Straight up I-24 from Middle Tennessee
New & Used RV Dealership & Sales near Nashville, TN
Camp-A-Rama sits in Benton, Kentucky, about two hours northwest of Nashville on I-24, right where Middle Tennessee already camps. Travel trailers and destination trailers, plus service, financing and rentals.
Overview
Buying an RV Near Nashville, Tennessee
Plenty of Nashville RV owners already make this drive without thinking about it. Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley and Land Between the Lakes sit about two hours northwest of the city, and I-24 runs there in a nearly straight line. If that is where your weekends go, it helps to know there is a dealership at the destination.
Camp-A-Rama has outfitted families since 1966 and has been under new ownership since 2019. We are a dealer for Forest River, Keystone, Prime Time Manufacturing and Gulf Stream, we service all makes and models, and we rent campers nightly.
We are not a Nashville dealership and will not pretend otherwise. Our lot is in Benton, Kentucky, about 130 miles up I-24. What that buys a Tennessee shopper is a different inventory pool and a team that works on these trailers in the conditions you camp in. Start with the full inventory or read on for how an out-of-state purchase actually works.
At a glance
Browse inventory
Shop Campers by Type
Everything we stock is towable. Start with how you camp.
Travel Trailers
Most of our inventory, from weekend sized singles to bunk rooms that sleep eight.
View travel trailers →Destination Trailers
Placed and left, with household fittings rather than travel weight ones.
View destination trailers →Used RVs
Earlier model years that already absorbed the depreciation, checked over before reaching the row.
Shop used RVs →Towing with an SUV or half ton? Filter to campers under 4,000 lb dry weight before you drive up.
View Lightweight CampersOur brands
RV Brands We Carry
Prime Time and Keystone lead the lot. Browse by builder or jump to a model line.
Prime Time
Our largest brand by model count. Avenger LT at the light end, Tracer through the family middle, LaCrosse at the park model end.
Keystone RV
Passport in three trims. Super Lite is the half ton friendly one, Classic stretches length and berths. Hideout turns up used.
Forest River
Wildwood for a front kitchen and real counter. Cherokee Wolf Pup for something a crossover can handle.
Coachmen
Catalina has been built long enough that parts stay easy to source. Clipper single axle sits near the floor of the hard sided range.
Gulf Stream & Heartland
Conquest when sleeping count is the priority, Prowler Lynx when the budget is.
CrossRoads, Starcraft & Hy-Line
Zinger Lite and Autumn Ridge Mini run tandem axles without the usual weight penalty. Hy-Line Premier is a place it and leave it unit.
Crossing the state line
Buying an RV in Kentucky as a Tennessee Resident
A normal transaction, not a complication. Here is the sequence, and the one part to check yourself.
1. Shop and agree on the unit
Most Tennessee buyers settle details by phone first. We will walk a trailer on video, pull weights and specs, and say plainly if a unit is wrong for your tow vehicle. That saves a wasted round trip.
2. We prepare out of state paperwork
Routine here. You leave with the bill of sale, title paperwork and any lien documents your lender needs, prepared for an out of state registration.
3. You title and register in Tennessee
The RV is titled and registered in your home county, and the tax and fees are set by Tennessee, not Kentucky. Rates and required documents vary by county, so confirm specifics with your county clerk before you travel.
One thing we will not do is quote a tax figure. Rates and county fees change, and an out of state dealer guessing helps nobody. Your county clerk gives you the real number in one call, and we will have the paperwork ready.
Budget
How Much Does a Camper Cost?
What our current lot actually lists at, so you can size a budget before the drive.
Prices exclude tax, registration and delivery, and change as inventory moves. Tennessee buyers pay tax and registration at home. Check current inventory for live pricing.
Buying guide
Know What Your Truck Can Pull First
Work out your towing numbers before you drive up. It separates a productive trip from a wasted Saturday.
Dry Weight
Factory empty weight. Fine for comparing two models, useless for planning a loaded tow.
GVWR
The loaded ceiling the trailer is engineered for. Plan every purchase against this figure.
