Best RV Parks & Resorts near Doswell, VA

First time staying in a travel trailer at a state park. We booked the day of, because we were being indecisive, and there were a few spots available.

We came in after hours, and the guide at the entrance told us where to get our packet (from the kiosk in front of the camp store).

It’s very easy to find everything here, and the camp ground had both pull-throughs and back in spots. Plenty of separation between you and your neighbor for some privacy. No issues with the water/electric/dump station. Almost no cell service to speak of, but that’s the beauty of going to a place like this. Very kid and pet friendly. The community showers and bathrooms are very clean.

Lots of bugs and mosquitos. Plan accordingly.

Both the visitor center and camp store have plenty of souvenirs, but not much besides that. Just know, if you don’t plan well enough to bring something, you’ll be traveling 20-30 min out of your way to reach anything besides a gas station (nearest grocery store/Walmart is 25 min away).

Overall, it was a great first experience in our RV at this state park!

What a beautiful park! Over 1500 acres with 40 sites, this trip was the start of the camping season for me- the opening weekend for camping in State Parks in VA(COVID-19). The park and grounds are extremely well-maintained. I was very happy to see such a clean bathhouse, especially during the current pandemic. Each staff member I encountered was extremely helpful and polite. The park has lots of trails, miles of open meadows, and James River access. Great park for bicycling. The sites in the River Bend Campground(main campground) are private and wooded, especially this time of year when the trees are so full. The map makes it look like they’re really close together so I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived to my site, which was the las time available for booking(#16). There are 29 tent/RV sites and three yurts. The sites are gravel and include a picnic table, lantern/trash pole, and a fire pit with grill gate. Theres also a group site for 24 or so, bit that’s not open at the moment due to state restrictions. There’s overflow parking for the campground, dumpsters, and a dump station. Some are pull-through for RVSs and many have water/electric. Wood is for sale at the park but no ice or refreshments. Pet-friendly. There are also laundry facilities at the main bathhouse, nice hot/cold showers. Many picnic areas and a playground. There’s also a canoe-in site with 8 primitive sites: no water, electricity, or facilities(there’s a pit toilet). Depending on the time of the year they might be in the flood zone if the river is high, which it was during this trip. Some of those sites can also be booked for hiking into- it’s only a 0.2 walk from the parking lot. Tabb Monument State Park is nearby if you’re working your way through the parks as I am (no overnight facilities there). You’re also about 10-15 minutes from the town of Powhatan so if you need groceries or gas, you’re not far from Sheetz, Food Lion, etc. Loved this park so much and will definitely be returning!!!

We picked Americamps because we were traveling through the Richmond area and it was very convenient to I-95. We usually pass up on RV parks because most are wide open fields with large trailers and/or motor homes parked close together and prefer more private camp spots in out teardrop. But upon our arrival we were happily surprised. Amricamps has mostly full hook up sites (about 2/3 pull through sites and a 1/3 back in) and a small tent area with a handful of sites. While the sites were close together in typical RV park style, they were not scrapping together like we’ve seen at some places and there were many well established trees to provide lots of share instead of being in an open field. All the sites were level, most were gravel, but some were concrete pads. All style sites include a picnic table and fire ring. Hook ups also included cable with about 70 channels. 

Check-in was easy and the staff was very helpful. Check-in is at noon, but our road trip got us there about 11:20 and the staff had no problem letting us in early. Thanks! A host guides you to your site and assist you in positioning if needed. The campground is gated and you are provided a gate code. We stayed on site D-08 on this visit. The site was level, gravel, and had good shade. 

We used the bathhouse in the main building as it was closest to our site. It was very clean and air-conditioned, which was nice on this warm summer stay. There is a second bathhouse on the property but we did not visit it. 

Firewood and a good-sized camp store was available at the office. The resort has many amenities to include a heated pool, fitness center, playground, dog park, laundry, a rally room with a large deck and gas grill, dump station, and propane filling station. 

We found good cell phone service with Verizon throughout the property. The campground did have wi-fi and it worked good at our site. 

Pro Tip: There is a FREE breakfast every morning in the rally room. The morning we were there they were making waffles, and had bagels, pastries, fruit, and a variety of drinks to include coffee. They also had an ice cream social in the rally room the first night we were there, so watch the bulletin board for cool events like that. Additionally, right across the street (a short walk depending on where your site is in the park) there is a brewery that also serves food. 

While we were hesitant to stay at a RV park, we found this place to a pleasant surprise. Very quiet and clean for its size. We’ll definitely keep this one on the list when passing through Richmond.

We’re originally from Richmond and needed a centrally located campground to spend 5 weeks in our class A while taking care of some things in town. (We’re full time travelers in our motorhome.) The location is the best in the Richmond area for a full hookup campground for a large RV. It’s right off I-95 and is mostly good size pull through sites. The kids loved the playground and pool area. The staff was friendly and put on some fun events during the time we were there like mimosas on Mother’s Day and a larger race day event with a band and food trucks. It’s a large campground but was surprisingly quiet. Very convenient to restaurants and shopping. Would certainly recommend for a quick overnight stay or if you need to visit Richmond.

