Moundville Archaeological Park Univ of Alabama

This is a great little park outside of Tuscaloosa, AL. It’s an ancient Mississippian site that is an active archaeological site. You can walk all around the park and learn about this fascinating site. There is also a museum with a cafe and gift shop. The campsites were either full hookup or w/e only (same price). It’s all first come first serve & there was only one other camper the night we stayed. There are 6 pull-through sites and the rest are back in. I would say the pull-through could accommodate big rigs, but the other sites were on the small side. We have a 24ft rig & probably could have easily fit in just about all of the sites, but a few would have been on the tight side. Our site was perfectly level. The only cons to this park was the train that goes by is pretty close & loud. Also, there was somebody blaring booming bass music that was vibrating our rig. I kept thinking they were in the park, but there was nobody else there, so it must have been coming from the neighborhood just outside the park. We will definitely stay again.

I arrived on a Thursday evening an hour before dusk. I didn't have reservations as you have to make those at the front gate or the museum in the back of the park. I wasn't expecting much but here in late October- boy is it quiet and calm. It's cold and rainy today but yesterday I was able to get my van backed into site #9 and have the view of the mounds behind me. The picnic table was in good order and I grilled for dinner (with my own grill). There are fire rings if needed. The spaces are plenty big and you could add a tent. You will hear several trains throughout the day but I think it's part of the nuance. I am on my way from Georgia to Austin so this was a good stop.

Driving in is easy and it's all one way so any size RV should be okay but you'll have to back in. Some sites have more trees and less depth than others but the park guide did allow me to pick which site I wanted. There are about 30 sites and some have septic and 50AMP so look at the paper handout they give you to see which ones do if you need it. They also have a dump site on exit. If you choose the #17-27 sites you might have some road noise that comes from whatever is behind the park but over here on the 9 site I had no issue. Dog friendly but use a leash.

The camp bathhouse is doable - nothing fancy and has your typical cobweb age look but I would use it versus my van shower. It's kept up and cleaned often.

The museum is really nice and they have a gift shop as well. If you are into the Mississippian Culture; this is a great few days of walking, fire pit stories, and quiet. I have no idea what it would be like if it was full.

If you want quiet communing with our Indigenous Americans; this is the place for you. I would stay here again just for the peace and quiet.

I worked on Friday and left on Saturday. I used my Verizon MiFi and was getting about 30MBPS download. My AT&T seemed to get about the same coverage.

We stayed here one night and were very pleased with this one. If you love being in a quiet area, this is for you. Sites are all first come first served and we had our pick. Our rig is 25’ so we were good anywhere, bigger rigs might not be as happy. We had full hook ups but only 4 sites have full, the other 20plus have water and electric. Gravel, level, all had picnic tables and fire rings. Lots of trees and bathhouse was clean. Not a resort so set your expectations. You are also required to purchase 1day admission to the archaeological museum, no matter length of stay. Museum is beautiful, interesting, and has a cafe and gift shop. You have stair access to 2 of the mounds. Lovely little town, Moundville and close enough to Tuscaloosa for us. University of Alabama runs this, and they do a great job.

The campground is mostly shaded … there are probably 20% of sites where you can get direct sun which means 80% have shade in the heat of the southern season. There is nice space separating sites with some appearing to be un-level to the extent some leveling of camper would be required.Be aware when picking your site from among the many nice ones that there are three very bright night lights in the campground that some may not want to camp near. The historical displays and preservation of the mounds are well worth a visit.

It’s beautiful and unique to spend the night in an archeological site, and you have a view of the mounds from the campground. But trains do pass by in the night, and hook ups are on the wrong side…. It’s a give and take and it depends what you choose to pay attention to…