Best Tent Camping near Seven Springs, NC

It's ok not great,not a busy area it's ok if your visiting the area and need a place,think it's a bit pricey for what it is though, small designated tent camping area....

The great thing about this campground is that it offers a peaceful setting no matter whether you are camping in your travel trailer, a tent, or as a group. As a leader of the Boy Scouts and the Royal Rangers, I have camped here many times in large groups. We even had a campout here with about 300 boys. As a group campout, there was lots of room for activities planned by our leaders—paintball, scavenger hunts, and evening campfire services. With that said, one of my latest campouts was just with a group of friends. I think the best fun was fishing, although I really like kayaking on the lake. At this campground, you don’t have to worry about driving in tent stakes if you are camping in a tent. The soil is sandy, and the ground is usually covered with pine straw. When I wanted to build a campfire, there were plenty of sticks and limbs to start and build a campfire. There is a swimming beach, but I would be careful about where I step since there is sometimes goose poop on the sand. You can also rent canoes and pedal boats. There is a hiking trail as well, but make sure you have waterproof shoes if it has recently rained. The trail beside the lake gets really muddy. The price is reasonable, and the staff is friendly. This is a laidback campground in a rural area, so if you are in need of supplies, you’d better bring them with you. The bath house has a concrete floor, but it is well-maintained. I have camped at this campground over a dozen times, and it never gets old. That’s why it’s one of my favorites.

Very nice state park with rv and tent sites. They have electric and water hookups. There are picnic tables and fire rings at each site. Firewood is available from the ranger. There are showers and toilets also. Many hiking trails with cliff overlook of the Nuese River. There is a swimming area and Connor rental also.

Tent sites with electrical hook ups right beside the river. There is a fish cleaning sink and a pier to fish from also. Small cabins are for rent here as well. This facility has one of the cleanest pools I have ever been in. Very well kept bathroom facilities with a laundromat as well. Very friendly staff and guests here as well.

This is a great little campground and close enough to be my go to spot. The camping spaces are nice and fairly private. There are fun hiking trails, fishing and swimming with nice changing rooms. You can rent kayaks, etc. for the river at the near by town of Seven Springs.

I think this is only the third time I have stayed at a cabin at a campground, and it was all right but I like tent camping better. Because of the intense heat and health concerns, we chose to stay in a cabin here. I wish I had taken more pictures of the campground, but my buddy(seen in the photos) and I are photographers who look for scenes of beauty. It’s not that the campground was not“pretty,” but when you are this close to New Bern, there are better things to photograph. There’s Tryon Palace, Union Point Park, the historic Confederate cemetery, the fireman’s museum, the Pepsi Cola museum(New Bern is where Pepsi was born), etc. The New Bern KOA is perfect in every way. The sites are large with full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, etc. It has all the amenities of a top notch campground that you would expect from KOA. I have stayed at several KOA campgrounds, and they all seem to have the oversized chess; and I have never seen anyone playing it with seriousness. They have two pools, a pavilion, a bouncer… and I could go on and on. IF you want to spend your time at the campground, there is so much to do that you don’t need to go anywhere else… HOWEVER… Did I mention New Bern and Tryon Palace? You can’t come this close to New Bern and not go to Tryon Palace. The campground is located on the shores of the confluence of the Trent and Neuse Rivers. Since they join here, you seem as if you are closer to the ocean. It looks more like a bay. There is a really nice pier at the campground beach for fishing, and the KOA here has outdoor boat rentals. There is also horseshoes, pedal bike rentals… Did I mention there is also New Bern and Tryon Palace? Seriously, the New Bern KOA is about the best campground at which I have stayed, but my buddy had never been to New Bern. There was more to see. If you go, make sure to make reservations. New Bern is a historic town with lots of vacationers during the summer. Looking for something to eat? My favorite place to eat in New Bern was Captain Ratty’s, which has great clam chowder. However, New Bern has lots of other great places to eat as well. The downtown area is also a great area for shopping. Back to the campground… the first time I stayed at the New Bern KOA was over thirty years ago, but it has grown in size and amenities. Now, it is more like a resort than a simple campground.

