Of course, I cannot write a blog about camping, without featuring my favorite site. Memorial County Park, located in Loma Mar, California, is definitely on the list of the best places to take your kids.

Memorial has been around for so many years that even my parents have been camping there since they were toddlers. Since it is a county park, it is equipped with full ranger services, which is somewhat reassuring, especially if you have little ones. Memorial is the first place I learned to camp, it is where I fell in love with Earth, and it is where I return every year. It has almost 200 sites for both tent camping and trailer camping, along with an ice cream shop, camp store (with firewood), and bathrooms.  Memorial itself, is extremely woody, covered by hundreds and hundreds of old redwoods. Therefore, it is also very dusty but smells amazing.

I think one of the things that makes this campground such a pleasurable occasion for families, both starting out, and already experienced, is how accommodating for children it can be. There are craft nights and movie nights almost every week during summer. They will even teach your young ones how to make s’mores and identify local plants.

Personally, I love the surrounding hiking and berry picking. Like many other sites splattered throughout California, Memorial has trails leading up hills and mountains with breathtaking views. The entire campground in summer is overflowing with blackberry bushes. When the water is deep enough, there is also a river that flows between the sites, separating them down the middle. Here, everyone swims, sunbathes, and skips rocks.

Just drive probably ten minutes down the mountain, outside of the campground, and you will arrive in a quaint little town with bakeries, bookstores, cafes, a grocery store, and small clothing shops. On the weekends, there is also a farmer’s market where locals sell fresh produce and handmade crafts. Drive ten minutes more and you will arrive at the beach.  Although, due to it’s location along the Pacific, the sky is usually clouded with fog. But, the air is still salty and fresh.

If you take your kids camping here as their first time, I guarantee, they will fall in love with the outdoors. Soon, you will be revisiting every year, until they have families of their own.