After ten years of marriage, my husband finally talked me into camping. And I am so glad he did! I would not call myself an outdoorsy girl, and I only camped one other time before this year, but my husband grew up camping. He even registered for a tent when we got married. (The tent has yet to come out of the box.)
Despite my lack of enthusiasm through the years, we have visited family while they camped and the idea has started to grow on me. I have especially grown to love seeing the fun my kids have with their cousins playing at the campground. So all that being said, we finally took the plunge and got a camper this spring. We’ve been three times so far and have several trips planned for the fall. I can honestly say I have enjoyed all of our trips, which in large part has to do with the campground we visited. I can’t say enough about camping at Harmonie State Park! We have so much fun there, and they have so many great things to offer. Let me break it all down for you…
First of all, the campground is huge! There are 200 sites with electric hookup. Now, electric hook up meant nothing to me before six months ago, but for those noncampers out there, not all campsites allow you to “glamp” as my friend calls it. There are “primitive” campsites that don’t give you electricity. I assume this is only for tent campers. Anyway, my point is, it’s a big campground that is spread out. You don’t feel cramped or too close to your neighbors. It’s also pretty flat, which allows for great bike riding for the kids. I never appreciated how important this is. When we camp, I feel like I’m transported back in time when kids ride their bikes all day long out IN the neighborhood. My kids literally spend hours riding their bikes, and I’ve been to campgrounds with some hills that = nightmare waiting to happen for this mom!
Then next important thing to talk about is the shower house. I’m still not completely used to shower houses, but it’s camping. No matter where you go, you’re going to have to put on the shower shoes, grab all your toiletries, and haul yourself across the campground to the showers. It’s never going to be the convenience of home. But as shower houses go, it’s pretty “nice”. There are several houses across the campground. They are clean and I’ve yet to take a cold shower. That’s the best compliment I can give them!
Finally, there are just a lot of fun things to do at Harmonie State Park. The nature center is actually in the campground, which means the kids always have somewhere fun to go. The nature center is staffed by a great Naturalist who always has fun crafts and activities planned for the kids. They also have lots of special events planned throughout the season. We’ve seen movies under the stars, a really neat animal show, gone on hikes, and geocached! And, although it’s closed now, the pool is great!!
Harmonie State Park is one of our favorite places to camp! Even if you don’t camp, I highly recommend you check the park out when you have a free weekend. Check out all the fun they have planned for fall here.
