Camping in the Smokies Just Got an Upgrade! | Roamstead Campground Tennessee

This week we're camping in the Smokies, rafting down the Nantahala River, exploring on the motorcycle, indulging in some delicious meals, and spending time relaxing by the creek. After spending five days of primitive camping in North Carolina with friends, Kate and I made our way to the other side of the Smokies for a few nights of camping at Romestead Campground in Tennessee. When the new owners invited us out for a stay, we were excited to check out the campground and use it as a base to explore the great Smoky Mountains. After getting a full rundown of the various campground amenities and daily activities, I was surprised to learn about the complimentary coffee and granola. We made it! It's like a beautiful spot to spend a week. Yeah, we've got the creek right there. Well, it's time to set up camp and unwind from the travel day, but first a nice cold sparkling water. Kate really is the best. Cheers. You can't tell by all the sweat, it is hot out here and humid, so I'm plugging this in because we're going to be running the AC constantly. It's 97, feels like 106. And in case you're wondering, that's Kate's co-pilot when I'm riding the motorcycle. I just scoped out the bathhouse. It is very nice, especially compared to the last place we just stayed at, which was very primitive. And the shower even has shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. But I couldn't figure out how to set the temperature. It was one of those push button things, so I took a very hot shower. Considering I'm a sweaty mess, I think I'm gonna have to go check out the bathhouse myself. And I think for the rest of the evening, we're gonna just hang out in here, watch the F1 race, and enjoy the campground. Good morning. Looks like it rained last night. It's a little bit wet out there, but you know what time it is? Coffee time. While I have several ways to make coffee in the camper, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try a cup of the complimentary coffee at the campground. Plus, it felt good to stretch the legs and explore the campground a bit. So I'm happy to report that the coffee is actually quite good. Once we made it back to our campsite, I made some breakfast and Kate made herself a matcha latte in our new favorite kitchen gadget. Being a quiet Monday morning at the campground with very few campers around, we decided to enjoy the peaceful morning by relaxing by the creek. Time to pack up and head out. We made plans last night to go rafting with our friends. Joe and I have never rafted in our lives, so very excited and slightly nervous, but I can't wait. With our friends camping on the other side of the Great Smoky Mountains, we decided to take the scenic route to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. It was a quick drive through Gatlinburg and we enjoyed beautiful views of the Smokies the rest of the way. Since we arrived a bit early for our rafting trip, there was plenty of time to get checked in, rent booties, and watch the Great Smoky Mountain train head back to Bryson City, North Carolina. While it would have been much cooler to ride the train upriver to the launch point, we hopped on a big blue bus to the starting point of our two-hour rafting adventure down the Nantahala River with our guide Robert. By sheer luck, we ended up being the last guided raft on the river and got to take our time exploring and learning about the different sections of the river, including this private community of homes built right along the water. There was even time for the ladies to jump into the water, which Kate described as refreshing. According to our guide, the water temperature was somewhere around the high 40s. It was a good thing we went rafting on a hot summer afternoon because even without jumping into the water, there were plenty of opportunities to get splashed on the trip. That was incredible. It was a great time. So much fun. Perfect guide and one to two ranking, they said. So very, very good for beginners. Very mild, but we were the only boat on the river and it was awesome. The two-hour drive back to the campground ended up being another highlight of our day with Elf roaming along the side of the road and a beautiful sunset through the mountains. Kate and I have been having a very relaxing morning sitting next to the creek, just reading, catching up on some work, and now she's getting stuff ready to make lunch. On the menu today, bacon, pork chops, mushrooms, and onions. Quick tip when you're cooking next to your camper van, if you put the exhaust fan on intake, it'll help keep any of the smoke and smells from going inside. Kate cut up her pork chop to make warm salad with a drizzle of our Max Carolina mustard sauce, while I had mine with a drizzle of honey. For afternoon ice cream, favorite part of the day. Somebody's having a little indulgence after our lunch. This is my favorite camping guilty pleasure. Me? Just coffee. Kate and I have decided to go into Gatlinburg and check out the hot mess over there. We're going to take the motorcycle since it's easier to park and we don't have to pack up the van. The campground is conveniently located right off US 321 and less than 20 miles from the heart of Gatlinburg, which attracts visitors from all over the country. Well, Gatlinburg was a hot mess. It was very hot just sitting in the sun and all that traffic. The other problem we were having is most of the parking does not allow motorcycles because they have gates that we can just ride right by, so they don't trust that we'd actually pay for parking. So we've decided to just ride around and see some of the area. It's been really nice having the motorcycle on this trip and getting to explore on two wheels together. I know Kate is way more comfortable on the back of the FJR than my last motorcycle. After a warm afternoon of riding around in full motorcycle gear, we were both ready for a shower and to relax in our air-conditioned camper over a bowl of popcorn and a movie. I know I said the coffee here is good, however, my coffee is always better. So I'm starting the morning off right with a cup of joe made by Joe. As I was getting out of bed this morning preparing to make coffee, Kate asked me if I wanted bacon and eggs or if I wanted to go out and get barbecued. My response was yes. Well, apparently that was the wrong response because I had to pick one or the other, so we're going to go and get barbecued later today. So we got a full rack of ribs and half a chicken. Joe loves his barbecue, as do I. I definitely made the right decision this morning. Bacon and eggs would not have been this good. Go check out the bear carvings. I've always wanted one of these. Lucky for me, we can't fit any on the motorcycle. Don't worry, there's plenty of room for our leftover barbecue. On the ride back to camp, we made a detour to check out Sevierville and the Dolly Parton statue in town. I'm so sweaty from that ride, but guess what I just got? I noticed her freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Once the cookies were gone, we popped our heads inside one of the spruce cabins on the property to scope it out for a future visit. Most of our friends and family do not have campers, so we like scoping out campgrounds have climate-controlled cabins where they can stay instead of having to find a hotel nearby. Kate decided to spend the morning on the roof deck. She's just watching the creek go by and enjoying her time up there. And if you've been wondering what happened to all of our leftover barbecue, well, it's leftover day a la Joe. For brunch, I made a pork rib scramble, then Kate took a break to have some more chocolate chip cookies while getting some work done. And for dinner, we heated up the remaining ribs and chicken for barbecue salad. Well, Kate and I really haven't done all that much today. We've just sat around and relaxed, both got some work done, but we're just going to have some more popcorn, do another movie night, relax in the van. It has gotten crazy here because it is Friday, so the whole campground has filled up and we are happy in our van right now. And even happier with our new camper lighting upgrade. Well, this is our last morning at the campground we check out today, but before we leave, I'm still getting my bacon and eggs. Nothing like a hearty meal to start off a travel day. With checkout time not until noon, we took our time cleaning up and getting ready to hit the road for our next adventure. That is it for this video. Thank you all so much for watching. If you enjoyed it, please give us a thumbs up. Subscribe if you haven't already. And if you want to see other campgrounds and places we visited, head over to our YouTube channel or We're the Russos. See you next time. Bye. Wait, you're still here? Well, I guess that means you're in need of a good book and I've got two for you. Take Risks and Tales from the Open Road, available on Amazon and pretty much anywhere else you can buy books these days.