Review of Lake In Wood Campground, Narvon PA

August 15-18th, 2014

Lake In Wood Campground 

The website for Lake In Wood Campground is alluring...and it did not disappoint! For anyone brand new to the camping experience this would be a great place to start. The prices are slightly higher than other local campgrounds, however it's easy to see why.

Lake In Wood is beautiful- the nicest maintained campground we've seen to date. The flowers, the grounds, the pool- everything sparkled. Lake In Wood considers itself to be a resort campground and we'd agree. They have a gnome theme- gnomes everywhere!

                                                (Sister by the mini golf area- not a gnome)

There are many ways to camp- cabin rentals, unique rentals (tipi, caboose, double decker bus, shipwreck), to sites for rigs and tent campers. The unique rentals look really fun but do require longer stays. We heard from another camper that the beds in the shipwreck weren't really comfortable. There are many seasonal campers (people who park their trailer and stay all season- April to Oct. or Nov.). You can tell the seasonals take pride in their campground.

We booked a two night stay but when we arrived and saw how nice it was we added a third night. We camped in our pop up on site 153. We chose this site because it was near the bathrooms- however it was also very near to the cabin next door. Not a huge deal but I would have been happier with the site directly across from ours instead. The sites are very wooded in this area which we prefer. Depending on your site choice you should be prepared to do a lot of walking if you don't rent a golf cart. We didn't mind the walking and Sister rides in the jogging stroller most places. 

The playgrounds (there are two) are great! They appear to be very new. The playground closer to the pool is much larger and would be great for older kids as well as younger kids. The only thing missing is a comfortable bench for the parents (the old bench was pretty bad). There were several kids activities the weekend we stayed. We played bingo one evening (tip- get there early for a good seat) and did ceramics on the porch one morning (fun and reasonably priced.) You can play mini golf for a small fee, rent a boat or kayak for $6 for an hour and fish to your hearts content. The lake is nice- lots of fish and plenty of space to spread out. Fishing is catch and release. We rented one petal cart and took turns- good idea- those things are really tough to petal!!

We have had a very cool summer so I wasn't surprised that the pool water was freezing! Dad and Brother did have plenty of fun in the pool but sister wasn't up to the cool temps. The kids pools are just awesome- the baby pool had sprinklers and little things to climb on. There is a 3 foot pool with frog water fountains- cool! The larger pool has a small diving platform which Brother loved. There is a covered pool area as well which was partially shaded with a hot tub. We didn't try the hot tub but others were enjoying it.

Next to the pool is the Gnome Cafe. Restaurants on campgrounds were new to us to of course we had to check it out. The hours are a bit spotty on weekdays and out of season, so check before you go. We enjoyed every time we ate there- three times I believe. We had the hot dogs, chicken fingers, mozz sticks (YUM!) and other food of this type. Prices were reasonable and portion sizes were good. We chatted with one of the women working in the cafe- she was great. The decor was Gnome themed and fun.

The arcade at Lake In Wood is small but well maintained. We didn't spend much time here since the weather was so nice outside. The camp store was cute and adequate, selling great ice cream. We got some each night and walked to a little gazebo that overlooked the hill and lake- great view.

The bathrooms at Lake In Wood have been the nicest we've had on any camping trip. They were clean and spacious, especially the showers. And- there was music playing in the bathroom!! Dad and I got a kick out of that. 

We attended a nice nondenominational church service on Sunday. They also offered a children's church program but we didn't send our kids. Church was well attended and coffee was served after the service.

Lake In Wood is located near the Shady Maple complex so of course we had to head over for breakfast at the smorgasbord on Saturday morning. This would be the closest shopping area- about a 15 minute ride through the beautiful Amish countryside. 

 

We enjoyed our stay at Lake In Wood very much and will happily return!

 

 

8 Reasons to Camp With Your Kids

1.      The cost- it’s pretty cheap as far as vacations are concerned.  Our rig cost less than most families  spend on one trip to Disney. And we own it forever. You can rent fully equipped cabins for the cost of a hotel room and the price usually includes all of the campground activities. It’s about as “uncommercial” as you can get. There’s no need to drop a lot of bucks on crap you don’t need from gift shops. You may want spending cash for ice cream at the camp store, or money to play bingo on Friday night, quarters for the arcade or $6 to rent a boat. That’s about it.

2.      You can find campgrounds anywhere. If there’s a place you’d like to visit you can bet there’s a place to set up camp. If you prefer to just hang out and enjoy the campground you can do that too. They all have pools, games, activities for kids, bingo, fishing, etc. There’s no time to be bored. Unless you want to be bored. Feel free sit in your camp chair around the fire all you like.

3.      You can drink a beer in a koozie at any time of day and no one will bat an eye.

4.       You can be spontaneous and your trips can be as long or short as you like. If you find yourself bored in the middle of week long vacations, camping gives you the opportunity to explore new places whenever you like. If the weather is looking good you can always book a place last minute. There is a ton of flexibility.

5.       There is no need to get fancy. You will meet ALL KINDS of people on campgrounds but no one will be fancy. You’ll all look a little grubby, be wearing old clothes, and sleeping in close quarters. When you get home you will find that your moderately sized home is much larger than you’ll ever really need.

6.       Opportunities for adventure and autonomy for the kids. Kids can take part in setting up, breaking down, cooking, building fires, hikes, games, etc.  They will be active, busy and unplugged. They will make new friends every trip.

7.       It’s also a hobby! Want to know what to get campers for Christmas? Camping stuff. Once you get the camping bug you will nerdily pour through the camping store catalogs and start Pinteresting camping organization ideas. You will take pride in your rig and your “set up.” People will compliment your ingenious paper towel holder idea.

8.       Family time. This is the most important and really the main reason we do this. Our kids will only be little once. They may not always love spending time with us in the future, but right now they do. My husband has a stressful job and uses this time to wind down. My favorite part of every day is the evenings around the campfire. Talking and laughing with the family, having some wine and smores, putting the kids to bed and having MORE wine and smores. It is so simple yet so much fun.