Any ideas for stealth in the South?

[LivingandLearning]

My son wants to go to Florida this summer, and since I just like to go anywhere, we are traveling from Los Angeles to Gainesville, FL.  I have never been through the south and don't know what to expect.

My family has membership with the YMCA, so I figured we'd look for Y's for our showering and swimming.

We're traveling in an ex-daycare van--white with Fred Flintstone on the side.  We have a ladder rack with panels on top.  Essentially we would not be staying long in any one area, maybe one or two days at most.  Is there anything different about how I would stealth in southern CA to how I should try to stealth in southern states?  Are there places I should look for?  Is being stopped or visited by police more dangerous in the South (like in the movies)?

Also, in more rural areas, how might we address overnight parking?

Any wisdom would be appreciated.

 

[LeeRevell]

Despite how we are depicted in the movies, the South is as educated and developed as elsewhere.  Same rules apply as anywhere.  Truck stops and Wally's are still good spots to overnight.  Just be polite to the cops, as you should anywhere.

 

[rvwandering]

Are you sure that you want to go to Florida in the summer? Summer in the south with high humidity is a lot different than summer in California! :-D

 Will you be traveling fast on your way there? Will you be hugging the coast? We like to travel the back
roads but that makes for a much slower trip.  Anyway you're allowed to stay in any rest area in New Mexico and Texas at least overnight, sometimes for 48 hours. Rural Texas has a lot of picnic table rest areas. They're just a pull off with a few tables but they're usually nice and quiet at night. We stay at them a lot when we're traveling through Texas.

 Most Walmarts in the south still allow overnight parking. Some big city or touristy areas don't and most of the ones in Florida don't.

 Our go to spot in the south when can't find anything else is Cracker Barrel. Parking the back out of the way because they get very busy at breakfast time.

 We love staying in Biloxi Mississippi. There are miles of beach and lots of casino lots to stay in. The city still hasn't totally recovered from Katrina and you can park almost anywhere during the day. There are still big live oaks for shade. We've never been there in the summer so I don't know if it gets crowded.

 Florida is pretty tough for finding stealth camping but it should be easier with your van than with our RV. There a couple of casino where you can stay.  Wildlife Management Areas often have free camping but check the sites carefully because there are restrictions on some of them.  A lot of them are listed here - https://freecampsites.net/#!Florida&query=region

You don't have to worry about the police or your safety. It's not at all like the movies! :-D

 

[Yogidog]

Hi, I love I 10 super easy to go from.one.pilot or loves to the next. Biloxi is great. Florida is wayyyy hotter than I was imagining. I tried St Petersburg for a.summer anfewnyears ago. Couldn't do it, and I love heat!

Water conservation areas are great. Rest stops have security love that! II like national forest in lakecity. If it gets unbearable ID go to mountains by Atlanta. Have fun!

 

[LeeRevell]

The major restriction in Florida on camping in National Forest areas with hunt camps is during hunting season they are closed for camping (basically October through February, but this varies by hunting regions).  These often have running water by spigot, and often near a river or lake.   Just be careful if you want to swim - the Gators OWN the waterways.  No joke. 
Coastal areas and the central band around Tampa/St. Pete to Orlando tend to get more wind - it helps cut the heat and humidity a bit.  Actually we Floridians do our camping in the cooler months, opposite the high North.

 

[LivingandLearning]

Despite how we are depicted in the movies, the South is as educated and developed as elsewhere.  Same rules apply as anywhere.  Truck stops and Wally's are still good spots to overnight.  Just be polite to the cops, as you should anywhere.

Thank you for educating me.  I'm sure you are right.  My friends from the south are very lovely and mannered people.  I should have thought before I posted something so thoughtless.

Thanks for the reminder about truck stops and Wallyworlds.  I like both places.

