Our Jellystone Getaway

This post is sponsored by Northgate Resorts, but all opinions are my own.

Summer is here, and with that comes pool time, way more time outside, and vacations. Our lives are incredibly busy – with two working parents and two small kids, we’re always running doing something! Sometimes you just need to get away from it all, and taking a long weekend away was just exactly what we needed. Sometimes there are places right to get away right under your nose, and Jellystone is one of them.

Last weekend, we headed to Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp and Resort out in Luray, Virginia – only about an hour and a half away from us. Now, I’m not usually a camping person – but this was beyond perfect. The camp is settled in the mountains and close to both Luray Caverns and Shenandoah National Park. The setting is gorgeous, and there is so much to do at the resort itself.

We stayed in one of the Premium Loft Cottages. Each one has a bedroom, full bathroom with shower, kitchen, living area, and a loft. We could have easily had a few more people in there too! I expected Abbie to want to sleep in the loft (she definitely liked playing up there), but she ended up sleeping in the bunks just by our room, while Ella slept in her pack n’ play in the living area. Each Premium Loft Cottage also has a screened in porch, which was my favorite part – we spent a ton of time out there during the three days we were there, and I’m totally wishing we had one at home.

Of course, the best part of our trip was not where we stayed, but all the things there were to do. We got there on Saturday, and Chris and Abbie immediately headed to the pool while I got us settled.

Jellystone has two pools and a water zone, and Abbie couldn’t get enough. We spent an hour there the first day and two hours the next, and I know Abbie would have stayed even longer if we had let her. Everything is kid friendly – a wading pool, the water zone with tons of slides, and a huge water slide. Chris went down once, but it was a little too big for Abbie this year. We even got Ella in the pool – it was her first time and it took her a bit to warm up, but eventually, we got a few smiles out of her.

There is no shortage of things to do, and we took advantage of more than just the water stuff. Saturday was Abbie’s first time playing mini golf, and while she did well hitting the ball, she definitely picked up the ball to put it next to the hole a few too many times. I think we’ll have to go over the rules again the next time we play.

In fact, there was so much to do that we didn’t even get to it all. Abbie did manage to hit every single playground and the giant jumping pillows, but we didn’t get any time in the arcade. There’s also an outdoor movie theater that was just steps from our cottage.

While there was so much to do and we enjoyed every bit of all the activities, I think my favorite part of the whole trip was the downtime. It was amazing to have a few days to just be a family of four with no other commitments to worry about. It was just the getaway we needed, and I know we’ll be back in the future.

If you’re local, make sure you check out Jellystone out in Luray! We really had the best time and I loved how much there was to do, the cottage we stayed in, and how easy it was to get away without going too far. Plus, you may even get to meet Boo-Boo or Yogi Bear!