Reviews written by loumiii

Head east on 1st street and you will see a sign for the River Recreation Area "Picnic Fish Camp" it says, so, although not supported or advertised by MWR this is a base approved camping area with no fees or checkin required. Within a mile of the main base area you will begin to see gravel pullouts along the road. I pulled into a very large one at a closed quarry site, it could easily accommodate 30 or 40 of the biggest rigs! Its quiet, convenient, yet out of the way, and I'm the only one here. If you are just passing through and want a nice spot to dry camp this place would be hard to beat.

It was good to be able to stop here for awhile, the VA Medical Center is right next to the Famcamp. This park offers both long and short term spaces and there are a few, mostly active duty assigned to the base, living here. The staff were very nice and helpful, I had no trouble getting in initially nor in moving to a long term spot when I got sick. I can understand that this is a premium location in the wintertime, but they do have a large overflow area. I'm sure the camp is nearly empty in the summer. Biloxi was a great place to visit, and the base has many amenities. A very friendly community. The casinos offer great military discounts on meals to retired as well as active duty, but each one is on a different day of the week so call to check that out. I also thought the buffet lunch at the Bay Breeze Club on base was great food and a good value too. Yoga classes are offered free at one of the fitness centers and the instructor was a cut above those I've encountered elsewhere. The on base marina offers a lot of activities and I got a sailing class in while I was here. All in all this was a great extended vacation.

Sadly this base is closing. The NEX, commissary and fitness center are already closed (moved to Belle Chasse they say in the pass office here, the temporary lodging facility will be closed May 31st and the gas station is closing on June 4th. I was told the whole base will be shutdown by Sept 1 this year.

This is not a campground or rv park and really shouldn't be listed here. It is a residential trailer park. There are 68 spaces and 67 are occupied, they would not rent the empty space on a temporary basis. On advice of residents I left my rig for a week unattended on base in the parking lot of an office building across the street from the park while I stayed in New Orleans. When I returned I stayed there one night and in the empty park space one night (the MWR office responsible for the trailer park is closed on Weds and Thurs - I pulled in on Thurs and out Fri without talking to anyone). There were no problems from leaving the rig or borrowing the spot for a night. Construction has begun on a new rv campground for those passing through the New Orleans area with completion expected around the end of September. They are still rebuilding from Katrina, the exchange and commissary are brand new; as was the parking lot I stayed on. I arrived on Thurs when the office was closed but I spoke with several residents and MWR employees. Everyone was friendly and helpful. There are no amenities for campers but the value was great, 8 nights of parking at no charge. The base is reasonably close to New Orleans, you can park a car for the day somewhere at Algers Point and take the free ferry to Jackson Square. All in all, a good experience for me, perhaps I was just lucky though.

I just spent two nights here at McConnell. The airman at the gate gave me directions to the famcamp which was easy to find. Its small, old, sites right next to each other, and there are absolutely no signs at the famcamp on how or where to register. I chose an empty site and set up, got my instructions on how to register from this website! The lady at the front desk was pleasant and helpful. She did say that at times the famcamp is full and calling ahead for a reservation is a good idea. She offered the hotel laundromat at no charge to do laundry. She also mentioned that if you have pets you must present their shot records in order to register. And the planned expansion is not ever happening as far as she knew, still in the rumor/talking stage. The camp itself is not really suitable for a big rig, and there are no sewer hookups. The cable tv outlet on the electric box is not hooked to anything hence is not functional, but the electric worked. The camp is located in a very pleasant and out of the way part of the base. Lots of grass, a couple of small lakes nearby. Base amenities are fine but be aware that the class VI store is overcharging outrageously. I was shocked at the prices and mentioned it to someone standing next to me with a clipboard. He turned out to be the beer distributor and said the manager was using an 80% markup vs. the 20% that was normal off base. Otherwise it was a quiet pleasant place to stop for a couple of nights, I'd stay there again.

Prices have increased to $20 per night, $90 per week. The directions need updating. Ongoing construction in base housing has wiped out the first block of Andrews. From Martin take the first left at the end of the construction fence, then the second left onto Boeing. Then right on Andrews, right on Mesquite, and the first left into the rv camp. The host was pleasant, the camp is clean and well maintained. The base is nice with all the usual amenities and facilities, golf course, indoor pool, commissary and BX, etc. White Sands National Monument is only six miles further but has no camping. However $20 per night for a parking space and hookups exceeds the price at New Mexico State Parks and many of the commercial parks in the area I think.