The Vagabond Camping Club of Franklin is getting set to embark on their first trip of 2020, and they are inviting others to join the club and get in on the fun.
The first rule of the Vagabonds: There are no rules. Well, not many.
“We have all types of campers, motor homes, fifth wheels, pop-ups – everybody is welcome, and any age is welcome,” said Lilly Nauheimer, who started the club with her husband, George, about 11 years ago.
“We camp from April through November, once a month, usually the second Friday and Saturday,” she said. “Some people go earlier, some people go later, some people make a vacation out of it. There are no set rules.”
Nauheimer said she and her husband belonged to a national camping club for many years, but the club had too many rules and regulations. Part of the fun of group camping is letting members do pretty much as they please.
“Some clubs have a lot of structured activities, but we always felt that sometimes that turns people away, turns them off,” she said. “You shouldn’t feel like you’re obliged to do anything.”
Campers and friends
For the Vagabonds, the more the merrier.
“A lot of people have said they want to go camping, but they don’t want to go just with their spouse, they like to have other people they can socialize with,” she said. “It’s more enjoyable when you have more people.”
The Vagabonds currently have about 20 members, but not everyone goes on every outing.
“We could have 12, we could have only five couples,” Nauheimer said. “It’s just always different.”
The flexibility the club offers allows members to build their own schedule around the outings.
“Very few people stay only two days,” she said. “To set up a camper and do everything you need to do, before you know it you have to go home.”
You may not even need a camper.
“We have members who have given up their campers, but if there are cabins at the place we got to, they sometimes will come and rent a cabin,” she said. “My daughter, she’s in her 40s with a child, she enjoys coming with us older folks and renting a cabin.”
The Nauheimers wheel a 37-foot Intruder RV on their weekend outings.
“It’s an oldie but a goodie,” she said.
While there are very few rules, there are a few outings and events on every trip that members can participate in if they want.
“Saturday nights we go out to eat, we usually pick a restaurant close to the campground we’re staying in,” she said.
“My husband makes the fire every night,” Nauheimer said. “Even in the hot weather we have a fire just to sit around.”
It’s not mandatory, of course, but the daily social hour is usually well attended.
“Everybody brings a drink and a snack at 4 p.m.,” she said.
The friendships made on the camping trips often continue when members get back home.
“Some members have become really good friends,” Nauheimer said. “They may go hiking together, play cards in the evening. We have made life-long friends now and we keep in touch outside of camping.”
Looking for new members
Participation has declined in recent years, and the Vagabonds are looking for some new blood.
“Everybody’s gotten on in years now,” she said. “We’ve had some people drop out. We’re thinking about stopping the one in November,” she said. “We’ve always had a special camping weekend, where someone would make a turkey and everybody would bring a side dish. More and more folks are going to Florida earlier in the year, so that’s why we have trouble in November.”
Nauheimer makes the camping schedule every March. She looks for campgrounds within 100 miles of Franklin.
First up this year is River Falls Campground in Lakemont, Georgia.
“My husband and I like to go see it before I put it on the schedule,” she said. “We’ve gone to so many places now that it’s hard to find campgrounds we haven’t been to.”
River falls “has cabins and campsites and a beautiful river,” and has become a club favorite.
Other favorite destinations are Smoky Bear Campground in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and River Vista RV Resort in Dillard, Georgia.
The club is free to join and there are no dues. Anyone interested in joining the Vagabond Camping Club can contact Nauheimer at lilnau@aol.com or 828-369-6669.