This post contains affiliate links.
In August of 2021, my husband and I had made the executive decision to take our family camping. Just me, him, our twelve- and six-year-old daughters and our five-year-old son.
And by camping, I don’t mean an RV or a cabin—I don’t mean glamping. I mean a tent, sleeping bags, a fire for our meals, no running water, the whole 9 yards. Okay, okay, so more like the whole 8 yards (I may have smuggled my coffee pot in to plug into the two singular outlets that were available at our tent site.) But mom without coffee on vacation was a risk NO ONE was willing to take.
Due to some financial hardships, we hadn’t taken a family vacation for several years. We originally planned a wonderful trip to Florida for the week. COVID had taken a toll on the economy and our finances were super tight, but we scraped and saved all summer to put enough money together to ensure the kids would have a good time. We even opted to stay with family while we were there instead of blowing three-fourths of our budget on lodging.
The week before we were supposed to leave my uncle called to tell us how incredibly sorry, he was, but that both he and my aunt were very sick and would no longer be able to host us at their home.
Needless to say, while we certainly understood, we were all disappointed. And the next day I remember feeling so defeated. Skyler and I sat together and looked at other options, but with it being such short notice and nothing available within our budget, the beach just wasn’t in the cards for us.
But I have never been one to take defeat so easily. So, I did what I do best. I prayed. And prayed. And prayed some more.
Please God help us find an answer. Please guide us where we should be. I don’t know how to fix this for my kids and my family so I’m giving it to you.
The next day I started exploring other types of vacations and came across the Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park website. They had ‘tent sites’ available for $30/night. I immediately consulted my husband, and we quickly realized this was our only option if we wanted to take our family on vacation this summer.
So, we phoned a few family members, borrowed a 12-person tent and a few cots, made a quick trip to the store for a few additional supplies and that weekend we were arriving at our own little 30’x30’, tree bordered, slice of heaven.
To our pleasant surprise, the campground came equipped with a double-slide water park and pool, mini golf, and so many awesome family activities like foam parties, outdoor movie nights, a camp wide scavenger hunt, glow volleyball, a ninja course, general store, and an ice cream parlor.
Without screens in our faces, stealing all our time, our kids had our 150% undivided attention. We played cards, we talked, we laughed, we spent time in nature, and we grew closer as a family.
Now, our family is big on travel. We’ve taken many trips together for sports and other events. We’ve been to Disney World, multiple beaches at fancy, flashy resorts, and cross-country road trips. To this day, my children all tell me that the time we went camping was hands down, their favorite vacation we’ve ever taken.
I look back on this time with them and it makes me smile to see that once again, God’s plans are always better than mine. In fact, so much better than I could’ve ever imagined.
If you decide to give it a try, I’ve included “must-have” packing list below! Check it out!
Everything you need (minus the kitchen sink) for a fabulous family camping trip:
1) The Tent
2) Hammer/Mallet
3) Flashlight and/or lamps just depends on your preference. I personally liked the lamps for playing games at night, but the flashlights were fun for the kids to play with too.
4) The Cots (you can thank me later when your back is still in good enough shape to that hike to the waterfalls)
5) Sleeping Bags
6) 1-Burner Portable Stove-this baby came in super handy when we realized the fire was the only thing we had to cook our meals on!
7) Mountain Pie Maker-A MUST-Bonus! This one comes with a recipe book too!
8) Family Card Games
9) Spare batteries
10) Matches or lighters
11) Broom and dustpan (mama that tent is gonna get dirty!)
12) Utensils-I recommend a set like this because it’s got a little bit of everything you might need.
13) Seasonings-but only the ones you use frequently. Trust me, you will be sorry if you forget the salt and pepper for on your morning, flame cooked eggs.
14) Bug spray and sunscreen COMBO!
15) What’s camping without some S’mores
16) Make sure you pack the paper towels and/or baby wipes for cleanup
17) Because you know you won’t make it a whole trip without someone getting hurt… The first aid kit
18) Plenty of drinks, snacks, and water for everyone
19) Your favorite book (and coloring or activity books for the kids-my kids are suckers for the Highlights Hidden Picture Books)
20) And last, but certainly not least, don’t forget to pack the good chairs for you and the hubs to unwind in while the kids are making their mountain pies on the fire.
View all products listed here at the site store by clicking “Visit Store” below.