- Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the channel.
My name is Charity.
- And I'm Ben.
- And in 2018, Ben quit his job, we bought an RV,
and took off to travel full-time with our four kids.
(rocking country music)
In this video today,
we are gonna talk about some of our favorite campgrounds.
And when we talk about some of our favorite campgrounds,
let's just say we've visited a lot of campgrounds
over the last two years,
and there are several that we have on our list
that we want to go back and visit.
And so, today, we are gonna talk about those campgrounds
that we definitely would visit a second time
because we absolutely love them that much.
- So, be sure to stay 'til the end,
'til the very last campground,
because that one is our ultimate favorite.
- So, the first campground that we absolutely love
that we would love to go back to is Flagler by the Sea
in Flagler Beach, Florida.
- Amazing. - Now, this campground
is amazing for multiple reasons,
but the biggest drawing factor
is it is pretty much right on the beach.
There is a private beach area
just for that particular campground
and there's a freshwater rinse as you just come up the steps
over a little dune into the campground.
And probably one of the best things
that we enjoyed about this campground was--
Do you remember what it was?
- The best part about it is that our RV
was backed right up to the beach.
So, at night, we fell asleep listening to the waves.
It was amazing.
- You could hear the sound of the waves,
even over our air conditioners, crashing against the shore.
And people put those noise machines
or things like that in their room for ocean wave sounds.
You didn't have to simulate that.
It was real.
It was right there, right outside of the RV,
and so that was so cool.
Or even in the morning,
waking up and just hearing that sound
and coming outside the rig and having a cup of coffee
on the side of the rig
and just hearing those ocean waves crashing
and just the smells that you get off of the ocean shore,
that super clean kind of salty breeze smell, it was amazing.
- [Ben] And the sand had a little bit of red stone in it,
so it was actually a little warm to walk on.
- But the nice thing was you didn't have to walk far.
I mean, you were literally right on the beach.
And so, even to haul our stuff down to the beach,
I didn't even use our wagon.
Normally, when we stay in beach areas,
I load up our little wagon and we walk down to the beach,
but this beach you didn't even have to do that.
You could really easily
just throw a chair over your shoulder
and grab your bag and go back to your rig
to grab something to eat or to take a nap if you wanted to.
- Or just take a nap on the beach.
- Or take a nap on the beach; that's the best.
And the kids loved it.
The waves were really good for them for boogie-boarding.
We found some of the best finds there
as far as the larger clam-type shells
on that particular beach, and it was just so peaceful
because it's a private beach to that campground.
So, there were very, very few people on it.
The campground in and of itself was fairly small.
- Yeah, it was pretty tight quarters.
- It was a tight fit.
When we pulled in that night,
the people next to us were basically giving Ben
a standing ovation on his backing skills
because the sites are pretty close together.
You're trying to put a lot of RVs in kind of a smaller area.
It did have complete full hookups, which was nice.
It did have a bathhouse and a laundry area that were smaller
and they weren't always the cleanest
because there's just a lot of people
with sand on their feet and things like that using those.
But we just used the facilities inside of our own rig,
so we didn't even really make use of their facilities,
even though they were there and they were available to use.
- Yeah, and it's really not that far from Daytona
and there's a nice little bike path
that you can take your bike on.
I did a couple mornings,
and it takes you right alongside the road,
beautiful scenery, and takes you right down to the beach
if you wanna ride down by there.
- Right.
It's right off of the Florida A1A highway,
so, again, just super close to the beach.
It's easy to jump on the A1A and go down to Daytona.
We did a day trip down to Daytona Beach
while we were staying at that particular campground
and into the town of Daytona,
as well as met up with some friends while we were there
that were in another area of Florida,
so very centrally located.
St. Augustine is just 45 minutes up the road,
so very, very easy access into St. Augustine.
Just a wonderful campground
that we would definitely go back to.
We'll put a link below to this particular campground
so that you can check it out
and make reservations if you wanna stay there.
So, our second pick-- - Two.
- That we would go back to,
and we actually have gone back to this campground
more than once, is the campground
at Myrtle Beach State Park in South Carolina.
Now, this campground,
there's so many cool things about this campground,
which is why we've actually gone back there now twice,
and we would go again, even though we've been there twice.
The campground in and of itself is very large.
There's lots of options as far as different types of sites.
So, there's RV sites, there's tent sites.
The first time we went, we just had a water and electric.
The second time we went, we had the full hookups,
so that was nice to be able to have all full hookups.
When we went the first time, we filled up our grey tank
faster than what we (laughing) thought we would fill it up,
so it got a little bit sketchy on day three.
- I think that's before we really taught the kids
how to preserve water, so that was--
- It's probably not the kids.
It's probably me, actually.
- Mmm.
- It probably is totally me. (laughing)
But they have tons of amenities.
They have bathhouses, showers,
and the showers are really nice.
They're not in disrepair or anything like that.
They have laundry facilities,
which I did use the laundry facilities there.
The laundry facilities are great.
It is just a short walk to the beach.
