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Fall 2021 Update: The latest on the ‘own an RV camping spot’ trend

| Updated Jul 13, 2023

The ‘own an RV camping spot' trend continues to build steam, about to be joined by a development in Middle Tennessee that is marketing large, multi-acre parcels of pristine mountaintop land to RVers.

Jennifer and I visited The Woodlands of Buffalo River, a 1,500-acre development being carved up into plots ranging from 5 acres to 150 acres.

Although RVers are the prime target audience, owners can do pretty much whatever they want with it, including constructing homes, outbuildings, multiple RV lots, or improving it however they want.

The land is beautiful and wooded, with access to nearby rivers and lakes and it is just 90 minutes west of Nashville in a recreationally rich area known as “Nashville's Big Back Yard.”

Why so many want to own an RV camping site

the Woodlands at Buffalo River property being sold in multi-acre parcels to those who want to own an RV camping spot
This is part of the Woodlands at Buffalo River property being sold in multi-acre parcels to those who want to own an RV camping spot

We have been covering this emerging own your own camping site trend since early summer, when we first visited a location called the Landings in Middle Tennessee located on the banks of the Tennessee River, also known as Kentucky Lake.

We made a return visit last week, to see how it has grown, talk to owners and take the developers up on their offer to tour their newest development The Woodlands on Buffalo River, located not far away.

Here's a video of our visit:

The reason so many want to own an RV camping site these days stems from the massive increase in new RVers and the difficulty of finding an open campsite without making a reservation week, even months, in advance.

Many RVers are fed up with not being able to get a campsite or, if they do, finding the campground so crowded that it can be very hard to enjoy a wilderness camping experience anymore.

When you own an RV camping site, you always have a spot to go to and can go to it anytime you want.

The Woodlands at Buffalo River is unique

jennifer wants to own an rv camping spot to tear around in an atv
Jennifer wants an ATV…

Jennifer and I didn't know what to expect when we visited the Woodlands.

We knew it was a massive hunk of very desirable property but it wasn't until we parked our RV and got in a borrowed ATV to cruise the development, that we realized that this is still wilderness with beautiful views that offer a true get-away-from-it-all experience.

The development is very accessible. We entered off a paved and maintained country road that will have electric and water lines available for the various parcels.

Next year, fiber optic cable Internet will be available in the area, perfect for remote workers.

The costs to own an RV camping spot

The smallest parcel they are selling there is 5 acres. The largest at 150 acres. Prices are dependent on location in the development.

But 5-20 acre parcels start at around $69,900

Visit MyRvLand.com to get a buyer's info packet.

The main attraction of the Woodlands at Buffalo River

own an rv camping spot and you can access the buffalo river
Buffalo River is Bo-approved.

A key draw is the Buffalo River itself. It is a gentle, winding stream with lots of easy access from the property, perfect for kayaking and canoeing, with great fishing.

The river flows 125 miles through the southern and western portions of the Middle Tennessee region. The Nashville Trace is about 25 miles away.

The property is raw land. There are some trails and paths but you can pretty much have a clean slate in making it fit your needs. Access is off of well-maintained county roads.

We got to the area by taking I-40 west from Nashville to Exit 143 and then made our way south and a bit west for about 25 minutes.

If you are thinking about this trend – to own an RV camping spot – here are what Jennifer and I think are the top features based on our visit:

  • At the top of my list is there is no HOA here. This is your land that you can use your way. That means you can build a permanent home, a cabin, outbuildings, RV pads, garages, whatever you want. It is virtually unrestricted. Each parcel is guaranteed buildable.
  • You get a new registered survey and a warranty deed, with electric and approvals from local, state and federal authorities.
  • You are under no obligation or time period to build. You can use it just for your RV, rent out spots if you want, turn it into your own private state park if that's what you want to do.
  • The whole 1,500 parcel being sold off in multi-acre parts is super private. There are big woods that can be used for horseback riding, ATV adventures, hiking, hunting and you have nearby lake and river access.
  • Coming in 2022 is high-speed fiber optic cable. For me, that's a huge plus because I work from our RV. The areas we visited had great cell coverage, probably because the land is on a mountaintop-type plateau.

