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If you know anyone who vacationed at family campgrounds as a child, it’s a pretty good bet they have continued that experience with their children, and maybe even their grandchildren.

Family camping is something that is passed down from generation to generation because it allows families to share great experiences and strengthen their relationship. Even in this age of portable electronics, family campgrounds offer a great chance for families to get to know one another.

At Woodalls.com you can browse family campgrounds by state or region, including Canada and Mexico. Especially helpful is our Family Camping Community, a forum where you can interact with fellow RV and family camping enthusiasts. Here, you can get tips from fellow forum users on the best places for family camping or share some of your own advice.

Anyone who has hit the road with kids knows the key is to make sure the family campgrounds you visit have plenty of activities. The only thing shorter than kids’ attention spans is a parent’s fuse after a couple of hours with “bored” children.

Of course, traditional activities found at family campgrounds include fishing, boating and canoeing. Kids love activities they can’t do at home. But make sure to ask them what they would like to do. Although adults may find “exploring” a bit dull, kids are often mesmerized by new experiences.

This makes hiking an especially popular activity. Plan on plenty of stops and don’t figure to get that far when hiking with kids. The best hikes include those along creeks, to waterfalls or areas where kids can get off the trail a bit to find pine cones, interesting rocks or even fossils.

When family camping, the campfire is always the icing on a day of experiencing the great outdoors. If the kids in your party aren’t experienced at making fires, make sure to show them how. No kid will be more proud than when he or she has built a campfire and sees it roaring with all the adults sitting around admiring their handiwork.

You may also want to break up rustic family campground stays with those at a more developed site where kids might find a swimming pool or activities geared toward them, such as outdoor crafts.

And for rainy days or breaks in the action, make sure to bring along plenty of games. Remember, kids love to learn new things, so teach them a new card game that the whole family can play. Odds are, the kids will wear you out wanting to play games they’ve just learned.

Whatever you do, don’t leave the kids out of the chores. What adults consider chores, kids will find the new experiences fun. It also makes them feel a part of the action. Besides, it’ll keep them off their electronic games. Chores can include gathering firewood and kindling and helping put up the tents.

Some other great activities with kids when visiting family campgrounds are scavenger hunts, flashlight walks, showing them how to be good stewards by picking up after yourself and those who were not as thoughtful.

See more articles on family camping.

To locate family campgrounds by state or province, select from the list to the right.