Starlite Trailer Lodge

 So this is the most unusual place we’ve ever camped. I would call it a‘community where there are campsites’ more than a campground. The majority of the sites are populated by beautifully-kept tiny houses with RVs sprinkled in. The grounds are beautifully planted and tended, evoking a feeling of being in a park. The bathhouse rooms are clean, individual rooms and decorated. The swimming pool is large and clubhouse lodge well provisioned. This is what a camping resort should be(but minus the huge fees)! WiFi is standard; we opted for the Pay version and had great connectivity. You will lose cell service~ 20 minutes from the campground. 

Starlite is a long-term community that evolved into providing a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ folks looking for a serene mountain experience and this is an exceptional place. If you come with open mind and heart you will feel entirely welcome. My husband and I enjoyed all the people, dogs and kitties we met. We felt so safe and in this setting that we never even locked the RV when we left. Our site(79) was one of two transient camping sites feet away from the creek and a short walk to the lake filled with water lilies. The gravel site has FHU but currently is not level; the hosts have plans to revamp the site and extend the pad.

Follow the websites directions! You do NOT want to venture onto just any road up here, some of the roads are rough. Print directions before leaving home. The shortcut back dirt road between here and Blowing Rock is an adventure for a truck (only); just plan on driving it slow and it’s fine. Shockingly, as we returned from Blowing Rock the long way on Rt 321 our RV GPS program (in RV mode) kept trying to get us to take these mountainous dirt road shortcuts back to the camp. We might well have been stranded if we hadn’t known better.

Main Street Blowing Rock is a boutique shop haven. Great for strolling. Kilwins ice cream and candy shop in Blowing Rock is awesome, as is the spice shop beside it.

From downtown Blowing Rock you can hop on the Blue Ridge Parkway in minutes. South on the BRP you’ll quickly reach Moses Cone and Julian Price parks, both are great places to hike and picnic.

This is a very private, no cell reception! I love it here! They have a beautiful lake that offers a paddle boat, a canoe (first come,first serve). Most of the sites are tiny homes now because the people that have come have loved it so much they stay! They have a handle full of tent sites but all have electric and water. They offer a gourmet kitchen with two refrigerators to store your foods if need be and to cook on. When we stayed we had three days of monsoon rain so the kitchen came in handy for us. They offer a club house and a pool to hang where they often have events during the summer months and holidays. It honestly is so relaxing there. We plan on going back again to camp.

Since cell reception is minimal up there you may want to call way in advance get a reservation. Their main phone is located in the kitchen and is checked once a day. I recommend emailing and calling. It’s a tough place to reach but the pay off of camping there is worth it in the end.

Blowing Rock is located about ten to fifteen minutes from the campground. And everything else is about twenty minutes or more. If you need food pack what you need and bring it all in with you.

We will returning hopefully come the fall sometime!