Brookside City Campground

After a long day on the road, we passed on boondocking at Bass Pro Shop and went here. The road is winding but we managed with our big rig and toad. It’s not so much a campground as a place behind the ball fields with W&E hookups. Host was friendly enough. People living there are off in another area. We felt safe and it was quite. But I’d rather not go back if there are alternatives.

We’re adventurous, and getting here from I-22 was an adventure. Narrow, steep hilly winding streets through run-down neighborhoods. Street address and GPS don’t match. Availability was everything on our way from “here to there”, and camp host Robert answered texts promptly for a same-day reservation. The area is tranquil: shady trees and a creek in the back. Gravel area to park on. Pet friendly. Water supplied through garden hoses dragged across the roadway. Supposed WIFi but our devises didn’t detect it. Campground met our needs for one night without prior reservation, but $30 is a bit steep for what it is.

Robert (the park caretaker?) was very gracious to us. I called the phone number for the campground/park, and he asked me to text him our information on when we wanted to stay and for how many nights. I didn't hear anything further from him, but he was ready for us when we got there and answered my text letting him know we were nearly there. Though there weren't any actual sites available, he hooked us up to shared water and electricity with a campground resident. The huge trees around the campground were gorgeous, but the whole place felt just a bit dodgy, between barking dogs and lived-in campsites. There was a nice path along a creek and a park area by the campground. All of this was by a city park with a baseball field.

The park was convenient for us from I-22 in Alabama. Not entirely sure we'd return if we had other options. Don't remember whether we paid $20 or $25 for the night, but were thankful to have somewhere to pull off with services for the night. We didn't dump there since we didn't use much water of any kind -- not sure whether there actually was any dump other than those attached to where the residents were living.

How many campgrounds have you been to where the Mayor of the town met you at the entrance (after taking your phone call), gave a tour of available sites -- in his car with his dog, Buddy -- and assisted in picking a site to fit your needs?
Welcome to Brookside City Campground! Roger - the actual Mayor of Graysville - met us there and did all that is outlined above.
This is a City Park with a couple of ball fields and a camping area. The sites in the camping area are loosely defined. Ours, for example was a back-in site into the middle of the interior grassy area of the campground. And it was certainly nice enough -- 50 amp electric, a water spigot and sewer connection with a fire pit on a roomy, level site. Getting here off of the Interstate is a bit tight and winding, but easily doable with a degree of caution. Google maps does a good job in defining the route to here from I-22. Once at the Park, the interior dirt roads have a couple of sharp curves and can be a bit tight in spots. Care should be exercised to deal with a couple of low hanging branches. The area was very quiet and shady. There is a walking trail, which can be hard to follow in places, and there is a nearby kayak launch. I think there is a bathroom by the ball fields. This location is close (about 20 miles) to Birmingham, where there is a wide variety of things to do and see.
We found camping options in Birmingham to be few and/or pricey (Oak Mountain State Park, for instance, had no sites for us). This location, a short drive to Birmingham, at $20 for a full hook-up site, would be hard to beat for a short stay in the area.