Publication
Woodall’s Campground Magazine
Author
Woodall’s Campground Magazine
Published
March 21, 2023
Source
Springtime festival fans will find a lot to love about the new Spacious Skies Campgrounds Spring Bloom Trail.
The trail, which travels from Tennessee to Maine highlights not only the explosion of wildflower color along the way but also the many local festivals that celebrate the season, according to a press release.
“There are countless ways to celebrate the arrival of spring throughout the East, and campers and glampers who home-base at Spacious Skies Campgrounds are close to all of the action,” said Ali Rasmussen, co-founder of Spacious Skies Campgrounds. “All of the campgrounds have close ties to the communities where they are located, and it is extremely important to us to support local events, artists and makers.”
All 14 Spacious Skies Campgrounds are located in destinations with nearby charming towns, scenic vistas, parks and attractions. The campgrounds feature a variety of options including RV sites and glamping options like cabins, yurts and retro trailers. RV-curious travelers can also experience the freedom of camping by renting an RV through RVShare.
Trail-followers can save 12% per night by joining the new Spacious Skies Loyalty Program. For the inaugural year, the annual fee to join is $31.90, a reflection of the two-year-old company’s founding date of March 19, 2021. Loyalty program members are the first to hear about exclusive promotions and merchandise as well as company news such as the addition of new campgrounds and improvements to existing parks in the collection.
Campers can select their preferred RV sites or lodging and make reservations online.
Here are some examples of festivals that travelers will find along the Spacious Skies Spring Bloom Trail.
The Whoopie Pie Festival celebrates Maine’s Official State Treat.
Tennessee:
Festival: Blooms, Bluegrass & BBQ, May 5-6
Campground: Spacious Skies Belle Ridge, Monterey, Tenn.
Details: Staged in the town of Sweetwater, about 90 minutes from Monterey, this festival features the very best in barbecue, spring flowers and bluegrass music. Sweetwater is a nationally designated Main Street district with a revitalized downtown and many well-preserved historic sites.
South Carolina
Festival: Piedmont Plant & Flower Festival, April 27 – 30
Campground: Spacious Skies Peach Haven
Details: Staged at the Greenville State Farmers Market, visitors can shop for plans, garden essentials, Certified South Carolina produce, springtime décor and more.
North Carolina:
Festival: Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, April 27-30
Campground: Spacious Skies Sandy Run
Details: For more than 40 years, the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival has celebrated the state’s dogwood trees with a lineup of entertainment, food, arts and crafts, carnival rides and a car, motorcycle and truck show. A highlight of the festival is the “Cork and Fork” premier food and wine event.
Festival: Bigfoot Festival, May 19 – 20
Campground: Spacious Skies Hidden Creek
Details: Even if you don’t believe, you won’t want to miss the third annual WNC Bigfoot Festival in Marion. This celebration of the legendary creature covers several blocks of the town’s main street and features a ton of Sasquatch souvenirs, speakers, food and a kid zone.
Festival: Asheville Herb Festival, May 5 – 7
Campground: Spacious Skies Bear Den
Details: The largest herb festival in the U.S., this event features herb growers, herbalists and related businesses and highlights natural gardening and landscaping techniques.
Virginia:
Festival: Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, April 28 – May 7
Campground: Spacious Skies Shenandoah Views
Details: Based in nearby Winchester, the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival promotes the beauty of springtime and apple blossoms with a multi-day showcase of events and initiatives that enhance community spirit and agricultural heritage.
New Jersey:
Festival: Doo Dah Parade, April 15
Campground: Spacious Skies Country Oaks
This comedy parade in Ocean City welcomes spring as it has for more than 35 years. Festivities start at noon and feature string bands, marching bands, floats and pageant winners. Normally, Shriners in their miniature cars are the most fun part of these events, but they take second place at the Doo Dah Parade. That’s because the winners are some 300 basset hounds that have a howling good time.
New York:
Festival: Hudson Valley Pirate Festival, May 13 – 14
Campground: Spacious Skies Woodland Hills
Who passes up an opportunity to wear a Blackbeard eyepatch on one eye and Captain Jack Sparrow makeup on the other? The Hudson Valley Pirate Festival in New Paltz promises a shipload of fun for a reasonable number of doubloons.
Festival: Adirondack Woof Stock, June 3 – 4
Campground: Spacious Skies Adirondack Peaks
Details: With a tagline of “Peace, Paws and Music!,” this promises to make up for the big event you missed in 1969. This is more of a family-oriented event with dog competitions, food vendors and, of course, live music. It‘s time to get back to the garden.
Massachusetts
Festival: Boston Pizza Festival, June 24 – 25
Campground: Spacious Skies Minute Man
Details: Since everybody loves pizza, why not have a festival devoted to it? Boston Pizza Festival features all-you-can-eat pizza, music, entertainment, activities and more. Frankly, we were sold at pizza.
New Hampshire
Festival: Exeter UFO Festival, September 2-3.
Campground: Spacious Skies Seven Maples
Details: On Sept. 3, 1965 an 18-year-old hitchhiking at 2 a.m. spotted five flashing red lights hovering silently over a farm. A woman driving and two policemen also reported seeing the lights and an object approximately 80-90 feet across hovering 100 feet off the ground. Now known as the “Exeter Incident,” it is celebrated every year the first weekend of September and is a major fundraiser for the local Kiwanis Club. The festival features speakers, contests, souvenirs, kids’ activities and food/refreshments. This one is so much fun that we broke our rule of suggesting only spring/summer festivals.
Festival: New Hampshire Bacon & Beer Festival, June 3
Campground: Spacious Skies French Pond
Details: Supporting the High Hopes Foundation which provides life-enhancing experiences and medical equipment to the state’s terminally and chronically ill children, the 7th annual Beer & Bacon Festival in Merrimack features more than 25 samples of bacon and pulled pork. And if you don’t want to pig out on pork, some 150 beers will take your mind off of it.
Maine
Festival: Bug Light Kite Festival, May 20
Campground: Spacious Skies Walnut Grove
Details: Returning this year after a hiatus, the Bug Light Kite Festival in South Portland is sponsored by the South Portland Historical Society and the Nor’Easters Kite Club. People bring their own kites or purchase one at the festival. The festival is free, but lunch is not. The good news is that proceeds from food sales go to support the Historical Society’s museum.
Festival: Whoopie Pie Festival, June 24
Campground: Spacious Skies Balsam Woods
Details: Maine’s Official State Treat, the Whoopie Pie is actually two cookies with a creamy filling. The festival is the largest event in Piscataquis County. Guests enjoy a wide range of contests such as best healthy pie and best traditional pie. And since you cannot spend all day just eating Whoopie Pies, there’s live music, a magic show, a quilt raffle and more.