If you have children and you camp, then I am going to guess you have at least mentally tackled the question: do you allow friends of our children to go along on camping trips? We have two children (with a significant gap between ages) and quickly found ourselves pondering this question very early on in our camping journey. Because of the way we camp, group camping with friends, our daughter has a playmate at every single camping trip but that has never been the case for our oldest.
We had a popup trailer the first time The Boy asked us if he could bring a friend along on a camping trip. Wayne and I processed the request differently. I started calculating bed space and extra food. He never made it past the bathroom situation. The popup camper had a cassette toilet and the only privacy was a shower curtain. Knowing an unrelated person was behind the curtain made him super nervous. We never took that friend camping but we did start looking for a different camper.
The great thing about children is they continuously present you with second chances. Last year The Boy asked if he could take his best friend along on our family vacation to the Smoky Mountains. Two weeks traveling in the campers with The Todd family. It was a simple request on the surface but not a simply decision.
There are several considerations for us to mentally think through before we agree to take another child on a trip with us. Even though we enjoy less structure during our trips, there are still camper rules: pick up after yourself, no running or jumping in the camper, no feet on furniture, and leave the outside voices outside to name a few. There are even campground rules: respect the other campers, no cutting through other campsites, quiet hours, no wondering off alone or without permission. The question we must ask ourselves is, “can this guest follow our rules or be redirected if needed.” Our agreement to take another child camping with us hinges on the answer to this question.
If we make it past the first step, the second step is to ponder the personality of the invited guest. Your child obviously gets along well with this friend but how well does the rest of the family? At the core you are simply assessing family dynamics. The addition of one can, and will, alter the status quo of your family. Big brother can be less likely to play with younger sister when his friend is around. Hopefully this child has spent some time around your family so you can assess what type of impact their presence will have on your camping trip. Do they interact with everyone in the family? Are they standoffish? Do they join in during activities or do they watch from the side lines? Camping trips can be fun moments for a family full of adventure and new experiences but also be full of moments of down time. Do you know enough about the invited guest to make an informed decision about the impact they will have on the camping trip just by being there?
I am thankful that my children love camping, and even love camping with us. I can count on them to be salesmen when talking to their friends. They are going to point out all the reasons that camping is cool and why their friends should go along with us. I, on the other-hand, am the realist. I want to explain to their friend all things that a novice to camping might not think is cool. Things like; all the kids sleep in the same room, or that conserving water is a really big deal to us and all showering will happen at the campground bathhouse. I will even let them know about lack of internet, cell service, general activities we engage in, and the fact that we generally do not eat out. I am hoping that between my children glamorizing our time together and my realistic preview, the guest has a good idea of what is about to go down if they decide to join us for a camping trip.
I would imagine some would add expense to the list of considerations; and I believe that is valid. Of course and extra person comes with expenses: food, activities, or even camping fees (some private campgrounds charge a per person fee). There are ways of handling the extra expense. You could ask the parent to cover some of those cost but we have always taken the stance that if we take on the responsibility of taking another child we also take on that expense. This has worked for us.
Lastly, before we say yes, we go right back to the popup camper and the close quarters. Do you have physical space for another child? Everyone needs privacy and a sense of boundaries. Families have a long history of establishing these but a newcomer to that mix won’t have that history. Walking around in your skivvies may feel comfortable at home or in your camper with your family but suddenly with a stranger present feels inappropriate and naughty. Even having a cocktail after dinner feels different when looked at from a strangers perspective.
We did consent to taking our sons friend with us on a two week vacation. The inclusion of one more balanced things out for us; everyone had a buddy and everyone got along so well. I actually think we had less sibling spats on that trip than we have ever had. The vacation ended up being one of the best vacations we have ever had. My son and his best friend still talk about that vacation and the memories they made and now share.
We have said yes to taking other friends of our children on trips since then (our camper upgrade in 2015 has made that so much easier). We love camping and love sharing that with others. Every time a child goes with us and they say, “I have never done this before,” “I did not know that,” or even, “this is so cool,” we get excited. We hope that we are planting a seed, a seed that will continue to grow and might just develop into a love for the outdoors and for camping. We hope we are introducing a new generation to something they will see as an escape, or a way to disconnect from a busy world, or a lifestyle. Enjoying life can be about small moments. Our biggest hope is that besides our own two children, one of the “extra” kids we have taken camping will grow up to be a camper.
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While trip planning we knew that a visit to the famous Hattie B’s Hot Chicken Restaurant was high on our list. With heat levels that range from Mild (with a touch of burn) to Damn Hot (Fire Starter) or the Shut the Cluck Up (burn notice) we were a mixture of excited and intimidated to cross the threshold.
