Americans love to camp. Most American adults have fond memories of fun family camping vacations we took as kids. Others remember the camping trips we took with school or the Scouts. The country is full of great campgrounds and many are public. Nearly 70% of all camping trips are taken in public campgrounds. In 2011, nearly 43 million people went camping. American families spent about 535 million days camping that year. Regardless of where you live, campgrounds in Tennessee are very popular destinations.
Campgrounds in Tennessee offer a wide array of amenities and options. Tent camping remains the most popular way to go. About 86% of all campers choose to go this way. S campgrounds in Tennessee only allow camping in tents while others offer RC camping (people who camp in RVs take the longest camping trips), camping cabin rentals and everything in between.
6 Tips for Planning A Great Family Camping Adventure:
- Take a trial run. Before you take your family out into the wilderness, you might want to do a trial trip in your backyard. This can be really great for younger kids who may not react well to too many changes in their routine. Spend a weekend camping in your tent in the backyard and that will give them the chance to try it out.
- Do not make your first real family camping trip super long. When you do go for the real thing, try a shorter family camping vacation. Go for just a few days. Go from a weekend camping trip in the backyard to a weekend camping trip at a campground.
- Plan as much as you can in advance. There are a lot of things that you cannot change or control about your trip, like the weather. You can plan a lot of other parts of your trip in advance. Many campgrounds in Tennessee, for instance, let you make reservations in advance. Bring foods that you know your kids like that can be cooked and eaten on your trip. You can also prepare some of the food at home. Cook potatoes half way in the microwave at home, for instance, wrap them in tin foil and heat them up on your trip.
- Bring activities and things to do when and if it rains. Have some ideas ready for what you can do if and when your weather does not cooperate with your outdoor plans. Bring games and books and other activities to entertain your family. This will make the time much more pleasant for you and your family.
- Decide which amenities you can and cannot live without. Most people do have a great time camping but not everyone is cut out for all aspects of every kind of camping. Some people toilets to be an essential, not a luxury. This is your vacation and not a way to torture yourself. Talk to your family about what they can stand, you might find that renting a cabin will make your experience much better and be worth the expense.
- Take this time to unplug. Despite what your kids may tell you, not one person has ever died by being cut off from Facebook, Snap Chat, Instagram or any of the other applications we use every day. They can live without their devices for a few days. This is not to say you should bring no phones with you, if you have an emergency, you should have one with you. The time you spend on a camping trip is a fantastic time to bond with your family. This will not happen if everyone spends your camping vacation glued to their mobile devices.
Camping trips are really special times for many American families. Most people take advantage of the outdoor activities offered at the campground like hiking, swimming and canoeing. The best part of these trips, for a lot of people, is the time they give you to spend time getting back in touch with the important people in your life. You can send some real quality time with your family and make some great memories.
