On hotel subject , I'll confirm that stuff is safe at Park if you drive to go eat.
Like
@Bjk77 said, many of us bring our kids.
As
@Big Dave states, most times someone has extra food ( he&his family shared lunch w my daughter & I this summer on a ride!) . There is stuff to drive
( it's safe to leave yer rig and trailer while ya head either) for eating North or South of park to any of the msny restaurants near by)[/I]. I'm partial to Monteagles waffelhouse .
If you're torn, last year me & my 13yr old stayed at hotel but this year we wanna camp with the group cuz it's fun & less stressful. We didn't know what it'd be like & regretted not camping.
Bein' kinda OCD about my Jeep ,it sucked wakin-up every hour all night to make sure it wasn't messed with at hotel , lol .
I also think the opening of rifle season will dampen the attendance of the other events atbAOP, fwiw. Seen it at many TN parks each year .