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Camping – Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts ten large developed campgrounds with more than a thousand campsites for RVs, trailers, or tent camping, and 100 undeveloped sites. Roanoke Mountain Campground is one of these quaint, quiet little campgrounds located at Milepost 120.4. There are no showers, no hookups, just beautiful little campsites on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Most of the developed campgrounds are open from April to October. The two campgrounds at Cades Cove and Smokemont are open year round. Permits are required for overnight traveling within the park and can be picked up at one of the many campgrounds, ranger stations, or visitor centers. Camping reservations are also needed for the Elkmont, Smokemont, and Cades Cove campgrounds for overnight camping from May 15th through October 31st.

Most of the commercial campgrounds that encircle The Great Smoky Mountains National Park offer RV, trailer, and tent campsites. Amenities such as swimming pools, hot showers, and clean bathrooms are advantages you’ll find when staying at one of the many reasonably priced locations. Some are open year round, some are open from April through October.

Camping in Majestic Appalachians Great Smoky Mountains , especially those hidden sites around Wautauga Lake is a wonderful family fun filled experience that you don’t want to miss while you are visiting the Appalachian Mountains! Please do remember wild animal are not to be fed or petted. If you leave them alone they will leave you alone.

If you love nature then I’m sure you will love camping in the Great Smoky Mountains. ~Anthony Benjamin~

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All Inclusive Vacations And Caribbean Destinations Lead To Lasting Memories

Planning a relaxing vacation is easy if you choose all inclusive vacations and Caribbean destinations. The advantages of an all inclusive holiday include better budgeting, carrying less cash, and limited tipping. The Caribbean has literally thousands of locations and resorts to choose from. There is no need to settle for less because the choices run from family oriented fun to five star luxury to couples only retreats.

The Caribbean Sea is situated between the continents of North and South America. Mexico and Central America create the western border while the Greater and Lesser Antilles island chains divide it from the Atlantic Ocean. The area is famous for it’s white sand beaches, wonderful scuba diving and snorkeling, temperate year-round weather, and wide variety of cultural experiences. Jamaica, Aruba, the Mayan Riviera, and the Virgin Islands are just a few of the possible destinations.

A great way to experience any of the Caribbean resorts is through an all inclusive package. This means just what it says. The flights, hotel transfers, hotel rooms, meals, cocktails, nightly entertainment, and many recreational activities are part of the package. This all comes for one price and the trips can be surprisingly affordable. Last minute travelers can save even more by being flexible on departure dates and destinations.

There are multiple travel companies offering all inclusive vacations and Caribbean destinations. These can be accessed and booked on the internet. Travel agencies can also arrange these trips. It is always wise to purchase separate travel insurance, including trip cancellation, to protect against emergencies prior to departure and any issues that may come up during your stay.

The food and beverage options are wonderful. Depending on the resort you choose, you may have an in room mini-bar and 24 hour room service. Generally speaking, every resort has a casual dining buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. These usually allow shorts, t-shirts, flip flops, and the like. There are also more formal dining options for dinner which may require slacks, collared shirts, and shoes. The larger the resort, the more choices will be available. The food is widely varied with local cuisine featured, including delicious seafood along with fresh fruits and vegetables. American options are also usually available such as burgers, pizzas, steaks, and eggs for breakfast. Every resort and every different area or island has different culinary options.

Alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages come with all meals and at locations around the resorts. You can get a cold beer or a pina colada while sitting on a stool at the swim up bar. The drinks tend to be stronger at night during the entertaining shows so take it easy!

Most resorts include some recreational activities. These can include kid’s entertainment and supervision, weight rooms, kayaking, water skiing, snorkeling, and paddle boats. Other activities may have additional charges such as scuba diving or excursions to parks and historical areas. Do bring some cash or at least one credit card just in case. Let your card provider know in advance that you will be out of the country.

Choosing all inclusive vacations and Caribbean destinations will create tons of fun. You will enjoy the different cultures and foods. The memories will last a lifetime.

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Camping – Quality Family Time

It’s been about 6 years now since my husband and I discussed the idea of camping. We were expecting our third child and I was going to become a stay home mom. There were several obstacles to overcome with the impending drop in our income but there was also a concern about how we would be able to have quality family time with 3 children that was also affordable. The discussion of camping kept coming up over and over again.

Camping is a great way to lodge near or within some of the most economical and quality activities this country offers. A tent site within Acadia National Park in Maine can be had for about $15/night! Within the park is free hiking, biking, swimming and ranger led tours for adults and children. (well, free to the extent that you pay federal taxes that pay for these parks). There are many private campgrounds on Mt. Desert Island (where Acadia is located) which can provide more amenities, if you so desire. Even these campgrounds provide awesome deals when you can get an ocean view or ocean side site for under $65.00 ($65 is considered an “expensive” site, in general we spend between $32 to $45/night for our sites). An ocean side hotel room (with kitchen) would probably run you about $150-$200 /night in season.

There are more and more ways for anyone to get out there and camp. There are tents (which diehards consider the “only” way to camp). There are “tear drop” and “A” frame style campers that can be towed by a standard vehicle. Bigger campers include pop-ups or smaller “hard side” campers which can be towed by a minivan or smaller SUV. The biggest hard sided campers need to be towed by large SUVs or pick up trucks. There are also pop-outs that are packed into trailers that are towed by motorcycles! In addition, more and more campgrounds now offer camping cabins that allow you to enjoy the amenities of the campgrounds without breaking out a single tent stake.

If you’re interested in camping I’d recommend trying to borrow equipment from friends or family before committing to purchase your own. You should be aware that even family might not let you borrow their camper, though. If you’re interested in trying out a camper for a weekend, a lot of campgrounds now rent campers and let you place them on one of their sites. Quite a few camper retailers will have rental units for you to try out as well. This is a good way to enjoy a periodic camping trip without buying your own camper.

No matter if you’re looking to get into a tent or a camper, you might want to begin with gently loved equipment. Many people begin with tent camping and move up rapidly to a travel trailer. There is an abundance of very gently used equipment out there. The three-bedroom tent that was only used twice and is now in our garage is testament to that. Our pop- up was only used four times in two years by the couple we bought it from and they also absorbed the initial depreciation (it’s just like buying a new car versus a used one). Whereas, when we sold the same pop-up, we were able to sell it for only $500 less than what we paid for it.

Camping has allowed us to take family vacations that we probably couldn’t have afforded otherwise. For example, we stayed on Cape Cod during the summer. We always pack the majority of our own food and shop just for fresh fruit and bread. We brought our bikes to the Cape and spent several days biking and swimming at this gem of a pond located right on the rail trail. There are miles of free hiking along the National Seashore and great picnic areas. The kids loved the playscapes that are in public parks and at the local schools (which are okay to use when school isn’t in session). We biked to a local free public beach several times at low tide so the kids could collect sea shells and learn about tidal pool ecology. Bottom line was a family vacation loaded with fantastic moments that we still talk about. Our campground site cost $350 (full hook up site, tent sites are even less) for the week. A week for a suite with a kitchen on the Cape in prime season would normally run you about $1500. to $2000. That is the difference between us being able to go and not go!

No matter what you use to camp in, there is a wonderful and simple enjoyment as you sit with your family by a campfire and chat about your day. There are no phones, no distractions, no TV and Nintendos. There is nothing to distract them from you and you from them and in this day and age when there is so much to draw our focus away from each other, this is truly a way to bring about quality family time.