Christmas Camping?

[ziplock]

7 RV Destinations for Chock-Full of Christmas Cheer

If you're planning to escape this winter in your motorhome, you can celebrate the holiday season at these great destinations across the United States.

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Yosemite National Park, California​

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Located in the mountains and highlands of northeastern California, Yosemite National Park is brimming with guests during the peak summer season, but you’ll find a much more intimate park if you choose to go over the holidays. Even during snowfall, there is still plenty of attractions and magnificent views open, and seeing Yosemite covered in snow is a surreal experience that summer tourists don't get to see.
For an unforgettable dining experience, you can head to the famous Awhanee Lodge for the annual Bracebridge Dinner. The Bracebridge is a throwback to the 18th century, which has taken place every year since 1927 and offers four hours of entertainment accompanied by a full, seven-course dinner. Bracebridge Dinners will take place on select evenings throughout December at the Majestic Yosemite Hotel's dining room, an 18th-century great hall perfect for a night of decadence.

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Estes Park, Colorado​

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Christmas time is an excellent time to visit Estes Park in Colorado. Throughout the holiday season, the streets are decorated, the shops are filled with Christmas cheer, and of course, it’s a wonderful time to do some skiing or snowboarding. There are also several great dining options on Christmas Day and multiple RV parks decorated for the holiday season, so you can find the right match for you and your family.
While you're in Estes Park, be sure to stop by the Yuletide Lights, a drive-through attraction featuring thousands of Christmas lights and numerous holiday displays. If you're looking for something else to do, you can also stop by holiday markets, meet and mingles, or other seasonal events taking place in this small Colorado town this December.

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Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona​

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Although tourists flock to Grand Canyon National Park in droves from spring through fall every year, the winter and Christmas seasons are some of the best times to visit this famous landmark attraction. With fewer crowds and cooler temperatures in December, you won’t have to worry about cars clogging the most popular destinations or the sweltering heat of Arizona's summers.
RV camping is available year-round at the Trailer Village RV Park, which is located in Grand Canyon Village on the south rim of the South Rim. The Grand Canyon Railway, which is also located in the Grand Canyon Village, is a must for anyone visiting the park any time of year, but it gets even better at Christmas when it's temporarily transformed into the Polar Express.

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Stone Mountain, Georgia​

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If you’re in the southern United States, Stone Mountain Park — located right outside of Atlanta, Georgia — offers a great RVing experience during its annual Stone Mountain Christmas festival, which lasts over a month and a half and offers guests plenty of time to enjoy the holiday cheer.
Throughout the season, there are opportunities to go water tubing, take holiday train rides, drive or walk through lighting displays, and even meet Rudolph and the Abominable Snowman or check out "Ice Age 4-D" on the big screen. Although you won't likely find snow at this southern destination, you can still get into the Christmas spirit by venturing down Wonderland Walkway, attending the daily Christmas parade, or catching evening firework shows.

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Christmas, Florida​

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What better place to experience Christmas than in a town called Christmas? Leave the cold and snow behind and head down south to Florida to experience the holidays in shorts and a t-shirt. The town is named for Fort Christmas, but it still embraces the spirit of the holiday season, and the RV park even has a giant Christmas tree, a Santa, and a sleigh.
If you want some real action, the theme parks of Greater Orlando are right around the corner, including Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Legoland, many of which feature their own Christmas celebrations throughout November and December each year.

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Santa Claus, Indiana​

Santa Claus, Indiana
This town in Indiana has taken the Christmas theme and run with it. You’ll have a blast in Santa Claus, Indiana, with all their holiday-themed attractions such as the Santa Claus Museum, Santa’s Candy Castle, and Frosty’s Fun Center. The town has the unique distinction of having a post office with the name of Santa Claus and is flooded with letters every year addressed to old St. Nick himself. Of course, you'll also get to stay at Lake Rudolph Campground and RV Resort when you're in town, which is also appropriately decorated in holiday cheer throughout the Christmas season.

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Corpus Christi, Texas​

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One of the southernmost cities in Texas, Corpus Christi, is another excellent choice for those who’d like to spend the holidays enjoy pleasant weather. Winter is one of the best times to visit this beach-side destination if you want to avoid the rowdy college crowd. Corpus Christi also hosts the Harbor Lights Festival that features a festive parade, kid-friendly activities, live music, and the lighting of the huge, central Christmas tree.

 

[Old_Crow]

Nice pictures, but I've got 2 sons who work for the NPS and live in Yosemite. If you're going there for Christmas, bring plenty of propane and tire chains. They've already had like 3' of snow and are expecting more over Christmas. Must be why both boys are planning on visiting me in San Diego for Christmas.

Oh, and it's not "the Majestic Yosemite Lodge" anymore. The court case is over and it's back to being the Ahwahnee, and Camp Currie is back to being Camp Currie.

 

[Skookum]

We had plans to take off for a few days right after Christmas. Cancelled those a few days ago.

Single-digits and low-teens are forecasted in the usually-temperate Upper Left for the next week. Yikes. That's just too cold. Now we're looking at a getaway potentially to the Palm Desert once this cold front moves on. Vitamin D and sunshine levels are starting to deplete...

 

[DutchmenSport]

Santa Clause Indiana may be a nice destination for a day trip, but really, not much there. The attraction is Holiday World and Splashin' Safari. During the months of November and December, Camp Roudolf is closed, except during December, on week-ends, and only cabins are available for rental.

Other campgrounds, state parks, and state recreation areas in Indiana turn the water off at the end of October and water is not turned on until the beginning of April. Most private campgrounds follow this same schedule. However, state parks and recreation areas are open for camping. Electricity is still available all winter long, but you'll need to bring your own water with you as bath houses, water spigots, and water at the dump stations are all turned off. But, you can still camp there, if you don't mind not having water.

Of course, the water park and the amusement park are closed this time of year. So, I'm not sure how Santa Clause, Indiana got on this list as a Christmas destination. And yes, in the Summer, it's a fantastic place. You need to make reservations a year ahead of time though for Camp Roudolph.

 

[jackiemac]

We are spending Christmas in Tularosa NM. At least it will be warm....

 

[Great Horned Owl]

Not quite Christmas, but about 50 years ago, my wife and I went camping at the Indiana Dunes State Park in mid January. There no signs indicating that the campground was closed, but there was nobody around to collect fees either.

There were no other people camping there, so we just picked a site and pitched our tent -- on top of 2 feet of snow. I wasn't quite naive enough to try to make a camp fire on top of the snow, so I dug a big hole in the snow, and started up our camp fire. Oops. It didn't take long until heat from the fire melted enough snow to put out the fire. I enlarged the hole and tried again, with exactly the same result. It just took a little longer. I decided that we would make do without a fire.

We made dinner on a Coleman stove, and went to bed. I stripped down to my underwear and crawled into my down filled sleeping bag. My wife refused to believe that her bag would keep her warm enough, so she wore her insulated ski pants and down filled parka, and then crawled into her down filled sleeping bag. She told me that she was toasty warm.

Sometime in the middle of the night, my wife woke up shivering. With all that insulation around her, she had been sweating profusely. Her down parka was soaked, and even her sleeping bag was damp. We had no choice but to break camp and go home.

So much for winter camping.

Joel