Why Seasonal Camping?

Seasonal Camping is called by several names.  Some people call it permanent camping, some people call it extended stays, RV Camping, or Long Term Camping. Basically, they all mean that your RV sits on a campsite and you're not required it until your seasonal camping agreement expires, or is renewed!

If you enjoy camping weekends, but the work involved or work schedules tend to make you not go as often as you’d like to go camping, maybe it's time to think about seasonal camping. Why not make it less work and maximize your family’s use of your RV?

Here are some reasons why we think Seasonal camping at Meadville KOA might be the right choice for your family! 

The Price is right! When you compare our unlimited seasonal camping rates to overnight camping, the discount you get by being a seasonal camper is huge!  Most campgrounds provide similar services and activities, but ask about extras!  Some campgrounds provide all inclusive seasonal rates like we do, and some do not.  Make sure you know exactly what your expenses will be before you sign that Seasonal Camping Agreement!  When you do the math, you’ll find that the price is right!

What’s included in the Seasonal Rate? 

• We do the mowing!  That is a premium service.  Meadville KOA Campground is the only campground in NW PA that offers that at no additional charge.  What that means is no mower to buy, transport or store.  No gas to buy and transport, and no work!  You can spend more time having fun and less time working!  Even more importantly, it makes our park quiet.  There aren’t mowers running on Saturdays when you’re trying to relax and enjoy sleeping in. Oh, and it makes is safer for you, your family, vehicles, and RV.
• Unlimited camping for 2 adults and 2 children, or a 3rd adult.  Most campgrounds charge extra for extra adults.
• Seasonal Campsites have water, sewer, refuse, and the electric is metered.  The water, sewer, and garbage services are included in your seasonal rate.  The electric (and we offer 30 and 50 amp) are metered, which means you only pay for what you use.
• Wi-Fi and cable TV are included!  We provide Wi-Fi to all of our Seasonal campsites, and each campsite has 48 channels of Cable TV.  Channels include Disney, ESPN, Movie Channels, 5 local channels, The Weather Channel, Movie channels, sports channels, and more!  They make camping on rainy weekends easier with, or without the kids or grand kids!
• Themed event weekend’s planned activities are included!  We even include children’s crafts and meals for the people listed on your seasonal camping agreement!  Where else do you get that?
• We have tons of outdoor recreation fun! We have catch and release fishing in well-stocked ponds and lakes! We have a swimming pool, creek for wading and exploring, a hiking trail for exploring, 3 playgrounds, volleyball, basketball, Ga-Ga Ball, and horseshoe pits!
• We have a pre-paid Amenities Fun Band Program for use of the Jumping Pillow, Paddle Boats, Pedal Karts, and Mini Golf all season long! It’s affordable and will keep your tweens and teens busy!  
• We have a reduced, pre-paid visitor’s program, and a reduced pre-paid extra camper program for your extended family members.  It’s affordable and allows your extended family to come enjoy the campground!
• Right now is the perfect time to select a site!  We have a few openings for the season.  So it’s the perfect time to shop for a campsite this spring! And, we’ll prorate the campsite and you pay only for the time you occupy the campsite! 

Your spouse and the kids can enjoy the campsite even when you have to work!  Because everything is all set up and ready to go, your spouse and kids can spend vacation or days off enjoying the pool and amenities at the campground! So, if you have different weekends or days off, you can both utilize the RV without all the work of packing, towing setup, tear down, towing, and unpacking!  

Our sites are spacious!  Our sites are roomy, with full size trees in a pretty rural setting.  So your family has some privacy and space for fun.

Our campground is in a pretty, rural setting!  It isn’t unusual to see birds (king fishers, orioles, turkeys, etc.), deer, and even an occasional bear!

Meet new people!  Seasonal campers are like a small community.  They become friends, hang out, play cards or yard games, have group campfires, their children become friends, play together, and much more!  Many volunteer to help with activities and events and bring lots of fun to their camping environment in a family friendly way!  What a great way to meet new people and make new friends!  We hope you’ll consider joining our KOA family!

