Happy Monday! Today, I have an exciting post to share with y'all!
Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Golden Valley recently hosted our family for a three day visit and today's post is all about our experience there. Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Golden Valley is located at the base of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. If you are looking for a great, family-friendly getaway, you will definitely want to add this destination to your list! It's a must-see! I'm going to recap our visit and answer the questions that you submitted over on
Instagram. Speaking of Instagram, you can see even more of our fun in my highlight titled "JELLYSTONE" where I saved all of our stories from our trip! Also, be sure to check out
Jellystone Golden Valley Instagram to see more! Not local to North Carolina? Be sure to see the
full list of resorts here for a similar experience!
First, let's chat about where we stayed. I've haven't been real camping in a really long time and it's honestly not my favorite so
"camping" in a cabin was exactly my style! We stayed in a
Laurel Cove Cottage and it was perfect for our family. There's two separate bedrooms; one with a queen sized bed and one with a twin-over-full bunk bed. The beds were very comfortable! You have the option of bringing your own sheets and towels or you can rent linens for an additional fee. Our sheets and towels were provided for us and we had a great experience! I really loved the convenience of not having to pack our own bedding to bring along with us.
The Laurel Cove Cottage also has a full kitchen, table with two chairs, a sofa, and three TV's! It's important to note that they have excellent WiFi, that is available across all of the camp-resort area. It's also important to note that the Laurel Cove Cottages do not have a bathroom inside of them, however; you do have access to have private bathroom, it's just detached from the actual cabin. Our bathroom was less than a two-minute walk away. I was really impressed by how nice it was and I totally felt like I was "glamping" with that kind of bathroom!
The Laurel Cove Cottage is just one way to stay at the camp-resort, there's lots of other cabin options as well as tent sites and RV sites to choose from on the property!
Honestly, the pool and water zone area might have been my very favorite part of our whole experience! Splashing and sliding in the water zone was the perfect way to cool off. I totally felt like a kid during our trip! I absolutely loved the water slides; there were two larger slides and overall, I would say that the water zone is such a great place for kids of all ages to play since the water was very shallow. There's also a pool that goes up to 3 feet 9 inches. I was really happy that it wasn't a super deep pool because it gave me more piece of mind with my eight year old and ten year old swimming. I always stay close by when they are in the pool but I liked not having to worry about them going too far into the deep end at this pool. The pool also had a basketball goal, a volleyball net, and little stools inside of the pool to sit on. It was also a really large pool! Due to COVID-19, you had to sign up for pool times so that social distancing could be maintained. You can sign up for pool times in the registration station or the ranger station, right by the pool area. The pool time slots are about 2 hours and they sanitized the pool deck area between groups. I felt very safe being at the pool area during our visit! It was also really nice to enjoy a non-crowded pool experience!
There's so much to do at the camp-resort! You can read about all of the activities that they have available
here on their website. We weren't even able to do everything that was there during our trip. But, we did do a lot! There's many things to do that are no additional fee and are included with the price of your stay. Free activities include: the pool/water zone (that I described above), the jumping pad and pillow, mini golf, corn hole, the swimming hole, hiking trails, playground, basketball and tennis courts, outdoor movies, volleyball, hey hey rides, gaga ball, fishing, and scavenger hunt.
They also have other activities that are also available at a small, additional cost: lazer tag (this was my husband's highlight of the trip), gem mining, arts and crafts, and water rentals.
You definitely won't be bored during your visit to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park!
Before we arrived at the camp-resort, we stopped in nearby Morganton to get groceries for breakfast, dinner, and snacks. Since our cottage had a full kitchen (that was stocked with pots, pans, glassware, silverware, coffee pot, toaster, etc.) it was easy to prepare our own meals in our cabin! There was also a grill and fire pit right outside of the cabin that we used for grilling each night. We did get lunch (and delicious ice cream + Icees) at the Creekside Café, which is located right by the pool area and ranger station. They offer a variety of foods such as burgers, fries, and pizzas. The Lodge on-site also offers pancake breakfasts and other meals on select dates as well. Also, by the pool area, The Blue Ridge Tavern offers cocktails, beer. and wine!
On Instagram, I asked for any questions that you might have about our experience at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Golden Valley. Here's the top questions that were asked:
Q: Do you have to rent the golf cart separately?
A: Yes, you have to rent the golf cart for an additional fee. During Non-Peak Season, Sunday-Thursday, Two-Day Minimum: $39/day and Friday & Saturday, Two-Day Minimum: $45/day. During Peak Season, Sunday-Thursday, Two-Day Minimum: $44/day and Friday & Saturday, Two-Day Minimum: $52/day. Jellystone Park graciously gifted us the golf cart rental as a part of our hosted stay but we definitely would have rented it ourselves if it wasn't. It made traveling around the camp-resort easy and so much fun. My girls loved riding in the golf cart!
Q: Would teenagers enjoy it here or is it mostly for younger kids?
A: Teenagers would totally love it! There were so many teenagers there when we went and they all looked like they were having a great time. There's so much to do; all ages will love it!
Q: What's included when you stay? What's an extra cost?
A: There's a lot included! The pool/water zone, the jumping pad and pillow, mini golf, corn hole, the swimming hole, hiking trails, playground, basketball and tennis courts, outdoor movies, volleyball, hey hey rides, gaga ball, fishing, and scavenger hunt. For an additional cost, you can play lazer tag, go gem mining, do arts and crafts, and enjoy the water rentals. Linens, golf carts, and hot tubs are also an additional fee.
Q: What was it like heat/humidity wise?
A: Our visit was at the beginning of June and it was in the mid to upper 80s during the daytime. It was also humid because well, it's North Carolina. NC is very hot and humid during the summer months. However, the heat and humidity wasn't a problem at all during our visit. The pool, water zone, and swimming hole are the perfect ways to cool off! Also, there was a ton of available shade thanks to all of the tall, beautiful trees! Our cabin also had wonderful AC so we stayed cooled! But, I also think this would be such a beautiful place for a fall trip. You can't go wrong!
Thank you so much for stopping by! I absolutely loved sharing our experience here on the blog. This was such an amazing trip and we made so many memories! Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm happy to help! I hope y'all have a wonderful day!