The National African American RVer’s Association (NAARVA) started as a means of “networking and fellowship with other minority campers” and has become one of the fastest-growing RV Clubs in the United States! NAARVA focuses on linking together African American RVers and celebrating diversity within the RV community. It is a community of RVers that enjoy getting together, inspiring each other, and just having a good time in the outdoors and on the road.
The great thing about NAARVA is that it creates a space for minority families to meet each other as camping becomes a popular way to see the country. The National African American RVer’s Association was founded after a group called the Ohio Buckeye Road Runners decided to create a way for people of color to get together in a time when seeing other Black and Brown campers was kind of rare. These campers were out there, and the 1993 Winton Woods Campground Camp Rally was proof of that!
Hosting events and rallies each year, they are continuing to grow the outdoor and RV loving community one camping trip at a time. The NAARVA RV Club is now a group of over 1,400 members and counting. With four regional directors, you will always find a guide in the RV world no matter what region of the country you’re visiting. It’s a community that continues to foster “fun and fellowship”.
From coast to coast, the NAARVA RV Club is fostering fun, family, community, and sustainability. From the NAARVA National Camp Rally to Mardi Gras in the South, you can expect to meet and greet with one of the best RV communities around. The NAARVA are your friends and family.
NAARVA RVers fosters fun, family, community, and sustainability.
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Benefits of Joining NAARVA
Joining the NAARVA newsletter also means you’ll get the unique opportunity to hear from Reverend Jesse Battle. Well, how about 50% off your campsite! By joining Passport American and the NAARVA, you’ll have the opportunity to save on the road. But that’s not all, club dues are only $50 a year with separate regional prices at only $10!
The National African American RVer’s Association also consists of eight amazing executive board members along with their National President Louise Grogan. The NAARVA Regional Directors include Brian K. The NAARVA newsletter feels like a message from a friend. They are filled with inspiration, shout-outs, notes from group members, and letters from regional directors. But that’s not even half of what you’ll get when you tune into NAARVA’s VOICE newsletter as it’s also packed with useful information from technology experts, nature ecologists, health professionals, and RV dealers.
The biggest event of the year is always the NAARVA Camp Rally. This is a gathering of RVers that you don’t want to miss! Games, golf, parades, raffles, vendors, and a whole lot of family fun, this event is really what the NAARVA is all about. Creating a place for RVers to meet each other and have a blast.
Themes of past events include Glamping in the Gulf, showdowns in Wyoming, gatherings at the Grand Canyon, and most recently, Mardi Gras in Oklahoma. NAARVA is going to Mardi Gras! The National African American RV Association is all about traveling and having a good time and their events are the main attraction. Joining this membership means you’ll be joining the fun!
If you have a child or grandchild that meets the scholarship qualifications, they are eligible to apply for the NAARVA Scholarship Opportunity. For your recent grads, the NAARVA has a scholarship program centered around helping your student with college, university, or trade school. How would it feel to know your membership dollars are going to help someone get an education?
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The National African American RVer’s Association is not just a group for adults, it’s also supportive and inclusive of your little (and not so little) ones too. For the little ones, they have awesome summer camp programs that teach and inspire. Everyone loves a chance to win something cool! Well with a NAARVA membership there are plenty of opportunities to enter for a chance to win! Past event contests have offered things like dream vacations or church donation funding.
When you become a member of NAARVA you are also connecting with tons of professionals that are here to help. There is an ecologist, Jean Hampton on board to share and excite people about the natural world and how to respect it. Like mentioned before, NAARVA has Reverend Jesse Battle on board to harbor fellowship and prayer. Ronald Standifer is the group historian. There are also tips on the latest apps to use from Bruce Toney! The point is that this isn’t just any group of RVers and outdoor lovers.
Even the NAARVA VOICE newsletter is full of inspiration and education. The biggest draw to becoming a member of the National African American RVer’s Association is the beautiful community you will be joining. From student shoutouts and community announcements to offering condolences in times of loss. People are always sharing recipes and advice on how to RV the right way! It’s a community of diversity and fellowship.
Planning a road trip soon? NAARVA has you covered with 50% off campsites. Learn a new app or educate yourself on the ecology of the world around you. Or maybe you want to help fund a new student’s chance at university or trade school. But the main attraction is always the larger-than-life NAARVA Camp Out Rally! So, join the National African American RVer’s Association as they continue to connect Black and Brown families all over the US!
Catch up on the latest news with the VOICE. Starting your RV journey is a big step! Even if you’re a seasoned traveler it’s always a great idea to get a road trip game plan in mind. NAARVA has you covered. They even have a list of links any RVer can use while hitting the road.
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NAARVA fosters a welcoming and inclusive environment for all its members.
The Grahams began their RV adventure amid the fight for Civil Rights. In 1993, members of several clubs gathered at a campground outside Cincinnati and formed what became the National African American RVer’s Association (NAARVA). The Grahams’ granddaughter, Carla Brown, is making a documentary called Everybody But Two about their remarkable experience. Take, for example, Benjamin and Frances Graham, a Black couple from Baltimore who bought a used 17’ Stardust travel trailer in the summer of 1965 with one idea in mind: to visit that year’s World’s Fair with their three young children.
