Where do I park a 38' Motorhome when visiting family in the suburbs?

Soon to be RV'er.  Still looking but leaning heavily towards a superbly maintained 2006 Winnebago Journey with the 350hp motor 90k miles.  If we buy something else it'll probably be 32' or more.

Thinking about road trips which would include stops to visit family in other states.  Most live in suburban neighborhoods and I realized I don't know where I'd park a big rig in such a situation.  I doubt their neighbors would be happy with a RV parked in the street for even a day or two and it seems like a bad idea anyway.

Wondering what people typically do in such a situation ....

Thx.
Mark in MN

ps.  comments on the Journey also welcomed.

Check with the city or county.  May or may not have restrictions.  As far as neighbors are concerned, I don't think it's likely any will be concerned if you're only there for a day or two.  Depending on the size of your motorhome, you may be able to park on street in front of home.  If family has large enough driveway, you might be able to park there. 

I have a daughter in Stillwater, Minnesota.  They're in a new subdivision with all new homes.  We stayed for several nights withy our 32 foot motorhome park on the street in front of their home.  No problem.  I have another daughter in Wisconsin.  The driveway to her garage is wide and long enough to park our motorhome.  We camped there for about a week two years ago.  Considering the number of RV's and boats in the neighborhood, I doubt anyone would be concerned. 

My son lives in the San Diego area.  They recently changed the law regarding overnight parking.  First offense IIRC  $100.00.  Much less to find an RV park. 

Last spring, visited family in Oceanside, CA, staying at a state park along the coast.  Decided to stay longer, but had no place to stay so during the day parked the coach and toad in front of niece's home, then at night moved over to a nearby Walmart.  Not the greatest, but was able to extend the visit with family whom we had not seen for over twenty years.

Two of my kids live in older neighborhoods with narrow streets while the other one lives on the side of a very steep hill. When we visit we get a campsite at a nearby public or private park. We visit during the day, but head to the RV at night. We did park in my daughter?s driveway for a week when she had a baby, but that was because it was February in Iowa and no campground was open in 60 miles! Not something I want to repeat.

Even if the municipality allows parking in the street, consider the shore line power.  Most homes do not have a 30A or 50A outlet in their garage (or the compatible plug when they do have one), so you would likely be plugging into a 15A outlet.  It is also likely that you would be blowing that breaker in the middle of the night when you cannot access the breaker panel.  The alternative of running your generator in the street is also problematic in a neighborhood.  It is far better to find a campground nearby if available.

Living on 15 amps for a few days shouldn't cause anyone a problem.

I would check with the relatives: they're the people who live there. If asked about my hometown, I could easily come up with a solution.

JoelP said:

It is also likely that you would be blowing that breaker in the middle of the night when you cannot access the breaker panel.

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While this is possible, it's unlikely unless an AC or other high amperage appliance is turned on.  We keep that in mind when hooked up to 15 amp power.  If temps require AC or electric heat and we don't want to use a generator, we'll find an RV park. 

Or you could find a friend with a 50 amp hookup....LOL

HueyPilotVN said:

Or you could find a friend with a 50 amp hookup....LOL

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Bill, sent you a PM and it bounced.  Your mailbox is full. 
g

I just cleaned out a few.

I did not realize that it was full.  Thanks

We have a number of friends that we visit from time to time where a campground is within 15-20 minutes, and others with large enough driveways or yards where we can park. We've only parked on the street once in NJ in front of a friends house. The neighbors were ok with it, but a local LEO stopped by to let me know we were violating an ordinance. He asked how long we planned to be there, and when I said just two nights, he said there was an exemption for RV's for sale. He suggested sticking a small sign in a window with an outrageous price so he could report we were in compliance. He never suggested we move. We've often managed quite well with just a 15-20 amp outlet for power, so that's never been an issue for us.

