Safe overnight Nashville, Walmart?

[AgileDobe]

I'm traveling to Topeka KS soon from Florida to the Doberman National Convention and want to do an overnight in the TV in the Nashville area on a week night. I have found a Walmart
that seems to accept overnights and a Flying J a few miles further North of Nashville as well. Never done this before: I will have the two Dobergirls with me.
Can anyone suggest a better spot for a few hours sleep or is this plan pretty reasonable?
Thanks,
Anne, Morgan & Lena

[seilerbird]

I have spent hundreds of nights in Walmarts across the country and I can think of no place safer. Most have patrolling security guards. I don't stay at Flying Js because the sound of diesel engines running all night long keeps me from sleeping.

[RV Roamer]

Sounds like a reasonable plan to me - we do it from time to time.  There are numerous Walmarts in the Nashville area and we stayed in one in a western suburb last spring.

Flying J (and other truck stop) parking lots are usually noisy and smelly - we use them as  a last resort only. But Walmart lots are also popular with truckers and they often come and go in the wee hours there too.

[scottydl]

We recently found a Shell gas station in central IL that was advertised with "RV Hookups".  I pulled off there to dump the tanks, because the line was too long at the campground dump station when we left.  I was expecting a small unimpressive dump station, but BOY was I wrong.  This gas station (a small truck stop I'd call it, but not overly huge) not only had a set of fuel pumps just for RV's with unleaded and diesel, but it had 5-6 dedicated RV dump lanes with full hookups.  Power, water, dump, cable, and phone.  Each lane paved with curbs, and completely level.  So I'd be looking for something like that, which may be a growing trend with new construction gas stations.

[AgileDobe]

Thanks for the feedback: I plan to let the Walmart manager know when I arrive so there will be no question about why I'm there. I kinda thought
the Walmart would outweigh the Flying J noise wise also, thanks everyone
Anne

[Tom]

We've never overnighted at any Wal*Mart and have no plans to do so. There have been a number of reported bad scenarios which I prefer not to expose myself or my family to. Occasionally my other half (the driver) will say "shall we stop at that WM over there?". My response always is "We don't know this town or this area of town, and have no clue if it's a safe area or not."

The idea that WM security are there to protect you is nonsense; They're there to protect the store, not the folks who overnight in their parking lot.

I realize that this reply won't be popular among the WM followers, the "WalMart bound" group, or the stay-for-free folks, but I prefer not to put myself or my family at risk for the sake of a $30 campground fee.

Please don't give me the "we arrive late" line; Most campgrounds have a 'late arrival' procedure and, in over 25 years of RVing, I've come across less than a handful that don't.

[Wendy]

The Camping World in Nashville allows free overnight parking and has electric outlets on the lampposts around the parking lot perimeter.

Wendy

[seilerbird]

We've never overnighted at any Wal*Mart and have no plans to do so. There have been a number of reported bad scenarios which I prefer not to expose myself or my family to. Occasionally my other half (the driver) will say "shall we stop at that WM over there?". My response always is "We don't know this town or this area of town, and have no clue if it's a safe area or not."

The idea that WM security are there to protect you is nonsense; They're there to protect the store, not the folks who overnight in their parking lot.

I realize that this reply won't be popular among the WM followers, the "WalMart bound" group, or the stay-for-free folks, but I prefer not to put myself or my family at risk for the sake of a $30 campground fee.

Please don't give me the "we arrive late" line; Most campgrounds have a 'late arrival' procedure and, in over 25 years of RVing, I've come across less than a handful that don't.

At risk??? In a Walmart parking lot??? That is just plain silly and paranoid. How can you possibably think you are safer in a campground just because you paid (wasted) $30 to stay there? Do you have some proof that the crime rate is lower in a campground than in a Walmart parking lot? Walmart security is there to protect the parking lot and the inhabitants thereof, they don't do a thing for protecting the store. That job is left to the in store security. What exactly are these "reported bad scenarios" ? I ahve spent hundreds of nights in Walmart parking lots over the last ten years and the worst thing that happened to me there was I left my lights on once and drained my battery. I took the battery out and the Tire and Lube center recharged it free. Sounds like a pretty dangerous place to me...