I’ve known about this campground for a long time, but I never got a chance to camp at it until now. It was long overdue. The campground has pull-through and back-in sites. The sites are level and most have 30/50 amp hookups, as well as water. There is also a primitive tent camping area. You can choose to stay along the river or next to the woods. There are viewing platforms to look at the river, trails, and at least three ponds in which you can fish. There is not a swimming pool or an arcade pavilion, but there are a lot of things for children and adults to do. The campground is along the Neuse River, and it is part of the Neuseway Nature Center complex. The Nature Center has a variety of live animal exhibits, and across the street there is a planetarium and science center. Also included on the premises are a playground, a fossil dig, a picnic shelter, and a small train in which visitors can ride. You have to register at the Nature Center, which is about a hundred yards from the campground, and the fee was$20.00, which I thought was very reasonable. The host was one of the nicest hosts I have ever encountered at a campground. He answered all the questions we had, and he walked us to the bath house to make sure we understood how to enter the code to unlock the door. There are some drawbacks to the campground, although not many. It is a long walk to the bath house from the campground, but our host said that they are trying to get a bath house within the campground itself. The reason it has not been done sooner is because the whole area is in a flood zone, and they have to figure out the best way to have bathrooms there. The waters from the Neuse River have covered the entire campground and Nature Center complex more than once and almost every year. With that said, you will want to make sure the river has not flooded before you decide to go. It rained the entire time we were there, so we didn’t get to enjoy many of the outdoor opportunities, but I enjoyed seeing the river and the animal exhibits. However, there is a lot more to do across the bridge into Kinston. With a short drive of three-tenths of a mile, you will be on Herritage Street. Over the last three decades, the city of Kinston has been in a steady decline in population, and the crime rate has increased. However, city leaders have been bringing things back to life. This campground is right across the river from Herritage Street, which has a nationally known restaurant(The Chef and the Farmer), the only full size Civil War ironclad replica in the world, a successful brewery(Mother Earth Brewery), and many other eclectic shops and parks. For breakfast and lunch, Lovick’s Café is a great choice, and it has been in business since the 1940s. It is most famous for its dough burgers. For some people, this might be a two star campground because it doesn’t seem to offer much. Others, including myself, would rate it five stars because it has a little bit of both worlds—nature and civilization(Herritage Street). I will give it only four stars because I’m trying to be objective, knowing that people looking for campgrounds want swimming pools, game rooms, Wi-Fi, etc.

We recently stayed overnight at Wallace Meadows and it was one of the most lovely places we've ever been to! Rich was very friendly and welcoming and the hookup & amenities they offered for a fee were excellent. The bath house was spotless and we each enjoyed a nice hot shower! The property is surrounded by trees and it was very tranquil. There's even a guesthouse which could possibly accommodate fellow travelers who may not have an RV. There's also a laundry room but we didn't use it. They have a background in hospitality and it really shows. Before we left, we purchased some fresh eggs from their farm, beautifully packaged and delicious! We will return to North Carolina. There's so much to see here and we'll definitely return to Wallace Meadows Farm.

I have camped in this state park several times, including with the Boy Scouts. Other than the park itself, I really enjoyed the camaraderie when our Scout troop and another Scout troop that was camping were playing“Capture the Flag.” I say all of this because it is a great place for group camping. However, it also has conventional camping and cabins. When I first started camping at Cliffs of the Neuse, it did not have more than a mile of trails. Now it has added some more trails. It also did not have showers or cabins in times past. This park has improved significantly over the years and now has showers that are frequently maintained. One of the things you have to be aware of is that this park is sandy, so when you are camping, you will probably want to put some kind of rug in front of your tent or RV to minimize the amount of sand that you track in. Don’t think choosing another site will move you away from the sand. It won’t. Another thing you have to be aware of is that in eastern North Carolina, fire ants can be a huge problem. Some of the trails are easy, but the Spanish Moss Trail is quite steep in some places. Also, the Galax trail is almost always flooded during the spring or after a series of rains. There is a lake for swimming and a large picnic shelter. On weekends, it is not unusual for there to be lots of people at the picnic shelters, so you will have to reserve them. The sites have picnic tables and fire pits as well. This is a great park for swimming and boating, but the hiking is limited. If I am not mistaken, the total length of trails is fewer three miles. However, the main attraction is the view over the Neuse River and the new visitor’s center. Even with limited trails, it is still a great park for relaxing.

Extremely nice campground with 4 RV sites(50 Amp) and water service. Dump station is easy access upon arrival or departure. Easy entrance and exit from main highway to site area. Trees are well maintained to prevent brushing RV upon entrance and exit. Accommodates easy access to 2 pull through and 2 back in camp sites. Each site has 12x12 concrete pads to restrict tracking sand and/or dirt into RV unit. Daily trash service at sites. Rest rooms well kept, clean with private single shower. Washer and dryer service located at bath house and close to site area for a reasonable price. Wi-Fi service available and ready. Wonderful remote quite area for total relaxation. Tent area behind RV sites but separated from RV location. Area lit at night but not to the extreme to bother camping. Kayaks available to enjoy the small river behind RV& Tent area. Easy access via wooden dock for boarding or unloading kayaks. Owner is extremely accommodating and offers fresh eggs and black angus beef at responsible rates.

I'm currently in the primitive camping area in a tent next to my vehicle. I have not seen any signs about cost or payment, but I got in late last night, around 10pm on Saturday night in mid-October. The RV sites looked pretty full, but there was plenty of space in this primitive area which is next to the RV sites. I did not see any numbers or designated parking spaces, so I just sort of guessed. So far, no issues.

Update: In the morning, a man in a golf cart drives around. He collected $10 from me and gave me the code for the bathrooms/showers. The showers are nicer than expected, but not fancy.