“They thought about buying an airplane,” says Carla. “They thought about getting a boat. I think they even considered traveling via cargo ship. Then one day, Benjamin drove past a local business’s parking lot and saw a new travel trailer for sale. “There was no large conversation about [the trailer purchase],” says Carla. The Grahams’ trip to the World’s Fair was so successful they decided to push on into upstate New York - and into the world of big-time roadtrip adventure.
Black RV campers seek community and adviceIn September, ShaRon Jones's inheritance allowed her to buy the class C RV she’d always wanted. Jones’s first big meetup will be at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February for a Melanated Campout event. From there, she plans to spend her weekends traveling solo or with a trusted friend to as many states as she can manage. Before venturing out of Jacksonville, Fla., for her first out-of-town trip, Jones is gleaning wisdom from more experienced campers in the same Black RV and camping groups.
“I've actually been living in my camper since I got it three weeks ago. I've been home. I go home, I wash clothes, I get fresh clothes, drop the dirty clothes off and I leave,” she says. “My house is nice and quiet, but there's a different peace being in that camper and that RV park.” She was stunned by the size of the Black RV community and is looking forward to enjoying as many RV meetups as she can manage.
“My bucket list? I want to meet all of the people in these groups that I've met. They meet at certain spots. They've been meeting for years, and I'm just now finding out,” she said. “I see a lot of women traveling by themselves, driving their own rigs, and I'm talking about these sisters are getting it, been doing it for years, full-time RVers.”
“Because they were self-contained, they didn't have to check into a hotel,” says Carla. “And, as someone who has camped my whole life, I think what's expected at a campsite is different than what is expected in the streets of America. The Grahams weren’t the only Black family exploring America by RV in the late 20th century. In fact, there were numerous local Black RV clubs across the country hosting meet-ups and providing mutual support to their members. ”There is more of a feeling that you're human and you're just like the other campers,” says Elaine.
“There’s an openness that makes us feel we can join in all the activities - pickleball, bingo, card games. There are different card games that other campers play that I've never learned. Now I have the opportunity to do that because other cultures will teach you how to play the games they normally play. It's not like we're impeding into someone else’s area.
For too long, Black Americans were marginalized in our depictions and image of outdoor recreation. Because Frances was a school teacher and Benjamin was a postal carrier who could take extended vacation time, the family’s summers were typically marked by lengthy explorations that eventually brought them to all 48 continental states. The Voting Rights Act was signed into law just before they left for the World’s Fair. The Watts riots broke out in Los Angeles while they were on that maiden voyage.
RV Parks and Campgrounds
Creating community and safe spaces for Black campers offers opportunities to meet and engage in fun activities, such as cookouts, hiking, and watching the stars fill the sky along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.
Creating community and safe spaces for Black campers offers opportunities to meet and engage in fun activities.
It wasn’t until Gordy tapped into existing Black RV and camping communities that he knew he’d find long-term success on the land his grandfather cared for. A majority of Warthen RV Park’s short-term campers are Black, and he’s starting to see more Black families, his primary customer base, move to camp full-time. Warthen RV Park has hosted a few Black RV events by arranging for groups to camp near each other.
This also gives campers space for cookouts, playing cards, and enjoying music--in addition to taking advantage of the park’s nature trails and dark skies for stargazing.(Related: 13 destinations for African-American history and culture.) “Knowing a lot of the obstacles he had to go through,” Gordy says. “I think when he wanted to initially try to get the land, they [gave him] the runaround, but again, God has a way of working things out.” The former NFL player is related to Motown legend Berry Gordy on his father’s side.
But this acreage was most significant to his maternal grandfather’s legacy. When Gordy’s grandfather was young, he worked the land as a sharecropper. He wanted to buy the land but was never allowed to fulfill that dream. It was his first venture into entrepreneurship, continuing the legacy that runs in his family.
A list of Black-owned campsites is one of the biggest resources she shares with members of Outdoorsy Black Women. This also gives campers space for cookouts, playing cards, and enjoying music--in addition to taking advantage of the park’s nature trails and dark skies for stargazing.(Related: 13 destinations for African-American history and culture.) Other Black camper community groups crowdsource similar directories, which emphasizes the need for safe spaces in the outdoors.
Here are some campgrounds that are welcoming spaces for Black RVers:
- G & R Campground (Houston, Del.): The campground’s on-site outdoor pool, hammock park, and lawn games provide casual fun in between hiking and nightly campfires. Visitors can choose from RV camping, cabins, glamping, and primitive tent camping.
- Seven Springs Farm and Vineyard (Norlina, N.C.): This family-owned farm about an hour north of Raleigh offers wine tastings from its on-site vineyard. They offer year-round RV and tent camping on their farm.
