Janesville Wisconsin to Grand Isles Louisiana

Dates: Saturday March 25th to Sunday April 2nd

Duration: 8 Days

Miles: 2.349 Miles

States Visited:  Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky

Major Towns Passed Through: Rockford Illinois, Bloomington Illinois, Springfield Illinois, St. Louis Missouri, Memphis Tennessee, Jackson Mississippi, New Orleans Louisiana, Hattiesburg Mississippi, Birmingham Alabama, Nashville, Tennessee, Marion Illinois, Mt Vernon Illinois, Effingham Illinois, Champaign Illinois 

Overview:  This was a spring break RV Trip from Southern Wisconsin to Grand Isle Louisiana.   Traveling on this trip where 2 Adults and 3 teens and a dog.  We wanted to try some back water fishing and see the Louisiana bijou.

Below is the itinerary for our spring break RV Trip:

Saturday Day One:

Travel Day - Depart Janesville, WI for Memphis Tennessee (9 Hrs. 15 Min)

Day one was a long travel day.  We left Janesville early and traveled to Memphis Tennessee.   We stayed at Tom Sawyer RV Park on the banks of the Mississippi located just outside Memphis at 1286 S 8th St, West Memphis, AR 72301

The park is a bit off the beaten track and it had a mix of some what appeared to be seasonal campsites and a lot of daily sites.  The grounds had a few ponds on site and was right on the banks of the Mississippi.  We could NOT get an Uber out of the campground so that was a bummer as we wanted to go down town and explore Memphis.   

There are a couple of unique tree houses located on the edge of Tom Sawyer RV park like the one above.

One of the three fishing ponds at Tom Sawyer RV Park

The view from our campsite.  Just across the road was one more row of campers and then the Mississippi river.  We enjoyed watching the big barges go up and down the river.

Sunday Day Two:

Travel Day from Memphis to Bridge Side Marina Grand Isle LA (7 Hrs. 15 Min)

Day two was a travel day to our farthest destination Grand Isle Louisiana.  We picked this location because a friend had told me how great the fishing is down there with opportunities for both back water fishing and deep water golf of Mexico fishing.   Grand Isle is basically where the Mississippi dumps into the golf.  There appear to be a few campgrounds on Grand Isle which is a long island but at the recommendation of our fishing guide we chose to stay at Bridge Side Marina in Grand Isle.  They have hook ups for big rigs and that is where our fishing trip would depart from the next day.

Monday Day Three:

Fishing Day at Grand Isle

On Monday we spent 8 hours fishing returning to the Marina for an overnight stay.  The fishing was one of the highlights of our trip.  We hired a local guide who really new the area.  Grand Isle, offered incredible inshore fishing, making it a true Sportsman's Paradise. We fished in the coastal marshes- a mix of shallow water, mud flats, grasses, and other vegetation and did quite well.  We caught a large amount of speckled trout, a few really nice redfish, and the occasional drum and  sheepshead. We also saw a lot of dolphins which the kids really enjoyed.  They where very close to the boat and looking to make a meal out of the small fish we where throwing back.

Fishing the backwaters near Grand Isle Louisiana 

Sunrise over Grand Isles

A few of the speckled trout we caught.  They were very good eating and our guide cleaned them for us.

Tuesday Day Four:

We decided to spend another day at Grand Isle.  The marina had river on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other side.  On the Golf side was a nice sandy beach.  

The sand beach in Grand Isle is a pristine shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico, and it holds a unique distinction as the only sand beach in Louisiana along the Gulf. With its golden sand, clear blue waters, and gentle ocean breeze, it's a perfect place for relaxation and our entire family, including the dog enjoyed exploring it. We also saw a lot of locals fishing along the beach although they didn't seem to be catching much. This beach offers a one-of-a-kind experience along the Louisiana coast.

Wednesday Day Five:

Short Drive from Grand Isle to New Orleans KOA Holiday

On Wednesday we got up and drove north to New Orleans to explore the city.  We booked two nights at  New Orleans KOA Holiday 11129 Jefferson Hwy, River Ridge, LA. Important note here.  DO NOT USE GPS to get to New Orleans KOA Holiday!  From I-10: Take Exit 223A Williams Blvd (LA 49). Go south on Williams Blvd to end (LA 48/Jefferson Highway), turn left 3/4 mile to KOA on left (Starrett Road). 