It's right near one of the most charming small towns in Tennessee

own an rv camping spot plus small town living
Linden is one of the best small towns in Tennessee

Although it's not a part of the key features of the land, another factor that has us seriously considering this place is its proximity to the town of Linden, TN, population 900.

Linden has repeatedly been named as one of the best small towns in Tennessee by print and online publications and even a Nashville TV station. It's a short 90-minute drive from Nashville, probably the hottest town in America right now. You'll see it and a couple of other attractive towns nearby promoted as part of “Nashville's Big Back Yard.”

There is a small community hospital in Linden, a supermarket, lots of shops, and several cafes and restaurants. The downtown Commodore Hotel is a growing attraction as it is a fully restored 1939 hotel with a restaurant and lounge. Popular music groups from Nashville provide live entertainment on a regular basis.

On the night we visited, an excellent Nashville singer-songwriter performed.

We fell in love with Linden. Everyone we met was friendly and Southern Hospitality was very much in evidence.

Is it in our future to own an RV camping spot?

Fall 2021 Update: The latest on the 'own an RV camping spot' trend 1
We loved driving an ATV and exploring the wild and wooded land being offered to those who want to own an RV Camping spot that ranges from 5 to 150 acres in size!

As we shared in the video, we are certainly considering it.

If you are wondering why – besides the beauty and serenity that the Woodlands at Buffalo River offers – let me tell you about our recent experience in finding a place to stay for the night.

As I write this blog post, we are on our way back from a trip to Natchez, MS to Michigan. We just found a place to overnight…. in a Welcome Center along a busy highway in Mississippi! It's not where we hoped to be but after trying to find open spots in FIVE DIFFERENT CAMPGROUNDS!, this was the best we could do.

Every campground we tried was booked up…. and had been for weeks.

Ever since the pandemic, we have found that it just gets harder and harder to find places to stay. Especially in nice areas.

There are so many new RVers that to get into most campgrounds requires reservations made long in advance.

So as we explored the Woodlands for this report, its appeal was very strong.

Having our own land that we can camp on whenever we want would be so nice.

I'm not saying we're ready to sign on the bottom line and purchase one of those big multi-acre spots just yet.

But we see lots of compelling reasons to own an RV camping spot.

Are you into the ‘own an RV camping spot' trend?

Let us know in the comments what you think about this growing trend.

And if you are curious about boondocking —

Want to learn how to boondock?

We created a PRINT version of our most popular guide to help you with the most common boondocking problems. We get a ton of questions from our subscribers about how to get started boondocking that range from where to go and wild animals to water conservation to what equipment to use and more. 

Fall 2021 Update: The latest on the 'own an RV camping spot' trend 2

Throw off the shackles of traditional RV Parks and campgrounds, stop paying high fees every night that you spend in your RV, and experience the boundless amounts of nature while boondocking!

You’re done with the noisy RV parks, the 3.5 feet of room you have squished in between two other RVs, and other people’s kids running through your campsite?

You’ve ditched the hookups, the concrete blocks and have replaced them with self-leveling and Navy showers?

This is the book for you.


Mike Wendland

Published on 2021-10-23

Mike Wendland is a multiple Emmy-award-winning Journalist, Podcaster, YouTuber, and Blogger, who has traveled with his wife, Jennifer, all over North America in an RV, sharing adventures and reviewing RV, Camping, Outdoor, Travel and Tech Gear for the past 12 years. They are leading industry experts in RV living and have written 18 travel books.

