What is “Glamping”?  Glamping is a combination of the words glamour and camping that describes a style of camping with more amenities and, in some cases, resort-style services, not usually associated with camping.

What does that mean, exactly?  It means that you’re not roughing it by sleeping on the ground in a tent, or struggling with the weather!  It means you don’t have to leave your accommodation to stumble to the rest room in the middle of the night, and it means that you’ll have less work and feel less like a pioneer while doing it.  If your significant other’s idea of “roughing it” is a 4 star hotel, then this might be for them!  Basically, it’s a little more luxury, and lot less “roughing it”! 

In the case of Meadville KOA, it means a two bedroom cabin that can sleep up to 8 people with heat and air conditioning, a master bedroom with a queen size bed, and a bunk house that includes a double bed, a single bunk over it, and another set of single bunk beds, a full service bathroom, and a full service kitchen. 

Our deluxe cabins includes a full kitchen with a refrigerator/freezer, counter-top stove, microwave, and kitchen sink and large table for inside dining.  The living and dining area can accommodate 8 people comfortably, and rainy days are saved by the Direct TV services that are included.  The full service bathroom has a shower, toilet, and sink to make your stay complete and convenient.  The deluxe cabins are conveniently located near the main building so they are close to the camp store, pool, bear playground and all the fun! 

Your lake-front deluxe cabin rental includes catch and release fishing right at your cabin!  There are no fees and no license is required.  Just bring your equipment, bait and a lawn chair to begin your camping adventure! 

Your stay also includes free outdoor recreation which includes use of our pool, basketball, volleyball, soccer, and horseshoes facilities!  And, we have all the equipment you need.  You just sign it out at the store/office to use it, and sign it back in when you’re done.  There are no fees for the equipment use, unless you fail to return it. 

Meadville KOA Campground also provides a rental amenity Fun Band which includes unlimited paddle boats, pedal karts, and mini golf all week long for just $7/day/person or $12/stay/person (up to 7 days).  On weekends, the Fun Band also includes the use of our jumping pillow for an hour Sat morning, an hour Sunday afternoon, and again for an hour on Sunday morning at the scheduled times.  It’s great fun and great exercise!                       

Our weekday deluxe cabin rentals are $10/day less than are our weekend rentals.  The weekday rentals do not include the themed weekend events with planned activities that our weekend rentals do, thus the lowered prices.  Holidays and special event weekends are at a holiday rate because of the increased demand, and holiday rentals are a 3 night minimum, while all others are a 2 night minimum.

Of course, if all that isn’t enough to entice you, you’re also centrally located to enjoy all of the local recreation, festivals, and events in Crawford County and the Great Lakes Area of Northwestern PA!  Home to the Erie Wildlife Refuge, Ernst Trail in Meadville, Oil Creek State Park, The Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad, Drake Well Oil Museum, Pymatuning State Park & Spillway, French & Indian War Re-Enactments, Civil War Re-Enactments, Crawford County Fair, and of course the places you’ve heard of like Waldameer Amusement Park, Lake Erie’s Presque Isle, there’s no shortage of things to do and see in the Northwest corner of PA! 

Our Northwestern Pennsylvania lakes range in size from the shores of Lake Erie to the smaller lakes and marshes that are so prevalent throughout the area.  Our “great lakes” area offers all kinds of water and outdoor recreation in Crawford County and Northwestern PA!  So whether you seek to get back to nature, canoe, kayak, hike, bike, boat, fish, bird watch, or attend fairs, hot air balloon events, or historical re-enactments, Crawford County and NW PA has something for you!  We refer you to the Crawford County Visitor’s Bureau and their schedule of events and more!  You can find more information at: http://www.visitcrawford.org/.  

Would you like a guided fishing trip, to go on a rented kayak trip of French Creek, or take a boat ride?  Ask us for more info!  If you would like a more complete list of things to do in the area, please visit our page at: https://meadvillekoa.com/things-to-do-local-attractions/.

Come explore these great, nearby parks for even more outdoor recreation like biking, hiking, kayaking, fishing, boating, and more!  Then, return to your deluxe glamping rental at centrally located Meadville KOA Campground, and enjoy all the modern facilities and amenities like satellite TV, our swimming pool, catch and release fishing, our creek, hiking trail, other outdoor recreation, or, just relax by a campfire!  This is glamping the way it was meant to be!   

You can enjoy the great lakes region of Northwestern PA and find outdoor experiences like biking, boating, kayaking, fishing, hiking, hunting, or use the glamping cabin as a base for you to attend the Roar on The Shore Motorcycle event, local hot air balloon event on Father’s day Weekend, the Crawford County Fair, the Fall Franklin Applefest, Conneaut Lake’s Pumpkinfest, and much, much, more!  So why not get out of that hotel and enjoy the sun, fun and fresh air in the wide open spaces of Crawford County?  Come enjoy your great lakes glamping vacation in the beautiful surroundings of Crawford County in Northwestern Pennsylvania at Meadville KOA! 

