NM: Socorro Skoolie Friendly

[lornaschinske]

Escondida Lake Park

This lake park offers fishing and camping, RV hookups, tent sites, bathrooms and potable water. Full hook-up site (sewer, water, electricity) $18, non hook-up site $10, tent camping $6, group picnic shelter fee $25; reservations required. From I-25, take exit 152 east and continue north 1.4 miles at the bend in the road. For additional information or to make reservations, call the Escondida Lake Monday - Thursday (575) 835-2041. After hours, call Gilbert Avalos: Cell phone (575) 517-6222. For area information call the Socorro Heritage & Visitor Center (575) 835-8927.

These are indeed water/electric/sewer sites (no cable, no wi-fi). The campground is run by the City of Socorro. Camp host on site. We stopped by to look on 4/20/2013 to find 3 sites had "Reserved" signs up. No showers only toilets. Nice playground and "lake" fishing. Dirt/gravel sites. If we can manage to do a trip in September, we will be staying here rather than in a parking lot when we drop by to visit with our kids. While the campground itself has no wi-fi, pretty much the whole town is a hotspot due to the college (NM Tech).

[lornaschinske]

http://www.campgroundreviews.com/regions...o/Socorro.html
Casey's Socorro RV Park

We stayed here for a couple of years. Decent. Walk your dog across the street in the empty gravel lot (it now has a fence up but the gate was open). No bathhouse. This is the best private campground in town. Dirt/gravel. Wifi & cable

[lornaschinske]

The Historic Plaza (just off California - the main street in town) can get signal thanks to the local computer shop (low, low prices!!) as well as most of the restaurants. We used to live here. I still recommend only two restaurants in town. El Camino Real (across from Wal-Mart - affordable diner style with attached bar if you wish a beer with your meal order your fries "extra crispy") and K-Bobs for decently priced steaks and huge loaded baked potatoes (at the north end of town).

For higher priced meals there's Socorro Springs Brewing Company where we ate at once and was too tired to even know what we ate. I'm told it's good but I think it's priced out of our budget. Then there's the new Bodega . Kinda pricey, filling and good but we didn't pay for this meal, our daughter treated. Both of these restaurants are what we call "Yuppie Trendy".

One of the burgers at the Bodega is a mixture of angus beef. buffalo, elk, and some other meat (venison?). Sorry but the price still has me in shock. No burger is worth over $12. And I really don't want to know what the whole meal cost either! You can view their menu online but no prices unlike Socorro Springs. But the two restaurants are priced pretty much the same with similar "trendy" food. They cater to the same customers with the same deep pockets.

And stay far, far away from the Chinese Buffet!

[lornaschinske]

WALLYDOCKING

If you want to park in a parking lot, the two best places are the 24 hour Semi-Super Wal-Mart (it's a small Wal-Mart) located roughly in the middle of town (it's not a big town) or the Family Dollar, across from the Holiday Inn Express located at the north end of town, both are on California. The Family Dollar is posted "No Parking" but ask at Family Dollar. Stacey (Das Mel) will say yes. But you may have to give her a tour of your bus.

Restaurants within walking Distance (in order of distance... roughly):
Wal-Mart Parking - Subway, El Camino Real (El Cam), Blake's Whatabuger, Bodega, Pizza Hut, Best Chinese Buffet

Family Dollar Parking - McDonalds, Burger King, Sonic, (drive to - Best Chinese Buffet, Pizza Hut, K-Bob's Steakhouse)

DO NOT drive a bus into the Historic Plaza. The folks here drive like idiots and you really do not want to get hung up in there. If all you have is a bus, park either at Wal Mart and walk a good ways or park in the parking lot of the coffeehouse and walk the half block to the plaza.