It is 6:00 A.M. and your sister’s baby just started screaming and since your brothers were up till after 2:00 A.M. playing cards, you got about less than 4:00 hours sleep.  Plus your brother’s sons are allowed to play on their IPads without restrictions all day long and it is driving your kids who aren’t allowed mad.  Did someone say a family vacation could be fun?

Well with a KOA vacation, you could take away a lot of that stress and still have some amazing bonding time with a large group.

Here are a few reasons why you should give a KOA vacation a try.

1. Abundance of Locations:

With over 500 locations nationwide, there is surely one just a few hours drive from your home. In Pennsylvania, we have 16 locations. Check out this Lorrin Sell Photography’s experience at Bellefonte and a few other great locations. There are numerous KOA locations near cities and beaches!

2. Budget Friendly:

In large groups, budgets can vary and KOA has variety of options.  Tent camping is the most budget friendly option, but if you still would rather have a cabin and are on a tighter budgets there are more reasonable options without bathrooms.  Nights tend to range about $50 for a tent site with electric and water ranging to about $180 for a deluxe cabin. (Check local locations for varied prices ranges)

3. Clean Bathrooms:

One of the things that is important when you are going to be camping is the bathrooms.  If you are in a cabin with a bathroom, this is less of a concern.  What about a group bath house?  KOA has consistently clean and updated bathrooms.  The Bellefonte KOA where we recently stayed had a traditional bathroom as well as a new family style set up with individual toilet, sink, and shower stalls.

 

4.  Free/Cheap Camp Activities:

Arrive and park your car for the whole stay.  Our kids loved the free and cheap activities that kept them busy all day long.  Our favorites were make your own tie dye souvenir shirt for only $5 and the giant bubble machine.

5. Food:

What a great place to have a pot luck!  We opted for a big lunch where we grilled all our foods on the provided gas grills and then had all that food for leftovers at dinner between activities. Our location delivered pizza and wings for a reasonable cost to our site Friday night, had a $2 a cup make your own sundae bar, and free pancake breakfast Sunday morning.

6. Awesome Amenities:

Each locations varies, but many have similar amenities.  Ours had a great pool with splash park, playground, sports court, fishing pond, and pavilion. This met the needs of the variety of likes of our large group.  While some loved tether ball, other little ones enjoyed digging in the giant sandbox other wise called the volley ball court.

7.  Freedom:

While we didn’t encourage the kids to roam the park like wild things (that is completely discouraged), we were able to give them some much appreciated freedoms.  The simple pleasures of taking $5 into the camp store to pick out your own snack made a big impression on my 9 year old.  He stated, “I want to go back to that same place where I could have freedom with my cousins without my parents with us all the time .”

8. Fresh Air:

It’s priceless, you simply can not put a price on being surrounded by nature.  Simple pleasures like feeding the ducks, taking a hayride through the woods, catching crayfish in the stream, roasting marshmallows over the fire pit, running barefoot through dewy grass, catching fireflies, and playing flashlight tag remind me of my own childhood.

 

9. Bonding Time:

Experiences and memories are treasures of childhood.  My children reflect on these special reunions and forge friendships for life.  Having three generations all together in one location to just relax and have a great time is immensely important to our family.

 

10. Space:

Space to run, space to play wiffle ball, space to escape with your grouchy child who is about to have a meltdown over her burnt marshmallow.  You can enjoy time together without always being together!

 

Remember to consider KOA for your next vacation, family reunion, or group getaway.  Get ready to pack that car full with supplies, then unload it and enjoy the simplicity of an outdoor adventure that will provide memories to last for years.

Oh and a bonus, did I mention tired kids?