- TripL RV Park (Brazoria, Tex.): Just outside of Houston, the RVs on site are just one type of dwelling available for those looking to get outdoors. Tiny homes, container homes, and cabins round out the offerings.
- Warthen RV Park (Warthen, Ga.): A large pavilion affords social gatherings for groups, with plenty of spaces to hook up RVs in this South Georgia campground.
- Rosario Camp & RV (Anacortes, Wash.): Surrounded by the stunning forest and lake views of Deception Pass State Park, this 16-acre property puts you in the middle of many outdoor activities including hiking, fishing, and kayaking.
Toyin Ajayi was 37 when she packed up her camper and permanently left her apartment in Sandy Springs, Ga. She’s visited 24 states in the last three years with no plans to return to a more stationary life. “There is a sense of mental freedom. For me, being able to spend more time in nature. I pay attention to the stars more or the animals and things like that. There's definitely different kinds of freedom that I've found from my personal journey-- emotional freedom, spiritual freedom, all of it,” Ajayi says.(How to: Turn Your Car Into a Camper)Even as a solo RV camper, Ajayi knows she’s not alone in the movement to spend more time on the open road.
Now more than 8,000 members of Outdoorsy Black Women connect online to recommend campsites, get together on trips, and share RV tips. The rise of the Black RV life movement Data from the RV Industry Association shows that RV owner demographics are becoming younger and more diverse. camping community.“I think the van life movement changed the trajectory for the RV life movement. They're intertwined at this point because everybody knows van life, but it all falls under the umbrella that's nomadic living,” Ajayi says. But many others specialize in getting started, buying and renting RVs, and connecting with others at RV meetups.
Sheeka Sanahori is a freelance journalist and video producer exploring the intersections of travel, history, food, and the outdoors.
RV clubs can offer a variety of benefits for their membership dues. Some are specific to the type of RV, others target types of RVers (i.e. full-timers), some are specific to campground franchises while others operate independently of RV types and campgrounds.
Here is a list of other RV clubs that may be of interest:
- Campers for Christ Ministries: This nondenominational organization provides a means for Christian campers to get together for fellowship at local and national levels.
- Escapees RV Club: This club is composed of both full-time and part-time RVers of all ages and with different types of vehicles from toy haulers to Class A motorhomes. Some members are retired while others work on the road. The club also has subgroups, called Birds of a Feather, in which RVers with shared lifestyle interests can connect with one another and participate in various activities. Birds of a Feather groups exist for RVers who enjoy boondocking, working on the road, disaster relief, biking and hiking, amateur radio, and quilting.
- Family Campers and RVers: The mission of this group is to share the fun, friendship, fellowship, and family feelings of camping together and to promote and enhance the experience and enjoyment of recreational family-type camping and RVing.
- Family Motor Coach Association: The purpose of FMCA is to organize social activities, exchange RV information, and offer benefits made possible, in part, by collective purchasing. The association is also involved in political and legislative action. FMCA supports recreation programs and the legal rights of RV owners.
- Forest River Owners Group: A club for owners of Forest River RVs.
- Girl Camper: Girl Camper is a camping group that sponsors events across the country for women.
- Handicapped Travel Club: This club was established in 1973 to encourage people with a wide range of disabilities and their families to travel, interact with one another, and share information on making RVs more accessible.
- National African American RVers Association: This club for African American RV enthusiasts has rallies and other special events across the country.
- North American Family Campers Association: This group is primarily for RV enthusiasts from New England states and Florida.
- Rainbow RV Club: This club has over 10,000 members and caters to members of the LGBTQ community.
- RV Radio Network: This group is an ARRL-affiliated association of Amateur Radio Operators who share an interest in RVs.
- Special Military Active Recreational Travelers: This club brings military veterans and their families together to share camaraderie, travel, camping, and support to veterans.
- Thor Diesel Club: This club is an official chapter of the Family Motor Coach Association.
- Tin Can Tourists: This club promotes the interests of all vintage trailer and motorhome owners. The club works with campgrounds, parts manufacturers, vintage trailer restoration companies, historians, and others to make sure the vintage RV community is appropriately served.
- Winnebago International Travelers: An RV club for owners of all types of Winnebago RVs and provides discounts on RV gear and camping memberships like Harvest Hosts.
Cynthia Wiseman is happily married, but RVing is “her” thing, not her husband’s. Like many other RVers, Wiseman is a member of a travel club where she participates in coordinated meetups, trips, get-togethers, and campouts with other female travelers. Many female RV enthusiasts enjoy being members of women-only camping clubs, and there are several of them out there, including RVing Women. “Camping is a big part of what we do. But there’s a lot of us that do other things when we camp, such as kayaking or bicycling. “What happens when you camp with a group of men with women is it changes the dynamic,” Wiseman said.
Jeret Burnett of WagonMaster’s Travels organizes rallies for owners of Grand Design RVs. “They have over 12,000 members across the country,” Burnett said, adding that rallies are held each year at parks that cater to RV clubs.