Thursday Day Six: 

Explore New Orleans

My wife and daughter are foodies so they wanted to do a French Quarter food and drink crawl.  We booked through a site called getyourguide.com.  The tour was four hours long and $140 each.   My boys and I decided to do a zipline and Swamp Tour during that same time that we also booked through getyourguide.com.  Since we where not pulling a tow vehicle we each Ubered to our respective tours.  After the tours we again spent the night at the KOA.  NOTE- the zip line location is way out of town and it was expensive to get a uber there and really hard to get an uber back.  I'd suggest you rent a car if you plan to go to this spot

Friday Day Seven:

Morning New Orleans Swamp Tour and Drive To Nashville, TN

On Friday morning we packed up at the KOA and headed south for a New Orleans Airboat Tour that we booked again on getyourguide.com.  From there we headed north to Nashville Tennessee where we camped for the night at Nashville Shores Campground.

Saturday Day Eight:

Ropes Course at Nashville Shores then Travel Day Back Towards Janesville

Janesville, WI to Golf Shores Alabama

Dates: Saturday March 26th to Sunday April 3rd

Duration: 7 Days

Miles: 2,294

Driving Hours: 36 Hours

States Visited: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri

Major Towns Passed Through:  Rockford IL, Chicago IL, Indianapolis IN, Louisville KY,  Knoxville KY, Chattanooga TN, Birmingham AL, Montgomery AL, Mobile AL, Memphis TN, St. Louis MO, Springfield IL.

Overview: This trip was a spring break RV Trip from Southern Wisconsin to Golf Shores Alabama.    We had 2 adults, 3 teens and a dog on this trip.  We wanted at least 3 days at the beach as well as see some sights along the way.

Below is the itinerary for our RV Trip:

Saturday Day One:  

Travel Day -Depart Janesville, WI for Red River Gorge 

We stayed at 4 Guys RV Park at the Gorge 10137 Campton Rd, Stanton, KY 40380, USA  - We found the campground to be very clean and we felt safe.  It's not to far off the interstate and getting in and out (Even in the dark) was not hard with our big rig.  They had a nice little creek running through it that my boys enjoyed fishing at.  It was to  cold for the pool but it looked like a nice little place to cool off. The weather this time of year was chili.  In fact it got down below freezing our first night but the next day it got into the 50's which was perfect for our hiking adventure.  The campground is very close to Red River Gorge.

Sunday Day Two:  

Red River Gorge Tour & Underground Kayak Tour

Due to the size of our motor home and the fact that we where not pulling a vehicle we arranged a tour of Red River Gorge with Red River Outfitters. Red River Gorge is basically the Natural Bridge State Park, Clifty Wilderness Area and The Daniel Boone National forest.   Red River Outfitters picked us up and provided a private guide who was super present and very knowledgeable of the Gorge.  It was money well spent as we saw so much that we never would have seen on our own.  The guide knew the trails well and we really enjoyed our time.   He even provided a cold lunch with a local soda to drink.   Red River Outfitters also set up a under ground kayaking adventure for us in the afternoon at Gorge Underground which is an abandon mine that can be toured by boat, kayak or paddle board.   They dropped us off and picked us up to get us back to the RV Park.  The teens quite enjoyed The Gorge Underground. They even had fish swimming around you could see.

Tuesday Day Three: 

Travel Day- Red River Gorge To Golf Shores

After a second night at 4 Guys RV Park we got up early and headed out to Golf Shores.  After a full day of travel we arrived at Buena Vista Motor Coach Resort  Buena Vista was an amazing place.  They bill themselves as a high end motor coach resort and they didn't disappoint.  Our camp site was by the pool and lazy river, all cement with patio furniture and overlooking a pond in the back.  The entire facility is gated and very secure.   It seemed to be a nice mix of vacationers and people that are there for the season.   NOTE- You must have a newer 32 foot or longer class A motor home to stay here.  If your pulling a camper I would suggest golf shores state park.  It's close by and allows campers.

Buena Vista was a bit of a walk to the beach but we rented a car from Enterprise for the time we where at golf shores.

