Tag Archives: RV

Duck Creek RV Resort – Review

Posted on by

5

My son turned 8 this year and to keep the birthday tradition alive we went west.  Duck Creek RV Resort is located right outside the gates of Michigan Adventures park in Muskegon, Michigan.  And it’s well worth the drive for our family.  It’s about a 4-5 hour drive (including bathroom and hungry machine breaks).

The park is beautiful, there’s a lot of woods surrounding the park, and there was even wild turkeys in the woods just on the edge of the park.  (Quite exciting for the kids!)

The pool is made for kids, there’s a zero entry wadding area for them and it’s only 1 1/2 ft deep.  There’s also a water fountain that the kids loved to play under.  That area opens to the larger swim area that goes from 3 feet to 5.  And they had a hot tub!  The first I’ve seen so far, and greatly appreciated!  That empties into the pool so that helps to keep the swimming area warm, and the whole pool is shaped like a duck!

Here’s our comparison list:

  • Activities for the kids – No
  • Pool – Yes and it’s heated!
  • Full Hook Up – Yes
  • Wifi – Yes
  • Cable – Yes
  • Playground – Yes
  • Grocery Store – No, but they do sell ice and firewood
  • Ice Cream – No
  • Paved Roads – Yes
  • Paved Paths – Yes
  • Grass Lots – Yes, and they have flowers
  • Shade Trees – No, there’s a few young trees around
  • Friendly Campers – Yes, and lots of kids and young families
  • Friendly Staff – Yes
  • Overall Clean – Yes

Our site was 40 right on the corner by the pool.  I’d say it’s one of the best sites, there’s another site, #82, is right next to and faces the playground and would be perfect for our next stay. We’re thinking Labor Day next year.  The staff seemed nice and pretty much left you alone.  There wasn’t any planned activities for the kids, but we had enough to do.  All the families and kids we’re very friendly, unlike some other west side parks we’ve been to (River Ridge).

Muskegon is centrally located on the west side of Michigan.  It’s about a 1/2 hour south to Grand Haven, which has awesome beaches by the way, and a great toy store for the kids.  You can also go north to Pentwater or Silver Lake for a day trip and to see the sand dunes.  And then there’s Michigan Adventures right outside of the park and is a theme park with rides and half water park.  We’ve been there 3 times now and it’s fun and not too big like Cedar Point.

Do you ever make it over to the west side of Michigan and where have you stayed? Where do you visit?

(Images: Duck Creek and myself)

The Skinny on Camper Rugs

Posted on by

1

It was a rather difficult decision for me. When we bought our camper the only decorating decision was maple or oak and that determined how everything was decorated inside. But there’s a few things that one must purchase, like outside rugs. I tried to go with one that matched the outside color scheme, while still looking nice. There’s a ton to choose from, checkered, scroll, reversible, outdoor carpet, pvc, the list goes on.

We use a rug to help keep our camper clean.  They help to keep the dirt off bare feet before the kids venture inside.  And they go in an out a ton! The grass at most campgrounds is 1/2 dead, so it also feels better on bare feet.

I secretly wish something would happen to the rugs I have now so I can replace them with the one below.  We found the PVC ones work better and clean up great.  But, don’t place them too close to the fire.  We learned the wrong way and our fire sparked and a few embers melted tiny holes in our rug.

I don’t like the ‘outdoor carpet’ type, we originally had one of these and could never get clean.

What is your opinion on rugs and what have you learned or like?

Halloween Camping Decorations – Part 2

Posted on by

7

We’re going to HarborTown this year for Halloween and I’m already starting to plan how to decorate our camper and campsite.  Everyone at the park really gets into decorating and it’s usually one of the busiest weekends.  Most parks shut down the roads so there’s no cars, and the kids can safely Trick or Treat.  I have the typical spiders, bats, headstones, etc. but wanted to bring it up a notch this year.
Here’s some inspiration so far:

Huge Spider Webs:
I have 1 large spider and love this look.
Adding additional spider, twigs and leaves would make it look more authentic.

Eyes in Bushes & Trees:
I found these two ideas for the bushes and trees.  Using both looks together will be impressive.  The eyes will fill in the space during the day and at night the toilet paper roll will glow.

Daytime eye idea from Better Homes & Garden

Nighttime eye idea from ThriftyCraftyGirl

Frankenstein Door:
We have two doors on our campers, and I’d love to do this to one of them
Great idea via Mel-Designs

For our other door and windows, I want to do this and I’ll have to make these.

Have any other ideas for decorating for Halloween?  Would love to share!

Cute Campers

Posted on by

4

I love some of the older vintage campers and how people have renovated them over the years. I can’t imagine how much time it would take to overhaul a camper, so I’m quite impressed by what they have done.

Here’s a few of my favorites, first Pretty in Pink. I love all the colors and it’s just so pretty.

Seeing Spots: I think this is cute, but might give you a headache after awhile.

Hello Kitty: My daughter would die for this one!

Lady Bug: This reminds me of my great-grandma.

Have you done anything cute to customize your home or or home on wheels?

 

 

 

5 Question Friday – Campgrounds/Parks

Posted on by

0

I want to know more about you, so every Friday I’m going to share 5 things about me and hope you share back with me.

1. What is your favorite campground/RV park?
I think everyone knows by now that Harbor Town RV Park is our favorite. It’s clean, the staff is great, awesome amenities and it’s cl

2. What is your favorite theme weekend at the parks?
Halloween for sure! I love how everyone decorates their sites and their campers. I’ve seen so many different ideas and it’s amazing what you can do. We don’t think of it as just decorating your camper, because you can decorate just like it’s your home. It’s so fun, and the kids have a blast too. My kids love to hand out candy to others the most.

