Hey there! We want to take our 2 1/2 year old on his first camping trip. We're looking for a nice, family friendly campground with a beach, not too far from the cities. Any suggestions?
One of my very favorite places to take my daughter camping has been the Lake Elmo Park Reserve. They have a filtered lake, playground equipment, nice camp sites, etc. but it still feels like you're out in the wilderness - there are trails and ranger talks, etc. It's a fabulous place! And still in the cities.
Last year we took our then 18 mth old to William O'Brien State Park. It's 15 minutes north of Stillwater, just past Marine on St. Croix. He had a blast!
You can research parks and campgrounds on the Explore Minnesota website and the Minnesota DNR website. The DNR site is all State and Regional Parks, and I think the Explore site also has private grounds. The nice thing about the DNR site, you can reserve a spot and pay online.
Enjoy!
I second William O'Brien....we used to go there almost every summer when I was growing up. It is still my favorite campground.
Lake Elmo is nice also... but I seem to remember it feeling pretty crowded. However, it is a great place to bring the younger kids... it has a big "fake lake" for swimming, a playground, fishing pier that is easy to get to, etc.
We just got back from Moose Lake State Park yesterday. It's less than 2 hours North of the city. We took our 23 month old and she had so much fun! They have this great little beach area where she played in the sand and water. They also have canoe rentals and a very large grassy area. It was the first time we'd been there, but we really liked it. The only downfall is that it's only like a half mile off of 35W so you can still hear the freeway at night. But if you're ok with that, I would recommend it as a good place for a small child. I would also recommend that you try and get a campsite in the 20-32 range. The sites are much prettier and private than the 1-19 sites. Have fun!
