Camping in established, fee campgrounds is new to my husband and I, who usually drive into the woods until the car can't go any further and camp there. But as this was unfamiliar territory for us (road trip!), we opted to pay.
This camp was an excellent introduction into how nice camping with strangers can be. It is a fairly small campground, about 25 miles outside of Asheville. All of the tent spots are right along a stream (the Catawba River source). Half the sites (the ones between the road and river) have electric and water, the ones between the hillside and river do not.
The sites were fairly large, with plant screens separating most of them so there was a bit of privacy from neighbors. Bathrooms were cleaner than I'd expected for a campground, and there was a port-a-potty a little closer to the tent sites for if you were feeling lazy.
No gates or official curfews, though of course everyone is expected to be respectful.
The family that runs it was very kind and helpful. One gentleman was involved in Revolutionary War reenactments, which we thought was cool. They had also recently acquired a pet goat that was quite friendly.
Prices were reasonable. Only glitch was finding it the first time, get your directions first!
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