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January 9, 2011 11:17 AM   Subscribe

Comfortable camping with a small dog on the gulf coast? Looking for suggestions.

So the girlfriend and I would like to take a weekend trip to get away from the city (New Orleans) for a couple of days, and are thinking that we'd like to rent a cabin somewhere for a night or two so that we can relax and have a little peace and quiet. I've been poring over websites for various campsites (it's like a trip to the Internet of 1994!) but haven't really come up with anything particularly appealing. Here are some of the problems:

First, the GF has a small dog that we'd like to bring along with us. Obviously this reduces our options considerably (the entire Mississippi State Park system is right out as far as cabin camping) but I'd like to think that there must be *somewhere* that would allow a 12-lb miniature poodle to stay for the weekend!

Secondly, most of the campsites that offer cabins seem to be those horrible RV-park pack-as-many-sites-into-every-acre-as-humanly-possible style campgrounds, often with things like gift shops, rec rooms, and casino shuttles listed among their amenities. We're looking for somewhere where we don't have to stare at the side of some rickety fiberglass monstrosity all day. Trees, beaches, water – these are the kinds of things we're after.

Speaking of water, the girlfriend would love love love it if we could find somewhere on the coast, though after an afternoon's research I sort of wonder if such places even exist. Failing that, a nice river or lake would do but some sort of waterfront would definitely be a serious plus.

Finally, we're both on a pretty tight budget here. Neither of us make a lot of money, both of us have significant expenses, and so money is pretty dear to us. $100 per night is probably the absolute most we could spend on accommodations, and even that is pushing it. We want this to be a quick, easy, cost-effective getaway.

So: pet-friendly, nature-themed, comfortable, cheap, waterfront camping somewhere on the Gulf Coast. (East Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida Panhandle.) Anybody have any tips or recommendations? Looking forward muchly to your replies.
posted by Scientist to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'm sure you have checked this, but here is a list of Parks in Louisiana.

I went camping in Chicot State Park about 15 years ago and thought it was great. No idea if it's changed since then, but we had a small, basic cabin and brought a dog with us. There were hiking trails, fishing, etc. It's not on the coast, but is located on Lake Chicot.

Also check out Grand Isle - the state park there doesn't have cabins, and I believe beach-front camping is still closed, but I'm betting you could rent a small fishing camp for pretty darn cheap. I was stationed there this summer working on the oil spill, and it's an amazingly beautiful place. The oil is mostly gone there and I know the island needs the tourism to come back.

And although I don't have specific camping location recommendations, the Tunica Hills and St. Francisville areas in Louisiana are really pretty. Not on the coast, but there are plenty of inland waterbodies.
posted by tryniti at 11:27 AM on January 9, 2011


never been there myself & it's not exactly gulf 'coast', but i have a friend who used to swear by sabine national forest. he was a primitive camper kind of guy, but there's cabin rental info here.
posted by msconduct at 4:37 PM on January 9, 2011


Alligator Point KOA in panhandle Fl. It is our hurricane evacuation spot of choice.
The cabins faced an inlet or some such, gulf beaches and state park are close by.
There were different types of cabins from bare bones to deluxe. We chose the latter
to ease the stress, it had a private jacuzzi on the deck, small kitchen & tv to check the storm's progress. 2 adults & 2 dogs for $125. The RV's were near the front, the cabins in the back. It's not really a town, the only store was at the camp ground. And definately off the beaten path. All 3 times we've stayed it was lovely, even though we were pretty stressed.
posted by misspat at 5:01 PM on January 9, 2011


You have to rent cabins at Fountainbleu State Park months in advance, but it's rather nice. I know they allow dogs on the cookout sites, not sure about the cabins.

It;s also just outside of the city, which is nice.
posted by eustatic at 11:07 AM on January 27, 2011


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