 

[ilovemyvan]

Your road trip sounds like a lot of fun. I was wondering if you ever tried sleeping in a "HOT" van before. I personally find it miserable, but that might just be me. A thought might be to budget some - just in case - money. Just in case it turns out that a van is too hot to sleep in and you have to stay at hotels for most of your trip. One think to keep in mind is the mosquitoes. They are ferocious here. You will not be able to leave your windows down at night unless you find a way to install some screens.

Enjoy!

Nicole

 

[lterry]

Parking lots aren't so available in the Florida coastline cities - even Walmart. Lowe's, home depot, and hospitals are still good for overnight parking as well as most cracker barrels. As for the heat people don't realize how effective a fantastic fan can be. And I feel like police are a lot more relaxed here than in northern states. Just talk to them. Generally southerners like talking. If in a situation just talk don't stand there closed mouthed with attitude or worse act superior...not that I feel like you would.
Also screening applied with magnetic tape works great
And have fun! good luck on your trip.

 

[billybob200138]

Well I am a true southerners. That being said my rich uncle did send me all over the world. I always returned. Anyway. My favorite sticker or tee shirt logo will be.......paddle faster I hear banjo music.........nuff said. HoboJoe

 

[karl]

Lots of NF around Ocala, spent a chunk of last winter there. Rainbow people tend to gather around there and can be a nuisance.....
My favorite free campground is Cobb camp, east of Lake City a few miles.

I prefer the mountains of Ga and TN most any time, especially in summer.....and have yet to hear banjo's ;-)

 

[RV-Hopeful]

Born and raised in FL, it's hot HOT HOT HUMID in the summer ... plus mosquitoes and no-see-um gnats ... ugh, I live in NM now and have plans to go back to FL to be near my son but I plan to go in the coolers months and ease in to summer there ... or come back out to NM for summer.

It's nice there tho and the people are too! Have a wonderful and safe trip.

 

[Raven+Squid]

Yea, a lot of ventilation is important.

 

[Canine]

Ditto on Cobb camp.Also West tower is good.Sad to say,but if you are not white you may be hassled by the cops or locals.The racist mentality is alive and well in many areas.Good Luck.

 

[LeeRevell]

As a lifelong Floridian I find the "racism" thing no more prevalent here in the South than in any metropolitan area up north I have visited.  Of course, copping an 'attitude' gets you in deep kimchi here, whatever your complexion.

 

[travlinman and wife]

Leerevell how do you know about getting into deep kimchi

 

[karl]

Ditto on Cobb camp.Also West tower is good.Sad to say,but if you are not white you may be hassled by the cops or locals.The racist mentality is alive and well in many areas.Good Luck.

That's a sad fact! Witnessed that at Tumbling creek in Tn as well.....

 

[LivingandLearning]

Ditto on Cobb camp.Also West tower is good.Sad to say,but if you are not white you may be hassled by the cops or locals.The racist mentality is alive and well in many areas.Good Luck.

I am white and my husband is brown.  When we traveled in the midwest we did get hassled--not by police, but by servers in restaurants or people in gas stations.  Kansas had Klan graffiti in the restrooms.  In Iowa the cashiers in McDonald's were hostile as were the Mennonites stopping in for lunch.  (Actually, so was my own extended family...) That was a long time ago, and hopefully things are improving.

I'm sure bigger cities are used to multi-ethnic people, but I'm a little concerned about less populated areas.  For those in the know, do you think it would be better for me to drive?  Would that make it less likely that we would be stopped?

Thanks,
Tracy :s

 

[LivingandLearning]

Yea, a lot of ventilation is important.

I'll try to get a fan installed before we leave.  I have one from Walmart that plugs into the cigarette lighter, but I bet the fantastic fans would move more air.

 

[Txjaybird]

I am white and my husband is brown.  When we traveled in the midwest we did get hassled--not by police, but by servers in restaurants or people in gas stations.  Kansas had Klan graffiti in the restrooms.  In Iowa the cashiers in McDonald's were hostile as were the Mennonites stopping in for lunch.  (Actually, so was my own extended family...) That was a long time ago, and hopefully things are improving.