[Tom]

Seilerbird,

Take the time to read prior discussions here and you might find I'm not so silly or paranoid as you suggest.

Oh, I've spent hundreds of nights in campgrounds over the last 25 years or so, but what does that prove?

[RV Roamer]

I'm kind of on the middle ground in this discussion, though obviously toward the Walmart using side (since we do so several times a year).  It seems to me that the usual common sense applies - if the neighborhood looks a bit ominous, move on. Same as I would for a campground in the area.  Over the last several years I've been to one or two where I did not feel entirely comfortable, but most look and are fine in terms of safety.  Less so in terms of quiet and comfort, but OK.

But most city Walmarts are in business areas and those are typically patrolled to prevent unsavory activities in the lots that would drive off customers. The Security isn't there for me as an RVer, but I benefit from it. Suburban and smaller town Walmarts usually don't have night time patrol security, but they seldom need it either.  Frankly I prefer those without active patrols, since I figure that there must be a problem if the store is paying for regularly patrols all night. 

Each of us has a threshold of risk we are willing to live with.

[Phil]

At risk??? In a Walmart parking lot??? That is just plain silly and paranoid.

Maybe you missed the news story about the RV family that shot and killed an intruder while they were staying in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Cedar City, Utah?

Phil

[Tom]

Each of us has a threshold of risk we are willing to live with.

That's it in a nutshell Gary.

I'm probably over-sensitive (maybe even paranoid), and I don't feel comfortable handing out anything but caution when someone asks a question like the one that started this discussion.

[Ray D]

Maybe you missed the news story about the RV family that shot and killed an intruder while they were staying in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Cedar City, Utah?

The link, below, will get you to that story. (If I did it right.)

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=6288.0

The perpetrator in that event was irrational, now deceased. By definition, one cannot locate one's-self to avoid irrational criminal behavior. WalMart was incidental, not a normally problematic location for that kind of behavior. (There is no "normally problematic" location for irrational behavior.)

Similarly, truck stops may also present this risk. Most of truck stop crime, however, is vice. If you are not participating, you are at little or no risk.

We also have a few crime stories where the crime was at a campground. (Sorry, went looking for a couple I have read, here, but couldn't find them.)

You need to be "aware" wherever you park. But reasonable caution will shield you from all but unusual and irrational behavior. For those, you need some protection and some prudent general planning. Your Dobbies are probably as much protection as you have any use for, assuming you use some caution in your selection. Look around when you park. Use your instincts.

Just for the record, I avoid highway rest stops, if I need sleep. I also avoid them after dark. This applies, in any state of this country. I'll take a ten minute to half hour break, there, but that's it.

Ray D 

[Dick Zeiter]

We have had to arrive in Nashville near the airport once a year in late January for the last 10 years. Arriving in town the previous evening, we used to stay at the WM near exit 201, west of town on I-40, but for the last 3 years we have stayed at the one in Hermitage because it is closer to our morning destination. Both are quiet and comfortable for us. If you go to the one in Hermitage, go along the North side to the back where there is a nice lighted, but, quiet little section. If you are more comfortable with other campers nearby, go to the one west of town (exit 201). There is also a Sams off I-40 at exit 199, but we have never stayed there.

[Lariat Trucker]

We had an incident at the Walmart in our town involving an overnight RV'r. Some kids thought it would be cute to paint graffiti on the RV. The RV owner sued WalMart over it. They lost but now there is a dedicated area for overnighters and our local PD makes a couple of passes through there during the night.

