If you like fort wilderness

If You Love Fort Wilderness, You’ll Really Dig These Six Camping Resorts

Published on by thewildernessprincess

Granted, there’s no place like Disney’s Fort Wilderness. But there’s other camping resorts that provide those spoiled comforts of home and have a similar fun family vibe. As a bonus, most are less expensive and some are waterfront. All of them are super worthy of a spring or summer getaway very soon.

Stone mountain park Campground, Near Atlanta

Situated on a beautiful mountain lake, this 170-site campground is large and busy. A long-time favorite for Southerners, it’s also a convenient stop-off for those headed down to Florida. Like Fort Wilderness, there are several classes of sites, and our favorite is the RV Purple Loop by the pool and clubhouse.

Recent additions include lakeside yurts. A 5-minute bus trip (or car) will get you to the several attractions, including a train excursion, historic sites, an animal farm and a frontier town with shops, restaurants, mini-golf, and a sky-hike. But the ancient activity of hiking up the granite mountain is still our favorite. Read more about one of our favorites.

stone mountain grist mill
The historic grist mill at Stone Mountain provides for old-fashioned summer fun.

With so much to explore, days at Stone Mountain are a breeze for families with kids and there’s plenty to do for at least four nights. Oh – and there’s a fireworks and laser show every single night (temporarily on hold due to pandemic).

Stone Mountain Skyhike
Go to the Skyhike early at Stone Mountain before it gets crowded.

camp leconte, gatlinburg, tennessee

This is where to go when you want to glamp like your grandma did way back in the early 70s. And you’re just a trolly ride away from Dollywood Theme Park and that famous cinnamon bread.

While this luxury resort is much smaller than some on the list, it makes up for this with its over-the-top hipness. A night in one of the two restored Scotties starts at under $130 per night. There are also super-cute Safari Tents, Treehouses, and full hook-up RV spots.

Like Fort Wilderness, it feels remote, but there is a world of activity a mile away. To me, Dollywood itself is a bit what Fort Wilderness would look like if it were its own theme park.

wind creek state park, lake martin, alabama

America’s largest state-run campground  has 586 sites on 320 acres. It reminds me of being a kid at Fort Wilderness back in the day with an abundance of activity and free-ranging youngsters on bikes.

Wind Creek State Park sunsetNo swimming pool is needed, as there is a popular swimming beach on the clear waters of Lake Martin. There’s also movies, an old-fashioned snack bar, mini golf, food trucks, and activities.

Lake Martin swimming beach
The swimming area at Wind Creek is popular with campers as well as day guests.

Unlike Fort Wilderness, you can camp directly on the water and pull your boat right up to your site. The best and priciest sites are on the peninsula and sell out for summer months as soon as reservations open a year in advance.

Lake Martin campground
Those who snag coveted peninsula sites are the envy of many campers. They require a 7-day stay in summer months.

custer state park resort, Black hills of South Dakota

If you love Wilderness Lodge, then Custer State Park is the real deal. The State Game Lodge was built of wood and stone in 1920, and was the summer getaway for President Calvin Coolidge.

 In the Black Hills of South Dakota, it won’t be unusual to see buffalo in your back yard. In addition to hiking and kayaking, among the most popular activities is a Jeep Tour. These open-air “safaris” leave from Creekside Lodge and take guests on a 2-hour excursion where you’ll see buffalo, elk, and other wildlife.

After a day of adventure, return for dinner at one of four restaurants and enjoy such delicacies as buffalo burger or rattlesnake sausage. Accomodations include lodges and cabins. One of the best spots for RV and tent camping within the park is Blue Bell Campground.

Like Fort Wilderness, you’ll find northwest-style relaxation, a trading post and horseback riding. Nighttime brings singalongs, hayrides, and chuckwagon dinners.

Big cedar lodge, the ozarks

Everything about this woodsy castle in the Ozarks screams Wilderness Lodge, including the price.  Owned by Bass Pro Shops, the mega-resort bills itself as “America’s Premier Wilderness Resort.” In addition to the lodge, there’s an enormous selection of cabins, camping huts, and glamping tents ranging from around $200 a night to $1300 and up.

What’s not to love with beautiful swimming pools juxtaposed to Table Rock Lake and world-class fishing, hiking, horseback riding, water sports and dining?  For the ritziest of glamping, there’s also golfing, spas and a breathtakingly-gorgeous shooting gallery.

And like WDW, meals are serious business. But comparatively, a pecan-smoked prime rib dinner at Devil’s Pool is actually kind of a relative steal at $34.  Save some room for the Bourban Apple Crumble ($9).

Lighthouse point at cedar point amusement Park

Our last one on the list is a bit more affordable than the previous one. This campground sits directly in the shadows of one of America’s oldest amusement parks (c. 1870).  While Cedar Point has become much more focused on thrill rides and roller coasters over the course of its 150-year history, it’s still an icon of Americana.

The campground is rather large, with more than 120 full hook-up RV sites and more than 150 cabins. We love that it’s much like Fort Wilderness in that the kids can take off to the amusement park while we relax. In this case, relaxation means sunning on the shores of Lake Erie or bobbing around on a jet ski.

Related: 8 Must-Do Stops from Atlanta to Orlando

 

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