RV Rental Near Fort Laurens State Memorial in New Philadelphia, Ohio

Every spring I get the same call from folks planning a Revolutionary War history day: “Can we just camp right at Fort Laurens?” The honest answer — and I tell everybody this before they book — is no. Fort Laurens State Memorial, tucked off State Route 212 near Bolivar in northern Tuscarawas County, is a day-use historic site. It’s the only Revolutionary War fort built in Ohio, with the tomb of the unknown patriot and a quiet museum, but there are no overnight RV hookup sites on the grounds. So when someone wants a Fort Laurens State Memorial RV rental, what I actually set them up with is a rig delivered to a nearby full-hookup campground, with the fort as an easy day trip. I’ve run that exact route enough times to know it works beautifully.

So You Can’t Camp at the Fort — Here’s What I Do Instead

The trick with Fort Laurens is that it sits right off Interstate 77 between Exit 87 (Bolivar) and the Zoar/Bolivar area, so it’s central to a bunch of campgrounds I deliver to weekly. My go-to for history-minded renters is Schoenbrunn Village Campground down by New Philadelphia — it puts you a short hop from both Fort Laurens to the north and Schoenbrunn Village to the south, so you can knock out two early-Ohio history sites in one trip without driving all over the valley. If you want a lake instead, Atwood Lake Park Campground and Tappan Lake Park Campground are both about a 25–35 minute drive east and give you real shoreline. I drop the RV, level it, hook up water and power, walk you through everything, and you drive your own car the 15–20 minutes over to the fort whenever you like.

How My Delivery and Setup Actually Works

Here’s the part that makes a base-nearby trip painless: you don’t tow anything and you don’t back into anything. I bring the RV to your campsite, get it sited and leveled, hook up the utilities, and run you through the systems before I leave — fridge, water heater, slides, the whole walkthrough. When your stay ends, I come get it. That matters around here because some of these lake-park loops are tighter than they look. At Atwood, certain sites near the water sit on a curve that a first-timer would struggle to back a 30-footer into, so I either handle the maneuver myself or I match you with a length that fits the loop. That’s the kind of thing you only learn by doing it over and over, and it’s exactly why I’d rather deliver than hand you keys at a lot.

Best Time of Year to Visit Fort Laurens

Fort Laurens shines from late spring through fall. May and early June around the Tuscarawas Valley are gorgeous but the grass at the fort gets dewy in the morning, so I tell people to go after the sun’s been up a couple hours if they’re walking the grounds. July and August are warm and humid — that’s when the air conditioning in your delivered RV becomes the real hero of the trip, and why I always confirm your campsite has a 30- or 50-amp pedestal before I roll out. Fall is my personal favorite: the leaves across this part of Ohio turn hard in October, the crowds thin out at the historic sites, and the lake-park campgrounds quiet down. Just know the day-use site keeps shorter seasonal hours, so check the memorial’s current schedule before you plan your fort day. Winter is too cold and most of the surrounding campgrounds close their water, so I generally don’t book this trip past late October.

Make a Real Weekend of It Around the Tuscarawas Valley

One thing I always tell renters: don’t drive all this way just for a one-hour fort visit. The area around Bolivar and New Philadelphia is loaded, and with the RV parked you’ve got a comfortable home base for the whole stretch. A few pairings I suggest constantly:

  • Fort Laurens + Schoenbrunn Village — two pieces of early Ohio history within a 20-minute drive of each other; do the fort in the morning, Schoenbrunn after lunch.
  • Trumpet in the Land — the outdoor drama down near Schoenbrunn runs in summer and tells the story tied to this very valley. Evening shows pair perfectly with a relaxed afternoon at a lake campground.
  • Warther Museum & Gardens in Dover — the carvings are unreal, and it’s a quick I-77 hop from any of my delivery spots.
  • Amish Country — Sugarcreek and Walnut Creek are 25–30 minutes west; great for a day off the history trail.
  • Tuscora Park in New Philadelphia — old-school rides and a pool, ideal if you’ve got kids who’ve had enough museums.
  • Age of Steam Roundhouse & Dennison Railroad Depot — for anybody chasing trains, these are worth the short drive south.

When to Book — and Where We Deliver

Summer weekends and anything tied to the Trumpet in the Land season fill up first, so if you want a particular campground loop — especially the lakeside sites at Atwood or Tappan — reach out a few weeks ahead. I deliver throughout Tuscarawas County and into Stark, Carroll, Holmes, Coshocton, and Harrison counties, so whether you’re flying into Akron-Canton (CAK) or driving up I-77, I can have a rig waiting and set up before you arrive. If you’re not sure which campground fits your group or your dates, just call me at 330-440-2429 or email [email protected] and I’ll point you to the right one — I know which loops run short, which have shade, and which are easiest to settle into for a first RV trip.

Ready to plan your trip? Browse the fleet to see what I deliver across the Tuscarawas Valley area, then check my guide to nearby campgrounds and RV parks to pick the best base for your Fort Laurens day. Tell me your dates and I’ll handle the rest.

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