Last minute trip near Charlotte, NC

Stone mountain. Anywhere on loop b is good. We really like 71 and 54.

Yes I agree, Charlotte is ideal place to start camping trip, no matter which direction you head. A favorite of my wife and I is S.C. state park just below Lancaster S.C.. It is Lake Wateree State Park. Beautiful with large sites. Elec. Water. Dump station. Good luck. PS, Haven't been to a bad S.C. state park yet.

Just wanted to post an update on our adventures so far: our first trip out, we went to Sycamore Lodge. We loved it for the number of activities for the kids. The weekend was entirely too crowded, but cleared out on Sunday, leaving us two more days to enjoy the property without the crowd. We didn't buy their insanely priced membership, but it got us looking at the Coast toCoast membership options. For now, we have enough public land to keep us busy for awhile.

We're spending this weekend at Kings Mountain. It's not busy here at all, so the quiet is nice :) We visited the Battleground today, which we all loved! My six year old son loved it the most! Since we homeschool, we were able to get in quite a bit of learning, too! Overall, Kings Mountain has been a great short trip destination and we plan to return!

Next on the books is Stone Mountain, hopefully in June. If anyone has a favorite site to suggest, it'd be appreciated! It's always hard to book a site online without seeing it in person.

Also for June, we'd like to hit the beach! Hoping to catch a few days there before school is out and the crowds roll in :) So, where's the best beach destination? Prefer not to go more than 4 hours away since my husband will still have to work 1/2 day on the day we leave out. It's also about the car limit of our two year old :) Tell me a little about where to camp and get Britts Donuts too!

Thanks again to everyone who has given suggestions so far! This newbie family really appreciates it!!

Even though it is popular, I don't care for Kings Mountain. Lake Wateree is much much nicer! Roads are not paved so it makes it really dusty and the sites are not very level. Hard for the kiddos to ride bikes. Dan Nicholas and Lake Wateree are great bike riding places.

Stone Mountain is difficult to get in on a last minute. But it's worth it if you can get in. Never been to Kings Mountain.

Well, it looks like I'm too late :( Stone Mountain is completely full this weekend :( Bummer... Lots of space still available at Kings Mountain. Or maybe I'll start looking at beach options just in case :)

We like Stone Mt better because of the fishing.

Thanks again for all of the recommendations! I still REALLY want a donut :) but not sure I feel like a 4 hour drive tomorrow! Trying to decide between Stone Mountain and Kings Mountain. Both seem to get good reviews on here! So, does anyone prefer one over the other? Weather looks pretty good for this weekend and we're planning a 3 night stay (Thurs-Sat). Also, any specific sites at either location that you'd recommend? If I do get a wild hair and decide to go to the beach, which campground should I choose? I doubt we'll do the beach, but you never know! Part of the fun is flying by the seat of my pants :) Thanks again!

kohldad wrote:
Ebenezer was my first thought as it is a very nice park. It would be a good opportunity to see how you like if for quick trips later in the year when it gets hot. Only a few minutes to resturaunts.

Kings Mtn is also nice, but not much to do for the little ones specifically. Great outdoors and hiking though.

Stone Mtn is another good choice. Hike up the mtn for some views or go to the south end of the park for relatively flat hiking in the valley. Deer are abundant and can usually be seen in the campground when it isn't busy.

Hopefully the deer population is doing better this year than last year. They were dieing off last year.

Stone Mountain is also a great place during the summer. The creeks are nice and cool and the natural water slide near the little fall is a great place to cool off.

Ebenezer was my first thought as it is a very nice park. It would be a good opportunity to see how you like if for quick trips later in the year when it gets hot. Only a few minutes to resturaunts.

Kings Mtn is also nice, but not much to do for the little ones specifically. Great outdoors and hiking though.

Stone Mtn is another good choice. Hike up the mtn for some views or go to the south end of the park for relatively flat hiking in the valley. Deer are abundant and can usually be seen in the campground when it isn't busy.