By Robyn Chilson


Tim & Robyn Chilson are both CPO, own and operate Meadville KOA Campground in Meadville, PA.  Robyn can be reached at 814-789-3251.

169 Million Unused Vacation Days

Recent reports suggest that unused vacation days are at a 40 year high.  The study, commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, found that American workers earned just under 21 paid-time-off days in 2013 (excluding sick days,) but used only 16.  While some employees can bank or roll over their vacation days into the next year, an average of 1.6 days were completely forfeited, according to their survey.  In total, that is somewhere around 169 million days forfeited, and amounts to a whopping $52.4 billion in lost benefits.

And yet, further studies showed that people who used their vacation days seemed to be more productive when at work, and another independent study showed that they also received better performance reviews!

Well, if you’re a Stephen Covey fan or a graduate of his self-help “7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” you already know that people who “sharpen the saw” are better workers than those who don’t!  And you may already know, spending time with the family makes deposits in those emotional bank accounts and fosters family unity.  Both of which are the hallmark of family unity, marital success, and having healthy, happy, and successful children.

So why am I telling you this?  Because visiting your local campground can help you accomplish all those goals.  It can provide your family with time together, give you the time away from work stresses you need, and do it without breaking the bank or stressing for hours on the road! 

Here’s how:

You don’t have to be a camper to go camping!  Today’s campgrounds offer cabins with restrooms, kitchens, air conditioning, heat, and more.  You can go camping without sleeping on the ground, or in a dirty run-down, smelly fishing camp.  They call it Glamping (glamor camping), but what it is all about is introducing non-campers to camping and the outdoors!  And it costs about the same as a hotel, and doesn’t require you owning an RV (recreational vehicle)!

Stay in a more rustic cabin!  You don't have to stay in the most expensive or fancy cabin!  Stay in one with less frills, and you get the same experience for less.  You still get to enjoy all the activities and events.    

You can stay closer to home!  Simply book a cabin for a long weekend, stay Thursday night through Sunday night, and go home Monday.  Use 2 days of vacation and get a 4 day break!  Now that’s a sweet deal!  And you used a whole lot less time to get there (more fun and less time locked in the car with the kids), and less money in gas and less wear and tear on the driver!  It’s much more restful and relaxing!    

Camp during the week or in the off-season.  Many campgrounds offer discounted camping Sunday – Thursday and in the off-season (before Memorial Day Weekend and after Labor Day) because they are less busy, have smaller staffs, and fewer events.  So why not capitalize on that and camp during the off season or during the weekdays when you’ll spend less and have a less crowded pool to enjoy?  That way, you’re spreading your vacation out across several months, and you’re not competing with those other vacationing campers for facilities nor co-workers for peak season time off.   

Choose a campground with amenities and activities for the kids!  The kids are less likely to beg to go to the mall or a movie if there is a ball game, fishing tournament, or other activity at the campground they don’t want to miss.  So, make sure that you involve the kids in the campground selection and that within that selection is wide assortment of activities and amenities for everyone in the family.  The busier the campground keeps the kids, the happier everyone will be!  Generally speaking, campgrounds with a good activity program generally advertise the specifics of the program.  A little research in that department pays big dividends when it comes to both the bottom line and the quality of the get-away for your family!     

Make more trips and stay shorter periods.  Instead of making 1, 7 day vacation trip why not make 2, three – 4 day trips?  You’ll get more “mini vacations” or “stay-cations” as we call them!  That gives you more breaks from work, and you’ll use more vacation days, but aren’t missing a whole week at a time.  It’ll keep you better connected with what’s happening at work, but still allows for that time off we all need.

Enjoy A Campfire Together!  Skip the dinner out and the movies or mall trip. Stay at the cabin or campsite and enjoy a campfire.  Dinner?  Chips, dips, veggies, hotdogs, buns, and the fixin’s.  Kids love roasting a hotdog over an open fire.  And don’t forget desert!  You have to let ‘em roast marshmallows and make a s’more!  Don’t forget the campfire popping corn or peanuts to shell and eat!  You can tell scary stories, strum the guitar and sing campfire songs, study the constellations, or collect fireflies!  There are a host of ideas and fun to be had at a campground this summer.  You save the cost of the dinner & movies, the gas to get you there and back, and the kids are thrilled with a new outdoor experience!  

Why not start planning your mini vacations today?  Don’t let another 25-27% of your vacation go unused this year.  You need to sharpen the saw, the family needs time away, and you need to spend time together!  Start right now while there’s still enough summer left to do it!  But don’t stop at Labor Day Weekend!  Keep right on going and take your kids to fun-filled autumn events too!     

Don’t forget, you can do most of these things at any one of the many Kampgrounds of America Campgrounds!  You don’t have to go a long way to get away and enjoy a low cost but high adventure camping experience!  Use those vacations days and enjoy time with your family, and moreover, make memories that will last a lifetime!    

By Robyn Chilson
Tim & Robyn Chilson are CPOs, who own and operate Meadville KOA Campground in Meadville, PA. Robyn can be reached at 814-789-3251.