Favorite/Least favorite campground for families

South Higgins state park. Offers a little bit of everything including boat rentals and the lagoon to beach your boat at night. Also, the lake water along the beach is warm.

Itasca State Park in northern Minnesota. Headwaters of the Mississippi River. Bike trails, fishing, swimming beach, Naturalist programs, Virgin timber Red Pine trees, and some of the cleanest campgrounds in the country. My favorite!

As for my least favorite, my mom told me that if you can't say something nice, say nothing at all.

Down south the 4( MB travel park, pirateland, lakewood, Ocean Lakes) at Myrtle Beach are great for families. We personally enjoy Ocean Lakes on the south end of Myrtle. We have heard the state parks are good too.
Worst well I havent stayed at any I wouldn't go back too.
Randy

"For families"?: any State Park.

Stay away from places billing themselves as "resorts", "upscale", or "adult-oriented".

Three CG's come to mind when I think of great places for kids:

Devils Garden in Arches NP. No waterslides, amusement parks, or organized activities. Simply a great place for kids to climb, explore, play on sand dunes and occasionally see deer in the CG. Even as an adult, I can stay at this CG for several days and never get in the vehicle. Over the top views for the adults too.

Zion NP has two CG's that kids love, South and Watchman. After sightseeing all day, the kids get to go down to the creek and play (actually the Virgin River, but it isn't much of the river most of the year). Generations of kids before have gone down there and built small dams to have some little pond to splash in. When it's nearing 100 degrees out, playing in the creek in the shade of the huge cottonwoods is what it's all about when being a kid. The setting beneath the cliffs of Zion Canyon isn't something one gets to experience very often in life.

Pinon Flats in Great Sand Dune NP of course has huge dunes right by the CG. Kids can run up and down until they are exhausted. But get there in the spring when Medano Creek is running and the fun is exponential. Like being at the beach with a creek that seems to have a mind of its own as it meanders over the sand. When we took the nieces there a couple of years ago, we couldn't hardly tear then away, even to eat. They're asking to go back again this summer.

Kids get enough manufactured entertainment. These types of outdoor experiences are something they will remember their whole lives. JMHO

Hoffmaster SP between Grand Haven and Muskegon is 1100 acres and has miles of hiking trails (no bikes allowed on interior walking trails) and has 2-1/2 miles of great pure sand beach. A creek, 300 campsites in a very wooded setting in 4 loops having paved roads and bikes are allowed on the miles of interior park roads. It's not on a highway but about 3-4 miles away and on the lakeshore. Gobs of tall sandunes to climb and play on. Also a great nature center for kids and adults with classrooms and an interpetive center. 5 miles north of Grand Haven so you can drive to all the activities in the Grand Haven area in minutes. Lots of free parking.

Grand Haven State Park right in town but a world of it's own with sandunes between. The beach is repeatedly voted by the US public as one of the 5 best beaches in America and you'll see why. Quite an honor! Over 160 miles of connected paved designated bike paths all over and a 7 mile long boardwalk along the big wide Grand River to downtown GH and on over the 2 bridges to Spring Lake's downtown. Bike path crosses the big Grand River and the channel into Spring lake on paved fenced in side additions on the highway bridges so no worry about cars and kids. Heck, you can bike on connecting paved bike paths all the way south to Holland SP (20 miles). Bathrooms, 29 nice very parks and several beaches along the bike paths to play and explore. Yes, benches, food and beverages places to visit on various bike paths to downtown and and other venues and there's so much for kids to do including, beach avtivities and beach sports, many volleyball nets, ballfields, a large skate park and skate bowl. fishing galore for all ages, a 1/4 mile long public pier with 2 lighthouses right at the state park, swimming galore, kids splash park downtown on the river and adults use it too, the huge musical fountain at night, museums, boats everywhere and huge ships too including Coast Guard as Grand Haven is by act of congress "Coast Guard City USA" and the national Coast Gurad Festival is held there every year and has for 83 years.

Very popular area for bikers, campers, boaters, fishing, dining in many outside settings downtown, there's about 40 boats in the charter fishing fleet alone. Free concerts in Central Park with live music and a several thousand seat free lighted at night waterfront stadium downtown too where performances are held. Open air trolleys to town and back if you don't want to walk or drive.

The SP CG has 168 sites and they are on concrete on the beach surrounded by soft clean pure sand with a state of the art new huge bathouse with 13 private door showers and some are family large showers. Sites are not real large (roughly 24' X 50' each) and few trees as they are not needed because there's always a cool breeze coming off Lake Michigan and A/C is seldom needed or used. 30 & 50 amp and a large site is not needed to be because people are only in them to eat and sleep as there's so much to do all the time from early morning to late at night. The entire area is completely safe for kids or adults 24/7. CG fills all summer long so reservations are a must. It's the most popular SP in Michigan bar none and for so many reasons as people come back year after year so they must like it. A link to one detailed large informative site:

visitgrandhaven.com

also, google maps is great

two of several sites.

It will answer your questions better than I can.

fla-gypsy wrote:
This is strictly personal preference. Different people like different things

That was basically the point of this topic. If you want to share, feel free. I even mentioned why I liked/disliked a particular place. Just looking for new places to consider. I'm not asking for your advice on how to save for retirement, just what campgrounds you personally favor.

This is strictly personal preference. Different people like different things

sch911 wrote:
Silver Lake Dune Area. Silver Lake SP. But consider our favorite: Silver Creek RV Resort. Take your 4X4 on the dunes. There's go karts, putt putt, etc. Much to do here!

We've been going to the Dunes faithfully for 18 years! We buy 4X4s as daily vehicles so we can drive the family around the dunes (our buggy is only a 2 seater). Our favorite there is Yogi Bear. Guess I should have mentioned that in my favorite list! Doh! It's such a given for us that I even failed to mention it, not considering that nobody here knows us personally.

Silver Lake Dune Area. Silver Lake SP. But consider our favorite: Silver Creek RV Resort. Take your 4X4 on the dunes. There's go karts, putt putt, etc. Much to do here!