Cracker Barrel RV Parking – Our Experience

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A lot of people have heard about staying overnight in Walmart parking lots for free, but did you know that you can stay at a Cracker Barrel for free as well?! It’s true. Cracker Barrel RV parking is allowed over night, and we experienced it firsthand. For even more options, check out this list of other places that allow free overnight RV parking as well.

As we were gearing up for our 8-hour road trip to the Spring Cove campground at Bass Lake, we thought it would be nice to get on the road a day earlier and break up the drive. Many campgrounds on our journey were already booked up, and the ones that weren’t were awfully expensive for just a quick place to park for the night.

Walmart Parking Lots Are Not Overnight Options in Many Areas

We decided to give Walmart a try. However, come to find out, staying overnight at Walmart is more of a thing of the past, or at least in the areas we were looking. After calling several, we found that many don’t allow it at all, and others say it depends on what the manager on duty decides at the time.

My husband read about the Golden West Casino in Bakersfield, CA (near our half-way point) that allowed overnight parking and had security in the parking lot. He called and spoke with the manager, and they told him absolutely no problem–just check in with security when we arrive and park in the back of the lot. So that was our plan, and we packed up to leave the next day.

We arrived at Golden West Casino around 9pm, pulled in and talked to security. He was showing us where to park, but then he asked if we had kids in the RV. We told him yes, and he immediately radio’d someone who told us that we cannot stay in the parking lot with kids. This was frustrating since my husband had already called and confirmed the day before. But we didn’t have time to be frustrated; we just needed a new plan.

Plan B – Cracker Barrel RV Parking

We had already called the Walmarts in the area, so we knew those weren’t options. I had just seen a post on Instagram about staying overnight at Bass Pro, so I checked that out, but there were none anywhere near us. Then I did a general search and Cracker Barrel showed up. There was one just a couple of miles away. We called and the person who answered was super friendly and said they have a huge lot to park in and that some people park there for a week at a time.

Before I continue with our experience, I’ll share all the specifics about an overnight at Cracker Barrel. Many Cracker Barrels have RV parking spots or designated lots nearby that they allow RVs to park in. Most Cracker Barrels are located just off highways, making it a convenient overnight option, and they have private lots, not shared with other shops or restaurants. Their parking lots also have good lighting, and because they aren’t open 24 hours, you shouldn’t have a lot of people coming and going at all hours of the night.

As an added perk, you can have dinner or breakfast there depending on what time you arrive and how early you are leaving. We got to Cracker Barrel around 9:30pm and it was open until 11pm. It re-opened at 7am the next morning. While we didn’t stay for a meal, we did do some shopping inside their store. I didn’t realize how much cute stuff they have! I had actually never been inside a Cracker Barrel before.

Our Not-So-Good Experience With Cracker Barrel RV Parking

I wanted to share all the positive information about staying at a Cracker Barrel because I truly believe it is a nice option to have, especially if you are in a bind. I appreciate Cracker Barrel being so welcoming and doing their part to keep RVers safe. Unfortunately, Bakersfield is just a rougher area, and I think any parking lot we could have stayed at in that city would have been subject to some of the happenings that were going on in the Cracker Barrel RV parking lot.

When we arrived, we immediately saw the lot the lady on the phone was referring to. There were a few other trailers there, and even a tent over in the bushes. I have to say, it looked questionable at best. Some of the trailers looked like they had been there for awhile, and people were hanging out outside with several dogs. But the parking lot was very well lit, there was another well-lit hotel parking lot right on the other side, and really we had no other options. So we parked our Thor 30.2 Ace RV and tried to settle in for the night.

A semi-truck trailer pulled up just after 10pm and parked at the back of the lot. After he arrived, we saw several cars drive over to him and leave a few minutes later. We could only guess what was happening, and it didn’t make us feel great about our situation. Between 2 and 3 in the morning, many of the trailer occupants were still awake and hanging out outside, riding BMX bikes. Morning couldn’t come soon enough.

We Survived

But low and behold, it did come and we did survive the night. We just got very little sleep. The kids and I went and did some shopping in the morning and then we were on our way.

After that night of Cracker Barrel RV parking, my husband did say that he would prefer just paying for a campsite, even if we were just going to be using it for a quick overnight. But again, I think it was more the city that we were staying in. And I think many people have much more restful nights in other parking lots throughout the United States.

If nothing else, it made for some good stories. And bonus, when I couldn’t sleep, I realized that we never packed eggs. Had I been sleeping soundly, I may have never remembered. Silver lining for sure, as we were able to stop at the store for eggs (and coffee) before heading to Bass Lake.