First up on our day of sightseeing was the Mother Church, The Ryman Auditorium (Tickets were $20 per person). I do not think it matters what genre of music you grew up with, odds are your favorite artist has probably performed at The Ryman or at the very least dreamed about performing there. As a lifelong fan of country music I have wanted to visit the home of the Grand Ole Opry for my entire life. Being there was completely surreal.
Thomas Ryman may have been the architect who built the Mother Church, but Lula C. Naff morphed the Ryman into the iconic building that we know. Under her management The Ryman became a premier performance hall and in 1943 she opened the Ryman up to the popular radio show. The rest, as they say in show business is history.
There are two types of tours at the Ryman; the self guided and the back stage. Both tours start at the same place, watching a movie titled The Soul of Nashville. The Soul of Nashville describes how the Ryman came to be the Mother Church, how it was abandoned, sitting in a state of dilapidation and nearly demolished, and finally, how it has once again rose to be the icon of Nashville. We followed a well marked path through the Ryman, reading well placed plagues full of historical information. We were able to see historic clothing from some of our favorite country music stars, sit in the church pews that makes up the audience seating, and we could even walk up on stage and stand near the unbroken circle.
One thing is clear, this town is full of memories and legends. Every one you chat with has a story to tell. One of the stories we were told is about the alley between The Ryman and Tootsie’s Orchard Lounge. Performers of the Grand Ole Opry would sneak out of the Ryman and visit Tootsie’s in between sets, some of them not finding their way back to the stage in time. One artist even told Tootsie Bess that there were 17 steps to get to Tootsie’s and 34 steps to get back!
The four of us walked down Broadway, listening to the music as it flooded out into the streets. We stepped into every boot store we could just to smell the leather and try on hats. We ate lunch at Tequila Cowboy enjoying live music and a cold beer.
From Roy Acuff to Hank Senior, from Patsy Cline to Taylor Swift and from Johnny Cash to Blake Shelton. Lead singers to bass guitarist and from managers to producers. If it is country music it at the Country Music Hall of Fame. The amount of history collected and displayed here is unbelievable. I felt like I was reliving moments from my childhood as we walked from one exhibit to the next.
With a combination of old country and new/upcoming country we enjoyed our time at the Opry. The Opry started as a radio show and it continues to be. The show is divided into four segments, four different sponsors, one fifteen minute intermission, and over two hours entertainment. On the night we were there, we saw legends Connie Stevens, Whispering Bill Anderson, John Conlee, and Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers. We enjoyed rising stars, Jimmy Wayne, Kalisa Ewing, Keith Anderson and Craig Campbell. Merle Haggards son, Marty was there along with Mike Snider and bluegrass legend Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-press. I will forever be thankful that I had the opportunity to see Mr. Roy Clark at the Grand Ole Opry.
From the youngest in our group to the adults, from those of us raised on country music to our vacation guest who had never listened to a moment of country music before this trip, we all had a great time. It would seem as if we could not get enough as we have found ourselves tuning into SiriusXM to listen to more.
I might have dragged my husband to the Opry that night but in the end, he became a fan. We ended our evening walking through the Opryland Hotel, which is right next to the Grand Ole Opry. We woke the next morning headed home ending our first two week vacation in the RV. Since our return home, I have heard several songs on the radio that we were introduced to at the Opry. Which is kinda cool.
Maybe I should pause here and explain who all is involved in this haunted camping trip. The Taylor’s and The Todd’s have been at every single Halloween Camp-Out at Watkins Mill. Last year we extended an invitation to The Merriman’s because they are fun and love Halloween as much as we do. This year, the Todd’s had to cancel due to a conflict with Z’s sports schedule. So, I invited my friend Meg and her family. (Do you remember Meg? She wrote a blog post for us called Growing Up Camping.) Then we have my dear Mother who comes to help and participate the day of the Halloween party. We also have other friends who attend the same camp-out so it is nice to spend time with so many great camping friends!
We settled on our theme for the year: Zombie Prom. We decided a prom had three main elements we needed to create in our campsite. First we needed a DJ. You can’t have a school dance without someone playing music. Second we needed a photo attraction. I am sure all of you out there have a “memorable prom photo” from back in the day. And finally, we needed a refreshment table with cake and punch.
We used two easy up tents as our frame. We covered the tents with inexpensive black dollar store plastic table cloths to create walls. Not only did the walls give us an area to transform, it also kept us hidden from the watchful eye sight of other campers. I think this helped create an excitement around our campsite as everyone’s anticipation kept building about what was inside that tent. On top of the black walls, we hung up some red plastic table cloths that we unevenly cut into strips. I remember back to my high school days and we used rolls of crepe paper to create the walls of our dances. Hours were spent hanging the crepe paper and twisting it in the same direction and taping it to the floor. We wanted our Zombie Prom to look like it had been pretty at one point but had been discarded and forgotten until this one night.
Our original plan was to have red and white plastic tablecloths cut to look like crepe paper streamers but when we got to the campground I realized I had picked up round tablecloths and not rectangle ones. Meg was quick on her feet and suggested using the rounds as valances on top of the red and it worked out well!
