Roadtrip Reality: Camping With Kids At South Mountain State Park

Good morning you guys! This is going to be a fun post today and I really hope you enjoy it!

I know a lot of times on the blog you see professionally photographed home tours or styled projects meant to offer up inspiration. Well guess what, today I’m sharing a candid glimpse into what life was like when we were able to snag a few uninterrupted moments together at South Mountain State Park. #iphonepicturesonly

One of my best friends and I were finally able to carve out 24 hours in our busy schedules to take the kids camping! That might not seem like a long time but for me it was like heaven! We had absolutely no cell service and I can’t tell you how weird and exciting that was!

Don’t mind me, I may get up on my high horse today and do a little preaching. It doesn’t happen often but this quick moment in time was a wake up call for us and now I’m bringing my call to action to you: TAKE YOUR KIDS CAMPING. Yep, I said it! Even if you’re not the camping type, do it anyway. I know it sounds like a lot of work and it can be, but the reward is SO worth it!

It is easy to forget how it was when we were kids. We would run the neighborhood from breakfast until dinner with almost complete freedom. Our kids do not get that these days, y’all. Not even close in my opinion.

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I will go as far as saying this little camping trip was probably the most freedom my son has ever experienced. They ran and giggled, jumped rocks, ate snacks, talked to fishermen, looked at insects, got their shoes wet, ate more snacks, found walking sticks, played hide-and-go-seek, ate more snacks and I could go on and on.

The 5 of us crammed in our 6-person tent together, snug as bugs in a rug, and it was perfect. The next morning, after repeating the long list of things they did above, we set out for the 1-1.5 mile hike to the 80′ waterfall in South Mountain State Park.

We talked about animals along the way and stopped at all the signs to read about nature things.

It was a pretty tiring hike towards the end but we made it to the top and it was gorgeous!

We ate lunch next to the rushing water and then we wound our way back down.

Obligatory selfie with the boys.

FREEDOM………….

Could my little man have any more hair? And how come when he dresses himself for school he puts on ratty t-shirts and holey shorts but he packs polo shirts and khakis for camping???? Beats me…

If you visit South Mountain you can’t get by without stopping at RedBone Willy’s. Apparently there’s a story behind that name…

It is the cutest little country store and cafe and the homemade ice cream is to die for! I highly recommend the Southern Comfort!

Gorgeous blooms peaking out of country windows.

There you have it friends! If you live anywhere near the Charlotte, NC area, South Mountain is only about an hour out of town! And P.S. I can’t believe I’ve lived here my whole life and have never been! Family campsite #7 and #5 are awesome! You can hear the rushing waters of the creek from your tent!

You can shop our camping gear here:

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Cheers!