Are skoolies allowed in fancy RV parks?

Are skoolies allowed in fancy RV parks? Heck yes!

Are skoolies allowed in RV parks? | White Skoolie | Destination Unknown — Are skoolies allowed in RV parks?

I list out below a few helpful questions to ask upon booking and our personal experiences, state by state, during our travels along the east coast of the United States between May to October 2021.

When we researched how we were going to travel in our skoolie (school bus conversion), we read a lot of forums and Facebook posts stating all the trouble that they had finding places to park, getting skoolie insurance in Florida, getting titled as a motorhome, etc.

We haven’t had difficulty in these areas so I’m creating a Skoolie series to dispel the rumors and talk about it. I hope it helps others!

Common Reasons Why Skoolies Aren’t Allowed in RV Parks

Unfortunately, there will always be private RV campgrounds that run their businesses as they see fit, even if it doesn’t make sense to a skoolie owner or blatantly prejudices against the community. If you’re curious what some of those reasons may be, read the Shocking Reasons Skoolies Aren’t Allowed in RV Parks.

Which RV parks have we stayed in?

Florida
- John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo
- Sunshine Key RV Resort & Marina on Big Pine Key
Georgia
- Jenny’s Creek Family Campground
New Hampshire (I can’t remember the name!)
Maine
- Mount Desert Narrows Camping Resort

We stayed at the Florida RV parks at the height of summer and in a popular tourist destination, the Florida Keys. We had no problem booking a reservation (other than booking last minute!).

Questions to ask when booking

Like I mentioned, all the parks we stayed at allowed our skoolie. The only issue we ever ran into was length restrictions – specifically, Acadia National Park in Maine restricted length to under 35 feet (I believe) and we were 37 feet.

Though disappointing that we couldn’t park inside the park, there were a significant number of other private RV parks we could stay at (& with shuttle service!).

We also recommend longer booking periods, rather than paying by day, because you get a discounted rate for weekly and monthly stays.

What is the maximum size rig you allow?
Do you have water hook-ups?
Do you have electric hook-ups?
Do you have laundry services?
Do you offer a Good Sam discount?

Options to staying in RV parks

Don’t despair if you ever do get turned down. Other than the embarrassment or anxiety related to being “broken up with,” skoolies tend to be built as resilient rigs. Ours was, anyway.

Boondocking is a solid option

We built our “land yacht” with the intention of allowing us to be off-grid and redundancies in case one electrical or heating source failed.

We added 6 solar panels to our roof, which allowed us to power everything except the air conditioning. We added propane as our primary heat source. We also installed 100 gallon fresh water & 100 gallon gray water tanks, so we didn’t have to refill as frequently.

You can camp for free overnight in Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, and Home Depots. Honestly, most commercial restaurants or parking lots tend to be cool with it. You can check with security ahead of time – they don’t really mind especially if you’re nice on the front end.

We frequently would get food at Buffalo Wild Wings and then park overnight. Thanks to the managers there!

Harvest Hosts & Boondockers Welcome

Harvest Hosts has now purchased Boondockers Welcome, so they are one and the same. We loved these services because they were more affordable or free with a purchase at a business (like a restaurant or bar).

We found many of our campsites like in North Florida and in a sunflower field in South Georgia using Harvest Hosts.

Harvest Hosts is website that brings together hosts that are RV & Skoolie-friendly to spend 1 night at their home or place of business.

To get 15% off your membership with Harvest Hosts, use our link to register. In return, we do get $15 for referring you. Will it be worth it? We think so.

Thanks for following along with our journey and RVing adventures. – Ingrid & the HildeFam