McFarland Park in Florence, Ala.

In Florence, the parks department is planning to double the amount of campsites the city has, according to Park Superintendent Lee Peden.

Currently, the city has 60 sites, and they are on a first come, first serve basis. No reservations are taken at this time, but Peden hopes that might change when the campground expands.

Peden wasn’t sure of the history of this campground, as he’s fairly new, but estimated by the size of the sites they might’ve started in the 1960s.

“It’s a tight fit to pull in a 40-foot RV,” he said.

McFarland Park has 21 primitive sites and 60 pull-in sites for RVs with water, sewer and electric. Each site has both 30-foot and 50-foot amp service.

Along with the expansion of 60 more sites, Florence is looking to upgrade the current sites and the bathhouse soon.

He said unlike some other locations, Florence’s campsites haven’t had electrical issues, but they have had water issues. “Our water hookup gets backed over frequently — we’ve had to replace spigots,” he said.

And they’re really close to the dam and by the Tennessee River, so “we’ve come under water a couple of times,” Peden said.

There’s a lot of grass on Florence’s sites and big RVs pulling in creates holes, and campers want the city to fix them, but Peden said if workers fill them with dirt, they’ll become mud holes. If workers put in gravel, that can create other problems.

The park is open from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., and there are park employees on site during those hours, but at night, the city has park police patrolling.

The cost for RVs is $25 a night, $20 for seniors or the disabled and $14 for tent camping. Peden advises other municipalities considering a campground in a city park to “do your homework and do it right the first time. Make sure the sites are wide enough.”

He added, “It stays busy down there. It’s a revenue producer.”

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