There are some endangered birds in cages outside the showers. Check out the owl and the hawk!

The good news about this RV park is that it is conveniently located next to Interstate 95. The bad news about this RV park is that it is conveniently located next to Interstate 95. Needing to stop for the night on the way home, I found this place along the way. The rate was reasonable, and it was close to fast food places. It was late, and I didn’t want to cook supper. I think that most people stay at this campground for one of two reasons. One is that they are traveling either north to south or south to north, and it is just off the Interstate. The other reason is for the shopping. This area between Selma and Smithfield is a mecca for shoppers, especially during November and December. There are dozens and dozens of outlets, and people from hundreds of miles stop at them. That’s why this RV park is a great place for people who fit into one of those two categories. This RV park does NOT accept tents. It is strictly for RVs. As far as amenities, there is a clubhouse and a large swimming pool. I didn’t see anyone in the swimming pool, especially since it was December. However, I can imagine that it would feel great during the summer, and it seems large enough to handle lots of people. Some of the“picnic tables” were interesting. Many of them looked more like patio furniture, which is a nice touch. All of the spaces that I saw were pull-through sites, and they were level with water, sewer, and 30 and/or 50 amp hookups. The campground roads were paved, and the RV sites were gravel. There was also a dump station. Other than the swimming pool, there is also a large pond in which you can fish without a license. For the younger children, there was a swing set, which surprised me. For a campground this size, I would have thought they would have had a large playground. On their website, they list a playground. Either I missed it, but I don’t think I did, or they don’t expect too many children staying here. There is also a fenced area for owners to walk their dogs. Although there is Wi-Fi, I got the message that the internet was not available. I was happy to see that their bath house was heated, although I never could get warm water to come out of the faucet. Fortunately, the shower had hot water. The only complaint I would have about the showers is that they are small. The area to dress and undress was just large enough to turn around in. I would imagine that most people who are overweight would have a difficult time, but then again, this is an RV park. Most people would be taking a shower in their RVs, so if you are in a teardrop like I was, you would appreciate a larger shower. The worst part about this campground, for me, was the noise from the Interstate. I thought it would die down during the night, but I was wrong. There was also the sound of trains—at least seven or eight times during the night. In the campground office, they have a little store with canned food items and a few other necessities. I got there late, but the hostess was very nice and pointed out everything I needed to know. Overall, it is everything you would expect from a top notch RV park, including the amenities and the services, but I wouldn’t want to stay there for several nights unless I wanted to hear traffic 24/7.

Went here with a group of buddies on a whim. Didn't have any expectations and ended up being thoroughly impressed. Campsites are well maintained and the rangers made sure to stop by and wish us a good stay. Offers some short trails to hike but nothing crazy. Awesome fishing spots throughout. Definitely worth a visit.

Great park with a small swimming lake, views of the Neuse River 3 levels of hiking trails with a welcome center and campground and a large covered Picnic pavilion that can be rented for the day with access to new clean bathrooms. It's a great place for a day trip and a picnic.

This park is tiny, with only about two miles of trails. You can see pretty much everything there is to see from the parking lot.

Many weekend trips here. Lots of swimming and hiking. Rangers are extremely nice. My go to place for camping!

View was gorgeous and hikes were beautiful in hard wood forest. Park was crowded, lots of cigarette butts and noisy camp neighbors. Toilets in good repair and minor flooding during rain.

Although the family campground is closed until autumn, I recently stayed at this state park and have stayed at it many times before. It doesn't have as many amenities as more developed campgrounds, but there is plenty to do. For example, there are about 3-4 miles of hiking trails, one that takes you beside the 90-foot cliffs overlooking the Neuse River. There is a small nature center that describes the history and geographical features of the area. During the summer, you can swim or rent canoes and paddle boats. You can fish at the river or in the lake. Since this state park is in the middle of the country, the sounds of nature are interrupted only by occasional jets flying overhead from the nearby air force base. There is also a large picnic area adjacent to one of the parking lots. The biggest draw of this park, obviously, is the cliff view, but if you are looking for a relaxed atmosphere, this is a great place to camp.

Started the year out on some trails. Had the place almost to myself except for the campers. Very well maintained. River is up, so some areas are flooded but still able to get a few miles in today!

Nice newly renovated shower house . Nice visitors center. Several easy trails. Helpful staff. Firewood available. Love the tall trees, the river, the swim area.

This state park is small, but it does not lack things to do. Unfortunately, the swimming area was closed because of the pandemic. However, the visitor’s center is fairly new and has several historical and geological exhibits. Although there are not a lot of hiking trails, there are enough to make it interesting. I have been to this state park in decades past, and it has changed significantly. The bath house is modern and now has showers. The road is paved, and it seems to have moved into the 21st century. Even though the swimming and boating area is closed, you can hike down to the river for fishing. During the summer, it will be hot, but when I went, the weather wasn’t too bad. The main concerns are mosquitoes and ticks. Overall, I recommend this campground but probably not during the heat of summer.