The RV park business continues to steadily grow in Alabama. But it’s not just because of continuing record RV sales and the corresponding growth in leisure travel, according to a press release of the Florida and Alabama RV Park and Campground Association.
The construction of new businesses, such as Amazon’s new facilities in Huntsville, Montgomery, and Birmingham, and the expansion of existing factories that serve everything from biotech to defense, aerospace, and automotive industries, have created an immediate need for temporary housing for construction workers that RV parks are best able to address.
Then there’s the construction of a new state-of-the-art FBI training center at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, which brings even more construction workers into Alabama, looking for temporary places to stay.
“There is a lot of economic activity taking place in Alabama and that, coupled with a moderate climate similar to that of Northwest Florida as well as access to many natural features such as Gulf Beaches in the Southern part of the state and mountains in the Northern part, has increased demand for RV sites for both leisure and business travel,” said Thomas Sparrow, chairman of the Florida and Alabama RV Park and Campground Association, which hosts two travel planning websites, CampInAlabama.com and CampFlorida.com.
Alabama’s newest RV park, Red Coach Resort in Toney, north of Huntsville, is expected to open April 18, the day after Easter. But park owners Lee and Joy Brady receive calls every day from people wanting to reserve a site there.
“We have done no advertising at all and we have a five-page waiting list for people who want to be informed if any site becomes available prior to April,” Lee Brady said, adding, “Most of the phone calls have been from people looking for monthly places to stay.”
Red Coach Resort will initially have 47 sites, including 17 full-hookup RV sites and 30 primitive sites. But Brady said he has plans to expand the park to accommodate both leisure travelers and people working near the park who need a temporary place to stay.
“We will have 177 sites at full buildout,” Brady said, adding that he has 60 acres for the RV park and another 20 acres for an equestrian farm.
“We have six horse stalls we rent out and five pastures. So we can accommodate people who travel with their horses,” he said, noting that are significant numbers of people who travel to attend equestrian events in Alabama as well as Tennessee and Kentucky.
Brady said the park is in a scenic location along a half-mile of riverfront, with water suitable for swimming, rafting, and kayaking. The park also has 20 acres of land that Brady plans to keep as a nature preserve. “We don’t have any rentals yet,” Brady said, “but we are planning on putting in glamping cabins that overlook the river in the future, maybe a couple years down the road.”
While demand from working RVers continues to grow, so does demand from RV owners engaged in leisure travel. New parks are being developed across Alabama with leisure travelers in mind. These include River Ridge Retreat in Guntersville, which opened in November with 23 campsites and 12 cabins. Another 31 lakefront RV sites were expected to come online in March. The resort is located along Lake Guntersville.
“While I do not see us as a residential park, we are excited to welcome seasonal campers and snowbirds who are living the full-time RV lifestyle,” said Mary Lundy, property manager for resort, which features miles of walking, biking, and golf cart paths. And since the resort owns more than 570 acres of land, River Ridge Retreat has plenty of room for expansion, she said.
Meanwhile, Memphis-based RVC Outdoor Destinations is developing the first phase of Gulf Shores RV Resort in Gulf Shores, which is expected to have its first 175 RV sites and five rental cottages available by summer. The RV sites are being built around stocked fishing ponds. The 128-acre park could eventually be expanded to as many as 500 sites.
Following are updates on new and recently expanded RV parks across Alabama:
A Okay Campground in Dothan: This park recently launched a 40-site expansion that will bring the park to 125 sites, according to park co-owner Catrina Duke.
Autumn Lakes RV Park in Calvert: This park recently added eight new RV sites.
Buena Vista RV Resort in Orange Beach: Thirteen new lots are being developed at this 41-site park last year, according to park manager Jim Winton, adding that the park plans to eventually expand to 121 sites. The resort, which is across the street from a sugar-white sandy beach on the Gulf of Mexico, has RV sites for rent and for sale. Park amenities include a clubhouse with an indoor heated pool and a lazy river. The park also has a five-acre stocked fishing lake.
Coaches Corner RV Park in Tuscaloosa: This park is currently adding 22 RV sites, which will boost its total site count to 130 sites, according to park owner Benton Chambliss.
Chestnut Bay RV Resort in Leesburg: This RV resort added another 32 RV sites in 2020. The park is next to the Pirates Bay Water Park as well as 32,000-acre Weiss Lake.
Dothan RV Park in Dothan: This 70-site park, formerly known as Cherry Blossom RV Park, added 24 pull-through RV sites in 2020. The park planned to add three park models as rental units last year as well as a new bathhouse.
Homestead RV Community in Theodore: This park recently opened with large concrete pads, a large fenced dog park, a stocked fishing pond, and fiber-optic cable Internet service.
Kountry Aire RV Park in Prattville: This park added six new RV sites last year, which increased the park to 44 sites.
Pirates Cove RvvvV Resort in Foley: This family-owned park opened in May of 2020 with 100 RV sites. Another 40 RV sites were added in 2021 and the park expects to eventually grow to 170 sites. The park caters to weekend travelers as well as snowbirds and people who work in the greater Mobile area, according to Maranda Pippin, whose parents are developing the park.
Time Away RV Resort in Lincoln: Nathan and Alicia Lawson held their grand opening for this 100-site park last June. But the Lawsons have since reduced the number of campsites in their park to 80 to better accommodate the majority of their campers, who travel with 38-to-45-foot RVs with slideouts. The Lawsons expect to complete their swimming pool before summer. They also plan to make improvements throughout the park, including adding more mature trees, a hot tub as well as tiny homes and cabins. The Lawsons believe they are the first African American RV park owners in Alabama. Their park is within walking distance of NASCAR Talladega Superspeedway.
Sugar Sands RV Resort in Gulf Shores: Major new amenities were added to this 82-site park in 2020, including a fitness center and a splash pad while its laundry facilities were upgraded. The park is about a 10-minute drive to the beach, depending on traffic.
About the Florida and Alabama RV Park and Campground Association
Based in Tallahassee, the Florida and Alabama Association RV Park and Campground Association is the trade association for Florida and Alabama’s privately owned RV parks and campgrounds.
The association markets privately-owned and operated parks through CampinAlabama.com and CampFlorida.com. The association also publishes free printed camping guides for Florida and Alabama, which can be ordered by calling (850) 562-7151.