The best camping near
Carthage , TENNESSEE

This park is located on a peninsula on a lake close to Nashville. Almost every site has a view of the water on flat concrete big pads. Some sites, on higher land, are mostly long term residents. Most sites are back in but there are a few pull through. Each site has all hook ups and are very well maintained. The sites are close together but not uncomfortable. There is a camp store at the main office. The pool is very nice and there are games, a playground and a pavilion. There was a band there during my stay. Activities planned throughout the month. It is more expensive than most but the quality of the site is worth it.

We really enjoyed Rock Island State Park. The campgrounds are easily accessible and roomy. We were there only couple days but would love to go back and visit some of the cute shops and ice cream trailer at the entrance later. It is probably lots of fun in the summer with the huge beach. We plan to visit again soon. FYI there are some sites with sewer. I didn’t realize this when I reserved. They have great dump station but prefer to have that taken care of before we pull out.

We have camped here twice this year! Nice to be able to get away and not to far from home!

Beautiful park with tons to do. Campsites in area 1 were a little close together. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring, and charcoal grill. Bathrooms and showers available close by. Reserve early because it seems the campground is always full. Like most parks/forests, you cannot bring your own fire wood.

I hiked out to the Caney Fork River Campsite with the Nashville Backpacking Meetup. The trails were really clearly marked, so they were easy to follow despite all of the leaves on the ground, and there were plenty of signs indicating where to go. The site is less than half a mile away from the falls, and has really easy access to the river for water. There wasn't any trash laying around that we could see, and we found plenty of firewood.

Clean and we'll maintained, busy but great.

Be wary of the speed bumps throughout the campground, they are closely spaced and rather abrupt, take them very slowly. The sites are all elevated platforms due to the steep slope to the lake, which we had not encountered before, but are very widely space. We were in site 50, which had no visibility to DISH west satellites, and we were not able to pick up and OTA TV with our omni antenna. Most of the fire rings are in a narrow strip of gravel along the road, but you can get chairs around most of them. The campground was less than half full during the week. There are several trails in the park, but we were only here two days and only got to hike the one to the marina, which was nice. AT&T had 2 bars and 1 MB/s w/o a booster, 3 bars and 4 MB/s with it. Overall WiFi was problematic. We were able to get connected and got 3 MB/s once, but unable to get a connection with any data rate the rest of our stay and the park was not that busy.

We've enjoyed our stay here. There are very few RV parks in the Nashville/Franklin area and are more on the outskirts. We were happy to get a site here as it's relaxing by the lake. Wifi worked good most of the time and cell service was 3 of 4 bars AT&T. Very level pad and all roads and sites are concrete. Mosquitos and spiders to stay aware of at night when the lights are on, but I think that's seasonal. Picnic table and fire pit at each site. Sewer caps don't screw on very well, but manageable if weigh your hose down to stay in place. Peaceful stay.

What a great campground. Sitting in a lake, the campground is a peninsula surrounded by water. Great views, super clean and very nice amenities. Saturday night they had a band and a Halloween celebration. Very safe. Full hookups, decent WiFi. It is a bit expensive but well worth it for the proximity to Nashville and the beauty of the site. Maintenance and managers are top notch.

Barren River State Resort Park

Barren River State Resort Park is small but it offers a lot of options.

The campground is off by itself, quiet , with separate areas and pull through options. The campground is somewhat maintained and the sites are somewhat level. I like the back in sites with shade and a small patio to set up on. They have small asphalt pads so you will get your backing skills tested. The middle sites, (I was in site 45 top of the hill, pull thru) are on a hill which ends at the water with a boat ramp and small beach area. I huffed and puffed up and down the hill several times! There is a short trail near the boat ramp, more for fisher folk then a good hike. It ends at a small inlet. You have a strip of grass to your uphill side to use, otherwise not much privacy. The middle sites have pretty much no shade and we sweltered our middays , chasing the limited shade. The showers are newer, air conditioned and clean. Showers are spacious with seating and wall hooks. Luke warm water, which definitely makes for quick showers! A good way to enforce water conservation, lol.

If you are a biker you have some hills to climb in the park. There is a walk/bike trail around the golfing greens, with a dirt trail off the backside. The stable may still be closed. I did not check if they had started a new contract due to Covid restrictions. LOTS of boating options. Bring your own or rent. The lake is huge and busy with a marina. There’s a beach that you will want to drive to, to long of a walk and I didn’t find any cut through trails from our section of the campground.

Two cool events to check out are the Highland Games, ( men in skirts throwing things)and the Bourbonfest a newer event.

Local grocery w/i 10 miles, antiques, restaurants (Funky Paradise Point) and Mammoth Cave, Cave City attractions as well as an Amish Market in Scottsville and seasonal Farmers Market in Glasgow.