I’ll keep the intro short because I know you guys want these links and the details. So, here’s what happened in a nutshell. We had Disney booked for camping at Fort Wilderness, but it called for tons of rain all week there, so yeah… they were nice enough to change our reservations, but we were SO disappointed. This year was filled with cancelled trips and here we were going through it yet again… argh. It took a lot of guts for us to make this decision to go there during this corona season, but I guess God has a better time planned for us. I just have to trust that… We then booked Big Lagoon State Park in Pensacola, FL, but then a hurricane decided to go there. OMG! So, we looked into Charleston, but it was now the morning of when we were supposed to leave, so they had no sites available. Half of our things were already packed in our car, but we had nowhere to go. We almost gave up, but our son came into our room and said, “WE ARE NOT GIVING UP! WE ARE GOING CAMPING!” That fueled me and made me remember a friend of mine who recently went camping to Stone Mountain. As much as we loved our experience at Lake Lanier, we really wanted to go somewhere different and we didn't want to drive anywhere further than six hours one way. So, Craig called and they were so accommodating and friendly! They got us a beautiful water front view as well as a spectacular view of the Stone Mountain itself! We then learned that Stone Mt is a highly rated campground… who knew? It all worked out because we ended up loving our time there, and we were able to do all sorts of activities that we never got to do although we’ve lived nearby for how many years… AND! The weather was amazing - as much as I was sad not to be in Orlando, my gosh, the heat would’ve driven me crazy!
This was our view from our campsite! Stone Mt. right in front of us, and there are our kids on the kayak by themselves. So beautiful, isn’t it???
Ok, I know you just want me to get straight to the point, right? Ok so here it is…. We are definitely not pros at this, so we are just sharing from the few experiences that we’ve had and have learned from. We’ve been camping before, but since corona, we’ve taken a lot of interest and we can’t wait to explore more all over our beautiful country!
WHY DO WE GO CAMPING?
It’s cheap.
You connect with nature and disconnect with the “noise”.
It’s fun!!!
The memories made as a family are priceless.
I love that our kids get to learn how to be comfortable and confident in nature.
It’s cheap - wait, did I already say that? ;)
After climbing the Stone Mountain… again… we do this at least once a year, but this time, we got to do it while camping! And no, our oldest is not taller than me yet, but she was happy to look like it in this photo. LOL!
WHAT YOU NEED
You do not have to get all of these things at one time or it will defeat the purpose of camping being cheap. We have purchased these items over time and there are still things that we want to add on, so here we go! These are all Amazon affiliate links.
Tent - Duh! I know… This may be too small or too big for your family, but one thing we did notice about tents is that if they say for example, “6 person tent”, it’s really a “4 person” one. This is not for an intense weather condition whatsoever. So, if you’re going during winter time, please do more research. We love ours for Georgia and Florida conditions and the open, netted ceiling is AWESOME! You get what you pay for with tents, so you just need to really know what conditions you’ll be in to get the right kind you need. For us in GA and FL, this one is good enough. We’ve met camping neighbors with hardcore expensive ones, but they’re pros and travel all over the country in all seasons.
Canopy - We tried a canopy with no net and in the summer time, nope! You need a net because those flies and bees will drive you nuts! So yes, we learned and got this one with the netting.
String Lights - This is not a must, but boy does it create such a cute and cozy atmosphere at night time! And of course, it serves as light, so you get function and decor! We put this around the canopy and it’s so pretty! If you want these to work, yes, get a campsite with electricity. ;)
Air Mattress & air pump- This is the queen size one we have, but we have been just liking the flatter, single ones for everyone. We have two single ones that someone gave us, so sorry we don’t have a link for that, but here’s one I found on Amazon that we will probably purchase for our next one. If you have an electric pump, don’t forget you need a site with electricity!
Classic Picnic Table Cloth - This red/white plaid table cloth is waterproof and oh so cute! So handy and worth getting! Easy to wipe off and clean… Most camping sites have a picnic table that comes with it, but if it doesn’t, a folding table will definitely be useful. For our family’s size, an 6 foot one is great. There are so many options out there, so choose one that’s best for you!
Kayaks and Paddles and Lifejackets (Here’s a link for a youth jacket.)- If you’re camping by a lake, this is surely a must. We currently have one double kayak, but in the next year, it’s our goal to have a single one for each family member now that our kids are older and comfortable on kayaks.
Portable Stove - We have a double gas stove that my mom had for years that we use, but this one on Amazon is the newer version of what we have! Don’t forget propane (4 bottles are more than enough for a week. We only used a bottle and a half for 4 days.) and a lighter!
Portable Fans - A MUST in the summer time that you can hang on the ceiling of your tent to get some breeze. This kind has enough battery power to stay on all night!
Bug Zapper - A MUST to get rid of those annoying bugs especially while you sleep in your tent. Even if you’re good about zipping up your tent, those teeny tiny bugs and mosquitoes can still sneak in there, so this is great in getting rid of them and not get bit. This fall, I came home with zero bites! This one also is a flashlight too.
Headlamps - These can be life savers in the dark for various things - get ‘em! As soon as it gets dark, each of our kid puts one on.
Hammock - Not a must, but nice to have to enjoy for extra relaxation!
Sleeping bags - You get what you pay for with this… again, just like the tents, know your weather conditions and get what you need.
Pillows and extra blankets for fall and winter, but if you have a good sleeping bag, then extra blankets aren’t necessary, so get decent ones for sure!
Wood for campfire - What’s camping without making s’mores around campfire? If you don’t know how to make fire, either don’t go or go with someone who does. Like, I have no idea… Craig does all that. LOL!
