Turns out, camping with young kids may be more relaxing than you’d think! Tucked among Wisconsin’s rolling hills and quiet forests are dozens of campgrounds built specifically for families, boasting amenities galore to keep kids entertained all weekend long. It’s the best of both worlds – where else can your family spend the days swimming, playing games, or celebrating Christmas in July, and the nights relaxing around the campfire, soaking up the best of Wisconsin’s natural beauty?
Whether you prefer tent or RV, lakeside or bluff-top, remote or right by the action, family campgrounds in Wisconsin have it all. Check out some of our top picks!
Stoney Creek RV Resort & Campground - Osseo
Imagine sitting at the edge of a shallow, warm kiddie pool full of fun play structures, with central Wisconsin rolling hills and open fields full of wildflowers all around you. Your toddler is happily splashing away; your pre-teen is swimming in a deeper pool under the safe watch of a lifeguard, and your teenagers are off skating at the resort skate park, playing volleyball, basketball or mini golf.
Campsites consist of lovely soft pea gravel on top of sand, making for cozy sleeping and big rig-friendly conditions makes for easy access for even the biggest RVs. Stoney Creek Campground has been voted best campground in Wisconsin. You'll want to book far in advance.
Pine View Campground - Fort McCoy
Fort McCoy’s Pine View Campground has everything you could wish for in a family vacation -- lovely, clean sites for your tent, a pristine river full of trout, a wonderful lake with a swimming beach and endless amenities such as playgrounds, paintball, laser tag, a disc golf course, shuffleboard, miniature golf -- to name a few.
However, this is not necessarily why you come here. Instead, you might choose this unique setting to give your family a small taste of military life. Here, campers will wake to reveille at 6 a.m. and enjoy bugle calls throughout the day. You will rub shoulders with military families and know that your camping fees go toward keeping the premises in top shape for them. More than a 100,000 military men and women are trained at Fort McCoy annually.
Plymouth Rock Camping Resort - Plymouth
The owners of Plymouth Rock Camping Resort, twelve miles from Sheboygan in eastern Wisconsin, decided to take their childhood dreams to the extreme at their themed family-friendly campground on 180 acres of Wisconsin forests, fields and lakefront.
How does ice skating on shaving cream sound? Or a Charlie Brown Christmas in July? During Superhero week, children can spend thier weekend running obstacle courses, slinging webs like Spiderman, crafting their own cape and more. As if all these activities aren't enough, Plymouth Rock Camping also offers mini golf, paddle boats, arcades, shopping, and restaurants as well as boating, fishing, biking and hiking.
Wisconsin Riverside Resort - Spring Green
The lush greenery this area is known for, the joyful presence of the Wisconsin River its white bluffs, make Wisconsin Riverside Resort especially attractive for families set on a genuine nature experience. Special kid-friendly campsites for quiet, safe camping have been set away from other camping areas.
The artsy and very historic town of Spring Green is only a stone's throw from the campground, with offerings such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin, the bizarre but interesting House on the Rock and the American Players Theatre.
Hickory Hills Campground - Edgerton
Have you ever discovered a place so special you want to keep it to yourself? This is it! Those are the words of many returning visitors to Hickory Hills Campground. While Hickory Hills is situated on quiet, spring-fed Rice Lake, it has all the amenities needed for a relaxing vacation such as pool, mini golf, playground and game room.
Their weekend programming for both kids and adults might be what sets them apart. Hickory Hills offers camping programs like Carnival Weekend and Back to Nature to keep kids entertained, and for parents, events like wine tasting and canvas painting provide some much-needed relaxation.
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park - Warrens
With its friendly gargantuan Yogi Bear statue that can be seen from Highway 94, Jellystone Campground might be one of the better-known, high-amenity family campgrounds in Wisconsin. Being kid-friendly is indeed the signature of this visually appealing, 200-acre nature spot with rolling hills, sandstone cliffs and fishing ponds stocked with pan fish for eager young fishermen.
They also have a full waterpark with slides, wading pools and lazy rivers, seven swimming pools, golf carts to zip around the campground, children’s crafts and programs, and weekend entertainment such as puppet shows, hypnotists, bands and choirs for young and old. Also nearby, the historic Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail offers lovely nature biking for the whole family.
Tranquil Timbers Camping Retreat - Sturgeon Bay
Tranquil Timbers Camping Retreat in Sturgeon Bay is situated close to Lake Michigan, with access to boat landings and the fish-rich channel. With its lovely, shade trees creating a cool, old forest feeling canopy, the campground borders beautiful Potawatomi State Park with miles of hiking trails along the protected shoreline.
While Tranquil Timbers prides itself on being on the quiet part of the Door Peninsula, there is plenty of action for young families, such as a playground, swimming pools and kid-friendly entertainment like live bands, magicians and balloon animal artists. Nearby Sturgeon Bay offers numerous exciting summer festivals and interesting museums like the Door County Maritime Museum.
Hayward KOA Campground - Hayward
Hayward KOA campground sees many third generation visitors who stayed at the campground as kids and are now returning with their own children and grandchildren. As if staying in one of Wisconsin’s most beautiful nature areas is not enough, try tubing or canoeing down scenic Namekagon River, or fishing in one of the many Hayward lakes.
Hayward KOA offers many fun opportunities for young families like s'mores every Friday night, mini golf, an enormous jumping pillow, wagon rides, a water slide and award winning pancakes for breakfast. Still looking for more? How about participating in a pirate-themed party, a round of cosmic golf, or a chocolate pudding eating contest? There is never a dull moment!
Find campsites near you in our directory, or check out more kid-friendly lodging at these family resorts!
