Campgrounds offer more family fun

Vacationing in privately owned campgrounds and RV parks and resorts is not what it used to be. While it’s still possible to find relatively quiet places to camp in scenic settings, many of today’s privately owned campgrounds strive to entertain growing numbers of guests who come as much for the family activities and entertainment as they do to enjoy the scenic settings that many parks provide.

“People want to be entertained, particularly when they’re on vacation,” said Debbie Sipe, executive director of the California Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, which operates Camp-California.com. “And many park operators are realizing that they can often increase their business base by providing lots of activities that are appealing to the whole family.”

So what appeals to the whole family?

Everything from chocolate pie-, hot dog- and watermelon-eating contests to water balloon wars, Karaoke contests, ugly bridesmaid dress competitions, costume pet parades and cardboard boat races. Consider what these parks have to offer:

n Campland by the Bay in San Diego: This park, which recently installed a skate park, features arts and crafts classes; beach volleyball, kickball, dodgeball, capture the flag, and sand castle building competitions; and entertainment, including American Idol competitions with campground guests, performances with live bands, and campfire singalongs.

n Coloma Resort in Coloma: This park features on-site gold panning, yoga classes, guided naturalist hikes and a ropes challenge course, which tests campers’ physical, emotional and problem solving abilities.

n El Capitan Canyon near Santa Barbara: This park features Saturday night outdoor concerts throughout the summer months with bands specializing in everything from oldies and classic rock to rhythm and blues, old school funk and Latin jazz. The music is complimentary for campground guests, while barbecue dinners are available for $18 per adult and $12 per child. The park features a 16-minute video clip from one of its past concerts on its website.

n Marble Quarry RV Park in Columbia: This park offers on-site gold panning classes for kids and their families as well as a hamburger barbecue, ice cream social and campfire program on Saturdays. The park also has volleyball, shuffleboard, tetherball and horseshoe areas as well as a game room.

n Mission Bay RV Resort in San Diego: This park’s summer activities include frequent movie nights, a July 4th weekend bicycle parade; an Aug. 1st costume pet parade; and an Aug. 8th hula-hoop contest.

n Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina in Newport Beach: This park’s activities include limbo contests; jewelry, sand art and tie dye T-shirt classes as well as basketball, horseshoe, ping pong and volleyball tournaments. This summer’s activities also include an “RV park Cardboard Boat Regatta” on July 17th and Aug. 21st, in which park guests will compete with one another to see who can build the best boat out of cardboard and then compete with it in a race of survival. “It is a ton of fun,” Newport Dunes proclaims on its website, “especially when a boat springs a leak! Don't worry though, the captain doesn't have to go down with the ship!” Prizes will be awarded to the winners. Other contests include a hot dog eating contest on July 10th and a watermelon-eating contest on Aug. 14th. The park also features outdoor movies on the beach with a giant, portable movie screen.

n Redwoods River Resort & Campground in Leggett: This 21-acre campground, which features towering redwoods, madrones and tan oaks, features ice cream socials, children’s movie nights, arts and crafts classes, scavenger hunts and other social events designed for family fun. This year, the park’s 4th of July weekend events include a chocolate pie eating contest, a canoe race in the pool, a tug of war and a water balloon toss.

n San Francisco North/Petaluma KOA: This park’s summer activities include a “Pirates Week” (June 21-25) with various themed games and dress up parades; a Polynesian week (July 12 – 18), with island style crafts, Karaoke, face painting, and Polynesian dancers; a “Prom Flashback and Ugly Bridesmaid Dress Weekend” (July 30 to Aug. 1), which includes a Prom Flashback Dance, an ugly dress contest and a tacky tuxedo contest for men; as well as a “Harry Potter Week” (Aug. 2-8), with a Harry Potter lookalike contest, firebolt races, balloon art and a magic show.

n Santa Cruz KOA: This La Selva Beach park, whose attractions include a mechanical bull and a mechanical surfboard, has activities throughout the summer, including tie-dyed T-shirt classes, ice cream socials, outdoor movies and campfire singalongs. The park also has themed weekends, including a “Surfing Weekend” (July 16-18) and a “Hawaiian Weekend” (July 23-26).

n Smithwoods RV Park in Felton: This park, which regularly hosts outdoor movie nights, ice cream socials, scavenger hunts and other family activities, will feature its annual dog show competition on the last weekend of July and a wiffle ball tournament over Labor Day weekend.

n Stockton KOA: This Lodi park has special activities and themed weekends throughout the summer, including a “Pirates Weekend” (July 16-18) and a “Super Soaker Weekend” with a giant slip and slide and a giant water balloon war (July 23 – 25).

Consumers can find private campgrounds in their area by checking www.Camp-California.com. The site includes links to RV parks and campgrounds, which provide their own “activities” or event calendars, which can help you figure out which parks have activities your family will enjoy.