Nevada City RV campground voted nation’s best by USA Today for 3rd straight year

KMAX, KOVR, ERIN THIEM, CNN

By Kayla Moeller

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    NEVADA CITY (KOVR) — The pandemic had more people than ever exploring the great outdoors. The same rings true for a campground in Nevada City.

Inn Town Campground became extremely popular after the COVID camping boom and has been named the best RV campground in the country by USA Today for the third year in a row.

Campers we spoke to agree with the award.

“Oh yeah! Yes, we wouldn’t be coming for this many years if it wasn’t,” said Patricia Cross, a regular visitor.

One mother-daughter duo—Patricia and Victoria Cross—has been calling the campground their home away from home for years.

“It’s not just the campground. It’s the ones who run it,” Patricia said.

Erin and Dan Thiem built the Inn Town Campground themselves about a decade ago, and they’ve fostered such a community-driven atmosphere that the people have spoken three times. This is the third year they’ve been voted number one RV park campground by USA Today.

“It is a huge honor for a campground of our size in a tiny little community in the foothills, so we feel privileged and grateful that we got this honor,” Erin said.

It’s a people’s choice award, and Thiem said she’s thrilled to know their 15 acres of forest is making people so happy.

“It’s just magical to sit underneath the trees. People often think ‘Oh, are you on a lake or a river?’ I remind them ‘No, we’re the in-town campground. The Inn Town Campground. You can walk to downtown. It’s one mile from here,” she said.

“If you come in October, they decorate for Halloween. They have a contest and encourage you to put up lights. We just love it,” said Patricia and Victoria Cross.

The word is spreading. They’re open year-round but sell out fast, and the community is rallying behind them.

“I did go to a coffee shop and the lady helping me was really excited, and I did have someone at the grocery store stop me and congratulate me for this award, which I love because I didn’t know who those people were but they’re cheering for us,” Thiem said.

If tent camping isn’t your thing, they’ve got 21 glamping tents.

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