A Frugal Family Vacation

As summer nears, thoughts of vacation come to mind. Where does the Frugal Family go and what do they do. One great idea is camping. While you may need to do a little shopping for necessities to get yourself started, camping can be a fun and frugal family adventure.

Those starting out may get a tent, lantern, grill, sleeping bags and other important supplies such as marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate while the more experienced campers may enjoy life in their camper or RV. We did our time in the tents but when our little one arrived we decided having an actual structure with a locking door was a better idea even though some tents are amazing with their different rooms and windows. We also have two dogs and attempted tent camping once but two adults, a little one and two dogs (even miniature schnauzers) were a bit much for a six-person pop-up. Attempting to cook breakfast in the middle of that zoo did not make for a very pleasant morning.

Once you head to Walmart, Kmart, Cabela’s or even local yard sales for supplies, the next question is where to go camping. Honestly it depends upon how far you want to drive.

Christmas Pines  is a great campground we visited before the days of the little one. They have a great selection of activities, are close to the Lehigh Valley and the people there were very friendly. They’re located in Auburn, Pa. which is approximately 35 miles from South Whitehall or just 31 miles from Upper Macungie.

They offer sites for both tents and campers and even welcome four legged members of the family. Besides a packed activities schedule they also have a playground, free pond fishing, a basketball court, a pool and more. If that’s not enough, they also have hayrides and bingo. A primitive site is $25 a night while access to water, electric, Wi-Fi and TV is just $32. Yes, even campgrounds have Wi-Fi Christmas Pines also holds annual Chinese Auction benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

One of our favorite campgrounds is Lake Glory located in Catawissa. It’s approximately 60 miles from South Whitehall/Upper Macungie but offers a huge benefit – Knoebels Amusement park. The campground itself is always clean, the people are always pleasant and while the grounds don’t have all the bells and whistles that some campgrounds do, it does have buses that take you (free of charge) to the amusement park. So once you’re at the campground you don’t need to drive anywhere.

Also, Knoebels  does not have an admission fee so you can head over after breakfast, go back to the camp for lunch and return to the park later in the day without paying to reenter. Rates at Lake Glory are $37 per night for a primitive site, $39 for one with electric and sewer and $41 for one with electric, water and sewer.

Knoebels has its own campground in the park itself and is a bit more primitive in that they do not have water/sewer at the sites. But for $39 a night you can camp within walking distance of the park.  

If you prefer to stay really close to home there’s the Allentown KOA in New Tripoli. KOA’s are usually a safe bet when camping as they usually offer many ammenities and activities for guests.  

Camp Charles Campground  in Bangor offers a list of various events and activities. Sites are anywhere from $18 a night for a basic no hook-up to $22 for one with water and electric for two people. Additional guests are $10 (ages 15 and over) and $5 (ages 5–14). Furry members of the family are an additional $5 as well. 

The Pennsylvania Campground Owners Association has a website with information on different campgrounds as well as on camping itself to help people experience the great outdoors.