The WalMart parking lot is an "At your own risk" campsite. I think if you fully understand that and check the local PD website for crime history of the area I see no reason not to us the hospitality they offer. We have always checked the local PD website for crime history when we stay in a metro area and it has paid off a couple of times. The best example was a campground listed in Woodall's that had several drug arrests at the same address. We stopped early that day just to avoid staying in the city overnight. BTW that was a campground in Iowa off I-80. Not what we expected in Iowa.

[Tom]

.... check the local PD website for crime history of the area .....

Good suggestion, and something I hadn't thought of.

[starhikers]

most walmarts don't care and welcome you...some do not however...it's a safe and cheap place and they don't have "quiet hours".

[WilleyB]

Oh! boy a Wal Mart thread, I love Wal Mart threads so had to go pop some corn for reading  
Well now, call it what you want, but since we got this RV we haven't been in a camp ground. Honestly I can't see camping at the Walley's, anymore than driving 10 to 15 miles out of the way to a camp ground and pay a $30/$40 parking fee for a nights sleep. So we do use the WM's for overnight stays while en route to destination. Truck stops are a bit too noisy,but would do in a pinch. The Walley's up here close around 10 pm so it's nice and quiet and they are our preference. We also don't have the population encountered in the US but I'm sure we have our share per capita of the undesirables.
As for safety,that question really doesn't have a correct answer, you do the best you can. For example On a bus operated by a well known coach line, during this month in one of our Western Provinces, a young man traveling, was stabbed with a knife then decapitated. There are more gruesome details that I wont delve into. Both young men were total strangers so there is no reasoning whatsoever to the act. Now said bus company made new regulations concerning passenger safety, then assuring passengers they would be safe traveling on their line, it wasn't going to happen again. However last week there was another stabbing on the sane bus line. In this case the victim survived.  In today's mad world no one is 100% safe and one has to trust their instincts for one's survival. If it doesn't feel right it most likely isn't. There was a couple of times I moved on. Was I right or wrong, I don't know, but I'm still here and none the worse for it. Today I read a post (elsewhere) that an RV'er carries a 30:06 a .22 and a 12ga. now that fellow scares me, hope he never parks close to where I am  
Cheers
 Willey

[Tom]

.... an RV'er carries a 30:06 a .22 and a 12ga. now that fellow scares me, hope he never parks close to where I am

Hope he doesn't miss his target 

Several friends who frequent Wal*Mart lots say they feel safe. When I ask "what if?", they tell me about the guns they carry in their motorhomes.

I've been uncomfortable in a campground once, not because of the area, but because they locked the gate at 8.00pm with no overnight patrol and no way to get out.

[WilleyB]

Hope he doesn't miss his target  Wink

Yeah! worse still he was a Canadian. I've heard of "packing heat" but that is ridiculous even at a Wal-Mart 

Cheers
Willey

[Ray D]

Well, you guys just ruined my plans to reply in a humorous vein. So I'll post somewhat seriously.

If that guy is packing a 30:06, a .22, and a 12 ga for personal protection, he scares me, too!  And, I carry a gun. (None of those.) I thought maybe he was a hunter, moving toward collecting some big game, maybe a rabbit and a few birds. Anyone who would use a 30:06 in a Wally World parking lot, for any purpose, is a nut! 

In the case in this thread, the OP is carrying two doberman gentle ladies, and that is all she needs. If she has a problem, the dobbies eat real meat, that night, red meat! 

Not only that, but if there is trouble, she is not likely to be involved. When she takes the dobies for a walk, so they can do their thing, people will notice. These are show dogs, after all. They are pretty!  Any bad guy is going to take her off of his list, quickly! 

If you take a gun out for a walk and show-off, (brandishing) you're going to attract a different kind of attention, like red and blue lights and sirens. Not good! So, we don't do that!

Brandishing Dobies? Thats cool.    Effective, too! 

Oh, and in the confines of an RV, two dobies vs. one armed bad guy, dobies win. Wouldn't be pretty, to watch! 

