SewMona

Once upon a time, we lived in Pennsylvania.  OK, it’s only been about five months since we moved to Florida, but it seems like a lifetime ago!  We found a campground that we loved and it became one of our favorites – far enough away that we need to clear our schedules, but close enough that we can leave Friday after work and get there in time to swim.  They have a pond where you can fish without a license (catch & release only), they have a nice playground with a jumping pillow (although I’m not sure they still do – it ripped and would need to be replaced), and a pool.  They also have all kinds of activities for kids.  We could easily just stay at the campground and no one would be bored!  Friday evening, the kids would enjoy the jumping pillow (me too!) and John would fish.  The kids have their own poles with practice weights on the end so they can cast, but don’t actually catch anything.  They run back and forth between the jumping pillow and the pond.  Friday nights, the campground has an ice cream social – $1/scoop plus they have several toppings.  Saturdays they have a tie die station, then some kids games in the afternoon, bingo in the evening, and a flashlight candy hunt at night.  Sunday morning they have all you can eat pancakes plus sausage and drinks a la carte.  Besides all the activities, the campground itself is nice – the restrooms & showers are clean and in good repair.  The campsites are gravel and pretty level.  It’s just off the main road, but still relatively quiet.  It’s close enough to the city if we want to drive in for more entertainment.  Mostly though, it’s a nice place to just relax for a weekend.

Now, we’re searching for a new favorite campground.  Do you have a favorite campground?

We recently took a day trip to Myakka River State Park in Florida.  Funny story – We thought it was about 10 minutes away.  Imagine our suprise when google maps told us it was forty minutes!  No matter, we already had sunscreen on, the kids loaded, and we were ready to roll, so even though it was early afternoon and it’s getting darker earlier, we went anyway.  It’s the rainy season here and we knew that things would be mushy, but we were really hoping to get to the canopy walk.  Sadly, the path was more than just a little wet!

See the white sign in the middle left of the picture?  That’s the path!  I don’t know how close we were, but we had been walking on palm branches to get through some of the mushy stuff. We opted to take the nature trail for a little bit and then headed back to the car to do the drive through the park.

We were happy to find out that there are several campgrounds there (they also have cabins).  Camping is very reasonable – $26/night for water & electric.  They also have primitive camping if that’s more your style – we’re talking back country primitive – hike in with your stuff, don’t get eaten by the wildlife kind of primitive.  In my mind primitive means no hookups.  Hah!  So, while I like hiking, I also like being in something a little more substantial than a tent!  Plus primitive & three young kids just don’t mix!  So, we’ll be going back to check out the full facility campgrounds, after the rainy season ends.

When my parents first started camping, they had to have a rough idea of what it was going to cost them so they could have the cash ready.  Those were the days before credit cards and EZ Pass (that is one of the best inventions ever!!).  Some places took personal checks and some didn’t, so having cash to cover everything was the best plan.  They used AAA tour books and campground guides (Trailer Life or Woodalls) to help them determine how much they would need.  The cost of camping has gone up since my parents started camping in 1979.  Then they could get a primitive campsite just over the dunes from the ocean for $2.50/night.  That same site costs at least $20/night now.

Obviously the most expensive part is actually buying a camper.  One of the reasons we went with a pop-up was that it wasn’t nearly as expensive as say a fifth wheel or a class A (you could easily spend $1 million on one and it’s more like a second home than a camper).  Of course there’s a lot less space too, but for us, we just needed a place to sleep, prepare meals, and stay dry when it’s raining.  We already had a tow vehicle so that wasn’t an issue.  I’m sure that it does a number on the gas mileage, but I haven’t figured that out yet (note to self – figure out gas mileage while towing this summer).

Campsite prices vary, but we’ve been able to keep most of our nights at around $50/night.  Much like other things, location plays a role in how much a site will cost.  Also name brand campgrounds (KOA, Good Sam, Jellystone) will cost more than other campgrounds.  Since we don’t have facilities in our pop up, we want places that have decent showers and bathrooms (ever try to convince a kid to go in a spidery stall?   OK, even I have issues with sharing stalls with spiders!).

One of the biggest savings with camping is food.  Staying in a hotel means eating out a lot!  Even with the mini fridge in our pop up we can keep enough food for a long weekend.  Having a small stove means I can cook meals as long as I plan carefully so I don’t need more than two burners.  Of course cooking over the campfire is a possibility too.

Camping may or may not be cheaper than staying in a hotel or renting a house, but it’s definitely a worthwhile expense!  Hearing my kids ask when we’re going camping again makes it all worth it.  Spending time with family is what it’s about.