Geo: 37.9722, -81.1489We stayed in the "quiet" campground, as opposed to the "festive" campground. Quiet hours were not observed by several folks and we did not get a good night sleep either night. One morning there were Boy Scouts up at 4:30am, 90 minutes before the end of quiet time, running around banging on doors and using their outdoor voices. We would have given them demerit badges for disturbing the peace, but couldn't think of a good way to curb their antisocial behavior without creating a scene.The staff at River Expeditions was genial, but quality food preparation is not their strong suit. Breakfast was good enough to keep you going, but not tasty enough to either please or satisfy.We reported to the check-in point at our assigned time and moved easily through the process of leaving ... read more

Geo: 37.5409, -77.4801Each year we like to take the kids on a big fishing trip on the James River. The James never disappoints with its large number of blue catfish, herring, shad, perch, striped bass, gar, channel catfish and other sporting breeds. We catch to photograph, not to eat, so we're not especially picky about what flops into the boat. The bigger, the better in general.Capt. Mike Ostrander of the James River Fishing School has been our guide of choice for many years. He has a wealth of knowledge about the history and ecology of the James and always seems to know where the fish will be biting. He also has the patience and sense of humor to guide and teach children well. This is a gift and it cannot be overvalued.In recent years Capt. Mike ... read more

Geo: 37.3351, -86.2477After a short and stormy night, we came back to find the camper in excellent condition. We heard from a camp neighbor that others spent the night in the bathroom, the only permanent structure on site. I was glad I paid for beds and a roof given the extreme weather conditions.We had a recommendation for the Historic Tour from one of the rangers. He said it would be a good contrast to the Grand Avenue tour so we ate breakfast and headed out again. This tour was much shorter and included different parts of the cave, specifically those that were used in the mining of salt peter in the years running up to and during the War of 1812. After the war, in 1816, the caves began their second life as a tourist attraction ... read more

Geo: 37.3351, -86.2477We reserved a camp site in advance through the reserveamerica.com web site. It was pretty easy to use. We were able to see which camp sites were currently reserved and which were open so that we could judge what kind of position we would have relative to the lake, the bathroom and other campers. It works much like an airline seat selection map. We got something near the water and near, but not too near, the bathrooms. I have an annual passport to the national parks, so the cost was only $11/night: bargain!I was able to maneuver into the space pretty easily and got shop set up quickly. There was a nice picnic table and grated fire pit at each site and we made use of the electric and water hookups as well. ... read more

Geo: 37.5409, -77.4801... read more