Scenic Drives & Scenic Places | Auto & RV Touring

Recent Camping, Travel & Review articles:

• Great River Road Camping: Our Reviews of the Wisconsin and Iowa Campgrounds along the Mississippi River Great River Road
• Mississippi-Alabama Gulf Coast: Visitor attractions & camping along the Mississippi-Alabama gulf coast drive.
• Campground Reviews: Best Campgrounds & RV Parks – Cedar Key – Chiefland, Florida
• Cedar Keys Wildlife Refuge: Cedar Keys Nature and Hiking Trails
  Shell Mound Campground
• Visiting Dauphin Island: Things to See and Do on Dauphin Island
  Dauphin Island Campground Review
• Restaurant Reviews: Best Restaurants in Cedar Key, Florida
  Peg Leg Pete’s Pensacola Beach
  Carmen’s Lunch Bar Pensacola
  Treasure Camp on the banks of the Suwannee
• Hidden Gulf Coast Gem: Top Things to Do in Cedar Key, Gem of the Hidden Coast

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New RV and Motorhome Reviews

• Best Alternatives to the Airstream Travel Trailer – We love the 20 foot Bambi, but are there any good alternatives, particularly less expensive?
• Our Top-Rated Compact Motorhomes for 2021: The best of a shrinking market segment.
• New RoadTrek Class B: RoadTrek has risen from the dead! Now offering 5 new Class B RVs for US and Canadian travelers.
• Camper Van Reviews: Pop-Top Camper Vans – The modern day successors to the VW Westy Camper Bus are becoming very popular among new buyers.
• Update: Best Class B RVs for 2021: Is the Travato still the leader?
• Best Modular Camper Vans – Save money and have a dual purpose cargo and camper van.
• RV Reviews: Winnebago Fuse Review 
  One of the top compact class C RVs
• Update: 2021 RV Shows: Best RV Shows for 2021
• Best RV Camping Parks – Chiefland, Florida

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Some of our favorite scenic drives

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~Upper Mississippi Great River Road

One of our favorite scenic drives is along the Upper Mississippi Great River Road (see maps and articles here). During this section of the Great River Road, much of the scenic drive runs along the actual river itself and through picturesque smaller towns who owe their founding to an era when travel along the Great River was the primary means of moving goods and people north and south. The picture (above) shows a view from Effigy Mounds National Monument Park located on the top of one of the many bluffs that line the river along the Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota scenic drives. 

Best Upper Mississippi Great River Road Campgrounds for RV Travelers

We review the top campgrounds along the Great River Road that offer scenic views, decent sites for RV campers, modern washroom facilities, hiking trails and other attractions appealing to travelers (vs long stay parks)

• Best Wisconsin Great River Road Campgrounds
• Review: Grant River Corps Campground, Potosi, WI
• River Road Campground Review: Mississippi Palisades Park, Savanna, IL
• River Road Campground Review: Pikes Peak Park, McGregor, IA

~Florida Gulf Coast Scenic Drive

We’ve several articles on interesting towns and places along the Florida Gulf Coast from Pensacola to Apalachicola and as far south as Cedar Keys,  a Gulf resort beach community about 150 miles south of Tallahassee. 

Travel Articles Florida Gulf Coast Scenic Drive

• Part 1 Hwy 98 Gulf Coast Drive – Pensacola to Destin
• Scenic Highway 30A – Destin to Rosemary Beach
• Part 2 Hwy 98 Gulf Coast Drive – Panama City to Apalachicola
• Part 3 Hwy 98 Gulf Coast Drive – Apalachicola to Cedar Keys

Some popular Gulf Coast Drive destinations:

• Visiting Cedar Key, Gulf Coast Island Village. A fun resort town on the Gulf away from throngs.
• Two favorite campgrounds near Cedar Key:
  Shell Mound County Park and Manatee Springs State Park.
• Fort Pickens – Gulf Islands National Park & Campground
  Excellent uncrowded beaches, hiking trails, top quality campground, and interesting military history.
• Visiting Pensacola, Things to See and Do
  Attractive historic city whose roots trace back to the earliest European settlements.

Top Florida-Mississippi Gulf Shore Campground Reviews

• Campground Review for Florida’s Big Lagoon State Park
• Campground Review Mississippi Davis Bayou NP campground.
• Campground Review Fort Pickens – Pensacola Beach
• Indian Pass Campground Review
• Shell Mound Campground Review
• Grayton Beach State Park Campground Review
• Dauphin Island Campground
• Strawberry Fields RV Campground

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~Natchez Trace Parkway – History, Nature, Stress-Free Drive

The original National Parkway runs from historic Natchez, MS to just south of Nashville, Tennessee along a nicely paved drive past rural woods and fields devoid of commercial signs and truck traffic. Historic structures along the Trace have been preserved and hundreds of historic markers tell the story of key events along the road. It’s a pretty drive, especially when the rose buds and dogwoods are in bloom, and very relaxing. See our 3 page  Natchez Trace Travelogue here, including information on camping along the Trace.

Plan to spend some time visiting Natchez, Mississippi at the start or end of your trip. Fascinating walking tours, some excellent restaurants and fun pubs, lots of history and old south charm.

Here are some of our more popular Scenic Pathways travel articles you might enjoy:

• Natchez Trace Scenic Drive
  Historic scenic byway, no stoplights, ad signs, nor commercial traffic. 50 mph speed limit. Hundreds of historic markers and exhibits along the route.
• St. Croix Interstate Park & Campground along the St. Croix National Scenic River. See our beautiful fall color pictures. The park offers camping on both sides of the river and some terrific hiking and scenery along the canyon rim of the river.
• Scenic Travel & RV Guides
  While the Internet has a wealth of information, we always use and like hand-held books and guides that require no electricity or wireless connection to use!
  
• Agate and Rock Picking on Lake Superior Beaches Finding pretty rocks and agates is a favorite pastime on Lake Superior’s uncrowded and expansive sand beaches.
• Hot Springs National Park & Campground
  One of the oldest National Parks with an interesting history, historical spas, and a terrific network of day hiking trails and scenic overlooks.

• RV Travel Links and Resources
  If you are a camper or RV traveler, here’s some of our favorite and useful links to Internet guides to campgrounds and parks, other blogs with useful scenic travel info, and other stuff of interest to the motor home and rv campers.
• Pods Trailers, Tear-Drops & Ultra-Lite Campers
  See photos, our reports, and links to some of the new models of travel trailers and RVs.

Using the Search Box

You can use the Search box to find information of interest (like RV Camping) or sometimes the topic of your interest is among the drill down links in the Main Menu. For example if you are interested in seeing maps of the Great River Road Scenic Drive, go to the Menu item “Scenic Drives & Scenic Places” then to Menu item “Great River Road Scenic Drive” and then in the drop-down menu see “Great River Road Map & Directory.”

Ross

March 2021