3. What is your favorite type of camping spot? (Pull-Thru, Full Hook-UP, Rustic, Front of Park)?
Pull-Thru, Full Hook-Up is ours. It makes setting up easier. When you get a paved pad that’s just bonus. I also like some type of paved road (either concrete or black top) It makes it easier for the kids to ride their bikes and helps to keep the dirt down from being tracked into the camper.

4. Do you pick your park based on attractions close by or the park?
There’s really not much around our favorite park. Toledo is about 30 minutes away and we’ve taken a trip down to the zoo and shopping. We haven’t been to a park because of the close by attractions. We are going this August to Duck Creek in Muskegon. It’s right outside of Michigan Adventures and we plan to visit that park.

5. Golf Cart?
We rented a golf cart once, and the kids loved it. We will rent again.

Your turn to share! :-)

5 Question Friday

Posted on by

2

I want to know more about you, so every Friday I’m going to share 5 things about me and hope you share back with me.

1. What camper do you have?
We have a Outback Bunk House we bought new a few years ago. We love it! It’s perfect for my family.

2. Do you camp full time or for enjoyment?
We camp for enjoyment and try to camp as much as we can. We usually take 2-3 weekend trips a month, and 1-2 long weekend/holiday trips.

3. What have you done to customize your camper?
I haven’t yet, but would love to change the curtains. I hate them! Everything is so matchy-matchy to the other fabrics (couch, bedding, etc). I would love to start with our bedroom and see how that goes. I think the curtains will have to be custom and I don’t know how to sew.

4. Where are you from?
I grew up in Michigan, about an hour outside of Detroit. It’s very pretty here and up north is beautiful, esp in the Fall with all the leaves changing on the trees.

5. Do you have and/or how many kids?
We have two kids, one of each. My son is the oldest and he’s almost 7, my daughter just turned 4. My son is very sweet and really cares about everything and everyone. My daughter is an April baby, so she’s got her own mind and loves to share it. It’s quite funny on some days!

Your turn to share! :-)

Review – Frankenmuth Jelly Stone Park

Posted on by

0

We had a great Holiday weekend in Frankenmuth this year at the Jellystone park located right out-of-town.  I wasn’t looking forward to going to this park, but it was the only place we could get reservations at, and I called back in January.  I was pleasantly surprised at everything.  The park, the town, the weather, and our neighbors.  Yes, the neighbors that live behind us ending up being next to us at the campground.  Everyone was friendly, the park was clean and had a good setup for kids – and bonus: Indoor Heated Pool!  (Because you never know the Michigan weather)

They had a large playground for the kids, newer cabins, activities during the day, ice cream cart that went around selling ice cream bars, putt-putt (but the greens were horrible, filled with pine needles) laundry facilities, and mostly blacktop roads.

The only downfall of the park was the extremely small lots. Our awning was literally hitting the camper next to us and our water hookup was at the base of our neighbors camper stairs. You would think when laying out these things, they would have took this into consideration. We had to bring our own fire pit due to a city ordinance, but that’s not the parks fault.  They do have community fire pits available.

What I Like What They Offered
Activities for the Kids •
Pool •
Full Hook Up •
WiFi •
Cable •
Playground •
Grocery Store •
Ice Cream •
Paved Roads •
Paved Pads
Grass Lots •
Shade Trees •
Friendly Campers •
Friendly Staff •
Overall Clean •

Frankenmuth was quite a surprise.  There’s a ton of little shops, all with unique things to pick from.  The doggie Olympics was very busy.  There was a pet parade, dock dogs (which is my son’s fav) and something that looked like an obstacle course for the dogs.  There were dogs everywhere, so if you don’t like them, like my hubby, you should stay away on this weekend.  He actually did quite well walking around there with all the dogs.

We stopped at Tiffany’s in town for lunch and I highly suggest the perogies.  They were awesome, and had to fight my son off the last one. If you don’t eat quick around the boy, you will starve :-)   I had the Ceaser salad and it was good.  My daughter got butter noodles and they were all homemade, and delic!

There also was a hot air balloon festival and topped it off with fireworks and a balloon glow on Sunday night.  The balloon glow was amazing.  They set up about 15 hot air balloons on a field, all tethered to the ground.  Then they would light up the balloons with their fire heaters, and take turns to make them ‘twinkle’.  So glad I made the fam pack up and hike up to town to see this.  (I’m a sucker for fireworks)

The weekend was a great time and we had fun. Have you ever stayed here before and what do you love about Frankenmuth?

(Images: Frankenmuth Jellystone Park, Tiffany’s Food & Spirits)

Proof He’s Mine

Posted on by

1

We found this great little cupcake shop in Frankenmuth, called Sugar High (and is so appropriate)

Ted bought one of their German Chocolate cupcakes and while eating it dropped his fork. So needles to say, he had to stop eating and was carrying the remainder in it’s little plastic care package. (It was so good, I’m a little surprised he didn’t use the 5 second rule and pick up the fork). He handed the cupcake package to my son, who didn’t hold it with the care of his dad. It was sideways, frosting smeared on the container, just a mess. Ted took it back from my son, and shot him a look. My son, without missing a beat rattled off ‘well you should have held your precious cupcake then’. We were shocked and couldn’t help but laugh. That’s My Boy!

What things have your kids said/did that caught you off guard? (But of course, had to laugh)