Natchez Trace RV Campground is one of two Thousand Trails campgrounds located in Tennessee. It is located in middle Tennessee in a small town named Hohenwald. This is where we spent our first stay as Thousand Trails campground members for seven days spanning the end of December 2019 and ringing in the New Year of 2020.
Making the reservations went smoother than I expected. My husband and I had researched Thousand Trails online by reading articles and watching video blogs from full-time RVers. More than once, we had heard (or read) that making reservations could be difficult with some speculation that Thousand Trails had oversold memberships. Although it is too soon for us to form an educated personal opinion about this, we had no trouble booking our first stay. Perhaps this is because of the time of year, the location, or a combination of those things. Not only was it easy getting reservations, we were also able to choose our own site upon arrival from many empty ones, several of which had full hook-ups.
Our check in to the campground went very smoothly, especially since we still had not received our membership card in the mail. They had a welcome package waiting for us, and the lady at the desk was pleasant. We received a color map of the park, a page of rules, a car tag to display on our vehicle’s mirror, a code to get in the front gate, a sheet with the dates of our stay to display in our camper, and a form to complete and return at our convenience after we had chosen our site. I’m one of those nerds that will actually read everything they give you. What you need to know is that they change the codes to the gate every Monday. That was nowhere to be found in the reading, nor were we told at check in. Imagine our surprise upon returning one evening after a quick trip to town for supplies to find our code didn’t work! We were literally locked out of the campground. Luckily for us, a couple of vehicles pulled in shortly afterwards driven by campers who stay year round, the second of which was kind enough to grant us access (we did after all have a tag with our name and departure date). The first had an unknown amount of patience as they were willing to wait for us to call someone for help. Who knows how long that would have taken? Remember, you can’t count on cell service here… so be sure to check by the front gate on Mondays to get the new code!
As you drive in to the park, you will see a basketball court, a swimming pool, mini putt putt course, dog park, walking track, and tennis courts. A bit further in the distance you can see the beach across from which are several RV sites.
Pets are welcome here, and the dog park is a good size. It has a pet waste station with bags, two black plastic tubes for the agility trained, plenty of room for the dogs to run, and a bench for their owners to rest their heels. This is a saving grace for our playful boxer pup who loves to run free at full speed.
There is also a beach on the lake where you can swim. Signs are posted that no lifeguards are on duty. The pool near the front of the park was empty and the back one behind town hall was covered due to the season. I am sure our kids would have enjoyed swimming here had we visited during the warm season.
There is a shuffleboard court next to the laundry mat in Phase I. A small playground and pavilion are located behind these. We used this laundry mat which housed three washers and three dryers. You could pay with coins or debit/credit cards. The cost for each starts at $2.00 and goes up in quarter increments with the soil level. The bath house shared the building with the laundry mat. We visited the Women’s side & found it to be clean & functioning.
The bath house in Phase II was surprisingly clean. It was probably one of the cleanest camp bath houses I have ever been inside. Again, we visited in the off season, so I can not assume they would be as clean during the summer months when I hear the place is very busy. The town hall is located in the back of the campground at the entry of Phase II. It contains a recreation center with a game room, quiet lounge, free library, and restrooms. There is a non-denominational church located on the ground floor, which meets every Sunday at 9am and 5pm. Although this campground is known for poor cell reception, there is free wifi at the town hall. There is also a fitness room here, which I could see through the window, but I did not happen upon the entrance. There was a sign for a movie room/theater, but that door was locked. A building attached by walkway was used for the camp’s New Year’s Eve party. It is a large room with tables, chairs, fireplace, piano, kids corner, and kitchen. The playground at Phase II was about twice the size as the one in Phase I with more field space for parents, pets & kids to run or gather.
David Crockett State Park and Lewis Meriwether State Park & Monument are both within thirty minutes of this campground. If you need supplies, there is a Walmart in Hohenwald twenty minutes away, but I recommend extending your drive by ten minutes for the Lawrenceburg Walmart. (Driving directions for both are available at the gate.) The Hohenwald Walmart only has one door if that tells you anything. Just not much there. Lawrenceburg’s Walmart is the standard super size. Lawrenceburg also offers a Kroger, Walgreens, CVS, and several restaurants from which to choose. There is also a small general store & food counter beside the entrance to the park. However, they didn’t even have camper toilet paper when we visited.
By happenstance, there were a few other full-time families there that we had met at our last campground. This provided our daughters with plenty of friends with which to play and hang out. Thanks to friendly campers, free wifi, & a fenced in dog park, we all had a good time. We definitely want to check this place out again in the spring or summer.
Free 2 Live = Free 2 Roam 