I'm sure bigger cities are used to multi-ethnic people, but I'm a little concerned about less populated areas.  For those in the know, do you think it would be better for me to drive?  Would that make it less likely that we would be stopped?

Thanks,
Tracy :s

It really saddens me that you have to be concerned about skin color to determine who should drive on a family trip......Hopefully LEOs' will only stop you for a valid reason......  I grew up in Dallas Tx. with many brown skinned friends...neighbors and schoolmates...and was in one of the first groups of kids "bussed" across town in the '60s.......In the '70s   after 2wks in public school in Grapevine TX my son wanted to know what color he was..I said "you are slightly tan...why"  With wonder in his voice he said 
"did you know that there are brown  and red and yellow people?"      when I asked so what.... he just said " nothing I just wondered if you knew"   I just always accepted people for who they were not what shade they were.

I've lived in S.D. twice and in a lot of the small towns everyone knows everyone and a newcomer makes folks curious........as soon as I speak in my southern drawl the questions start.......to the point I threatened to have a T shirt made saying     " I'M FROM TEXAS...SO WHUT?....IT'S MARILYN JORGENSON'S DAMN FAULT I'M HERE!"  She is a dear friend from SD that I met in TX.  that pointed me to my first of two homes i've bought in the "Frozen North".......I was Hurley SD's "token Texan" for years. 

  When arranging  for a storage unit here in AL over the phone from KY I mentioned I  had lived in the area previously and was asked "who were you when you were here before"  I replied "the same person I am now"  It was real quite for a long time, seems she just wanted to know who my  "people" were.   Just small town curiosity at work....I think it's the same everywhere.

I hope you guys have a safe and uneventful trip............Texas Jbird

 

[USExplorer]

Best practice in the Panhandle is to park well off an unpopulated back road (preferably unpaved), and avoid obnoxious activities. Unless it is explicitly approved I would skip the campfire. Florida has plenty of trees that stay green year round, concealment is quite easy. Use a GPS and cruise the back roads as dusk falls. Whenever you see a potential campsite, stop and check it out. No mud? Concealment from the road (the busier the road, the more screening)? No houses nearby? No posted signs?  If it is marginal, make a mental note of its location and keep looking.

If you are concerned about unprofessional police conduct during a police encounter, let the officer know that he is being recorded. The news articles about cops caught on camera have made most cops very cautious about their conduct. You will likely be rousted if you park on the side of a back road. Stay calm, don't make up a story, don't show ID unless you are violating the law. Van dwelling and nomadism is a novelty in much of the rural South, so you have the opportunity to create a first impression, unlike Southern California. If all goes well, the cop will likely apologize for waking you up, wish you luck in your travels, and drive off. Best though to avoid all this by not being seen when camping, and following the speed limits in little towns. 

Pine barrens is the easiest habitat to find camping in the South. If there are flat to slightly rolling sandy hills, scrubby ugly pines, no agriculture and very little pasture, dumpy trailers along the highways, and half-dead towns, you are in luck for camping.

Free rural campsites near the Atlantic or Gulf are difficult to find. Much of the coast that is not swamp has been developed, and the swamp is miles deep and impenetrable by car on much of the rest. 

The Appalachian foothills are another challenging region. The public roads keep to the valleys, and all the tracks leading up into the hills are gated and posted. Most of the land along the public roads is heavily posted as well. 

The Piedmont varies widely, from heavily developed sprawling cities like Charlotte and Atlanta to thousands of acres of abandoned farms and pastures being reclaimed by nature. Some of the most difficult are areas within a hundred miles of a prospering city, where the affluent have massive rural estates and hunting preserves diligently fenced and posted. 

Overall, the South has an incredible cultural variety, and yes a lot of friction. Get comfortable visiting the dynamic but generic New South, then venture into the Old South for some serious culture shock.