KOA Appreciation Weekend

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OutdoorFT

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Mar 20, 2015
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398
Location
Syracuse, NY
I know KOA is a touchy subject here. Rightfully so. In my experience at only 2 different KOAs, Ive had no problems there. One has since been bought out and the other is the one in the finger Lakes region of NY.

I will say if I had an RV, I would limit my stays there. However, since Im RVless and tent camping isnt as fun as it sounds, I opt for their kabins. I paid same price per night as a hotel with my AAA discount. So I don't mind paying for a weekend (or few weekday) stay.

Mid sept they have their appreciation weekend. Stay the 15th, get 16th free. So 3 nights will only run me $150. Thats almost one night in their deluxe.

Only applies to VKR members. Which even if you bought the membership and got a free night, youre still ahead $40.

Anyway..just letting anyone know who uses KOAs its a good weekend to visit.
 
The ONLY problem I have with KOA is, it seems like every one of them is right next to a railroad track. And the train comes through at 2 am every morning.

Other than that, I've enjoyed all the KOAs I've stayed in.
 
Rene T said:
What's VKR?
VKR is KOA's membership card. You acquire points every time you use it. We acquire enough points each year to offset the yearly cost. And each year they offer an early renewal for $30.
 
malexander said:
The ONLY problem I have with KOA is, it seems like every one of them is right next to a railroad track. And the train comes through at 2 am every morning.

Other than that, I've enjoyed all the KOAs I've stayed in.
Luckily, Ive never had that experience. We got corn fields across the road. My kind of neighbors
 
This isn't meant to be a KOA commercial, though I realize it will probably read like one.
We camp at KOAs quite a bit. Not by design, but because they seem to fit the purpose of our trips fairly frequently.
We use our RV as an alternative to hotels and airlines, so where we camp is determined more by proximity to our "real" destination than by the campground environment itself. KOAs tend to be fairly close to population centers, so whether we're traveling to visit clients, explore a museum or experience a sporting event there's likely to be a KOA among the options.
I admire a business that chooses its market, even if that market is not me. KOA's main target seems to be families with children who camp close to home for a weekend or a week at a time. Accordingly, many KOA have nice pools, frisbee golf, playgrounds, and pizza delivery. Quiet and wilderness are not what they're about.
KOAs are franchised, not company owned. It's difficult for any business that doesn't own its outlets, be it KOA or Burger King, to control quality. KOA quality varies quite a bit, but in recent years it seems to be getting both more consistent and better. Five years ago I was chatting with a KOA offical who was camped next to me at the KOA in Leander, Texas near Austin. He acknowledged that franchisee quality was sporadic, but also said that the company was making a push to support the franchisees who were providing better facilities and looking to replace those who weren't. I have to believe that's a tough nut to crack, but it seems to be happening.
A lot of KOAs are cramped for space. KOA and some of their locations have been around a long time, long before 40 foot "McMansion" fifth wheels and Class A's were common. Those older campgrounds simply weren't engineered for big rigs that were then 40 years in the future. Many of those older campgrounds also have become hemmed in by development and can't expand. Yet they still serve a market, as is evidenced by their continued existence and even prosperity. One example is the Denham Springs KOA near Baton Rouge.
Some of the most attractive and serene campgrounds we've stayed in have also been KOA franchises. I'm thinking about Walnut Hills KOA near Staunton VA , Mount Pleasant KOA in Charleston SC and Chattanooga West KOA.
So we aren't at all reluctant to stay at KOAs. They're just another option.
 
Thanks for posting that. We too have found some exceptional KOAs. We were so impressed with one such (franchised) park that I wrote to KOA and suggested they use the park as a model for their other franchisees. See here.

We were also recently pleased with the KOA in Salt Lake City. This park appears to have gone through some remodeling and expansion since we'd stayed there some years ago.
 
I have never stayed in a KOA but a few months ago my nephew wanted to move to Florida and was disappointed to find out that the RV park I live in is full. So I visited the local KOA that is 3 miles down the road from me and they were also full. I checked their rates. Monthly rates were about $400 a month higher than what I pay. So I have been appreciating KOA not just on weekends but every day. I can tell by driving through the park that I much prefer the park I am in.
 
We don't usually stay at KOAs when we are traveling to our destination only because they are usually more expensive than other campgrounds for one night. But when we do stay at KOAs we find them to be pretty much like other campgrounds some are good and some not so good, some are well cared for and some aren't. When traveling I 95 through GA we'll stop at the KOA in Savannah only $22.50 overnight. We like one so much in Ft Collins CO that we stay there for two months during the summer.
 
SeilerBird said:
I have never stayed in a KOA but a few months ago my nephew wanted to move to Florida and was disappointed to find out that the RV park I live in is full. So I visited the local KOA that is 3 miles down the road from me and they were also full. I checked their rates. Monthly rates were about $400 a month higher than what I pay. So I have been appreciating KOA not just on weekends but every day. I can tell by driving through the park that I much prefer the park I am in.
I surely wouldnt recommend monthly stays at them but if you get a free night..why not?
 
OutdoorFT said:
I surely wouldnt recommend monthly stays at them but if you get a free night..why not?
The place I am staying is $360 a month which is less than half what KOA is charging so I am getting a few weeks for free.
 
Like PopPop51, we also stay at KOAs not infrequently for the same reason. When we had kids at home, KOA was our preferred campground because I knew they had kid friendly activities. I didn't mind paying for the extra amenities because we used them. Now I use them if they are handy, though they generally cost more than parks with fewer kid-friendly activities. As for really nice KOAs, the one at Petaluma, CA, the one south of Livingstone, MT (north of Yellowstone), and Waterloo, IA are other nice ones that haven't been mentioned. Some are not nice at all, but there are a lot of non-KOA RV parks that are pretty nasty too. They aren't really set up for long-term living but emphasize travelers.
 
SeilerBird said:
The place I am staying is $360 a month which is less than half what KOA is charging so I am getting a few weeks for free.
Thats a good deal. But not everyone wants monthly or permanent stays. If I wanted to stay put, Id be all over that price. :))
 
Pretty excited to go. Only 3 work days left. Been looking at buying camping stuff while the season ends. Save a few dollars for next year
 
I'm also looking forward to the appreciation weekend.  Because of the discount my wife and I like to go all out and get a deluxe patio site.
This will be my 6th different KOA campground this year.  Don't worry I'm not a KOA snob.  I've stayed at 8 non KOA campgrounds this year.
 
Dragginourbedaround said:
We don't usually stay at KOAs when we are traveling to our destination only because they are usually more expensive than other campgrounds for one night. But when we do stay at KOAs we find them to be pretty much like other campgrounds some are good and some not so good, some are well cared for and some aren't. When traveling I 95 through GA we'll stop at the KOA in Savannah only $22.50 overnight. We like one so much in Ft Collins CO that we stay there for two months during the summer.

Gene, which KOA did you stay in?  There are 3 around here and I'm not sure which one to recommend. Thanks!
 

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