Shields RV Park

Shields RV Park is located on the Navy Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, at the end of Pass Road. We came from the East, Hwy 90 which was a beautifully scenic road, on the water! We had no problems traveling this road in our Class A RV with toad. Once in Gulfport, we turned on 33rd Ave and then looked for the Burger King on the left, a small NCBC sign is seen on the right. At this intersection we turned left onto 25th St. which is Pass Rd. NCBC gate is at the end of this road. Entrance to the gate included temporary barricades. Essentially, you come up to a stop sign and wait for the sentry to motion for you to come forward. We presented ID and were told how to get to the RV park office. The older RV park is located to the right of the entrance gate so you can't miss it. Signage was good. We stopped near the office and checked in. There were two people working. We received materials on the campground as well as the community. We also paid a $100 refundable deposit for a cable TV box to use during our stay. The box included a remote with batteries (that worked!) and an informational book with the phone number to call to activate the service. This entire process took less than 30 minutes and we had several hundred (yes, hundred!) channels! We were pleasantly surprised. Our reservation was at the older RV park. This park has really spacious campsites with a concrete pad to park the rig and paved entrance and exit to the site. It also had a picnic table in good order. Almost all of these sites are pull through. Only a few in the very front of the park are back in. Rules for the park are clear, though, that you cannot have anything in the ground (no tents, stakes, etc.) and your slide outs cannot extend beyond the concrete pad. We saw a few minor violations, but, for the most part, this park seemed to be well managed with rules enforced. The older RV park has great open WiFi and our Verizon service was excellent! It is noisy, though. This park has a graveyard on one side but also has a heavily traveled road on the other. An active railroad track is close by and the Dole distribution trucks are across the road. The hospital is also close by so we heard ambulances, fire and police sirens most nights. We also heard trains every day and could noticebly smell exhaut fumes from across the road. We visited the newer campground just to see the difference. This campground is located across the base and I would think, based on what is around it (golf course, dog park, walking path, woods), the noise level is probably minimal. The sites are closer and they are all back in. The campground seemed well kept overall. Each site had the same concrete pad and was paved. We attempted to check WiFi speeds but were unable to do so. The base has a nice fitness area, indoor pool, commissary, and other amenities. We were pleased with the overall experience at this campground. Because we stayed seven nights, we paid $19/night, a great deal for full hookups and better than expected cable! The local area of Gulfport and Biloxi were nice. Getting back to Hwy. 90, we enjoyed the beach and a Veterans appreciation lunch at one of the local casinos on Monday. We did not gamble (no interest in that), but we did enjoy a BOGO lunch buffet there. We enjoyed local farmers' markets, purchasing local honey and enjoying the history of the area. Memorials from Hurricane Katrina devastation are present throughout this area. We enjoyed our stay and I could see us going back in the future! We also made great friends and met "Libby," who is a spitting image of our schnauzer, "Lizzie." 

We have been here for 45 days and it has been a wonderful stay. The park is great. It is clean, roomy side to side and front to back and each site has its own grassy area. The ‘yards’ are meticulously maintained as is the whole park. The sites are concrete pads and the roads are asphalt. Nice, wide roads and deep sites. Wifi is good. The speed is good and we didn’t have any problems with it. The Verizon cell signal is strong and, because there are no trees, our satellite dish zoomed right in. The staff at the office are great. The park (base) is only about 6 blocks from the beautiful Gulfport beaches and there are a lot of restaurants and just about anything else you might need. Now here’s the bad news. Trains! Each day/night there are about 3 to 5 trains going through town and they blow their horns as if they are going through a school yard. There is a little traffic noise from the road to north side, but it isn’t too bad unless there are emergency vehicles. And, there are emergency vehicles in this area often. All in all, we would stay here again and again. 

We didn't have a bad stay and would go back.  HOWEVER, there are limitations to the place.  I love the Gulfport/Biloxi area. There is lots to see and do there especially if you are a casino lover; there are several within a 20 mile radius.  We found southern hospitality, both on and off the bases (NCBC & Keesler AFB) to be truly endearing and memorable.  For us Yankees our first Mardi Gras was a real hoot!  Great food and the beautiful Gulf.  It was decent to walk the dogs around the perimeter of the park and the dog park on the other side of the base was nice.  Both of the bases have decent Exchanges and commissaries as well as the usual Thrift Shop, Auto Hobby Shop, gas station, etc.  The limitations of life at Shields RV Park are the (afore-mentioned) Warden and the lack of organized activities for the campers. The staff did make attempts; Christmas and Super Bowl Parties, but for the most part you are pretty much on your own.  Campers were trying to gin up activities like going out for Taco Tuesday, an occasional breakfast, etc. And when the weather cleared folks were out and about more and friendships were formed. Camper Max will gladly help you repair things and his dog Boo is always friendly.  It would just be a better place if there were more organization and group activities.    A new (additional) RV park has been added on the back side of the base near SeaBee Lake.  It's a beautiful facility and seems very nice but we haven't stayed there.  I'm not sure why, unless it was because of space limitations, but none of the sites are pull-throough.  The staff seems to be trying to be helpful and friendly but there have been sopme personnel changes over the last couple of years and training is probably needed. 

Nice pull through sites. Close to beach, resturants and an outlet mall. Small commissary and BX on base. Gas station carries diesel. Not far from a large commissary at Kessler AFB. Cable and wifi are reliable. Clean laundry facility. Trains! Trains run several times a day on nearby tracks. Horns blaring. We got use to it. Sirens! Emergency vehicles run frequently on a road just outside the fence. Got use to them too. 

The base is easy to find and the older park where we have visited on four occasions is just inside the gate. The sites are roomy and level, the park is clean, and office staff friendly. Shields is not in a rural location so normal city noises are to be expected. Granted, there are rules and regulations applicable to the base and park; however, we are grateful to be guests of our military installations and appreciate any regulations that apply. When approaching the gate wait for the sentry to wave you up. They will indicate the easiest pass through for you. The only item that could make this a 5 instead of a 4 is to have a little gathering room for folks to meet. 

This is our first time at this facility and I'd say won't be the last! What a great location! There are miles of beaches nearby and not even close to being crowded. And even if one section were crowded, you just head west or east and find you a spot! The restaurants are great, plenty of seafood and fishing, the people are friendly; it's just and all-around great place to visit! Now for the park: Location: As I said, brilliant! Great location; I-10 is just a few miles north of the park, too. There are two parks, the older park beside the cemetery, just inside the gate; and a newer park at the back of the base by the lake. Cleanliness/Hospitality: The office staff have been friendly and helpful; the Men's Room was a bit dirty on arrival, but has been spotless thereafter. Amenities/Facilities: All amenities are well serviced and maintained. Laundry facility is great ($1.50 to wash and dry one load, for us). The NEX, Commissary, and NEX Gas/Convenience store are easy to find with helpful signage, though there are towards the back of the base. Value: Considering how civilian campgrounds gouge you for $40-60/night, these days, it's a spectacular value... Overall Experience: Awesome! One note: we stayed in site #12 in the old section, just inside the gate, and it floods when it rains. So, does site #11. It eventually drains and dries, but just know that if you get either spot, it will flood when it rains (an inch, or more of rain).