So, you're not right on the beach
as far as the campground goes,
but it's maybe a quarter-mile or maybe even less, really,
to just walk to the beach from the campground.
- [Ben] Yeah, we just bring one of those little wagons
that we just throw it right behind us.
- Yeah, there we loaded up the wagon
to walk down to the beach to spend time down at the beach.
And the other thing that's nice
is because it's a state park,
the fees to stay there are considerably less
than the other private or more commercial RV resorts
that are in the area.
And so, we love being able to stay there,
just because the rates are so much lower
for essentially the same type of beach access
as some of the other more commercial RV resorts.
The other thing is because it's a state park,
they have ranger-led programs
that are nature programs for the kids.
So, they can participate in nature programs
and they have nature talks and they have some hiking trails.
It's a really cool wooded area.
- Yeah, beautiful.
- Do you remember you would hear the cicad--
I mean, there was so much--
- So many trees that you could hear the--
- So many trees, but also a lotta bug, just noise,
but it was fun because it really felt like
that you were out in nature.
You didn't feel like that you were in
a commercial type of RV environment,
but it really felt a little bit more kind of like camping--
- In the backwoods.
- As much as glamping is like camping.
But it's a really, really cool park
and we would go back again.
We've been there twice already,
but we would definitely go back a third time.
And if you've never stayed there,
you definitely need to put that
on your list of places to go.
And we'll put a link in the description below
to the Myrtle Beach State Park
and you can make reservations online.
We do recommend making those reservations quickly
because they do fill up very quickly.
Both times that we stayed there,
we had made our reservations online
at least six months in advance of when we wanted to go.
So, if you want to go,
you definitely need to plan for that well in advance
and make those reservations.
- [Ben] So, now, this third one is the second-largest KOA
in the United States, and it is--
- It's Mount Rushmore KOA
or it's also known as the Palmer Gulch Resort
in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
And we'll put a link above to our full video
on that particular campground.
But this campground, we've actually stayed there
more than once and we would go back again.
Before we had an RV, we just wanted to be able
to kind of take a long weekend
in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
And so, they have cabins, they have a lodge,
which is more kind of like a hotel area,
and then they have the entire RV park.
So, the very first time we ever went,
we actually did stay in the lodge
when our son was just an infant.
And then we went back a second time
and we stayed in one of the cabins
where we had a little kitchenette,
but we also had a wood-burning stove, which was just fun.
You felt like you're staying in a cabin.
- Yeah, you'd have to get up in the middle of the night
and stock it. - Right.
Just, it was a cooler time of year.
And then, this most recent visit that we did
this past summer was finally in an RV.
- [Ben] Much better experience.
- So, it was a whole lot of fun
just when you have your home with you,
really, to be able to stay there.
But this campground is a KOA resort
and they have amenities galore.
This is one of those places
where if you didn't want to leave the campground,
you wouldn't have to.
You could definitely just stay there
and have plenty of things to do.
They have horseback riding and a ga-ga ball pit
and playgrounds and--
- [Ben] Don't forget about the jumpy pillow.
- The big jumping pillow.
They have all sorts of fun things for families to do.
They have events in the evenings.
The night that we pulled in,
they had a big sorta glow party thing going on after dark.
It's just a really cool place.
The other thing is they have restaurants right onsite
that serve really good food.
And so, one night we just didn't wanna cook
and we got pizza and ice cream
at the little Turtle Town cafe.
And they have some other more upscale restaurants
right there on the property as well.
And then, of course, the big draw is Mount Rushmore,
which is a 10-minute, if that, drive
from where the campground is.
So, it's a beautiful area.
And just where it's located and situated
in the Black Hills--
If you've never been to South Dakota
or if you are putting things like national parks
and national monuments on your bucket list,
this is a campground you definitely wanna stay at.
It is a little bit more on the pricey side,
being a KOA resort,
but it's well worth it for the experience,
especially if you are traveling with children.
They'll talk about that for years to come.
We'll put a link below in the description
to this campground so that you can make your reservations.
- Number four.
Asheville.
- Asheville, North Carolina.
This was a beautiful, beautiful KOA.
In fact, we'll put a link to our video above
on this one as well.
But when we pulled in,
I was so impressed with this particular campground.
There's a beautiful lake.
There's a bike trail.
- There were kids riding their bikes and playing
all over the place. - There were kids everywhere!
This was such a big family-style campground.
And as we started talking to some of the other people
that were staying that, what we learned
is that this is kind of the locals' campground.
So, a lot of people
that are within a three-to-four-hour drive away,
this is the campground where they always want to come.
And so they come again and again and again
because it's so family-friendly.
It's just in a beautiful area kind of in the mountains area
right outside of Asheville.
It's not in Asheville proper,
but just situated outside of Asheville.
And our kids, it was amazing;
it was one of those experiences that reminded you of 1960,
where you could just turn your kids loose and let them go
and let them go have fun and let them go ride their bikes
or go play at the playground.
