Comments on: Overnight RV Parking at Cracker Barrel

By: AL

AL — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:06:22 +0000

Cracker Barrel is the best and friendlest place to stop while traveling. Only complaint I have is the RV/Bus parking areas are always filled with cars on Sunday following church services. I only wish they would obey the laws of the land, leaving the RV/Bus parking for the suggested vehicals as the signs apply.

By: Terry Parker

Terry Parker — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:08:17 +0000

I would not count on parking at Cracker Barrel overnight. It has been my experience on three different ocassions just to pull in for lunch and found all of the RV/Bus spaces filled up with cars, no where to park the RV.
I was informed that the store managers can not do anything about it.

So be ware, even if you have approval from the store manager to overnight, you might have to wait until the store closes to get an RV spot.

By: Wally

Wally — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:46:36 +0000

I feel we as RV owners should stay over night at CB, or Walmart or where ever as a last resort. Lets face it folks, there are plenty of public rest stops along the highways where the truckers go. We should be considerate to these businesses for allowing us to stay. After all, they are there to be of service to the local communities with their goods & services. I’m sorry to say that in my travels, I have seen RVers in walmart parking lots with their awnings out, mat on the floor, lounge chairs out, playing loud music. The people who do this should realize that they can ruin it for others who just need to get some quick shut eye for the night & be gone first thing in the morning. These businesses have the right to pull the plug on this & ruin it for everybody. Then we all lose.

By: Jim O'Briant

Jim O'Briant — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:00:33 +0000

Mark wrote, in part:

> Has anyone overnighting at a Cracker Barrel perhaps stopped to
> consider that if you come in early in the evening and stay till after
> breakfast you are potentially causing other RV’ers to be turned
> away because there’s no where to park?

I believe this is a non-issue. There are many potential Overnight RV Parking locations that have a limited number of RV spaces, including Cracker Barrels and Flying Js. You might as well argue that RVers shouldn’t stop early and rent a campground space because the campground might fill up.

> There’s lots of nights where we hit a Cracker Barrel at about 5PM, but
> if we chose to stay the night we’d have one (of the often only 3 or 4) RV
> spots plugged up for the rest of the night.

You’re assuming that everyone who says “park, dine, stay overnight & leave in the morning” means “par at 5 PM. The times we’ve parked overnight at Cracker Barrels, we’ve arrived between 7 & 8 PM and had a late dinner. You’re also assuming that the Cracker Barrel won’t grant additional RVers permission to park elsewhere in their lot when in fact some stores recommend a part of the lot other than the marked Bus/RV spaces.

> I’d hate to think that someone had to abandon their dinner plans and
> get back on the interstate with an empty stomach simply because I
> decided to overnight in one of only a few available RV spots.

Again, I think your fears are groundless. Most RVers carry food with them and have the ability to prepare a meal in their RV, regardless of where they parked. I don’t think anyone will starve to death just because one RVer got to a Cracker Barrel earlier than they did.

> IMHO WalMart is a better idea. At least your not potentially messing
> up someones diner plans by overnighting there, …

I think you’re overly concerned about your plans for an early stop “messing up someone’s dinner plans.” That’s no more a problem than you having to change your plans to accommodate some unknown RVer who MIGHT want to park at the same Cracker Barrel on the same night. It’s a non-issue.

> … and they [Walmarts] are better lit and tend to be quieter in the
> overnight hours.

Wal-Marts aren’t necessarily better lit, and some RVers prefer a less bright location in which to park overnight. In general, the reports I’ve receive indicate that either a Cracker Barrel or a Walmart lot may be quiet or noisy. The noise level is dependent on a host of variables —

* nearby roads & highways
* nearby RR tracks
* whether a given Walmart is a 24-hour store
* whether an RV is parked near where delivery trucks enter the lot
* what night the garbage trucks make their pickup
* what night the parking lot sweeper shows up
* whether the parking lot is a local teen hangout
*etc., etc., etc.

This simply makes it impossible to state that Walmart lots are quieter than Cracker Barrel lots — or vice versa.

If you prefer Walmart parking lots to Cracker Barrel parking lots, that’s fine. Others prefer Cracker Barrel lots, and if there is limited RV space, then it’s first come, first served.

Jim O’Briant
Gilroy, CA
Administrator, http://www.OvernightRVParking.com
Moderator, OvernightRVParking Yahoo Group
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/OvernightRVParking/
Overnight Parking Blog: http://blog.rv.net/

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:39:09 +0000

Has anyone overnighting at a Cracker Barrel perhaps stopped to consider that if you come in early in the evening and stay till after breakfast you are potentially causing other RV’ers to be turned away because there’s no where to park?

There’s lots of nights where we hit a Cracker Barrel at about 5PM, but if we chose to stay the night we’d have one (of the often only 3 or 4) RV spots plugged up for the rest of the night. I’d hate to think that someone had to abandon their dinner plans and get back on the interstate with an empty stomach simply because I decided to overnight in one of only a few available RV spots.

IMHO WalMart is a better idea. At least your not potentially messing up someones diner plans by overnighting there, and they are better lit and tend to be quieter in the overnight hours.

By: Frank H

Frank H — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:42:45 +0000

I have only stayed at a Cracker Barrel once. Sister was in the hospital and all the campgrounds were full. I ask the manager and was allowed to stay two nights. I moved the MH to the hospital parking lot during the day (not alowed to stay at night). Of course my wife and I ate dinner and breakfast at CB for two days.
If you are a good southerner you should have “Grits” instead of those hask browns.
Great Food!!!!

By: Jglo

Jglo — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 13:53:02 +0000

As a single female traveler I’ve made my way to several CB’s without problem. On a couple occasions I was the only RV overnight’g, which may not have afforded the most rested night, but I was able to enjoy a welcome breakfast after a few winks as a reprieve. NOTE: Each time I asked permission (manager or assistant) and inquired if they had any security issues in the last couple months.

Whether they offer true home cookin’ or not I appreciate the allowance to overnight. Thank you Cracker Barrel!

By: Jeff

Jeff — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:44:45 +0000

I wish you could get an omelet at Cracker Barrel. They’ve got every other breakfast food in the world, but not a good old fashioned omelet. My wife says it’s because they try to be “country-style”, but I don’t really buy that. They serve TONS of stuff that isn’t “country”. I don’t remember my Grandmother ever telling me any stories about how much she loved her down-home pancakes with fruit and whipped topping or about a lovely breakfast fruit plate.

C’mon Cracker Barrel add omelets to your menu!

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:40:10 +0000

You can often get plain hash browns at Cracker Barrel. Just ask your server if they are available even if you only see the hash brown casserole on the menu.

By: TommyT

TommyT — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 21:55:22 +0000

Cracker Barrel Restaurants are excellent places to stop and eat, whether you’re in the RV or just a road trip in the car. I just wish that you could get regular hash browns, instead of the “hash brown casserole” for breakfast. I can’t stand the “casserole”. That limits the breakfast choices. Other than that, great food, great people, and a wonderful, old time general store atmosphere.