Where Should We Go!?

This is the time of year our traveling adventures slow down a little. I would love to live further south without the 🥶temperatures, BUT we don’t! Wintertime means having to winterize our camper from November - March. 😔 The day “MoJo” (short for Momentum Journeys) goes to storage is a sad day for our family as camping has become our favorite way to travel with 3 kids! Why camping has become our favorite is a good topic for another day!

So what do we do while “MoJo” is in storage!? This is when I talk my husband into working on my projects that usually consist of organizing our house to make packing/unpacking more efficient! We travel so frequently that I am always trying to make it easier.. and Believe it or not there are days we just chill at home! Now it is the end of January, and the winter blues start to creep in on us… ❄️☃️that’s when the racing/camping/vacation planning begins!!

As the weather has been cold and rainy this week we’ve been planning away for 2021! This gave me the idea that many others are likely planning their trips for the year as well. Today I would like to share with you a few of our favorite campground experiences! I hope that it might give some of you some new ideas to plan for your family!

Cabin from Jellystone Mill Run, PA

Want to take your family camping but don’t have a camper!? Tent camping is an option..BUT difficult to plan too far ahead not knowing the weather! Have you thought of renting a cabin in a campground? These cabins are not as furnished as the vacation homes you rent, so they require a little more packing on your end. However, in my opinion it’s worth a try for a camping experience.. especially if you have kids!

Jellystone Mill Run, PA

1. Jellystone Mill Run, PA was full of amenities for kids of all ages! This campground offers cabin rentals to! My boys favorite amenities include the waterpark, water wars, snowless tubing, putt putt golf, fishing, and the ice cream shop! This is only a few of the many family fun activities Jellystone offers; check out their website for more! Attention parents that are doing the packing … plan and pack well because it’s not a jaunt across the street to a grocery store or gas station! It might say 7-10 miles, but it took my husband 25 mins to get to a gas station! The onsite camp store is very nice and stocked well to get you in a pinch, but I would not plan on “grocery shopping” while there!

https://www.jellystonemillrun.com/

ATTN NATURE LOVERS! Ohiopyle State Park is only a few miles down the road!! This park is beautiful! Miles of hiking and biking trails with waterfalls, natural water slides, white water rafting on the Youghiogheny River, and much more! We spent a few afternoons walking some trails and exploring the small town of Ohiopyle. My boys favorite was the hike to Cucumber Falls which also has an area they could swim!

One of my favorite things to do on trips is find unique family owned bakeries and/or coffee shops. The small town of Ohiopyle was full of unique places to browse around in. Thankfully there was a playground nearby for my husband and the boys to hang out while I did a little shopping therapy! In return I found the Ohiopyle Bakery which made my kids day! 😋 Follow the link below to discover more on Ohiopyle!

http://www.discoverohiopyle.com/

Branches of Niagara, Grand Island, NY

1. The Branches of Niagara on Grand Island, NY is a small campground that speaks big in amenities and is very well maintained! You can rent cabins here too! My kids favorite here was the sand pit, playground, log playhouse, and laser tag. They have a very nice pool area, a beach with a swimming area on the lake, and kayak rentals available. Anything that involves swimming or water is always on my kids favorite list, however, this trip it was too cold to swim much!

https://branchesofniagara.com/

The Branches of Niagara is only 10 minutes from the American Niagara Falls State Park!

Things that we did with our kids while in Niagara Falls, NY:

• Cave of the Winds

• Maid of the Mist

• Browsed around Old Falls Street shops and enjoyed dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.

• Viewed the Falls at nighttime with all the lights! 🤩

There are a ton of other things to do in the area. We did a long weekend trip so we did not get to explore nearly enough! That means someday there will be a future trip planned to see more!

https://www.niagarafallsstatepark.com/

Ocean Lakes Family Campground, Myrtle Beach, SC

1. Ok soo… I always thought if you went to the beach you had to stay at a beachfront resort with ocean views right!?! Well I was so wrong! Taking your camper to the beach with kids.. So much more relaxing!!! That’s my opinion which I plan to expand on in another post! All of the amenities you have at a resort but your own little home pulled right up beach front! This is another campground where you can rent a beach house if you don’t have a camper! We could easily walk across a campground road right over to the beach, or a 5 minute walk to the pool/waterpark area! This campground is huge, so you can pick to be closer to the amenities that you prefer. Our favorites here is just everything about this campground!

• Plan to be amused as there’s a nightly golf cart cruise along Seaside Drive! 🛺 You can plan to rent a golf cart to join the fun! It is family friendly fun, playing music and just cruising. The security of the campground does enforce campground rules and directs traffic during this time.

https://www.oceanlakes.com/

Ocean Lakes is located on the south end of Myrtle Beach so it’s a short drive to Restaurants in Murell’s Inlet and Broadway at the Beach!

https://www.visitmyrtlebeach.com/plan/neighborhoods/murrells-inet/

https://www.broadwayatthebeach.com/

For a dining experience on the beach check out Pier 14!

http://pier14.com/

Sun Outdoors RV Resort Sevierville/Pigeon Forge, TN (Formally known as River Plantation RV Resort)

1. Camping in the SMOKIES! This campground is not “in” the mountains, nor is their mountain view when we went in September. However, it is a very clean and well maintained campground that feels like you are away from town while being right on the strip! There are cabins available to rent as well! We enjoyed relaxing at our campsite and swimming in their pools & lazy river. We saved all of our energy for adventures out in Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg! The Smoky Mountains are our favorite place to vacation so a list of our favorites is pretty lengthy here!! I’m sure a Smoky Mountain Vacation Blog will be coming soon as well!

https://www.sunrvresorts.com/resorts/south/tennessee/sun-outdoors-sevierville-pigeon-forge/

Since I started I will give you a few of our top places to visit while in the Smokies!

• DOLLYWOOD - especially during winterfest!

• DOLLYWOOD SPLASH COUNTRY - my kids favorite waterpark

https://www.dollywood.com/

• Jayelle’s Ranch - We’ve done ziplining and horseback riding!

https://www.jayellranch.com/

• Roaring Fork Motor Trail - great drive with amazing views, and hiking trails!

https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/roaringfork.htm

Restaurants:

• The Old Mill

https://old-mill.com/

• Crockett’s Breakfast Camp - I vote best breakfast restaurant I’ve tried!!

https://crockettsbreakfastcamp.com/

• Smoky Mountain Brewery Gatlinburg Location!

https://smoky-mtn-brewery.com/

Ok this is a very short list because I can go on and on about things to do and places to eat! …I hope this is enough to give you some new ideas and lookout for more coming soon! Please feel free to share your ideas to inspire us as well!