great takes on family travel in the U.S.

Camping in South Carolina is a lush and welcoming experience for travelers of all ages. Born and bred in California, my experience of camping was almost exclusively dry, hot and sandy/dusty. That’s what you get when you camp in a desert, beach or arid landscape. Camping in South Carolina, however, is nothing like that. Lush greenery, dense forests and a very different beachfront experience from any in California await you in this beautiful place. In addition, the camping experience itself is as lush and inviting as the landscape.

Myrtle Beach camping, for example caters to family travelers with camping resorts such as Pirateland. At Pirateland, you can choose from a vacation rental or a campsite, with options to meet your budget. Their amenities redefine camping in a more luxurious and easy style. From full Laundromats and a senior room to a summer time aquatic complex, you can leave your boyscout roughing it badge at home. This is camping anyone can do!

To me, the beach camping is the most inspiring, however opportunities for camping in the many lush forests and landscapes of South Carolina abound as well. There are 6 KOA (Kampgrounds of America) campgrounds sprinkled throughout South Carolina, with many located nearby to popular tourist destinations , ensuring that you’ll be able to find something interesting to do no matter where you end up. If you’re looking to rough it a bit more, there are several National Parks and Historic Sites in South Carolina that are administered by the national parks service.

Wherever you end up camping when you visit South Carolina, you’re sure to find a world of possibilities.

**Thanks to the National Parks Service for the lovely winter photo of Congaree National Park in South Carolina**

Are you suffering from “Spring Fever”? Ready for a little early taste of what summer has to bring? If you said yes, then it’s time to visit Lake Buchanan.

Whether you like to rough it or spend your leisure time in the lap of luxury, you can find it here with resorts, RV spaces, cabins for rent, campgrounds, and lake rental houses. All are available along the shore of Lake Buchanan. You can even rent houseboats, which we did and loved!

There is a nice granite gravel shore around some of Lake Buchanan, providing an ideal beach for swimming, wading, and sun bathing. If you prefer the water then there is plenty to do for boaters, fishermen, campers, and swimmers as well. Plus, Lake Buchanan is large enough that you can always find a quiet spot to escape to and you won’t feel crowded.

Fall Creek Winery is on the west side of the lake where you can stop in for a little wine tasting and buy a bottle or two of Texas wine. Lake Buchanan also offers a variety of dining choices from elegant to home-cooking. And before you leave, I recommend you try Big John’s Bar-B-Que & Steak Barn (Hwy 29 at the Buchanan Dam).

All in all Lake Buchanan is one of my favorite places in Texas. My friends from “up north” (which in Texas refers to . . . well, everybody who isn’t from Texas) love to come down in late March, early April. They’re suffering from spring fever and from being trapped indoors all winter and that magical first taste of warm weather they get from visiting Lake Buchanan is just enough to tide them over!

Have you ever visited Lake Buchanan? Do you have a different “winter escape” place in Texas that you’d like to mention? Let me know . . . I’m always looking for that next, best thing!

Until next time . . .

Paige aka PJsTravelinTexas

So Travel-Betty has the honor of being the first one to comment on our blog! So I thought I’d highlight her point of view on camping…namely pampered camping in the Bay Area, between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay on the Pacific Coast, in Pescadero, CA For those of you who don’t want to sleep on the hard ground, there is a better way. Its called Costanoa with Kango reviews here.

Travel-Betty does a nice writeup and breaks down the options as follows:

• The lodge - for people who need to stay in a hotel
• Douglas fir cabins - for people who need solid walls around them at night and a bed to sleep on.
• Tent bungalows - for people who want to feel like they are going camping, hear the crickets outside, but want to sleep on a bed with electric light and an electric blanket too!
• Bring your own camping equipment - for people who want to actually camp but also want it to be less crowded and with much nicer bathrooms than typical campsites. From the Costanoa website:
  “Comfort Stations are specially designed bathroom facilities that include a central courtyard with fireplace, sauna, heated concrete floors, private indoor and outdoor showers, sinks, flush toilets, and skylights.”

I’ve stayed at Costanoa in the Lodge for a corporate offsite when I was working for a Fortune 1000 company with $s to spend (sigh…miss that). I even paid for my team’s massages at the spa (I didn’t do one myself, but they looked pretty relaxed after the massages!)

Rates vary from $140 - 365 per night for the various lodging options, depending on time of year and day of week. If you just rent a tent site or RV site, its $40 - 65 per night. This may seem expensive relative to other campgrounds, but for a family of 4 its just $10 per person per night for 4 star bathrooms and saunas included. Hey, why aren’t we going here instead of Pescadero SP?

Do they have kids activities and babysitting?

I’m packing for an overnight family camping trip with my 5-year old Alexander. We are going to Portola Redwood State Park. I also found a nice trail description at BAhiker.com, a great bay area hiking site (photo courtesy of BAhiker.com). My biggest pain point with travel with kids (especially travel with toddlers and babies) is figuring out what to pack. Well, I am going to blog all of my packing lists so I won’t lose them, and it speeds my packing the next time I take a similar family camping trip.

Packing List for Family Camping (1 5 yr old, 1 dad):

Shelter/Sleeping:

• tent, 2 person, with rain fly (note: does NOT work for 2 adults, 1 child, and 1 toddler/baby)
• tent pad
• extra tarp/pad (for putting stuff on in front of the tent and keeping it clean
• Thermarest inflatable pads (or if my wife is coming, I think she wants an air mattress!)
• Sleeping bags
• Pillow

Food Preparation:

• Coleman stove with propane
• Matches
• Firestarter
• Charcoal briquettes (Matchlight version for easier lighting)
• Plastic Tablecloth
• Duck Tape (to tape down the tablecloth on the table)
• Gallon water jug
• Ice Chest
• Pots and Pans (non-stick)
• Plates, cups, utensils, napkins, wips
• Detergent and scrubber/sponge
• Cooking Oil
• Trash bags
• Ziploc bags (gallon and quart; always have extra ziplocs, they always come in handy)
• Purell
• Paper towels
• Fork, Bowl, Colander, Knife
• Mini Cutting Board
• Cup (plastic, for hot liquids, can be purchased at REI)

Menu for dinner/breakfast:

• This time we are doing burgers and hot dogs, grilled over the grill at the campsite
• Last time we did spaghetti and meat sauce, with precooked ground beef in the ice chest, mixed into canned sauce
• Breakfast: pancake mix, eggs, cooking oil, maple syrup, strawberries
• Beverages: coffee (instant), hot chocolate bags

Evening around camp:

• Coleman battery operated lantern
• Headlamp (wish I had 2 of them)
• Flashlight
• Folding Chairs (from Costco)
• Down jackets/vest
• Comfy shoes (sneakers, Crocs)

Toiletries:

• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Quick dry towel
• Wipees (Huggies are the best IMHO)

Emergency Pack

• Matches
• Knife
• Compass
• Rope
• Small emergency thermal blanket (can be purchased at REI, size 2″ x 2″ x 4″; I have carried it on 10+ camping/backpacking trips and never had to use it, but always feel better having it.)
• Spare shoelaces
• Cloth bandage for wrapping around sprained ankle
• Med kit: Neosporin, Band-Aids, Scissors, Pain relievers, etc.

Daytime activities:

• Hats
• Sunscreen
• Backpack
• Water bottles
• Snacks
• Good hiking shoes for me and Alexander

So that is it. Seems like a lot but I guess its no big deal since we are just car camping. And this one is easy because we are leaving the baby behind with mom.

Anything I missed?