We traveled from Texas to Tampa, Florida, for our first RV Show in January. It was held at the Tampa Fairgrounds from January 16-20 and is one of the largest RV shows in the country. If you’ve ever wanted to see hundreds of RVs in once place, this is it! It’s a great place to compare RV manufacturers, models, and floorplans without having to travel to different stores or cities. What can be better than being able to walk through an RV to check out the cabinet space, see how big the bed is, or see if the couch is comfortable? The brands have some of their top executives and technicians on hand to answer questions as well as show off some of their company’s new features. If you are in the market for an RV, a big show like this is sure to help you do your comparison shopping. Many times, you can get a special deal on pricing too!
Another reason to attend an RV show is the chance to connect with fellow RVers. There are many associations that offer a network of like-minded travelers, as well as events, products, discounts, insurance, and other benefits. Some associations also have chapters that are specific to a certain brand of RV. Our association arranged for our tickets to the RV show as well as 5 days of parking together with over 100 other fellow Entegra owners. It was fun to meet travelers from all over and compare stories, coaches, and tips. The association also arranged happy hours, dinners, and evening entertainment. The best thing was meeting new friends and sharing good times!
We also spent many hours touring the vendor buildings at the Tampa RV show. There were two giant buildings with hundreds of vendors selling anything and everything related to travel and RVs! It is a chance to see products like cleaning solutions, tire pressure monitors, sun shades, and things for repairing and upgrading components. Many representatives are there from all over the US with information about their resorts and campgrounds. We received several free-stay offers which will be a budget friendly way to try out some new areas. It is a little overwhelming to walk through so many vendors and take in all of the products, so we did some each day to spread it out. Of course, we did find several things we needed!
We enjoyed our time at the Tampa RV Show and the good Florida weather. The fairground had lots of carnival type food stands, so we enjoyed splurging a little. Singers, clowns, and performing groups walked around to provide entertainment and there was also face-painting and a rock-climbing wall for the kids. If you are like me, you might find people watching can be lots of fun at large events like this. I was amazed at how many dogs there were too—not just walking but being pushed in little doggie strollers! RVers love their pets and that was evident here. Even though we weren’t in the market for an RV, we really enjoyed this new experience and felt like we got our money’s worth at the Tampa show!
It’s so neat to see so many RVs in one place, sorta like the Parade of Homes. We’ll trade our snow for some of that sun. So glad you’re getting to enjoy it.
Yes it was really neat to have over 100 Entegras in one place (and that was out of 1800 RVs attending the show!).
It’s so neat to see so many RVs in one place, sorta like the Parade of Homes and lots of fun especially with all the good eats.
Yes, even though we weren’t shopping for an RV, we still had fun looking at all the different models and floor plans. Nothing beats a funnel cake once in a while!
This makes me want to go RV shopping too!
Yes–get you one and come on the road with us Sandi!!