Harrisonburg-New Market KOA Broadway, VA October 2001

Our local high school marching band was scheduled to perform in a competition at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Since our daughter is one of the band's color guard instructors, we used the occasion as an excuse to get in a late-October camping trip in the Shenandoah Valley area. We did a quick search on the Internet and came up with the Harrisonburg-New Market KOA in Broadway, Virginia. It was located about 13 miles from JMU, so we called and reserved a site with water and electric hookups.

When we arrived on Friday afternoon, we were met with a friendly receptionist who checked us in and directed us to our site. Our assigned site (Site 53) was located at the far end of the campground. So, we only had "neighbors" on one side and across the road from us. We prefer secluded sites, so we lucked out on this one. As with most of the sites, ours was in a wooded setting with a picnic table and a large fire ring made of rocks. The site was reasonably large and well-maintained. If I had one complaint, it was the fact that the hookups on this site were on the opposite side of the connectors on our trailer. We had to route the water hose under the trailer in order to reach the spigot. This was only a minor annoyance, though. We were satisfied with the site.

Favorite Sites Here are some sites with water and electric hookups that looked good to us: 3, 5, 7, 53, 54, 55 Full hookup and tent sites are also available.

Overall, the campground is fairly small, which we like. Although there were lots of large RVs and travel trailers there, there were also quite a few pop-ups and tent campers. Sites with full hookups, water and electric, and secluded tent sites are available. They also have four of the standard KOA "Kamping Kabins" available.

As you might expect with a KOA campground, this one was well-equipped. The bathhouse was arguably the cleanest I have ever encountered in a campground. The campstore had the essential groceries and camping items and includes some souvenir and gift items. There's a swimming pool (in season) and a small fishing pond. Other recreational opportunities include basketball, horseshoes, a 2-mile hiking trail, and a playground for the kids. There is also a game room in the back of the camp store, for those so inclined. On Saturday evening while we were there, they had a hayride for the kids and showed a Halloween horror movie under the pavilion.

If you're a Civil War buff, the area is chock-full of historic sites and battlefields. Skyline Drive is not too far away, either.

When camping late in the season, we've noted that most people tend to retreat into their campers when it gets dark. As we sat around our campfire at night, we were amazed at how quiet the campground got. In fact, we seemed to be the only ones with a campfire going.

While we were on the go for most of the weekend, we did enjoy the time we spent at the campground. Next time we're in the area, we plan to allow some more time to explore more of the surrounding area.

For more information on the Harrisonburg-New Market KOA, visit the KOA website at www.koa.com/where/va/46140.htm or call them at (540)896-8929.