Our family went to Jellystone Park a couple weeks ago and spoiler alert–we had the best time! Typically I don’t think of a campground as a destination in and of itself. However, that’s exactly what Jellystone Park in Lodi, California is. It’s an incredible family vacation without ever having to leave the campground. With 84 locations across North America it’s easy to visit your nearest Jellystone Park to enjoy your own family staycation! This post is in collaboration with Jellystone Park-Tower Resort in Lodi, California; all opinions are my own.
There is so much to do during your stay at Jellystone Park at Tower Park. In fact, there’s so much that you might feel a little overwhelmed. I must admit, I wasn’t even sure how I was going to share all this information with you. So I’ve broken it down into 7 things not to miss at Jellystone Park-Tower Resort.
all you need to know about Jellystone Park–Tower Park Resort
stay during a theme weekend
One of the really fun things we discovered during our stay was that there are so many planned activities! When you stay during one of the themed weekends there’s an entire list of all the fun activities happening. You can check the app for all the details, including if there’s an extra cost associated with the activity. It will even tell you if Yogi Bear or any of the other bears will be making an appearance. There is something happening all day during these themed weekends. That’s in addition to the activities that they always have (we’ll get to those in a moment).
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We happened to be there during their Wacky Weird Science Weekend. The kids got to make some fun volcanoes during craft time and watch Flubber for an outdoor movie night. If you’re able to book a stay in October be ready for lots of Halloween fun! Read more details about that here!
Insider tip: Check online for their upcoming theme weekend itinerary so you can be prepared!
make yourself at home
We were able to stay in one of Tower Park Resort’s Delta Deluxe cabins. This cabin was perfect for our family! With a pull-out sofa, twin bunkbeds, and a sleeping loft there’s plenty of room for up to eight people. There’s even a separate room for mom and dad. You can make it even easier on yourself by adding on linen rentals for your stay. In addition to an outdoor grill and firepit, we also had a full kitchen so we had lots of options when it came time to eat. Of course, there were lots of yummy places to grab food at the campground too! Tower Park Resort also has other cabin options, as well as plenty of RV sites and a handful of tent sites.
Know before you go: If you are the type of family that enjoys roughing it in the woods and wants to be in the middle of nature, Jellystone Park-Tower Resort may not be for you. This is very much a resort campground and you will be around lots of other campers.
play a round (or two) of mini golf or laser tag
One of the highlights for my children was definitely the mini golf. My little ones are constantly asking to go mini golfing so being able to enjoy the brand new mini golf course was a blast. Bonus–the mini golf is included in the price of your stay! Half of the course is wheelchair and stroller accessible so everyone can get in on the fun.
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Mike and the two older kids also enjoyed laser tag during our stay. Jellystone Park-Tower Resort in Lodi has an outdoor laser tag area and they have both daytime and nighttime games. Unlike mini golf, these are not included in the price of your stay. Even though they cost extra we felt that compared to other places it was decently priced. The laser tag games do have age minimums so be prepared. You don’t want to have any disappointed little campers.
cool off at Yogi Bear’s water zone
The water zone was definitely one of the many highlights of our trip. With two pools and two hot tubs there’s already plenty of options too cool off on a hot day. However, Jellystone Park-Tower Park Resort also has an amazing water zone that features water slides, a splash tower and play structure, and a lazy river. It is definitely the highlight of our stay. Consider renting a cabana so you have a place to take breaks throughout the day.
Know before you go: Some of the activities and amenities will change or have restricted hours during their “shoulder season”. Please be sure to check before you go so you’re prepared!
enjoy some delicious food
Meals over the campfire are one of my favorite things about camping. However, I knew there’d be some yummy food at Tower Park Resort and I wanted to make sure we tried it all! We signed our kids up to participate in the Yogi Bear pizza party and it was so fun! The Pic-a-Nic basket food truck is one fo our favorite places to grab some grub. It’s right by the water zone so it’s easy access when you need something quick and easy! We also went out to the Marina during our stay and enjoyed a dinner at the Tower Park Waterfront Grille. If you want to make your own food during your stay it’s easy to do so at your campsite and firewood is available for purchase at Ranger Station.
Insider tip: Make sure to bring some cash because some spots won’t take cards (like the shave ice location inside the campground) and Wi-Fi is pretty spotty and the card readers don’t always work.
cruise around in a golf cart
One of the highlights of our stay at the Jellystone Park-Tower Park Resort was getting to cruise around in a golf cart. It was so convenient to jump on every time we wanted to go to the pool or the Ranger’s Station. The campground is actually pretty large so having easy access to some wheels was quite handy. We rode our golf cart to all of the fun activities, the playground, the pool, and the beach. It also came in handy when we were trying to solve our scavenger hunt (you can pick up sheets for free at Registration). Seriously, our car did not move the whole weekend but we were riding around in the golf cart plenty!
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Believe it or not, I haven’t even touched on everything that Jellystone Park-Tower Resort has to offer! Our kids are still talking about all the fun we had during our stay and we’re already planning our next trip. We all highly recommend the Tower Park Resort in Lodi, California for your next family vacation!
What sounds like the most fun to you? Have you been to a Jellystone Park location before?
