We spent Fourth of July weekend at Gasconade Hills RV Resort in Richland, Missouri—just about 2 hours from St. Louis—and it ended up being the perfect mix of family fun and small-town charm. The campground sits right on the Gasconade River, and normally the river is the star of the show with float trips, tubing, and kayak rentals. But after heavy rains, the river was high and fast, so we didn’t get to float this time. Thankfully, there was still a ton going on at the campground for the holiday. We got to soak up all the festive energy with a patriotic parade, a site decorating contest (one of the campers in our group won and scored free ice cream from the camp store—major bragging rights), and plenty of space for the kids and Chip to burn off energy. We stayed in a full hookup site that was level and spacious, checked out the camp store for essentials and treats, and I was really happy with how clean and well-maintained the bathrooms and showers were. We also hit the pool—even though it was under construction, the staff went above and beyond to keep it clean and accessible, and the kids didn’t mind one bit. We’re already planning a return trip when the river is ready to float.