First off, I have to wonder, do campgrounds actually depend on reviews these days? Sites seem so hard to come by, that I could say this place completely sucked, but I promise you THEY WILL STILL be completely packed. So, I appreciate anyone who reads this, and anyone who is actually in a position to be selective about their camping. Maybe most campers are looking for tips and details that aren’t otherwise listed, like a steep hill.
This trip has been so crazy, that it actually doesn’t even fall into my normal review, or planning category. We planned this trip with a large group of friends many, many months ago. And it sort of just happened. Without much planning at all. In fact, next time we will try to plan better. Seriously, we only had months to figure this out right?
I started with good intentions for planning, but a lot of personal, family things have happened since then. I didnt even think to get many pictures. So as far as good camper reviews go, this one might suck, because I failed at planning this review and did not really make a point to get “review” type pictures. I was de-stressing and relaxing.
Location: Woodstock, Ga
Website: Victoria Campground
Omg, my template is even screwy! I have been so busy, and my phone has been tied up with the radio, that I have not had a chance to take a lot photos or even write. It might be time to invest in a camera or tablet. Or both. 🤔
It’s hard to see it from your end maybe, but not having time to take photos or write a blog, is actually a good thing. It’s a sure sign, that no matter which site, or the condition, its still a good time. And that it was really like a vacation! Even if I have some cons or gripes, it was not enough to really impact our trip. With a group of about 14, and most of us arriving/leaving on different days and times, the condition of the campground did affect our time or experience one bit.
Amenities: The usual showers, dump station, swimming beach. Boat ramp and picnic areas
Privacy: None. Absolutely none on this trip, because it’s a holiday weekend, and we had 5 sites of friends. We did not come with any expectation of privacy, quiet or calm. And being a holiday weekend, well…its probably best not to expect a nice quiet holiday in a campground, in the middle of a city, on a huge, busy lake.
Site Specific: Site 57 was in decent shape. It was a little tough pulling through and getting the camper centered on the pad, only because of the curvature of the asphalt. We nearly shared our drive with 56, to the point that when our friend went to pull out, we had to move our truck. Not a great site for kayaking. The trail to the water was extremely steep, and the shoreline was pretty overgrown.
First time down, I slipped and hurt myself. It’s steep, and muddy. We had to put a rope line for something to grab, but after my 1st spill…I went over to site 56 to get to the water. No way I was going to try and go down that hill with a kayak, let alone anything else in my hands. You can see the slope in the duck video on site 56.
Site 58: more private than the others, located close to bathhouse and extra parking. Not directly in the water. But a nice trail to access the water. The only downside for us, was that it was a little away from the rest of the sites. As it worked out, site 59 (not our group) did not have good access to the water, so there was a deal made, that the site 59 campers could walk through to get to their boat. Call it a con or a pro, but its just the way it worked. 59 would have been ours too but we ended up not needing it.
Level-ness: 57 was some what level, it took 2 blocks, and 58 was a little better, because it only took 1 block.
Condition: site 57: It could have used some blowing of debris, fire pit could have been dug out a bit. The railing was getting old and weathered. But overall, it was about standard. It needs some major solutions to the hill going down to the water. It seems about all the sites were equal in cleanliness, and upkeep.
Maneuvering: Maneuvering was not too bad. Site 56 and 57 are pull through, but it did take us a little back and forth to get the camper where we wanted it. And in the end, it wasn’t exactly how we like it, but this time, we really didn’t make a huge effort to line it up. Which is odd, because normally, every single time, he has to be lined up just where he wants it. It made my job a lot easier this time. Sites 56 and 57 are great buddy sites. They nearly share a driveway, and we actually had to over our truck, so they could get out with trailer.
Bonus: Close to home. Great swimming beach. We were able to set a volleyball net up on it and play. Victoria is right in the city, so anything you need, or forget, is easily accessible.
Pros: Great shower pressure. Hosts aren’t constantly riding around in your business.
Cons: Unable to regulate the shower temp. I used the handicap shower, and luckily, the water was tolerable because I could not adjust it. Some others in my group, said they could barely shower because it was too hot. Our sites were not the best for water access, but the water was not unobtainable. the traffic was so bad getting to the day use beach area that they were turning people away because they were full. I have never heard of a park doing that.
A pretty major con, that is not normally a con, is that it’s next to 2 boat ramps. The day use boat ramp and the campground boat ramp. There was A LOT of boat traffic, even for a holiday weekend. There was so many boats, the waves were capping like the ocean. One of our kayakers (my mom actually) got a sit in kayak swamped, and couldn’t get back on track without help. The waves were pretty brutal, and the worst I have seen of all my times at this lake and any of the campgrounds on it. As a side note, as we were fighting the waves, and trying to drain the kayak, and keeping from sinking, this young couple pulled up next to us in a float, with a baby. The girl gets out and starts posing, with her butt pretty much completely exposed, and the guy stays in the float and starts taking her “Instagram” worthy butt photos. So, I sort of lost hope in humanity for a moment. They were clearly not from the south. The guy did not even acknowledge us, or ask us if we needed a hand. We were invisible. So focused on their Instagram (well. I presume Instagram) photos that they did not even care what was happening around them.
To be fair, there were a lot of warnings coming into the holiday weekend about boat safety, kayaks and life jackets. Tragically, a young boy drowned over the holiday weekend on Lake Allatoona. Not one of our group, but I could definitely see the potential for trouble.
I blame the pandemic/Covid. I have noticed a huge escalation in outdoor participants, but never quite so in my face. Once we got to the island, I could see the day use area. It was packed like spring break in Panama City Beach. I have NEVER seen it that busy, in 15 years. There are just so many more people taking advantage of the outdoors than before. Like, they got told they couldn’t leave the house for awhile, and now they have decided to take every chance to be outdoors.
All in all it was a fantastic trip, and I would do it again in a heartbeat, even if the only sites we could get we the ones we had. We will probably return to Victoria, but its not usually our 1st Choice. It was not our 1st choice this year, but for availability and the amount of sites we needed, it worked.
Thanks for reading!
A Lil' More Thyme 
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