My family recently embarked on a 5-day camping trip to Shenandoah National Park, with a goal of introducing my niece and nephew to this classic outdoor pastime. In case you’re just jumping in now, I’ve been documenting each day of our trip, from preparation to packing up, in this multi-part family camping series. Not only do I want to share our adventures, but I also hope that you can take away something valuable from our trip, whether it’s ideas for activities or practical tips to ensure a seamless outdoor experience. So, without further ado, let’s dive right into Day 3!
From trails to teamwork, Day 2 “Exploring Together – Outdoor Adventures for All Ages” was packed with family adventures—don’t miss it!
A Leisurely Day Outdoors
Between hiking in the morning and swimming in the afternoon, Day 2 was a whirlwind of fun that ultimately tired us out. When we woke in our wall tent on Day 3, it was a unanimous consensus to take the day easy. We put a lot of time and energy into our campsite, after all, and we wanted to enjoy it for a little rest and relaxation. The day consisted of sleeping in late, cooking up a breakfast spread, and lounging around camp. Some of us read and journaled in the hammocks, while others chatted under the cool shade of the sunshade tarp. The kids started to get a bit restless, so I rounded them up after lunch to join me and Luke, our crew’s Labrador, for a walk up to the campground store. There, we stocked up on some more water and another bundle of firewood for the tent stove. The camp store also happened to be a gift shop, so I treated each kiddo to a small souvenir to help them remember their time outdoors!
Evening Adventures at Camp
While it was lovely to take the day slow and soak up the wilderness right at camp, the highlight of our third day had to be our memorable evening together. The first unexpected bout of fun was dinnertime.
Cooking a Meal Together
Most meals at camp require at least some teamwork, but for dinner this night, we really wanted to get the whole family involved. Campfire pizzas were the perfect meal to do this, allowing everyone to customize their own pies and have some fun while doing it! We laid a clean tablecloth down on the picnic table and placed all the pre-prepped toppings within arm’s reach. Using pre-cut circles of dough that fit in the camp skillet, we each took turns adding sauce, shredded cheese, and our favorite pizza toppings. Since we only had one pan, we cooked the pies one at a time over the tent stove. Not only did they end up delicious, but making dinner became an activity itself, and one that was super easy for the kids to participate in, too!
Creating Memories Around the Campfire
With our bellies full, we headed to the fire pit to get a campfire started for the evening. My partner took charge of building the fire, and we let the kids get involved by helping deliver the firewood with the log carrier. Since they’re still quite young, we made sure to reiterate the campfire rules. In their case, this meant keeping your distance and never touching the fire, fire pit, or anything near it that may be hot.
As the sun set for the night, we gathered around to enjoy some screen-free bonding time and the entertainment offered by the cozy, glowing campfire. We grabbed some of the throw blankets from our canvas tent to keep warm through nightfall.
The kiddos love a good storytime, so we thought hosting a campfire storytelling circle would be a great way to get laughter rolling. The idea was that one person would start with a single word, and we’d go around the circle, each adding another word, to ultimately build one cohesive story together. As you can imagine, the tales got quite silly, and we all got a few good belly laughs out of it! The beauty of this style of storytelling is its endless nature. Once one person gets it going, your group could go on forever, adding new details, twists, and turns indefinitely. It was truly one of the highlights of our trip. While our family was after a good giggle, you can’t go wrong with a classic ghost story at night, either.
About halfway through our campfire stories, I broke out the roasting sticks and got the group going on dessert. We passed around the bag of marshmallows and roasted them to make traditional s’mores.
If your story circle doesn’t last as long as ours did, you could also get your kids’ energy out through campsite games, like flashlight tag, hide and seek, or even a puppet show using a flashlight against your glamping tent!
Stargazing
At some point during storytime, my sister-in-law looked up at the sky, pointing out how clear the stars were that night. As a self-proclaimed night sky enthusiast, I immediately jumped out of my camp chair and ran to the tent to grab the essential stargazing gear. This included our poly tarp turned picnic blanket, a star chart, a handheld telescope, and a pair of binoculars. I also encouraged everyone to put on some layers if they were chilly and to reapply bug spray. We set up where there was a large clearing in the tree canopy to get an unobstructed view of the sky. In addition to laying the tarp down, we also added plenty of pillows and blankets to stay cozy while lying on our backs.
The adults took turns pointing out different constellations to the kids, and we all kept a running count of each shooting star we saw. While the kids are no strangers to the night sky, this clear night in Shenandoah was one of the most magical displays any of us had ever seen.
Wrapping Up Day 3
It can be easy to assume that all the fun of camping happens while the sun is shining, but half the excitement of camping starts at nightfall. I’d say our third day outdoors was a true testament of that, from cooking a fun family meal together to telling silly campfire stories and stargazing. Whether you’re feeling a little lazy like we were, or you simply prefer campsite-centric activities, there’s no shortage of fun to be had right next to your camping tent! Stay tuned for the next blog in this 5-day family camping series to see what we got up to on our last full day outdoors and gain valuable insights for your next adventure. See you there!
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