Consider These Family-centered Campgrounds in the Eastern U.S.
Once you define the geographic location you want to visit, look for good family-centered campgrounds in that area. The first place to look is larger (over 40 campsites) U.S. Forrest Service (USFS) campgrounds. To find these USFS campgrounds, search for the USFS Campground Directory, then click the NATIONAL FORESTS AND CAMPGROUNDS button on the left side, then click FIND BY STATE NAME in the center, then click on the state name, then click on the forest name, and then note the list of campgrounds with their respective number of sites. Although small campgrounds may be cheaper, avoid them because they are usually unsupervised and frequently attract drunks and other undesirable persons.
If you cannot find a suitable USFS campground, look for larger U.S Army Corps of Engineers (COE) campgrounds and National Park Service (NPS) campgrounds. To find COE campgrounds, go to Recreation.gov and then type the state name in the search box. All of these Federal campgrounds usually have great tent camping facilities, lots of educational programs, lots of recreational activities, and are reasonably priced. If you live and typically camp west of the Mississippi River, also look for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) campgrounds.
If you cannot find a good Federal campground, look for state parks with larger campgrounds. To find state parks in a particular state, search the net for “state parks in (state name)” and then look for a link to “camping.”
We live in north Alabama and typically camp in the eastern United States - so I compiled this list of great family-centered campgrounds east of the Mississippi River. We have personally visited most of these campgrounds but I added a few more that offer a good combination of location, safety, amenities, maintenance, and family recreational opportunities. For more information about each destination, click on its link.
Wisconsin
Peninsula SP - restaurants, plays & lake.
Devils' Lake SP - Glacial features.
Kettle Moraine SF-Southern Unit - Glacial features.
Northern Highland-American Legion SF - up north fishing.
Governor Dodge SP - Bike trail.
Peninsula State Park, Wisconsin
Platte River NPS Campground, in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Michigan
Michigan LP
Ludington SP - Beach, bike trail, & activities.
Platte River NPS CG - Beach, sand dunes & Traverse City.
South Higgins Lake SP - Lake
Holland SP - Beach & sand dunes.
Interlochen SP - Lake, fine arts & Traverse City.
Waterloo SRA - Lake.
Michigan UP
Straits SP - Mackinaw Island.
Tahquamenon Falls SP - Water falls & family activities.
Lake Gogebic SP - UP fishing.
Illinois
Illinois Beach SP - Lake Michigan
Rock Cut SP - Lake.
Mississippi Palisades SP - Mississippi River.
Shabbona Lake SP - Lake fishing.
Sangchris Lake SP - historic Lincoln sites.
Coles Creek COE CG - Carlyle Lake fishing.
South Marcum COE CG - Rend Lake fishing.
Fort Massac SP - Ohio River, historic fort exhibits.
Gun Creek ACOE Campground on Rend Lake, Illinois
Lincoln State Park, Indiana
Indiana
Lincoln SP - A Lincoln birthplace, amusement park & water park.
O'Bannon Woods SP - Pool, bridle trails & caves.
Brown County SP - Nashville IN tourist area & Indiana University.
Prophetstown SP - family activities, Tippecanoe Battlefield & Purdue University.
Turkey Run SP - Pool & hiking trails.
Tippecanoe River SP - Bike trail.
Indiana Dunes SP - Lake Michigan beach, sand dunes & visitor center.
For more information about great family tent camping destinations in the lake michigan states, please read my book,
The Family camping guide to
wisconsin, michigan, illinois & indiana.
Copies can be obtained from Amazon or from me.
Ohio
Mosquito Lake SP - Beach, boat rental & mountain bike trails.
Mohican SP - Pool, Grist Mill Museum, canoe river & Amish Country.
Wolf Run SP - Beach, & historic sites.
Hocking Hills SP - Pool, caves & geological formations.
Caesar Creek SP - Beach, pioneer village & activities.
Hueston Woods SP - Beach, geological formations & virgin forest.
Shawnee SP - Ohio River beach & boat rental.
Lake Loramie SP - Beach, wildlife & paddling.
East Harbor SP - Lake Erie beach, bike rental & lighthouse.
Alum Creek SP - Beach, visitor center & bike trails.
Pennsylvania
Pymatuning SP - Lake activities, eagle watching, wildlife learning center.
Willow Bay RA - Alleghenies beach, boat rental, national trail, historic sites.
Cook Forest SP - Virgin forest & historic sites.
Bald Eagle SP - Lake activities & wildlife viewing.
Ives Run ACOE CG - Tioga & Hammon Lakes & archery trail.
Locust Lake SP - Lake activities & bird watching.
Rickets Glen SP - Waterfalls & lake activities.
Seven Points ACOE CG - Raystown Lake activities.
Gifford Pinchot SP S - interpretive programs, lake activities & children’s activities.
Laurel Hill SP - Children’s activities, lake activities
New York
Four Mile Creek SP - Niagara Falls & Canadian border.
Wildwood SP .- Long Island Sound, beaches.
North-South Lake CG - Catskills, beaches & historic sites.
Rollins Pond CG - Adirondack, boat rental, beaches & historic sites.
Watkins Glenn SP - Finger Lakes region & Pool
Allegany SP - Jamestown & Beaches.
Virginia
Hungry Mother SP - Mountain retreat.