Wednesday Day Three:  

Beach Day and Charter Fishing

In the morning we drove around and explored the area and had lunch at a beach front restaurant in Orange beach.  In the afternoon we had a fishing charter planned with Fish On Charters.  Unfortunately they cancelled on us after we had driven all the way up to their location in Fort Morgan due to mechanical trouble on the boat.  It was really the only disappointing aspect to this entire trip.  We did have some friends charter out of Fort Morgan that same day on a different charter and they caught a lot of fish.  I'd like to try it again next time we go.   We ended up making it a beach day and went to Golf Shores State Park.  The water was warm and clear and the beach sand was fine powder.  

Thursday Day Four:

USS Alabama Tour and Pool Day

We decided to take a break from the beach and drove up to Mobile Alabama for a tour of the USS Alabama.  The teenagers where not to sure about this but they enjoyed exploring the ship and they also had a WW2 Sub on site that we went through.   In the afternoon we returned to Buena Vista and relaxed by the pool followed by dinner out at a local Mexican restaurant Called Cactus Cantina.  The food was good and reasonably priced.   

Friday Day Five:

Travel Day To Overnight in Jonesboro, AR

We started our trip home with plans to stop off in St. Louis and see the Arch.    Instead of driving straight through we planned to stop overnight at Lucky Camper In Jonesboro, AR.  Lucky Camper was something I'd definitely change about this trip.  We arrived around 5:00 PM and the office was closed and there was no information out on how to find our camp site.  We tried calling the office number and no one answered.   To say Lucky Camper Campground was sketchy would be an understatement.  It appears to be more of a trailer park with permanent residents then a campground.  We observed cars up on blocks and a generally unkept campground.  We honestly didn't feel all that safe and decided since we didn't know where our site was we would just move on.   To be fair, Luck Camper did call us back a few hours  later and they did give us a full refund but I would skip this campground if at all possible if your planning this trip.  We ended up staying in a Love's travel plaza that night.

Saturday Day Six: 

Short Drive to St. Louis Arch Tour and BBQ

We got up and drove to St. Louis.  Our goal was to see the St. Louis Arch and get some good BBQ.  We settled on the Draft Queens Casino RV Park.  Our logic was it was right downtown and we could Uber to the arch.  The reviews I read and the research I did online indicated that  the Casino RV Park was gated with a code to get in and that security patrols constantly monitored the Park.  

When we arrived the gate would not open so we had to call the office and they ended up letting us in.  Apparently there was a problem with the gate and they ended up leaving it open for our entire stay.  The campground itself was dirty and I saw one security vehicle the entire stay.  It's basically a big parking lot.  They did have full hookups which was nice.  We awoke to gun shots in the middle of the night and police sirens going off not long after that.  This did not happen in the RV Park but it was really damn close and set my wife and dog on edge.  The other people staying in the campground seemed to be a mix of people passing through like us and construction workers that seemed to be in the area for a few months.   

Our day of exploring the arch and BBQ at Pappy's Smokehouse (A St. Louis Institution) was a lot of fun but we could have done it all in a half day.  For those of you with younger kids the City Center Museum would have been another fun activity to fill the afternoon.  It was on my list of things to do but my teens wanted to skip it.

Sunday Day Seven: 

Travel Day St. Louis To Janesville, WI

We got up early (Truth is no one slept very well that night) and headed back to Janesville, WI.    

Red River Gorge

Red River Gorge

Under ground mine kayak tour - Red River Gorge

Golf Shores State Park

USS Alabama Mobile, AL

Draft Queens RV Park

View From the Arch In St Louis

View from the bottom of the arch

Welcome to my RV Trip Planning Site

Hello an welcome to my RV Trip Planning Blog.  I purchased my first RV in the fall of 2021 and planned a trip to Golf Shores Alabama for spring break of 2022.  It didn't take me long to figure out how much work planning an RV trip could be.  The idea behind this blog is to share my journeys with the hopes that it may help or inspire some of you in your planning.  My home destination is Janesville, Wisconsin so most of my trips will originate out of my home base but we are also near Chicago, Madison and Milwaukee so I think my RV trips would easily be modified to fit you if your from one of these nearby big cities.  

If you have your own RV Trip to share please reach out to me in the comments.  I'd love to post more then just my trips here.  Nothing would make me happier then being able to build a reference library for people planning cross country RV trips.

Jon Ballard