Last minute change of plans.

October 20, 2006 5:50 AM

Anywhere warm in the SE US to camp with too many dogs?

I am facing the Vacation from Hell next week. My husband's friend is coming over from the UK to visit, and she wants to go camping. So we were planning to go to the place in Kentucky where we usually go - boring but safe. Of course, since hubby insists on taking all of the dogs, we can't fit in either of our cars - so we're renting a camper. Dear god.

It gets worse. Now the weather looks like it is going to be hideous all week - cold and rainy. So I wonder if there is any point in trying to drive to further south? We need to go somewhere that is truly off the beaten path, because with 6 dogs we are not welcome in civilization.

Any thoughts (besides the obvious "Don't go!")?

posted by tizzie to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

Buy a lot of yellow-plastic-rope (whatever it's called) and tie all the dogs to long pieces of rope. Remember that dogs are rather stupid so make sure they are tied in a way where they won't easily mix the ropes together and stay stuck.
Once you're rid of the dogs, go off exploring the wilderness!
Also you might want to take the dogs. With 3 people and 6 dogs, each person will only have to hold two ropes!
posted by PowerCat at 6:39 AM on October 20, 2006

Fake ill.

Or get a dog to fake ill.
posted by By The Grace of God at 7:08 AM on October 20, 2006

I really like Juniper Springs, which is a park in the Ocala National Forest, in Florida. They have lots of trailer camping spots. But, lots of the spots are close together, so if your dogs are loud, you won't make lots of friends.
posted by bilabial at 7:17 AM on October 20, 2006

Thanks, bilabial - that's the kind of tip I'm looking for!
posted by tizzie at 8:30 AM on October 20, 2006

Juniper Springs is nice, as are many of the springs in that area. If you're going this time of year, there's also a chance that manatees will have begun to migrate up to the springheads for the winter, so there's a possibility of swimming with manatees, if you're lucky. Even if they're not there, swimming in the springs is a fantastic experience. Northeast Florida in general is beautiful at this time of year.
posted by saladin at 8:58 AM on October 20, 2006

Little Talbot Island state park immediately north of Jacksonville has spectacular beaches, and is generally pretty deserted through the week. It's about 1/2 way between Ameila Island to the north, and Mayport/Jacksonville to the south, on State route 17. Good fishing, kayaking, and hiking. There are currently renovations going on, so I don't what the availability of camping sites would be for next week, but you could call the park for details. 10 to 12 hour ride from Kentucky, though.
posted by paulsc at 2:34 PM on October 20, 2006

There's a campground specifically for people with dogs in NC. It's called Four Paws Kingdom. They have little cabins, RV/trailer spots and tent spots.
posted by FergieBelle at 1:08 PM on October 21, 2006