Tongue Weight
Downforce on the ball. It must clear your receiver rating and fit inside your truck payload.
Stay at or under roughly 80 percent of your rated towing capacity when loaded. That matters more than usual here, because your first tow is a two hour run home on I-24, often into a headwind. Water alone is about eight pounds per gallon.
Look Up Your Towing CapacityRough starting points
Mid size SUV
Stay with single axles and our under 4,000 lb filter.
Half ton pickup
Most of the mid size row opens up. Check payload, not only tow rating.
Three quarter ton
Nothing on the lot is off limits, destination trailers included.
Floorplans
Which Layout Fits Your Weekends?
If most trips are lake weekends rather than long hauls, that changes which floorplan is worth the money.
Families with kids
Bunk rooms. Kids get their own end of the trailer, which matters more on night two than on the lot.
Browse Tracer models →Couples
Rear kitchen and rear living plans trade berths for counter and a proper couch. Shorter and easier to reverse.
See Passport Super Lite →First time buyers
Single axle, lighter, more forgiving. You will learn to back a trailer on this one.
Under 4,000 lb campers →Seasonal lake sites
Taller ceilings, bigger glass, household appliances. Positioned once, not hitched up weekly.
See destination trailers →Comparison
New or Used RV?
We sell both and push neither. It depends on how often you camp and how much you want to handle yourself.
Buying New
- ✓Full factory coverage
- ✓Latest floorplans and appliance packages
- ✓No prior owner history to work around
- ✓Ask about our RV warranty program
Buying Used
- ✓Depreciation already absorbed by someone else
- ✓Longer trailer for the same budget
- ✓Often arrives with owner added gear
- ✓An easier first purchase to justify
What to Check Before You Drive Home
Water intrusion is what ends campers, and it rarely announces itself. Press the ceiling corners and lower walls for anything soft. Check roof seams, sealant at every roof penetration, and the corners of slide out openings. A stain near a window means a seal failed.
Then run every system on the lot rather than in your driveway two hours later: water heater, furnace, air conditioner, refrigerator on both propane and shore power, the slide out and the awning. Check tire date codes too.
Buying privately closer to home instead? A pre-purchase inspection is cheap insurance. We would rather tell you to walk away than service a bad unit for three years.
Payment options
Three Ways to Pay for a Camper
Traditional lending is not the only path, and for some buyers it is not the best one.
RV Financing
Several lending partners who consider buyers across most credit brackets. Apply before you drive up and you arrive with a real number instead of a guess.
Rent to Own
No credit check and no bank. Towable RVs only, terms up to four years used and five new. A 20 percent down payment plus taxes, title and registration are due at signing, and you can pay off early.
Trade In or Consign
Bring your current camper and trade it on the same trip rather than making two. Consignment usually brings a higher price, and we store, photograph and show the unit.
After the sale
Service When You Live Two Hours Away
The fair question to ask before buying out of area, answered straight.
Service While You Camp
Most Tennessee owners schedule service around a lake trip, dropping the trailer on the way out and collecting it on the way home. We service all makes and models, not only what we sell.
Mobile Onsite Service
Our mobile technicians handle many repairs where the RV sits rather than at the shop, which matters most if your trailer stays on a seasonal site at the lake.
Rent Before You Buy
Rent one first. We deliver and set up the camper, so you get a real weekend in a real trailer and learn which floorplan you actually want.
Plainly: if you expect the selling dealer in your driveway on short notice, a Nashville dealership is the better fit, and we would say so. If your trailer lives at the lake, the distance stops mattering.
From the lot
Five Mistakes Out of Area Buyers Make
Patterns we see with buyers driving in from Tennessee, and how to avoid paying for them later.
Driving up without your towing numbers
Know your tow rating, payload and receiver rating before you leave Tennessee. It decides which half of the lot you can actually shop.
Shopping dry weight instead of loaded weight
Water, propane, batteries, gear and food add hundreds of pounds fast. Shop against GVWR.