It was just one of those times where you felt like
that you had turned back the clock about 50 years
and you could just let the kids go roam and play.
And they had fun.
There was a stream that went through--
- [Ben] Yeah, the kids went tubing down.
- They jumped in the stream with inner tubes.
I mean, this really felt like
what life would've been like 50 years ago
in another day and another time
for kids to just be able to just go be kids.
And so, this is a campground we would definitely go back to.
The Asheville area is gorgeous.
- Amazing. - There's so many things
that you can go do and see in the Asheville area.
- Including the Biltmore.
We went and saw that.
We couldn't take any video of that, unfortunately,
but just an amazing building to check out,
or mansion, might I say,
as well as there's tons of mountain biking areas around.
I actually met a guy at the campground there
that did mountain bike and he brought his along,
so he invited me to go with him to go mountain biking.
And it was one of the most amazing bike trails
I've ever been on.
Unfortunately, at the top, very top,
right before you go downhill, I got a flat
and I didn't have an extra tube,
so I wasn't able to experience the downhill part.
So, I ran into a little glitch.
I popped my back tired on my bike,
and unfortunately I did not bring an extra tube.
- We'll put a link in the description below
to this particular KOA and then we will put a link above
to our video when we stayed there
so that you can check it out.
- Number five, guys.
This is the ultimate place that we stayed at.
- This was definitely the highlight of our travels
this particular past summer
and, like Ben said, the ultimate.
And this particular campground is called El Mar Resort,
and this is in Key West, Florida.
Now, unbeknownst to us,
we got the absolute best site in the whole campground
when we arrived. - A corner lot.
A corner lot right along the water.
The lady next door to us was actually kinda complaining
'cause we got the-- - We got the primo site.
And we didn't even know that that was gonna be
the primo site or necessarily ask for the primo site.
It just happened that that's where our rig fit the best,
and so that's where they put us.
So, if you make reservations here,
and we'll put a link in the description below
for this RV resort, you want to ask for site #11,
which is the site at the very end
and it's surrounded by seawall on two out of the four sides.
So, half of the sites are waterfront
and then the other half are not waterfront.
But the nice thing about this campground
is regardless of where you're staying,
there is water access.
So, if you bring your water toys,
your kayaks, your paddleboards, your Jet Skis,
there is a launch right there at the campground
that you can launch out into the water with.
And so, it's definitely a place that is fun to stay
if you've got some of those water toys
that you wanna bring along with you.
- And there is a rental place right down the street
if you do want to rent a kayak or something.
There's definitely plenty of places to rent one.
- There are no amenities at this particular campground,
other than your full hookups.
So, there's not a bathhouse, there's not laundry.
You need to be prepared to use the facilities
onboard of your own rig.
So, one of the best things that we loved
about this campground
having the site that we had was the view.
We opened up the curtains in our front window
and we just stared out at the water and the palm trees.
- There were iguanas sitting on the concrete slab
bathing in the sun.
Two of 'em! - Two of 'em!
- [Ben] Maybe they're lovers.
- Yeah, it was really a cool experience to just see those,
but also to look out and just be on the water
and be surrounded by palm trees.
We had most of the windows open in the rig most of the time
because privacy wasn't an issue
in the particular site we were at
'cause two out of the four sides
were all surrounded by a seawall.
So, it was just the best view to have the windows open
and to just enjoy the area.
And it's very close to downtown or Old Town Key West,
where you wanna go see some of the fun stuff
that happens down there.
So, it's about a 10-minute drive.
Grocery stores are super close by,
so you can go hit the grosh store
and load up with whatever supplies
and things like that that you need.
We also took several excursions
while we were in the Key West area
as far as snorkeling and ocean kayaking.
And so, we'll put a link in the description below
for the company that we used for that,
as well as you can watch our full video on Key West
up above as well so you can check that out
and see all of the fun things to do in Key West.
- Probably one of our favorite trips so far is Key West.
- This was absolutely one of our favorite trips
and we would definitely go back again.
- A1A.
- Detroit Avenue!
♪ That block was dead, yo ♪
♪ So I continued to A1A ♪
♪ Beachfront Avenue ♪
- It's not 'Detroit.' - What is it?
- It's Beachfront.
- Beachfront Avenue? - Yes.
There's not an A1A in Detroit.
- I always thought it was Detroit Avenue!
- (laughing) It's Beachfront.
A1A-- - Beachfront Avenue!
♪ Beachfront Avenue ♪
(laughing)
- What's it when you throw that bag into the--
- Cornhole?
- Yes, cornhole. (Charity laughing)
- They have cornhole.
Whoever came up with the name 'cornhole'?
- Yeah.
- Maybe...
Maybe they used to throw corn in the hole.
- Maybe. - Maybe.
- We'll have to find out.
- We'll have to look up the history of cornhole.
- Yeah, you don't--
There were lizards that were-- - They're not lizards.
They're iguanas. - Ah, yes.
(laughing)
There were iguanas that were sunbathing--
- Lizards.
(flapping tongue)
(laughing)
- You are strange.
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