RV Overnight at Cracker Barrel and Walmart!

You can RV almost all the way across the country and never pay a thing

by staying overnight at a Cracker Barrel or Walmart.

This is Part 4 of the 6-part series “Cheap and Free RV Camping You Will Love!”

Living in an RV allows you to camp in amazing, beautiful places but sometimes you just need a safe place to stop for the night along the way. That’s when staying overnight at Cracker Barrel and Walmart works like a gem. Keep reading, and I’ll tell you how.

There are several retailers who are RV friendly, but policies change and some are hard to find.  That’s why Cracker Barrel and Walmart are my go-to overnight spots.

Let’s start with Cracker Barrel. Besides being addicted to their biscuits, there are 7 reasons I look for the big yellow and red sign when I need a place to RV overnight.

7 Reasons Cracker Barrel is my favorite place to RV Overnight

1. Cracker Barrel is almost everywhere.  They have expanded their footprint far across the country with 645 locations in 44 states.

2. They actively invite RVers to come and stay; if you go to the Cracker Barrel/locations webpage, you’ll see they have a TRIP FINDER that allows you to see Cracker Barrels along your route.  

3. Cracker Barrels are all corporately owned, so their RV Overnight Parking Policy doesn’t change with every location.

4. The RV parking spots are HUGE!  Everyone can fit in a Cracker Barrel space, whether they are in a van or a giant Class-A.

5. Cracker Barrel is a member of several RV and motor coach travel associations, including Good Sam, reinforcing that they are partnering with the RV community as part of their brand.

6. Cracker Barrel parking lots are well-lit and, in my experience, very quiet overnight.

7. Cracker Barrel has great breakfast, lunch and dinner and a cute country-themed store where you can buy snacks. Most locations also have a Book-on-Tape subscription service where you can join, then pick-up and drop-off new audio books at any location across the country. Now that’s traveler friendly!

   

    

4 Reasons Walmart is Still a Great Place to RV Overnight

1. 

   This is still, as of today, Walmart’s official RV policy is to the right. They mostly welcome RVs to park over night, with permission granted by individual store managers*.

2. Walmart is everywhere.

3. You can shop for everything while you’re there.

4. It’s usually safe and well-lit, with lots of other overnighters around you.

*As you may have heard, there are some Walmarts now that don’t allow RVs to park overnight. Sometimes this is due to someone being a bad guest; other times it’s because local ordinances don’t allow it. In my experience, the more urban the Walmart location, the more likely they are to reject RVs. Super Walmarts in smaller community are your best-bet.  There are several RV apps that let you filter your overnight search to include Walmart, Cracker Barrel and many other friendly retailers. On the left is a screenshot of a search I did in Colorado for both Cracker Barrel and Walmart on RVParky.

Even if you read on an app that a particular Walmart doesn’t allow parking call! As long as there is not a local ordinance against overnight parking, I usually get a positive response and permission, with the caveat that I park in a far corner of the lot, be out by 7am, and don’t block their delivery trucks from entering or exiting.

If the Walmart you want to stay at does not want you there, they post signs clearly; avoid these.

 

So, enjoy your travels and don’t fret.  If you need a safe place to stay or your Plan A campsite doesn’t work out, these friendly retailers welcome you.

Did you miss Part1, Part 2 or Part 3 of this series? Click these links to go back!

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Be Happy. Create More. Be Free

Robin

Creativity RV

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