Best RV Parks & Resorts near Gainesboro, TN

We were on an sudden, urgent trip with minimal pre-planning and no reservations. We contacted Spring Lake an hour before arrival and they were super helpful, providing a level overnight pull-through site reservation. We were arriving an hour after the office closed and they made arrangements to help us get settled. We were so appreciative of the consideration. Overall we felt the amenities and the setting were the nicest of this 1200 mile trip. Pretty, very well maintained. Level sites with picnic table and convenient hook-ups. The sites are built around a small lake. I suspect most of the leases are long-term. Friendly manager and friendly residents. We walked around the lake and found they had sitting areas and gazebos where you could relax during the day or at night. A couple of miles off the interstate so no road noise and very quiet at night. You can pick up fast food dinner on the way to the park.

64 full hook-up with 30 and 50 amp electric on the sites. Site 1 only had a 30 amp and was the smallest in the campground. They had wifi and cable TV that was available. Sites were fairly level. I had to use 2 yellow flat blocks on site 1. Restrooms and showers were closed due to Covid-19 restrictions. We were told they were full but several sites remained empty during our stay. Would have liked to have had a lake side site or a larger level site. Owners were friendly as well as the guests. I believe they had some full-time living there too. I would go back.

This is primitive camping in the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area. There is a large open field for group camping and some more private sites in the woods if you go down Otter Creek Road a little bit past the open field. I believe this is manly used for hunters or fishermen, but is a boondocking option for other outdoor enthusiasts. Again, this is primitive, boondocking, so no amenities or hookups. Pretty basic.

The is a small store at the Deer Run RV Resort less than a mile away. Other than that it’s about a 20 minute drive to the nearest Food City.

This is a perfect spot for passing through town. We are in our way to North Carolina from Mississippi. My husband made this reservation over the phone with a really trusting kind person. They double checked the availability because they were almost totally full. It was a pull through spot close to the bathrooms. We were able to use just electrical hook up for the night to rest. It’s a few minutes off I-40 and lots of gas options close by. It’s only minutes from Nashville downtown. This is a family owned business with a permanent house in the front. Looked like there were some long term rental people here. If it were summer months there is a pool up front. We will add this to our list for location and price!

Bledsoe is great for little kids (which is now my primary criteria when judging a park). There is a flat trail next to the lake that my two year old loves to run up and down, playgrounds, and a story trail. There are also some nice hiking trails with beautiful views of the lake (for me) and lots of bugs and turtles (for the toddler).

While most of the campsites have RV hookups, there are several primitive sites next to the lake that are away from all the generator noise. These sites have ample room and a nice view of the lake.

Great camping for families that is a short drive from Nashville.

Of all of our stays so far (RV resorts, state parks, private campground)...Defeated Creek is our hands-down favorite. **Edited to say...salt lick has it beat in our opinion. It was beautiful, clean and peaceful. Our beautifully shaded site backed up to Cordell Hull Lake, and we had front row seating to the most exquisite sunsets. People were very friendly and the general consensus was that defeated creek is everyone’s favorite campground. And we have our eye 👁 on site #71 for next time! Primo spot! We had site #47 and it was massive...plenty of room for everything even our cornhole set. Book way ahead...it books up fast.

Tip💡: follow WAZE directions rather than RV Trip Wizard!!! Trip wizard took us a bass ackward way through winding narrow back roads only to end up on the highway we were originally on!👎🏻