This was the first time camping with just my grandson and me, and I looked forward to him playing in the water, playing at the playground, fishing, and kayaking on the water. Unfortunately, the pandemic restrictions caused the playgrounds, the boat rental, and the swimming complex to be closed. With no swim beach and no play area, that stretched my imagination to keep him entertained. I took this into consideration when reviewing this campground, but there were other reasons for disappointment. 

According to the website, you can purchase a fishing license at the park office. This was not true, so I had to drive seven miles to purchase one. While I was there, I also bought two bags of ice since it was more reasonable than the price at the campground. When I was ready to dispose of the trash, I discovered that the nearest trash disposal was not within a reasonable walking distance, so driving to the trash bin was the best option. The sites were level, and many of them were either paved or gravel. I liked the separation and privacy between most of the campsites. The lower numbered sites had lots of shade. Unfortunately, most of those had been reserved. The site we had was large, but the shade was minimal. I guess the site being so large is a double-edged sword. We had a small teardrop, and the distance from our little kitchenette in the back of the camper to the picnic table on the gravel pad was quite a walk to carry a heavy cooler by yourself.

I’m glad I wasn’t staying in a tent this time. The gravel pad between the pull-through and the picnic table would not have been pleasant. The two nights that we stayed at this campground, the temperature was in the mid-90s for most of the day, so not being able to swim made us miserably hot. The worst part, however, was going to the bath house and shower. The showers were large, and the bath house was clean, but there was NO ventilation. There were no windows or exhaust fan. Stepping inside was like stepping into a sauna. Immediately after turning off the water in the shower, I started sweating from the heat in the shower. It looked as though there might have been a heater, but without having ventilation during the summer, it was TERRIBLE planning. 

There is a boat ramp, but when I got there, it said“swimming prohibited.” I was hoping my five-year-old grandson could at least play in the water. I let him anyway(technically, he wasn’t swimming). The boat ramp is small, and motors are not allowed. The only place to fish was really from a boat. There were not many places from the shore to cast. Fortunately, we did take a kayak with us. At the boat launch site, there was a swing set, but it was also closed. To get to the boat ramp and lake, we had to drive 1.8 miles to get there, which isn’t a bad thing, but everything(camp store, trash dump, etc.) seemed out of walking distance. We got a chance to hike a little on one of the trails, which was fairly easy. If the whole family would have come camping with us, I could have tried one of the bike trails. From the campground, I saw one of the bike trails, which looked pleasantly challenging. 

There are two camp stores, but the one within walking distance of the campground was closed for the summer. The camp store near the entrance was a decent size, but you would have to drive to it from the campground. There are picnic shelters, meeting facilities, a CCC museum(which was closed), a snack bar(which was closed), and laundry facilities. Overall, it wouldn’t be such a bad campground to stay at if everything was open.  Also, despite so many things not being open (swim complex, all of the playgrounds, one of the camp stores, the boat rentals, the CCC museum, etc.), I was charged FULL PRICE!!!  However, even with everything open, there are reasons I would prefer to camp elsewhere next time.

The name of this place is a bit deceiving if you find it on one of the many brochures "Americamps RV Resort". I was at first completely discouraged by itself name in fact but went ahead while passing through the area on the way to one of my blog sites to check it out.

Pulling into the location the grounds were very well manicured and looked like a lot of work is regularly being put into the facility. The office was very nice and going inside they were very friendly in telling me a bit about the sites and area. I was then taken on a tour of the park and told a bit more. While they do offer RV sites for both overnight and weekly or monthly stay, they have a constant flow of tent campers, although weekly and monthly rates are not offered for this service.

The tent sites they took me to were padded with lush grass and had very nice picnic tables which looked well maintained. They also had grills which were around waist height. Something which set this tent location apart from others was they have a valet trash service at the park which applies to each site. With this you can place your items out for pick up in the morning and they will do so instead of you having to find a place to discard items.

But the sites were not the only thing that impressed me. The grounds themselves have a fitness facility and pool which are nice, a group gathering area and also a very substantial store. There is a shared grill garden for grilling with a propane grill, a basketball court and dog run area as well. Basically it is a resort without staying in a hotel style room.

Pricing was very fair depending on which amenities you wanted at your site. There were some tent sites with electricity and they were a bit more but base rate for dry camping was $25.

I would definitely return to this site if I was staying here instead of passing though. It is close to so many things and makes a great place for a day or a weekend away. I found it to be only about 10 minutes from the site I was going to and only a short distance from dozens of other exciting things in Richmond.

TIPS:

• If you are wanting to stay make sure to call in advance for this one. It is to nice to pass up on making a smart reservation.