Richmond, Kentucky: Fort Boonesborough State Park

May 2024, 2 nights, weekdays

Campsite 137 in Fort Boonesborough State Park

Reservations, arrival, campsite 137 and more

We made an online reservation at this campground. The cost for electric and water hookup was $33.30 a night after the 10% senior discount. There is also a $6 reservation fee.  I completed the pre-arrival email I received, and the check-in process at the camp store when we arrived, was very quick. I inquired about wifi during check-in, and the staff member told me not to buy it; she said it would only send text messages.

It had been difficult to choose a campsite online, as there are over 150 campsites in this park. In hindsight, we should have waited until we arrived, since we were staying mid-week in early May. When I viewed the campground map and photos online, I had thought site 138 would be a nice site; however, this campsite is not listed as one that can be reserved (at any time). Campsite 138 is a nice site, and the camper on it looked like it had been there for a while. There was nothing to indicate this is a host site, so I do not know why it is non-reservable.

Facing road from campsite 137 in Fort Boonesborough State Park

Campsite 137 is level and grassy. It is not too bad of a site, since there is a lot of space between sites 137 and 138, and there is a fair amount of room on the other side, next to site 136. During our stay, however, people arrived on site 136, and set up their tent with the door next to and facing our fire pit and trailer. 😳 This made it difficult to have a fire, and the view when sitting inside our trailer, was directly toward their tent door.

The section of the campground we stayed in was probably a bit quieter than the main middle area, as it is farther away from 627 with thick trees between the road and the campsites. We liked site 161, and would have chosen that site, if we had waited until we arrived to choose a site. When I looked at the campground online, it looked like that site would be close to the playground; however, it is not. It has trees along the sides, and is a good distance away from the play area. 

We were surprised that we had no TV reception in this campground, since it is pretty close to a few good-sized towns (Richmond, Lexington, and Winchester). I had Spectrum cell service, and my husband did not have any reception with Mint/ T-mobile. 

Fort Boonesborough State Park map

Recreation

We did not know the fort is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays when we made our reservation for those days. I realized this when I looked at the park again after completing our online check-in. Entrance to the fort is not included with the campground stay, and the folks in the camp store did not have much information. I was told they do not sell tickets, which they think cost $6, and that they think there is a senior discount. My husband had planned to visit the fort Wednesday morning before we departed, since I had some things to do; however, he did not end up doing that. We did view the fort from the outside, and we read the history placards posted outside the fort when we hiked the trails in the park. 

Site of Fort Boonesborough 

Garden, Michigan: Fayette Historic State Park

May 2023, weekdays, 4-nights, campsite #53

Sunset over bay behind campsite 53 in Fayette Historic Campground
Below: view from inside camper in Fayette Historic Campground site 53

We have previously camped in this park, and we have visited by boat. You can find info from previous visits by clicking on labels at the bottom of this post. This was our first visit since 2015. It is also the first time we made an advance reservation. We called to add an extra day to our trip after our casino stay. We considered stopping at another State Forest Campground after we had nixed Hog Island; however, we decided it would not be worth it to stop elsewhere for only one night. Also, the rate for Fayette was only $10 more than a primitive SF campground. 

Campsite 53 in Fayette Historic State Park Campground

Arrival and campsite 53

After we arrived, I wished we had not made a reservation. The campground was mostly empty, and site 53 is very unlevel. We spent quite a bit of time trying to park our camper in different positions to see if we could get it where we would not need three or more blocks under one side. In the end, we backed in the usual way with blocks under the passenger side. Campsite 53 is one of the more private sites; however, since there was only 1 or 2 other campers during our entire stay, seclusion did not matter at this time of year.

Truck is close to the edge of campsite 53 in Fayette State Park Campground

Muskegon, Michigan / Camping, Downtown, Events...

May and June 2018

Sunset at Fisherman's Landing

As some of you know, Muskegon is one of our favorite lakeshore towns to visit! I am sharing a few photos and some new info we discovered during our most recent visit to Muskegon. You can find additional information about items of interest by clicking on the labels at the end of this post.

Camping in Muskegon

Our two favorite campgrounds in the area are Fisherman's Landing and Muskegon State Park. We usually choose Fisherman's Landing because of its proximity to town and the bicycle trail. The state park is great when we want to do some hiking or stay closer to Lake Michigan. 

Seen from our campsite at Fisherman's Landing during D-Day weekend

Garden, Michigan--Upper Peninsula / Fayette Historic State Park Harbor

August 2011, Fayette Historic Marina, weekday, 1-night

Fayette Harbor

We had camped at Fayette State Park several years ago, and always wanted to visit by boat. The trip to Fayette wasn't very pleasant because we traveled in 2 - 4' waves, and we have a 28' powerboat. We did not see any boaters traveling when we were on the way to Fayette, and travelers who were already there, seemed surprised to see a boat pull in.

After docking, we learned that at least one boater had planned to leave the day we arrived, and had changed his mind. The wind was coming out of the SE, so we thought it would be calm after we got inside the harbor. The water was not rough in the harbor; however, the wind was funneling right down the hill, so it was quite windy during our stay. We were even more surprised to see two more boats arrive later that day, because the water became rougher as the day went on. One couple who had traveled on a large sailboat lost their dinghy during their trip over. They said they have been sailing for 12 years, and this day was the roughest weather they had ever traveled in.

Fayette harbor in 2011

Fayette does not offer marina facilities, such as electricity and a bathhouse. There is a self-serve drop box for slip rent/park entrance fees, and a couple of different options for docking. About 6 - 12 boats can tie up to the main dock, depending on the size of the boat and how close together people park. Our cost on the main dock was $17 for the night. I had read that this was $10, so I guess I got my information from an outdated source. Other options after the main dock is full include rafting off to boats on the main dock, anchoring in the harbor, or tying up to pylons near shore. All of these options have a reduced rate. I think it was $10 to anchor in the harbor for any size boat. We were glad that there was room on the main dock during our stay. 

We always enjoy visiting Fayette State Park. The boat dock is located at the Historic Townsite, and there are picnic tables on shore by the boat dock. There are several miles of walking trails within the park, and there is a visitors center and gift shop a short walk uphill. The pathway to the gift shop is paved and cement, and there are flush toilets in this building. The only facilities other than that, are pit toilets throughout the park, and showers in the campground area about 1/2 mile away.