RV Rental Griffin, GA

Griffin is a small town in the central part of Georgia, about an hour's drive south of Atlanta and roughly the same distance northeast of Columbus, Georgia. With a population of around 24,000, Griffin remains a small town just like it has throughout its history though it is considered a part of the Atlanta Metropolitan area.

Griffin was founded in 1840 and remains the county seat of Spalding County, Georgia. The city was named after Col. Lewis Lawrence Griffin who was a wealthy county merchant, landowner, legislator, and General in the local militia. In 1842, the Macon and Western Railroad opened a station in Griffin which contributed to the initial growth and importance of the town. The University of Georgia also has a branch campus in Griffin that hosts the Office of Continuing Education for UGA, which helps to provide lifelong learning opportunities through its programs.

Griffin has also long been known for playing a role in the American film industry. Many visitors and tourists come to the city each year to see some of the places made famous by popular television shows and movies that were filmed here. Griffin continues to be welcoming to the film industry, and it is a great place to record scenes and shows set in small, rural towns.

The historic downtown district of Griffin is quaint and busy as it continues to welcome new shops and restaurants every year. Downtown has more than 900 free parking spaces nightly and a free shuttle service that allows people who do not know the city the freedom to explore. City Hall is a historic landmark in Griffin, and there are multiple rooms and areas of the City Hall that can be rented and used for banquets, fundraisers, and meetings. The popularity of Griffin has never been higher, and many more people are coming through downtown to visit and see the sites.

Campgrounds Near Griffin, Georgia

Scenic Mountain RV Park is a 112-acre RV resort about 70 miles east of Griffin in Milledgeville, Georgia. There are 92 full hookup campsites at Scenic Mountain, and the site includes laundry facilities, three pavilions, a swimming pool, multiple hiking trails, a clubhouse, six fishing ponds, and more. The resort comes by its name honestly as the scenic landscape is beautiful in all directions. 

Atlanta South RV Resort is another good option and is only about a half-hour drive north of Griffin in McDonough, Georgia. The main attraction here is that the campground is just outside of Atlanta and is a great place to stay if you want to experience everything that Atlanta has to offer. There are 140 campsites with water, sewer, and electric hookups along with a pool, a laundry area, restrooms and showers, a playground, cable and internet access, available propane, and more. 

Sweetwater Creek RV Reserve is just west of downtown Atlanta and about 50 miles from Griffin. Sweetwater Creek offers 96 RV sites and 13 wider slots available for almost any size rig. There is a public park across the street, a laundry and lounge area, an outdoor patio, and a common cottage with full baths and showers. The biggest draw, however, is the site's proximity to Atlanta. 

National Parks Near Griffin, Georgia

Probably best known for the beautiful mountain ranges and a wide array of wildlife, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a great place to visit if you like to hike, climb mountains, sightsee, and camp. Some of the more well-known places in the park include the Chimney Top mountains where you can climb right to the top, Clingmans Dome, which is the highest point in the Appalachians, and Cades Cove, which is a great place to view wildlife. The park encompasses more than 500,000 acres and is close to resort cities like Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. There are plenty of campgrounds and RV sites both inside and around the park as well.

Just over 200 miles east of Griffin sits Congaree National Park. It is home to some of the highest and oldest trees on the East Coast and a biodiversity that rivals any other park in America. Just outside of Columbia, SC, Congaree National Park includes recreational activities like fishing, boating, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and more. The biodiversity exists because of the starkly different terrains inside the park like the Congaree River, the hardwood forest, and the swampy floodplain. Congaree has two campgrounds, and there are plenty more close by.

Mammoth Cave National Park is located almost 400 miles north of Griffin and is one of the most unique national parks in the country. Mammoth Cave National Park is home to the largest known cave system in the world, and it is that cave system that is the biggest tourist draw in the area. There are currently more than 400 miles of already discovered and explored caverns and more are expected to be found in the future. While you cannot explore the caves on your own, daily guided tours are available for some of the most famous and accessible caverns.

State Parks Near Griffin, Georgia

High Falls State Park is about a 20-minute drive from Griffin and is located just outside of Macon. The park is named for the waterfalls and tumbling cascades along the Towaliga River including the highest waterfall south of Atlanta. Other than the waterfalls and scenic beauty of the park, High Falls is known as one of the top family fishing destinations in America. The combination of the Towaliga River and the 650-acre lake located in the park allow anglers to find largemouth bass, jackfish, flathead catfish, black and white crappie, hybrid bass, channel catfish, bream, and more. There are numerous campgrounds both in and around High Falls state park and many RV sites with full hookups and amenities included.

About 25 miles east of Griffin, you can find Indian Springs State Park, one of the oldest parks in America. The spring waters inside the park have been known for their healing qualities since the 1800s, and the sulfur smell produced by the Earth forcing underground water to the surface is still very noticeable. Other than the natural mineral springs, the park is known for hiking, camping, and fishing in the popular Lake McIntosh. There are numerous RV and campsites in and around the park, including Indian Springs State Park Campground, which features 62 sites with full electrical and water hookups.

Chattahoochee Bend State Park is about an hour's drive west of Griffin in Newnan, Georgia. Covering almost 3,000 acres, Chattahoochee Bend State Park is one of Georgia's largest state parks and features recreational activities like wildlife viewing, hiking, biking, and boating. There are a lot of nearby cities including LaGrange, Atlanta, Peachtree City, and others with good shopping and restaurants as well. There is a 37-site RV campground in the park and many others in the surrounding areas.

National Sites Near Griffin, Georgia

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park is about an hour's drive north of Griffin in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of Georgia's top tourist destinations. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the foremost leaders in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and this park gives you information, pictures, and artifacts, and allows you to get a sense of what Martin Luther King, Jr. did and who he was.

Just north of Atlanta and about a 1.5-hour drive from Griffin is the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Hiking, wildlife viewing, fishing, boating, biking, and many other recreational activities are popular here, but the Chattahoochee River is the key attraction. You can float down 48 miles of this famous river featuring trout fishing, beautiful scenery, and a great environment. 

The Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park is located less than an hour southeast of Griffin and is known for the Native American culture that has been preserved and highlighted here. It is said that this site has recovered up to 12,000 years of human habitation with evidence of people in the Paleo-Indian period hunting Ice Age animals. At Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, you can see mounds up to 20 feet high that are unique to the native people of this area.

National Forests Near Griffin, Georgia

The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest encompasses two national forests, the Oconee National Forest in eastern Georgia and the Chattahoochee National Forest located in the North Georgia Mountains. These are Georgia's only two national forests and comprise almost 900,000 acres of land. If you want to experience flat, forested land, the Oconee forest is the place to visit. If you prefer to hike up mountains and the scenery provided in mountainous terrain, then the Chattahoochee area is a better place to visit.

The Tuskegee National Forest is about a two-hour drive from Griffin and is just outside of Montgomery, Alabama. Recreational activities like fishing, hiking, biking, camping, horseback riding, and nature viewing are popular here as the lush forests are beautiful. People visit here because it is so close to some of the main historical sites in Alabama, but visiting Bartram National Recreation Trail is another great reason to come. It is the smallest national park in America, but there is a lot to see and do.

The Nantahala National Forest lies in the mountains and valleys of southwestern North Carolina, in some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. At over 500,000 acres, it is North Carolina's largest national forest and its name comes from the Cherokee Indian language meaning "land of the noonday sun." While hiking, biking, fishing, and camping are all great activities to do in the park, rafting down the cold waters of the Nantahala River is probably the most popular activity here.