Douthat SP - trout fishing.
Big Meadows CG - Shenandoah NP, Washington D.C. & historic sites.
Pocahontas SP - Historic Richmond, pool, CCC structures & Civil War sites.
North Bend COE CG - John H Kerr Lake, Richmond & lake.
First Landing SP - Atlantic Ocean beach, Virginia Beach & historic sites.
Kiptopeke SP - Chesapeake Bay & Atlantic Ocean.
Douthat State Park, Virginia
Cumberland Mountain State Park, Tennessee
Kentucky
Headquarters CG - Mammoth Cave NP, cave tours & interpretiveprograms.
Hillman Ferry CG - Land Between the Lakes NRA, lake, planetarium & historic sites.
Baileys Point COE CG - Barren River Lake & family activities.
Cumberland Falls SP - Pool, hiking trails, waterfalls, moon bow & horse rental.
Carter Caves SP - Cave tours, horse rental & lake
Fort Boonesborough SP - historic fort, interpretive programs, museum, pool & Kentucky River.
Levi Jackson SP - Tree Top Adventure, pool, historic buildings & outdoor theatre.
Tennessee
Elkmont NPS CG - Great Smoky Mountains NP, Gatlinburg, Historic structures & interpretive programs.
Chilhowee USFS CG - Cherokee NF, Chattanooga & historic sites.
Harrison Bay SP - Tennessee River, Chattanooga, pool & historic sites.
Bandy Creek NPS CG - Big South Fork NRA, pool, horse rentals & bridal trails.
Fall Creek Falls SP - waterfalls, pool, Canopy Challenge Course, bike rental & CCC structures.
Cedars of Lebanon SP - Nashville, pool, disc golf & CCC projects.
Defeated Creek COE CG - Cordell Hull Lake.
Piney USFS CG - Land-Between-the Lakes NRA, pioneer village, large nature center, planetarium & bison range.
Reelfoot Lake SP - Mississippi River & wildlife refuge.
North Carolina
Jackrabbit Mountain CG - Nantahala NF & Lake Chatuge.
Deep Creek CG - Great Smoky Mountains NP, Bryson City, Cherokee & river tubing.Tubing,
Lake Powhatan CG - Pisgah NF, Asheville & Blue Ridge Parkway.
Davidson River CG - Piegan NF, Asheville & Cradle of Forestry.
Julian Price Memorial Park NPS CG - Blue Ridge Parkway & Boone.
Morrow Mountain SP - Charlotte, prehistoric exhibits, museum & pool.
Jordan Lake SRA - Raleigh & water recreation.
Carolina Beach SP - Atlantic Ocean beach & sand dunes.
Frisco NPS CG - Cape Hatteras NSS, Atlantic Ocean beach & lighthouse.
Deep Creek NPS Campground in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina
Red Top Mountain State Park, Georgia
Georgia
Unicoi SP - northeast Georgia Mountains, Helen, waterfalls & Bavarian village.
Cloudland Canyon SP - Chattanooga, Civil War sites, hang gliding ramp & aquarium.
Red Top Mountain SP - Alatoona Lake, Atlanta, boat rental & beach.
Stone Mountain Park - Atlanta, amusement park & restaurant.
Elijah Clark SP - Clarks Hill Lake & Augusta.
F.D. Roosevelt SP - Columbus & FDR Museum.
Cotton Hill COE CG - Walter F. George Lake, swimming area & boat rentals.
Skidaway Island SP - Atlantic Ocean beaches, Savannah & historic sites.
Seminole SP - Chattahoochee River & guided boat tours.
Stephen C Foster SP - Okefenokee Swamp & remote location.
Alabama
Corinth USFS CG - Bankhead NF & Smith Lake.
Monte Sano SP - Huntsville, museums, CCC structures, mountain bike trails & planetarium.
Cheaha SP - Remote mountaintop location, pool, small lake, beach & restaurant.
Oak Mountain SP - Birmingham, small lake, beach, horse rental & raptor rehabilitation center.
Tannehill Ironworks HSP - Birmingham, historic buildings & Iron & Steel Museum.
Pickensville COE CG - Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway & fishing platforms.
Wind Creek SP - Lake Martin, beach, boat rental & historic sites.
White Oak Creek COE RA - Walter F. George Lake & Eufaula.
Gulf SP - Gulf of Mexico beaches, Mobile, great restaurants & summer festivals.
Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Florida
Florida
Fort Pickens CG - Gulf Islands National Seashore, Gulf of Mexico beaches, Pensacola, interpretive programs, great seafood restaurants & festivals.
Topsail Hill Preserve SP - Panama City, Gulf of Mexico, pool, & great seafood restaurants.
Manatee Springs SP - Suwannee River, Gainesville, pontoon boat tours & interpretive programs.
Salt Springs CG - Ocala NF, Gainsville, canoe rental & visitor center.
Anastasia SP - Atlantic Ocean beaches, St Augustine, lighthouse, canoe & paddleboat rentals.
Hillsborough River SP - Tampa, pool, historic fort & bike rental.
Myakka River SP - Sarasota & lots of alligators.
Jonathan Dickinson SP - Atlantic Ocean beaches, West Palm Beach, boat tours, historic sites & interpretive programs.
Describes our campsite in the Bankhead National Forest.