Family Camping at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park in Luray

We had heard so many fantastic reviews from friends about the Yogi Bear Jellystone Park campgrounds that we decided to take advantage of the recent Certifikid deal and check it out for ourselves. We decided to pack up and head to Luray, Virginia for our daughter’s first ever camping trip (that wasn’t in our backyard). We had a deluxe tent site for 2 nights, that included a covered platform with a picnic table, a water spout and electrical outlet, and a fire pit. The site was beautifully shaded and backed up to the woods, so our daughter could spend her free time exploring the trails while we prepared meals. There were kids galore at all of the campsites around us, so there were plenty of friends to be made.

Jellystone Luray offers 2 pools plus a sprayground and water slide, paddle boats on a small lake, jumping pillows, mini-golf, 2 playgrounds, laser tag, an arcade, plus basketball and volleyball courts and a recreation center offering a full day and evening schedule of entertainment. There were numerous  FREE activities like meet and greets with the bears, crafts, scavenger hunts, animal encounter wildlife shows, relay races, and evening wagon rides. There were so many activities to do on the property that we did not even end up leaving to explore the caverns and the national forest, as we had originally planned. We could have easily spent 3-4 days at the campground.

Will we return? Absolutely! The deluxe tent site was perfect for our family, though our campsite neighbors told us that Jellystone Luray does a spectacular Halloween event, complete with a haunted house and trick-or-treating around the campground. They suggested splurging for a cabin because it gets so chilly! We also cannot wait to check out Jellystone Natural Bridge and Jellystone Hagerstown, which offer different amenities like pedal carts, river adventures, and zip lining!

Tips To Know For Your Visit

• There is a Wal-Mart and a Food Lion just down the road, so don’t feel like you need to plan out every meal in advance.
• There is also a camp store with some camping and grocery essentials–but much more expensive than Wal-Mart,
• Sign up for Yogi rewards! You will receive points for your first visit, plus 5 points for every $1 spent at the camp store. 5000 points gets you a free night!
• A golf cart may be totally worth it for your family! There were only 2 bathroom sites on the campground, and we had quite a trek, especially first thing in the morning when our daughter reeeeeeally had to go. It was also a bit of a walk to the pool and recreation center, and parking for cars is extremely limited! Next time we will rent a golf cart for sure!
• Bring your kids’ bikes! All the kids have bikes, and there are plenty of straight roads to ride on, although most roads are not paved but rather rocky.
• It was freezing at night! We had low 80 degree weather during the day and upper 50 degree weather at night. I don’t think we realized just how cold that was–next time we will bring a heavy comforter and sweatshirts!

For more info on Jellystone family campgrounds and to book your next family camping trip visit http://www.campjellystone.com/

Check out the Certifikid site throughout the year, as Jellystone deals are often featured! http://www.certifikid.com/