Charcoal for the grill if necessary.
Roasting S’mores Sticks - Yes, these are wonderful not just for marshmallows for your s’mores, but also for your hotdogs!
Lawn Chairs to sit around your campfire… oh yes! We got ours years ago, so this one is not the one we have, but you can get them just about anywhere and there are cheaper ones too. We need one more to complete our set, so this is on our wish list for our next trip.
Ax to cut your wood, hammer for your tent setup.
Basic kitchen items - These are what we took: pot, pan, cooking spoon, big knife, small knife, spatula, scissors, 2 mugs, and all paper items like paper plates, paper bowls, plastic utensils, etc…. One thing I learned to take for the future - chip clips! Don’t forget your toilet paper, paper towels and tons of trash bags and zip loc bags.
First Aid Kit and any meds you need! We’ve had to use many bandaids, so load up with those if you have kids especially. :)
All your toiletries, but get ready to get dirty! I mean… you’re not going on a luxury hotel stay. Other than brushing our teeth, we come home pretty filthy. You can totally take showers if the bathrooms there offer it of course, but I’d rather not use them. We are planning on a Disney camping trip, so I’ll wait for those nicer ones. hehe
FOOD and drinks! We take our “typical” Korean and American camping foods with us and make a meal plan. The key is to have a plan or it will get hectic. For Koreans, “bulgogi” and all the fixings are a must and then we of course do hotdogs, hamburgers, mini burgers, cup ramen for a meal is our family tradition, mac and cheese, etc… Go through each meal in your mind and make sure you have everything for them including all the spices, oil, etc… Pack them well in your cooler - most camping sites sell ice, so no worries there. And don’t forget your dish washing soap, sponge, and all that! If your site provides water, take your hose and sprayer with you!
Clothes, shoes, towels - keep this to a minimum… again, you’re camping, so just be comfortable and it’s ok to just wear clothes for two days or three or four… j/k. LOL! We do wear them for two days though unless clothes get wet from kayaking or swimming. Which brings me to another thing you need to take to dry your things - a string as a clothes line. For shoes, crocs is the way to go for us… we all have crocs now thx to our oldest who started the trend. It’s waterproof and just so comfy. It’s such a multi-functional, practical shoes!
I used this site to check off my list! It was the most thorough one I could find! If you have everything on that list, you’re more than good to go!
If you’re in the Atlanta metro area, here are some comparisons between Lake Lanier and Stone Mountain camping. If you don’t live around here, scroll to the last paragraph.
Lake Lanier: Compared to Stone Mt, it’s more spacious, has more privacy, and getting into the lake is not as dangerous, but tent sites have no water or electricity - only primitive sites for tents unless you want to be with the RVs. We camped a couple of times at Lake Lanier and to do’s are the obvious - swimming, fishing and kayaking, but you can also rent jet skis which we have done and that was super fun! Boat rentals and all that are there too. I think there are hiking trails, but we have not been to one yet. If you look on their site, there are more things to do like zip lining and even a waterpark during the summer and more, but we personally have not experienced those things yet and be sure to check all of the changes due to COVID too. Check out their site for all the details.
Rented a jet ski at Lake Lanier during our summer camping! So worth it!
Stone Mountain - More peaceful because swimming is not allowed. The water is more calm because there are hardly any boats and just kayakers. Quieter… more expensive, but you get electricity and water, so you can’t beat that! You don’t have as much privacy compared to Lake Lanier. You’re much closer to your neighbors and the space is not as big as Lake Lanier either, so thank God we had AMAZING neighbors! We connected with one of them so well that we are now keeping in touch. The bathrooms were MUCH cleaner and nicer than Lake Lanier. Stone Mt. to do are endless… Again, you can’t swim, but you can go kayaking, fishing and golfing too. There are tons of beautiful trails you can hike and of course climbing the Stone Mt is always fun. They have a sky ride that you can go up and down the mountain if you’re not up for climbing it. In the fall, they have the pumpkin festival, there’s a historical site you can go to as well. Their pamphlet and site will tell you more! One of the days, we walked nearly seven miles just in hiking! We did many of the listed to do’s and our kids loved it!
There are so many amazing trails at Stone Mt. Park. But, of course the most challenging and adventurous one is climbing the actual Stone Mt itself!
Many sites to see…. there was a historic site, but it was unfortunately closed until the weekend time and we went during the week. Sigh…. Hopefully next time!
We climbed up the Stone Mt. and then the kids begged us to ride the Skyride down, so we did. They were really great about taking precautions about COVID, and we wiped off the poles ourselves for our kids to hold on to. Their policy was putting max of three people in each corner, but for us, we were the only ones in there, so it was great!
Took our kids roller blading at a huge, wide open parking lot right in front of Stone Mt. The view was great and they had a blast!
So… they both have pros and cons. If you have little kids, I would definitely go to Lake Lanier for sure because it’s safer and they can be louder. Ha! Stone Mt is definitely for bigger kids.
Got to walk around the Halloween festival during the day… the decor was so impressive!
If you’ve never gone camping, it can feel overwhelming, so just start with the essentials and go from there. Every family is different, so you may not like or need the things we do or you can change things a bit to fit your family’s style. Just like anything else, you learn as you go and get better and more comfortable every time you go. I never thought I would become a “camping type”, but here I am blogging about it because it’s become one of our family’s favorite, and we hope that it will become your family’s tradition as well! I can honestly say I LOVE IT! DM me on IG anytime if you have any questions. Hope this was resourceful! See you guys on IG @craigobrist !
With much love,
Craig + Unchong