Ray D 

[Marsha/CA]

Ray, I agree the Dobies would be good protection.  We have a standard poodle, somehow strutting him around the "Wally" parking lot would probably do little to protect me...or at least the image would suggest that.  However, I have a short story.

I heard of a couple who lived in Washington state and had bought a standard poodle.  The husband really wanted a lab or golden retreiver...something that represented a "real" dog.  Well, the wife wanted the poodle because it didn't shed and she liked poodles.  So they got the poodle.  Had it for a couple of years and one evening they went out for a night on the town.  Got home late that evening and the front door was wide open with no sign of the "dang-not a real dog" poodle.  The husband was furious and kept telling his wife that they should have bought a "real" dog. 

Instead of going in, they called the police.  Police got there and went through the house checking things out.  They came back out and asked the couple to come upstairs.  The poodle had the "bad" guy cornered in the closet with bites to his forearms.  The bad guy said everytime he tried to come out of the closet the dog attacked him. 

Moral of the story...everything isn't always as it appears.   

BTW, the couple bought a second standard poodle. 

Marsha~

[Wendy]

Great story Marsha. Gordon, the "real dog" labrador, probably would have showed the bad guys where the good stuff was. Actually, any dog is a good deterent for the noise factor if nothing else.

Wendy

[Tom]

I can't imagine Charlie or Gordon being anything but friendly to unwanted visitors. OTOH Sasha will let the whole campground know the would-be attacker had best keep his distance.

If I wasn't allergic, I'd be inclined to adopt Hercule's twin brother; Karl doesn't get intruders, and folks keep their distance when he's outside the coach.

[Path07]

My stupid city (lol) issued new bylaws...


In the past we would often see RVers at WalMart, parked there at night..... last week I went to WalMart and saw a city bylaw sign that said that RV parking was not allowed outside of business hours, and that any RV illegally parked would be towed!!!!


That;s the same city who does not allow you to park your RV (even for a short period of time) in front of your house in your driveway... any RV, boat, trailer must be on your lot, but behind the front of your house... it cannot stick out in front of it....  That's all nice, but what do you do when you don't have room (like I do) to park your RV on the side of the house...

IDIOTS

[Tom]

Many cities have put up those signs, but Wal*Mart takes the stand that it's their property and they will allow RVers to stay there overnight.

We live in a waterfront community where most folks own boats. A couple of years ago the county implemented and enforced a similar code to the one you're faced with. See this message.

[Wendy]

Our small town passed one of those "no overnight parking at WalMart" laws. It was pushed through by campground owners and it ONLY applied to Wal*Mart. The local police say that they can only come ask someone to move if WalMart calls them and asks them to (ie, it's private property) and WalMart chooses not to have RVs towed off their property. Fortunately, while there are RVs in the lot every night, no one has ever abused the privilege and "camped out" in the lot. So whether there are "no overnight parking" signs or not, it's worth going in and asking permission.

I love Wal*Mart threads !!

Wendy
devoted Wal*Mart overnighter

[Tom]

That's my understanding of WM's approach (almost) country-wide Wendy.

[Wendy]

I know that the Bend Oregon WM started enforcing the "no overnight parking" rule but that was RVers own fault....they were truly camped out with rugs and bbqs and long stays. The WM over the hill from us in Durango recently installed big new NO OVERNIGHT RV PARKING signs and the story around town is that they're enforcing it. Not sure if it was their own decision or if it was forced on them by locals. Never saw anyone abuse the parking issue there but it's not a big parking lot so that may be part of their decision.

Wendy

[Tom]

....they were truly camped out with rugs and bbqs and long stays.

That's the kind of behavior of these so-called RVers that will eventually cause more and more enforcement. Setting out the kitchen sink in a parking lot isn't an overnight stop, nor can it be called snatching a few hours sleep on a long haul.

.... it's not a big parking lot so that may be part of their decision.

That's just a downright lack of respect for others on the part of these folks.