North Carolina State Fairgrounds Campground

I stayed at the NC State Fairgrounds Campground this past December (2021), for a month while receiving treatment at the VA Hospital in Durham,NC. The campground normally limits stays to two weeks, which is nuts since most often, it is less than half-full. The price was $30 per night with no discounts for Military,Veterans,Disabled Vets, etc. And no discounted rates for weekly stays.

The campground is basically a big parking lot, with no bath house, laundry, picnic tables, fire rings, playground equipment... nothing! They do have full hookups, including 50amp service, and Wi-Fi... well, they call it Wi-Fi. Sitting in the middle of the campground, I would get between 2.5-3.5Mb download speed, and that was spotting due to weak signal levels.

Most of the sites are somewhat level, but are in desperate need of attention. The gravel is sparse, and the sites get quite muddy when it rains. Despite the posted signs, people drive way too fast, which stirs up a lot of dust.

I was informed by more than one source that the State, and Fairgrounds management could care less what people think about the campgrounds. That the only reason it exists is to provide camping area for special events (horse shows,etc), and the annual State Fair traveling workers (carnies). Which is sad because it would not take much to make it better.

The improvements would pay for themselves via increased patronage. Stands to reason that if it were a nicer camp ground, it would stay full year round, especially since there are so few campgrounds in the Raleigh metro area.

Visiting family. Perfect location. Adequate spacing between sites. We got one on the front left end so door/patio faced horse area. Next door neighbors never there. Only the 50 amp on the electric worked but, fortunately, we had an adapter. Great water pressure! The sites where the water didn't work, the faucets were wrapped in caution tape which was nice. And the sewer is definitely a convenience! Quiet, friendly passer-byers.
We were able to go to the huge flea market at the fairgrounds over the weekend. We also did some geocaching (Very plentiful in this area!) & hiking in William B. Umstead State Park - so beautiful!
We highly recommend this secluded campground! We look forward to returning!

This campground is a great place to stay if you are visiting Raleigh or the State Fair. We came on Memorial Day Saturday and there were still plenty of spots. Problem is that many have water spigots that don’t work so that is a challenge. We called the number and he told us to find a spot and that we could use the neighbor’s spigot. It is a good value for full hookups in the center of the city close to all the museums. The sites are grass and fairly level. Good antenna and cell service. They take credit cards. No children’s playground or pools but the fairgrounds are available to explore.

We stayed here a week to rest and take in a couple museums and it was perfect for that. Sites mostly level grassy and FHU. Many water lines still out of service so check yours before setting up. If no one in office when you arrive just pick a spot and set up and then call them to pay. Park really full but still quiet at night. Lots of places to walk nearby and only a few minutes to grocery, laundry and downtown. No bathrooms. Good WiFi and streaming.

Come here for the convenience of location, full-hook-ups, first-come-first-parked, and relatively decent pricing - not to 'camp'.

Pull in, pick a campsite, hook-up (15/30/50A, H2O, Sewer), and call the camp-host/security to pay up (if they don't greet you on the way in!)

Since the Coronavirus Pandemic took hold of the U.S. in March 2020, this location has put a moratorium on their '14 day limit'. Currently, those in self-contained rigs are welcomed to stay for as long as they can pay.

Sites are mostly level - especially towards the back of the camping area. However, many of the water hook-ups were broken when we pulled in - and ours broke while we were staying. The staff here is welcoming and amenable and suggested we run our hose to a neighboring site's water so we did not have to move.

We snagged a site in the back row and found it to be pretty darned quiet - especially considering it's in a city. There were a few nights that featured a 'train party' - about 5 minutes of incessant horn blowing. Otherwise - pretty peaceful.

Enjoyed running from the fairgrounds on sidewalks and a roadside 'trail' to Umstead State Park (~4miles away) and to the Art Museum's Sculpture Park (~1.5 miles away). A few horse shows were hosted while here during our stay, which provided great entertainment in the form of ponies frolicking around arenas a short walk from the rig.

Verizon had blazing 5G speeds, but calls tended to drop or cut-out on Verizon. AT&T provided more stable data - but Verizon was definitely usable for 4G/LTE.

We have stayed at the NC State Fairgrounds on several occasions to take care of family business in Raleigh. You really can't beat the location! And full hookups! YES! But it is definitely a utilitarian campground. There are some semi-permanent sites and long-term campers who are working in the area. There are no bathhouses, no fire rings, and very little space. There is also a lot of coming and going at all times, so there is vehicle noise often; trains run nearby, as well. However, the power, water, and sewer work well and it is near everything. They also offer free Wi-Fi - if you'd like to use it, choose a site as close to the access point as possible. It is mediocre Wi-Fi - but free!