# Friends of the Parks membership



## Milkman (Jul 26, 2013)

The members comment in another thread made me think about this. This is a good deal for anyone who camps at State Parks or visits State Historic sites.

When you purchase an annual family membership of the friends it costs $75.  For that  you get 2 nights of camping and 2 car parking permits good for 12 months. No $5 parking fee for any state park or historic site.  Also free admission for up to 6 people for State historic sites for 12 months. And 10% off on purchases at park stores.

We got $70 bucks of the $75 we paid the first time we went camping this year with the 2 nights camping and parking fee for both cars.

You can link to the sign up for this on the parks website.

https://friendsofgastateparks.org/index.php/how-to-help/membership


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## David Parker (Jul 26, 2013)

Good info there.  i also read that you can "Check-out" a parking pass for state parks at the library if you possess a valid Ga Public Library Card.  Free is good.


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## Milkman (Jul 28, 2013)

Milkman said:


> The members comment in another thread made me think about this. This is a good deal for anyone who camps at State Parks or visits State Historic sites.
> 
> When you purchase an annual family membership of the friends it costs $75.  For that  you get 2 nights of camping and 2 car parking permits good for 12 months. No $5 parking fee for any state park or historic site.  Also free admission for up to 6 people for State historic sites for 12 months. And 10% off on purchases at park stores.
> 
> ...




Got another bonus out of my Friends membership on Saturday.  I took my sons family to Etowah Indian mounds in Cartersville.  Free admission for the 5 of us.  Would have cost $25.50.  Also got 10% off on the souvenirs I bought the kids !!!


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## Oldstick (Jul 30, 2013)

I agree that is a deal, because I think the annual pass alone is $50 now if not mistaken.

Plus you will be helping all the hard working local volunteers you see that do a lot of the work operating and maintaining most of the state parks nowadays. 

Thanks to them, we still have one of the best state park systems in the nation.


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## Milkman (Jul 30, 2013)

Oldstick said:


> I agree that is a deal, because I think the annual pass alone is $50 now if not mistaken.
> 
> Plus you will be helping all the hard working local volunteers you see that do a lot of the work operating and maintaining most of the state parks nowadays.
> 
> Thanks to them, we still have one of the best state park systems in the nation.




Right, the individual membership is $50, but for $75 you get the family membership.  A no brainer for me. I bought mine on June 16th and have already saved almost $100 bucks with it.  And its still good until next June 16th.


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## LTE (Aug 4, 2013)

We've been joining through Friends for 4 years now.

I have my dad get the passes because he's a senior and I pay for it.  We get 2 park passes and we use them a lot.

We've done the SAM Shortline as well and the kids loved it!


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## K80 (Aug 4, 2013)

My church had a cookout at a state park yesterday so we bought ours for the year as our old one just expired.

Money well spent.


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## Miguel Cervantes (Aug 4, 2013)

We get one every year. Mine just expired. I will have a new one before the FPG gets here.


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## papachaz (Sep 1, 2013)

Milkman said:


> Right, the individual membership is $50, but for $75 you get the family membership.  A no brainer for me. I bought mine on June 16th and have already saved almost $100 bucks with it.  And its still good until next June 16th.



actually milkman, it's good until the end of june next year........when we went to buy our first membership a few years ago at Red Top Mtn SP, the lady there suggested waiting until we got there for the camping trip we were planning at the end of the month. She said that since we would be there camping the end of January and Feb 1st, she would date it the first of the month of Feb, which in essence gave us 13 months to use it. 

yes for someone who camps at State parks or visits the historical sites these more than pay for themselves. They do give a 10% discount on gift shop purchases (except for food items and consignment items, like firewood)

they don't get a discount on horse stalls though. We've done the family membership for a few years, and after the second time camping with it, what it saves on parking passes and discounts, more than pays for itself


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## Bob Shaw (Sep 5, 2013)

Is it even cheaper for seniors? If it is, I might consider getting one, although I don't camp at state parks much any more. I've got a 40' 5th wheel and it's too big for the roads in most of the parks. We used to love to go camping at Fort Mountain, Tugaloo, and Moccasin Creek. I could probably still do Moccasin Creek, but, getting there would be a pain.