We’re a family campground!  We run a family campground that caters to families of all ages.  There aren’t golf carts racing around, there are quiet hours, etc.  We are all about family fun!  We want your family to create a lifetime of memories from camping here!  That is our goal!  And we have 3rd and now 4th generations of campers camping here at Meadville KOA! 

We save you work!  Camping is never work free.  But, you can save all the work of hooking up, unhooking, setting, up, tearing down, and towing expenses by camping seasonally.  You get a vacation home away from home, for about the price of one vacation! Now that’s a savings and it makes vacationing every weekend all season long even easier!  Vacation right into autumn and enjoy the fall foliage and autumn events and activities, and who doesn’t love sitting around a campfire in the spring and autumn?

What if right now isn’t the right time?  It’s okay.  Contact us in the late summer and we can show you sites for next summer.  You can give us a deposit, select the site of your choosing, and then make winter payments to make it affordable for your family budget!  What a great gift for your family!  Did we mention that you can park your RV on your site this autumn and that free, on site winter storage is included with your campsite fee?  Why not save those storage facility costs?

Make the right choice!  Seasonal camping maximizes your summer vacation time and use of your RV while minimizing your expenses!  It can provide your family a summer full of fun, family oriented camping experiences for about the same price as one vacation!  Make sure you take a little time to consider that idea, and how it can help your family get the biggest bang for your buck this summer! 

Learn more about Seasonal camping at https://meadvillekoa.com/seasonal-camping/!

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.

There Is More To Comparing Seasonal Campsites Than Rates!

There is more to comparing Seasonal Camping at campgrounds than just rates.  To decide where you want to camp Seasonally, you’ll want to compare the type of campground, location, camping rates, ratings, things to do in the surrounding area, events, activities, and amenities the campground provides, and more.  We’ll look at each of these items individually, highlight the differences, and look at why they’re important to consider when choosing the right campground for your family. 

What is Seasonal Camping?  Just about any RV can be used for seasonal camping.  RVs are any recreational vehicle used for camping recreation.  They can be a park model, motorhome, 5^th wheel, travel trailer, camper van, truck camper, or ear drop, or tent trailer (popup).Seasonal camping is best described as parking your RV at one campground for the entire summer (or year), versus traveling.  Why would people want to do that? Travelling, while fun, is a lot of work.  You have to pack the RV, tow it to the campground, unhook and set up, camp, tear down, hook up, tow it home, and then unpack it. 

Parking your RV for the summer provides you almost a vacation home-like get away!  You set it up in a park, and then go to camp when your schedules permit.  It saves a lot of time, work, and wear and tear on you the camper, and on your tow vehicle.  You can also drive a more economical fuel vehicle back and forth to camp, thus saving money on fuel.  And of course, Seasonal Campers pay a flat fee for the whole summer.  They get a greatly discounted rate over the weekend rate.  In other words, it allows you to maximize the use of your RV, while minimizing your work load and costs.  Basically, it provides you the equivalent of a summer get-away or vacation home.   

Campgrounds differ greatly in the kinds of campers they serve.  Campgrounds can be primarily travel parks where travelers stop in, stay a day or two, and then continue their travels towards their destination.  They are usually located near a major highway (or intersecting highways).  There are also tourism/recreation destination parks that cater to people in the area for another reason, usually for a large amusement park, or a high tourism or recreation area (near a beach, lake, state or national park, etc.).  Then there are destination campgrounds, where people camp to attend the events, activities, and utilize the amenities that are specific to that particular campground. 

Because campgrounds serve different types of campers, as you might expect, they also vary in what they have to offer in the areas of facilities, activities, events, and amenities.  Some are family campgrounds, some cater more to partying, and some are adult only (retirement age) parks.  These are not hard and fast rules, either, of course. 

Our KOA is primarily a destination family campground, but we receive travelers too, and we have lots of couples without children who camp with us.  At KOA, they are branded as Holiday Parks. 

Many times, our campers attend local fairs, concerts, amusement parks, and more.  So while a campground may consider themselves primarily in one of these categories, they certainly can fall into all of these categories.