For our photo attraction, The Merriman’s and I made a giant 6 foot 3 inch coffin out of cardboard. We were gifted the shipping box of a whiteboard and set about measuring and cutting. Once cut, we painted it black and duck taped it all together. Our original thought was to have someone “pop” out of the coffin and provide a timely and funny photobomb but in the end, we left the coffin closed because it felt stronger. We added chains and a “beware of zombie’s” styrofoam sign to the coffin. Around the coffin we had a candelabra with zombie candle’s, skulls, and a flower arrangement of dead flowers. The Merriman’s and I also made a sign to sit in front of the photo attraction that said “Zombie Prom “#3rdAnnualHalloweenCampout #WatkinsMillStatePark.
The DJ was the easiest and maybe the funniest part to set up. We have access to a life-size medical skeleton that we like to call Bob. Bob was always going to be the DJ for the prom. We were going to call him “Bob Bones” and use bone lettering to make him a DJ sign for his booth. However, the presidential debates happened and Ken Bone made himself an internet sensation. So, we changed Bob’s name to Ken, gave him a mustache, put a red sweater on him, and called him Ken Bone, DJ 4 Hire. We put Beat headphones on him, rested his hands on a turntable and a laptop. I even found a brand new mirrored disco ball on Craigslist and hung it from the roof of the tent. We used our red/green garden lasers to caste light onto the disco ball so the entire prom spun with light.
We always knew we wanted cake and punch at the refreshment table but really debated over fake cake vs real cake. A month or so ago, I stumbled onto a tutorial from another RV blogger, Gretchen about a 
Outside the tent we created a grave yard with styrofoam headstones and compost dirt. We put strobe lights and warning tape up. We also lit the pathway from the road to the tent with solar lights and we ran floral wire between three trees and taped red glow sticks to the wire to give the effect of floating red candles.
Reflections from the night:
We ended up taking first place again! It was a shared victory with all the kids and all the adults who helped plan. We all went to bed with big smiles and maybe some sore muscles from all the dancing we did. People greeted us with their hopes of seeing us next year and looking forward to our site. It seems we have a reputation to uphold.
A trio of witches brewing up some special potion just for Halloween. They had motion sensors and startled me when I got close enough to activate them.
This camper has been pickin his banjo a long ole time.
This group skeletons look like they are enjoying camp life.
Our youngest had a day off from school this past week. A fact that I seemed to overlook until the automated message came out the Thursday before to remind all those parents like me who can’t see the forest because we are dodging the trees. We could not go out of town because we still had cheer responsibilities Friday night and Saturday afternoon. We returned to a local spot and set up our base camp a few miles north of our own home at 
The Todd’s schedule would not allow them to join us, their lives are just as hectic as our own, but they were able to come and visit us for dinner Saturday night. In addition to the Todd’s my cousin and his family joined us. We enjoyed a campfire, smore’s, and adult beverages, as well as laughs.
Many weekend camping trips are filled with activities and running. During those weekends we hardly see the inside of our camper other than to shower and sleep. But occasionally it is nice to hit the pause button. During these weekends I am glad I took the time to make our camper feel like a second home. There is no place like a home away from home to allow the body and mind to reset.
For the past year I have been one of thousands who have followed Miss Norma’s story through their facebook page, 
1. Select a Setting:
2. Select a Date and Invite Some Friends
Once you have a date set, start inviting friends. I did not look for friends who liked to camp, I started with friends who had children. My goal was to create a weekend of camping that my kids would enjoy and playmates were central to that. One friend I invited was so shocked she literally asked if I had sent the invitation to the wrong person as she had never been camping in her life. As she laughed about it, she actually let the idea sink in and she decided to join us. My dear friend Deanna has been at every single camp out and tells me every year that without this opportunity her two kids would never experience camping. So, when looking for guest, don’t limit yourself by looking for campers instead open the opportunity to others and they might surprise you and themselves!
3. Activities
4. Food:
A few years ago, we found ourselves with some old florescent light fixtures and we decided to recycle and reuse them by hosting a glow party every Saturday night of the camp out. We fix the lights to our awning, open a few bottles of glow-in-the-dark body paint, add a few glow sticks, create a play list, and we have ourselves an instant child friendly dance party at the campground. Young and old guest alike will enjoy watching their clothing change appearances under the black lights. Seeing parents and kids dance together for a few hours is just another memory that makes me happy.
Dancing and glowing the night away is one option for using night time but there are other ideas worthy of consideration. Night hikes are awesome and with limited sight other senses increase creating a whole new learning experience. If you plan a night hike, I strongly recommend introducing a whole new crop of campers to the sparks Wintergreen Lifesavers make. Star gazing is another fun activity if your camping setting is dark enough.
Roam With Friends 