Mark-

As others have said, depends on the neighborhood and local codes.  I don't think I would ever park on a relative's street and actually plug into the house.  Looks a bit too much like "Cousin Eddie" from Christmas Vacation.  And of course you wouldn't want to put your slides out because they would be in the traffic.  When getting ready to go on trips when I lived in a small bedroom community, I had no problems with parking my coach on the cul-de-sac in front of my house overnight, but I tried never to do it for more than 24 hours or so, out of respect to my neighbors.  I live in the country now, so not an issue. 

A couple alternatives to local RV parks:  WalMart or other retail parking lots, with permission from management.  We have stayed several times at WalMart, although usually just arriving around 11 pm and leaving the next morning by 7.  As far as leaving the coach there unattended, depends on what the rest of the area is like.  If your relatives are church goers, you may be able to get permission to park in their church parking lot.  We did that once when visiting friends in NH.

One final thought on street parking at your relatives':  You have to be careful about being level so you don't damage your refrigerator.  Residential streets are generally crowned, and often sloped.  I would not deploy my leveling jacks in the street to get level, out of fear of damaging the pavement.

On the Journey, go for it.  We have the sister to the Journey, an Itasca Horizon, and we have been very pleased.  Winnebago is a good company, that will be around for a long time.  Parts are readily available and you can get factory service by going just south of the border.  (the MN border, that is)

I usually try to find a campground near whoever it is I am visiting.  Because I don't tow, I might even rent a car in a suburb if it is too much nuisance for someone to pick me up or drop me off.  OR, I might even ride my electric bike around--depends on the area. 

The BIG, BIG, BIG advantage of a motorhome is that you can visit someone and still be "home" every night.  Your relatives will want you to stay with them and suggest you would be much more comfortable at their house, but I can assure you that you will be more comfortable in your moving "home" because you can decompress at night and relax from all the visiting!  I know this from five years of being on the road and visiting tons of family and friends.

Remember the saying about fish and visitors stinking after three days??  Staying in your own home in a campground will give you and even the closest friends and relatives a much better visitor, and you will not have to worry about putting anyone out or not having all your usual comforts!

And you won't stink! 

A big problem, especially in older neighborhoods is tree branches hanging over the street. They don't seem to bother the garbage trucks, but they don't have A/C or antennas on top.  :

I doubt when we do buy a motor home if we'll be able to drive it by our house.

Watch the film National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and you'll have the answer.

Seriously though, we did it once...parked in their driveway.  It was winter time so we didn't need the air conditioner and so we were fine on a 15A circuit.
(I've ran my AC successfully on a 15A circuit at home, but wouldn't make a habit of it...)

Everyone, thx for the advice.  In particular, the comment re: trees on surburban streets.  I would not have thought of that and eventually something bad would've happened.  My normal spot to park my car at my sisters house is in front next to a large tree.  No problem for the car but the branches would surely hit an RV.

Walmart and churches also sound like good options. 

We are really looking forward to joining the RV community.

MArk in MN

On a semi-related note, I'd also suggest that if you have a smart phone or tablet, you get the "Allstays Camp and RV" app.  It takes online mapping technology (like Google Maps) and syncs it up with info about all sorts of things RV related, such as campgrounds, walmarts, truck stops, etc.  Tap the icon on the map and it identifies the location; tap again and it brings up detailed information with additional links.  Not sure what the current price is, but used to be less than 10 bucks and is worth its figurative weight in gold.  (See images below)

Allstays app not available for Android anymore.

Old_Crow said:

Allstays app not available for Android anymore.

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That?s too bad.  I will say that during the time I had an android phone, I had trouble getting allstays to work.  Back to an iPhone now. 

I will say that during the time I had an android phone, I had trouble getting allstays to work.

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I've never had a problem running Allstays. It's the centerpiece of our hunt for a place to stay. We use it to find a park, then call a couple of hours before arrival (we let Allstays place the call, too), giving us time to find another if our first choice isn't available. Oh, we do have paper, such as the KOA directory and a Woodall's, but they're backups, mostly.