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## Milkman (Sep 5, 2013)

Bob Shaw said:


> Is it even cheaper for seniors? If it is, I might consider getting one, although I don't camp at state parks much any more. I've got a 40' 5th wheel and it's too big for the roads in most of the parks. We used to love to go camping at Fort Mountain, Tugaloo, and Moccasin Creek. I could probably still do Moccasin Creek, but, getting there would be a pain.



Click on the link in the OP, it tells all about it.


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## Dr. Strangelove (Sep 5, 2013)

It's a good deal for you, and helps the park system. I buy a family one every year, you get two car tags you can use in any vehicle.


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## sling71 (Sep 8, 2013)

We also take a family membership to friends of the park each year.
Georgia State parks also have an RV Club.  It is free to join and they have a "passport".  Every night you stay at a park you get a stamp in your passport.  Ten stamps gets you a free night.  Costs nothing.  We already have two free nights but plan to keep filling up our passport and maybe have one nice long trip for free!!  This is separate and in addition to the free nights you get as a friend of the park. Check out the link below:
http://www.gastateparks.org/rvclub


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## rockinwrangler (Sep 8, 2013)

Thanks for the great information..  I just signed up to the RV club.  Can't wait until my packet arrives...


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## Milkman (Sep 13, 2013)

sling71 said:


> We also take a family membership to friends of the park each year.
> Georgia State parks also have an RV Club.  It is free to join and they have a "passport".  Every night you stay at a park you get a stamp in your passport.  Ten stamps gets you a free night.  Costs nothing.  We already have two free nights but plan to keep filling up our passport and maybe have one nice long trip for free!!  This is separate and in addition to the free nights you get as a friend of the park. Check out the link below:
> http://www.gastateparks.org/rvclub



Thanks for posting this. 

I joined up and got my passport package yesterday. You say 10 nights gets you a freebee. It looks like 9 nights to me. Do they have to put a stamp on that last space that says "free night" also?


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## sling71 (Sep 14, 2013)

Milkman said:


> Thanks for posting this.
> 
> I joined up and got my passport package yesterday. You say 10 nights gets you a freebee. It looks like 9 nights to me. Do they have to put a stamp on that last space that says "free night" also?



_My mistake, you are correct the tenth box is the free night. Thanks for pointing this out.._


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## Gmoney (Sep 20, 2013)

If I am not mistaken, you also get 1+ rounds of golf depending on the level of package you get.


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## Milkman (Sep 25, 2013)

Gmoney said:


> If I am not mistaken, you also get 1+ rounds of golf depending on the level of package you get.



Golf or free nights of camping I think


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## common man (Nov 14, 2013)

For even more discounts veterans who are 10% disabled should go see their local va rep. You can get a card which will give you up to 25% discount on some lodging at state parks.


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## T-N-T (Mar 25, 2014)

I was looking to buy myself a membership and realized I read this thread a while back..... 

So I figured it needed a BUMP for all of the spring camping plans being made by those who dont know.

Good thread MilkMan


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## LTE (Jun 4, 2014)

We're going to Florence Marina State Park next month.  Anyone been to that one?


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## Geffellz18 (Jun 5, 2014)

Milkman said:


> The members comment in another thread made me think about this. This is a good deal for anyone who camps at State Parks or visits State Historic sites.
> 
> When you purchase an annual family membership of the friends it costs $75.  For that  you get 2 nights of camping and 2 car parking permits good for 12 months. No $5 parking fee for any state park or historic site.  Also free admission for up to 6 people for State historic sites for 12 months. And 10% off on purchases at park stores.
> 
> ...



I have been getting the family package for 3-4yrs now. It really is a great value if you enjoy the parks and use the perks. Used to not get my $$$ back out of it, but now Don Carters less than 5 miles from the house. Spend many afternoons there during spring/summer. Plus your helping support the park system!


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## Bob Shaw (Jun 6, 2014)

I never stayed at Florence Marina, but I drove through there and I remember thinking it was someplace I'd like to camp. If I remember, the camp sites are not directly on the water, but they seemed nice.


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