Customer Reviews

Foghorn Outdoors: Alabama & Georgia Camping: The Complete Guide to More Than 380 Campgrounds

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When I lived in California, I picked up Foghorn Outdoors: California Camping, and I was extremely impressed. The California book is written by Tom Stienstra, a real outdoorsy kind of guy, and it's filled with detailed advice and amusing anecdotes. Best of all, each campground listing provides a detailed, opinionated description which makes it clear that the author has actually personally checked out most, if not all, of the sites. Each site is even rated on a scale from 1 to 10, and there are overview lists like "Best Coastal Hikes." It's a great book.

I was disappointed, then, after moving to Atlanta and ordering Foghorn Outdoors: Alabama & Georgia Camping. Marilyn Sue Windle is no Tom Stienstra. She makes it clear in her introduction that she is fairly new to camping, and didn't even like it until some friends dragged her on a car camping trip an unspecified number of years ago. She does provide some useful advice at the beginning of the book, but most of it comes from her friend Gautam at the Sierra Club, and it's much more from a casual perspective ("My camp bed is more comfortable than many I've found in motels") than Tom Stienstra's ("This made sense to me until the first time I came face-to-face with a nine-foot grizzly 40 yards away.")

Once the introduction is out of the way, you get to the meat of the book. Like the California Foghorn book, this is divided into sections based on map grids, and the locations of each campground are easy to find on the map. You get all the basic statistics about each site, like facilities, reservations, directions, etc. Beyond that, there's just a couple sentences of "trip notes," most of which sound like they were lifted from a park brochure. There is little to indicate that the author has ever been to most of the campgrounds herself (she says in the introduction that she "personally contacted each campground"), and there is very little in the way of personal opinion. I didn't see any negative points listed for any of the campgrounds, making it very difficult to pick which ones are worth visiting.

Perhaps I'm too hard on this book, because my expectations were set high by Foghorn's California edition. And I don't know if there are any better books for the Georgia area. If you're just looking for a reference listing all the campgrounds in the area, this is a great place to start, and it's well-organized. I'm sure Marilyn Windle is a fine person, but "When my work schedule permits, I'm out nearly every weekend" just doesn't compare to Tom Stienstra's "this is my full-time job--and has been for 25 years." Is there some way they can get Tom to write all their books?

I've been camping in the Southeast all my adult life, moving from a tent to a popup, then to a motorhome, and this is the first complete camping guide to the area that I've found. This book has it all. Where else are you going to find everything from RV parks to wilderness areas, along with information on where to find wildlife, where the hiking trails are, and even recipes for camp food? It even has a section about camping with children. This is the only book my husband and I need for camping here. When is Windle going to do the Carolinas and Tennessee?

Great guide! It covers everything - RV sites, tent campgrounds, backpacking areas. The best part is how to get your spouse to like camping. My wife used to hate it, and we've been on three trips since I got this book. Better than anything else I've seen on camping here. Get it.

I was really impressed with the amount of thought and research that obviously went into compiling this book. It was easy to read and I found it most helpful in determining places I would like to visit. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the outdoors!

My husband and I are new to camping and picked this book up a couple of months ago. The amount of detail is amazing, and it has helped us to pick the right places for "beginners." The great thing is that as we become more experienced, we'll still be able to use this book. If you want to camp in Alabama or Georgia, whether you're a new or veteran camper, you need this book!

I was given the Florida camping book as a present and it is WONDERFUL. Couldn't find this one locally and I know why. Does not have good information!

This book is in the glove compartment of my tow vehicle, and with my road atlas is a part of my pretrip planning. Filled with good reviews and site descriptions that have been perfect, it reccommends campsites, gives directions to the parks, hours, ammenities, phone numbers, and services. I have used the guide to book reservations and to locate campgrounds when bad weather is encountered during a trip. This is a great companion to the national book and both are updated from time to time so the information is current. Well worth the few dollars it cost to keep on hand. While I have not encountered a bad campground using this guide, it could happen, so use the phone numbers listed and call ahead to find out about the place you intend to visit. Enjoy the book and Happy RVing.