Seasonal Camping Programs Vary.  Some campgrounds sell the site, and campers become part owners in the park and then they pay a maintenance fee (much like a HOV fee), for their seasonal services.  There are good points and bad points to owning a campsite.  Many times, it is very involved, and when you are ready to leave, you then have to sell your lot and RV which can take a lot of time.  Often they are run by an owners association, which may or may not have people on the board who know anything about running a camping facility.  By the time you purchase, pay for insurances and yearly fees, you could have camped seasonally for many years without all the additional liability, costs, and other issues.  And, of course, you can stop seasonal camping with the freedom to leave at the drop of a hat.   

Location, Location, Location!  When choosing a campground for Seasonal Camping, you want one with a close enough commute that you can maximize the use of your RV, but minimize your travel and time commitment.  That said, it is well worth your money and time to travel a little further to get you to that higher rated campground, that serves your camping needs better than to camp at a not as nice park.  Some parks have very small sites, and campers are too close to have a relaxing stay without feeling intruded upon.  Some don’t provide utilities and conveniences you’d want – like TV or Wi-Fi.  Some have activities for children and adults, and some do not.  So while location and close is important, meeting all your camping needs is the primary requirement!    

Are There Additional Charges for Facilities, Amenities, Activities, and Events?  Many campgrounds offer children’s crafts, events, activities, or rental amenities.  These items often have additional costs associated with them.  So the campground that charges less per season for the campsite, may sound like a better deal than a campground charging more for the campsite, until you look at all of the ancillary charges.  Some campgrounds charge for 2 adults and extra for each child, some (like us) it’s a family of 4, some limit your camping to just weekends, and some (like us) have unlimited camping.  Some charge extra fees for activities, Wi-Fi, Cable TV, or onsite winter storage, and some (like us) include everything in the seasonal campsite.  In fact, we even mow your campsite for our Seasonal Campers at no additional fee.  To the best of our knowledge, we’re the only campground in Western PA who provides that premium service without a premium price tag.  You have to ask a lot of questions when pricing Seasonal Campsites, and not just how much the site is.  

Questions You May Want To Ask:  How many people are included in the seasonal camping fee? How much is it to add additional people?  What are the charges for those?  What are their visitor’s fees?  Do they offer 50 amp electrical service?  Are their sites spacious?  What recreation do they offer?  Is there a charge for the recreation?  What activities do they offer?  IS there are charge for those?  What rental amenities do they have to keep the kids busy?  Is there a charge for those?  Do they offer Wi-Fi?  Is there a fee for it?  Do they offer cable TV?  Is there a fee for it?  Do they offer meals?  What do they cost?  Do they allow golf carts?  What are the rules?  When is quiet hours?  Are they enforced?  Do they offer onsite winter storage?  What’s the charge for that?  How does their payment plan work?  Do they charge interest?  So make sure you add all of those individual charges that aren’t included, to look at them versus a campground where they are included, to see which one is really the most affordable.  You need to know the real bottom line total before signing on the dotted line!          

Check campground ratings before you become a Seasonal Camper.  If they aren’t rated well by their overnight guests and campground directories, chances are, you aren’t going to have the family experience you seek.  Make sure that the place you choose to spend your summer serves their campers well.  When you look at campground ratings, you’ll know where you’ll want to be, and where you won’t want to be.  Just don’t underestimate their importance!

 

Try camping at the campground of your choice before becoming a seasonal camper.  Camping at the facility, walking the grounds, and meeting the other seasonal campers will tell you the most about the facility.  Are the other campers friendly?  Is the campground neat and well maintained?  Are the other seasonal camper’s campsites clean and well maintained?  Are quiet hour policies really enforced?  Are people drinking and driving golf carts all over?  You may not think about some of the things you’ll learn both about the campground, and the campground owners.            

As you can see, there are probably more variables involved than you originally thought.  Choosing the right campground to camp for the season is important.  Don’t short change your seasonal camping experience by picking a campground without fully investigating what it has to offer and what it’s really going to cost you to camp there.  The old saying of “the devil is in the details,” says it all.  So make sure you ask the right questions and know exactly what your camping will really cost you, before you sign a seasonal camping agreement! 

You can check out our Seasonal Camping Sites that are available for 2016 at https://meadvillekoa.com/seasonal-camping/. 

As always, we hope that you come see us at Meadville KOA Campground and allow us to show you what we can provide your family!    

 By Robyn Chilson

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