. There's no cost and...

We've created our top 10 RV travel preparation tips. Over the past several years, we've discovered these tips go a long way to ensure we not only have a better opportunity for safe travel, but these few extra steps before we hit the road prepare the RV camper for a...

The Birthplace of Country Music Museum located in Bristol TN-VA was simply an amazing stop on our recent RV adventure. Stopping in Bristol for just a few days, I visited the museum after hearing so much that this was simply a jewel of American music history. Beyond...

We traveled to Georgetown, KY for some late winter touring. Our stop for the week took us to Whispering Hills RV Park, located off exit 129 and I-75. This is a very nice destination RV park and one of the few in the area. It's a large campground that's big rig...

Cave Country RV Campground is located in Cave City KY just minutes from Mammoth Cave National Park. This RV campground is big rig friendly and all sites 100% full hookup with cable TV and very good wifi. Very nice owners with easy access from I-65. Receive the latest...

We had a great tour of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY. The museum has over 80 classic Corvettes, beautifully restored. If your are a car person and more so, a fan of this Corvette, this tour is pure sensory overload. Entering the museum, you first...

You never know what waits around the corner in your travels and Joan and I never expected an RV snow day! We made it to the campground yesterday around 1:00PM, the sun was bright and not a cloud in the sky. Famished, Joan and I found a great Mexican restaurant, a...

If you have never visited Mammoth Cave National Park, then make sure you add this to your next RV trip. Mammoth Cave National Park is located in mid-central Kentucky just minutes from I-65 just outside of the town of Cave City. Joan and I took 2 tours, the Frozen...

Still having fun with another Nashville history tour. The Carnton House was of interest due to the fact this was the last major battle of the Civil War leading to Lee's surrender a few months later. The Carnton House located in Franklin, TN just a few minutes south of...

Chaptacular is a yearly event held in Jones County just a few miles northeast of Gray, GA. This event is off the beaten path, but well worth the day to travel and see these incredible chainsaw carving artist perform and show their works. Chaptacular is touted as the...

We traveled to the Big Pig Jig in Vienna, GA. The 36th Annual event was held the weekend of November 3-4 and is the southeast's largest and Georgia oldest barbecue cooking contest. This was my first time visiting the Big Pig Jig and we had a blast. We visited and yes...

There's so much to do in North Georgia. We took 2 trips to the town of Dahlonega GA. Over the years, we've been here many times and never tire of the scenery, food, the many and varied wine tasting rooms and for Joan, the eclectic group of shops. On this trip, we...

Serenity Vineyards and Winery was another great stop on our North Georgia tour of vineyards. This vineyard was in a quite little valley and was a bit unassuming as drove in. One of the other vineyards in Cleveland, GA mention Serenity Vineyard and Winery as a must...

On this cloudy October, Joan, I, our son Joel and his girlfriend Amanda, continued our North Georgia winery tour. We traveled to Yohnah Vineyards and Winery just a few miles north east of Cleveland, GA. Yohnah means bear in the Cherokee language and the vineyard not...