Forgetting the hitch is part of the budget
A weight distribution hitch with sway control, a brake controller and the right ball mount are not optional on most tandem axle trailers, and you need them for the drive home itself.
Assuming the tax question is the dealer's job
Registration happens in your Tennessee county, not Kentucky. One call to your county clerk beforehand prevents the only real surprise in an out of state purchase.
Buying for the once a year trip
People size a camper around the one weekend the whole family comes, then tow the extra length the other fifty one.
Service area
Serving Middle Tennessee from Kentucky Lake
I-24 does most of the work. These are the Middle Tennessee communities our customers drive in from.
Nashville, TN
About 130 miles northwest on I-24, roughly two hours. The same route Nashville campers already take to the lakes.
Clarksville, TN
Directly on the I-24 corridor between Nashville and the Kentucky line, the shortest run of any Middle Tennessee city.
Hendersonville & Gallatin, TN
Pick up I-24 west of the city and it is the same straight shot, with no need to cross Nashville twice.
Springfield & Dickson, TN
Northwest of Nashville and already pointed our way, so the drive beats the Nashville figure.
Franklin & Murfreesboro, TN
Add the run up to I-24 and it is a half day round trip. Settle the unit by phone first.
Benton, KY
Our lot on US-68 in Marshall County, minutes from Kentucky Lake and Land Between the Lakes.
Visit the dealership
Current address, phone number and opening hours are on our location page.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Camp-A-Rama from Nashville, TN?
Camp-A-Rama is in Benton, Kentucky, roughly 130 road miles northwest of Nashville, which is about a two hour drive on I-24 West. It is the same corridor Middle Tennessee campers already use to reach Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley and Land Between the Lakes, so many buyers combine the trip with a weekend at the water.
Does Camp-A-Rama have a dealership in Nashville?
No. Camp-A-Rama operates a single lot in Benton, Kentucky, and serves Tennessee buyers who drive up I-24. There is no Nashville showroom and no Tennessee satellite location. Hours, directions and the map for the Benton lot are on the location page.
Can a Tennessee resident buy an RV from a Kentucky dealer?
Yes, and it is routine. You agree on the unit, we prepare the bill of sale and title paperwork for an out of state registration, and you title and register the RV in your home Tennessee county. The tax and fees you owe are set by Tennessee rather than Kentucky, so confirm current amounts with your county clerk.
What types of RVs does Camp-A-Rama sell?
Camp-A-Rama stocks towable RVs only, in both new and used condition: travel trailers and destination trailers. Travel trailers run from small single axle campers suited to an SUV up to mid size family bunkhouses. We do not carry motorhomes, though our service department works on them.
How much does a camper cost at Camp-A-Rama?
Current listed prices start under $12,000 for a compact used single axle travel trailer and climb into the low $60,000s for the largest new destination trailer in stock. Most family sized travel trailers fall between those ends. Prices exclude tax and registration, which Tennessee buyers pay at home. See live inventory.
Can I get RV financing if I live in Tennessee?
Yes. Camp-A-Rama works with several lending partners that consider buyers across most credit brackets, and out of state residency is not a barrier. Applying before you drive up means you arrive with a real budget. A rent-to-own option with no credit check is also available on towable RVs. Start on the financing page.
Where do I get service if I live near Nashville?
Most Tennessee owners schedule service around a lake trip, dropping the trailer at the start of a weekend and collecting it on the way home. Mobile onsite service is also available, which helps if your camper sits on a seasonal site rather than your driveway. See mobile onsite service.
Can I rent a camper before buying one?
Yes. Camp-A-Rama rents travel trailers nightly and will deliver and set up the camper at your site, so you only bring supplies. For a Tennessee buyer weighing a two hour drive, a rental weekend is the cheapest way to learn which size and floorplan you actually want. Browse rental availability.
Make the Drive Worth It
Call before you leave Tennessee. Tell us your tow vehicle and budget and we will have the units that actually fit pulled up front.
Find our address, phone number and opening hours on the location page.