Family Activities

Last year was the first year in a long time that we didn't camp. Normally, we do an Annual Barczak/Murphy camping trip, but last year we ended up going to Florida instead and skipped the annual trip. For some reason or another we were just so busy the rest of the summer (probably mostly due to my photography sessions...) that we never went camping! I feel bad that we didn't take Porter last year. Along with being super busy, we also had lost our newfound camping buddies, the Morrisons. When the Morrisons moved here, we were thrilled to learn that they, too, loved camping. We went on one trip with them (and camped in their driveway once!), and then they moved. That was one additional bummer for us when they moved... not only do we miss them but we're bummed that we no longer have any friends to go camping with us!

Anyhow, campgrounds fill up pretty quickly. Most people book 6 months in advance. Meaning... if you want to camp in June you'd better be booking in January! Lucky for us, Michigan is a great state for camping. Our favorite places to go are along Lake Michigan. I'm floored at how expensive camping has become! When we started camping, about 6 or 7 years ago, it was around $17-20/night. Now, the state park is $27/night and the family owned campground we go to at Silver Lake is around $37/night! I've even seen other campground that are $40/night. You can get a cheap motel room for that rate!

We know we definitely want to go to Silver Lake once this summer. Ryan and I love the dunes, and we know Porter will LOVE watching all the dune trucks and buggies. I'd like to book another trip as well, but am still trying to decide where. We've always wanted to go up to Mackinac, but I don't know if exploring the island will be all that fun with a newborn. We might save that for next year when Baby B is a year old.

Hopefully we'll get back into the swing of camping and hopefully the boys will both blend in well with our traditions. I'm a little nervous about camping with a newborn and a 2 year old! We're also hoping to find some new camping buddies this year or next.

So, is your family a camping family?

Do you tent camp or do you have a pop-up or camper?

How long do you typically camp for?

Where are your favorite places to camp?

How much is camping in your state? (At state parks and at private campgrounds)