Family Camping Vacations- is it really as good as it sounds?
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Anonymous
| We are big campers, tent, but car, not backpack. We go on several 3-5 night trips a year. I prefer that length. Any shorter and you are spending all your time setting up and thinking about tearing down. Any longer and you really just want a hot shower at home. In contrast, my preferred length of time for non-camping trips is 11-18 days. |
Anonymous
| I was thinking of trying Jellystone with my 6 year old, but the only time I can take off is in mid-june. Do you think it'll be too cold to enjoy the pool etc? |
Anonymous
| We love camping, but 2-3 nights is amout my limit. |
Anonymous
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A week is a long time unless you get one of those cabins that has cooking facilities and showers. If you are tent camping and sharing showers and toilets, well, it's just long. One suggestion. If you are going alone and using shared washrooms and toilets, I'd get some sort of portable toilet for overnight in your tent. When I take my kids alone, I don't like leaving some of them sleeping alone in the tent while I take whomever needs to to use the bathroom away from the campsite.
This being said, I am doing a two week camping trip with my kids this summer. But, we're big campers. And, there's places I want to see, so the event isn't only camping. Someone suggested Jellystone - they are all over the place so you can pick one that is in an area with lots to do. Another option is KOA, which is everywhere. They have cabins and, in some places, they have tent lodging so you don't have to have your own equipment. |
Anonymous
| KOAs are horrid. All the worst aspects of camping, and none of the good. |
Anonymous
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These are not particularly helpful ages for camping with a 1-3 ratio. The 3 yo pushes it over the edge. A week of eating campfire food or pb&j? The end of August is mosquito heaven. Can you sleep on the ground for a week straight?
I'd try a 1 or 2 night trial first. |
Anonymous
I have three boys and they love it. LOVE it. It's been, by far, their favorite thing that we've done as a family. I mean, dirt and sticks and roasted marshmallows and sleeping in a tent, what else could you possibly want? 
Our very first camping trip was to Prince William Forest Park, which is just down I-95, between Woodbridge and Stafford. May I suggest going there for about two nights before you plan on a true camping vacation? It's close enough to civilization that you can run out to Walmart if you fail to pack something that you desperately need. (This happened to us on our first trip.) It's also close enough to things that we saw some of the other campers with Starbucks coffee cups in the mornings. Despite its proximity to things, it feels like it's in the middle of nowhere. |
Anonymous
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I agree with others that if you are tent camping, 2-3 nights is about as long as you should plan for, and obviously car camping rather than backpacking. There are plenty of places that will have nice, clean facilities and hot showers (key for me!)
For a week, I'm a big fan of renting cabins. Virginia state parks are really nice and they have great cabins. Full kitchen with all of the cooking equipment and utensils you need, beds, showers, etc. Also air conditioning! Only downside is your timing. If you go the last week of August, the state parks won't have as many activities, and they might have closed down the swimming areas, as they can't get the staff for lifeguards that late in the summer. So, if you want to try the state park cabin idea, I'd try to find a week in late June - mid August. If you go that time of year, the parks will have daily activities for your kids, in addition to you all just doing family stuff on your own. VA State Parks website is here: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/cabin-rentals.shtml I swear I don't work for them--just a long-time fan! 
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Anonymous
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We go camping at least once a year, and I grew up camping. It is a blast for kids, and a ton of work for parents. You need two parents to make it work, and I try to prepare some of the food in advance. We never go more than 3 nights.
If you rent a cabin though, it is a bit different. You could try Douthat State Park in VA. The only issue with your timing is a lot of the swimming will be closed because the college kids have gone back to school by that week. |
Anonymous
This. I grew up camping a lot, and we loved it, but it was a TON of work for my mom. |
Anonymous
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I cannot wait to do this at the camp I used to go to growing up. They now have a family camp week in August, which I imagine would be full of all the great things I loved as a kid - swimming and boating in a private lake, climbing walls, sports fields, campfires, etc. Next year when my boys are 4 and 6 I think it will be perfect. I know what I'm getting into in terms of accomodations (cabins with bunk beds and a no-frills attached bathroom) and am just fine with that, since it's a step up from the usual tent. We're going to go with cousins, which will make it even better, and it looks like they make it so adults can hang out and have a beer after the kids go to bed.
Check out Forest Lake Camp in the Adirondacks. Love that place! |
Anonymous
This sounds like fun, but remember no hanging out around the campfire with a beer in the evenings because no alcohol is allowed. |
Anonymous
| There is a nice state park with cabins and tent areas just north of Virginia Beach. That way you can spend time at the beach, or go to a restaurant too. We did a few days at the campsite, a few days at a hotel. |
Anonymous
| Following with interest! Really want to take our kids camping, but I assume we should wait until the 2yo is really and truly out of diapers, right Well, maybe next year... |
Anonymous
Which works great for me and DH since we don't drink. However, I believe some people do enjoy a beer in the privacy of their cabins and it's not like they do bunk checks. |