12 Responses to “Fall 2021 Update: The latest on the ‘own an RV camping spot’ trend”

February 26, 2022at5:03 pm, Progress Report on our Private RV Land in Tennessee said:

[…] The latest on the “own a private RV spot” trend […]

Reply

January 05, 2022at7:26 am, Straight Talk About RV Camping In 2022 | RV Lifestyle said:

[…] We think we are on the cusp of a huge boom in private land acquisition by RVers. […]

Reply

January 03, 2022at9:49 am, Art Seaborne said:

Hey Mike. A group of RV owners in Florida just formed the American BoonDockers Club. Sitting around a campfire, the conversations turned to boondocking, and having the club own dozens of boondocking parcels from Florida to Michigan and Florida to Maine. Their plan it to have a dump station and fresh water fill at each “Outpost”, secured by an electronic gate and allow for 30 days per visit. All for $1 a day. I’ll keep you posted. Art.

Reply

November 27, 2021at6:30 am, We Now Own RV Land In Tennessee! | RV Lifestyle said:

[…] returned for a follow-up report on the RV Land ownership trend in October to see how they were doing and while there, learned about the Woodlands at Buffalo River, […]

Reply

October 28, 2021at8:03 am, Christine said:

My husbands family is from that area, so we are definitely intrigued. It is beautiful country.

Reply

October 25, 2021at10:07 pm, Scott said:

This is the second time you showcased property in Tennessee. Please find this same concept in mid western Michigan . I live in Tennessee ( by Gatlinburg) and was looking for property from Ludington to Fountain Michigan area. How’s , building codes restrictions prohibit spending time in or even parking a motorhome on the land. Can you please try staying closer to home until you find something that interests us southerners . But even if you can’t I still love your blogs and videos.

Reply

October 23, 2021at5:02 pm, Barbara said:

Bet y’all had fun, especially with the ATV!! And Bo obviously loved it!! However, the video doesn’t give enough info about the acreage, development, etc. Looks like too many trees and no views. So, without more definitive info, I can’t justify driving 600+ miles just to see the area. But Happy Trails Y’all!!

Reply

October 23, 2021at3:47 pm, Carol Bradley said:

Having lived in Tennessee for 40 years there are a lot of issues with having property like this. First of all would be hunters. Deer, turkey, etc. Also where does one dump their black tanks? I like a quiet area when camping. All those 4 wheelers running over other folks property and damaging the soil? Not worth it. Area would have to be fenced. In Wisconsin there are snow mobile routes along fence lines, and from what I understand, that is a good idea. Huge dairy farms own the land. If rules are followed by snow mobile users and hikers, all of this land is great.

Reply

October 23, 2021at12:08 pm, Ron said:

I can see how this would be desirable like a “camp,” as it’s called, along a Louisiana bayou; a place to go on weekends or extended time periods. I don’t think it’s practical for anyone who has to drive a long distance like me in the Dallas area. You would need to use this frequently to make it worthwhile.

The solitude of boondocking is inviting but you still have to empty those tanks. Where do you have to go for that?

Ron

Reply

October 23, 2021at11:45 am, Anne Turner said:

What advantages do you, or the developer, feel buying a lot in a development like this would have over buying a similar-size piece of property with similar utilities ” on your own somewhere?

Reply

October 23, 2021at9:44 am, Ed LeBouef said:

This is the best idea that has come along in a very long time. We currently own a 5 acre parcel in Newport WA. It’s a senior subdivision called Spring Ridge Estates. Our plot contains 3 full hookup RV sites, 2 casitas and a very large covered patio. We just couldn’t be happier here.

Reply

October 23, 2021at8:39 am, Jackie said:

Last year my husband and I purchased a piece of land in Northern NY. We installed a small shed and a long RV pad with septic, water and electric. It’s in the 1000 Islands region not far from the Adirondacks, St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. Lots to do, it’s private and it’s ours. Land prices in that area are very reasonable. Only problem is the winters. Can’t camp there thru the winters. It’s much to cold and snowy. But you can’t beat the summers up there.

Reply

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