Best Glamping near Sharpsburg, MD

We stayed in the Bear Branch Loop of the William Houch Camping Area.  This is a lovely area if you're a beginner camper or just looking for the glamping experience.  The sites are small and not very private but are well defined.  It's very clear where to park, set up the tent etc.  The park itself is very scenic with nice hiking trails and a lake to enjoy.  I was there in the fall so didn't go out on the water but can imagine it would be popular during the warmer months.

This campground is huge, and very crowded. We were there in the days leading up to 4th of July, and there was not a single empty site. Our section had mostly pop-ups and mid-size travel trailers, so the sites were all grass and gravel. However, the area with pull-through sites for big rigs was just a huge RV parking lot. All roads were very narrow and winding. We did fine with the pup, but can’t imagine trying to navigate a large motorhome through there. Crowding/space issues aside, this is a really nice (albeit expensive) campground. Almost everything, from the grounds, to rec halls, to pool and laundry, was sparkling clean and beautifully maintained. Bathrooms were reasonably clean as well, although they could certainly use some TLC and updating (most MD state park bathhouses are nicer).Staff was very friendly, as well. Tons of stuff to do here, especially for families: arts & crafts, indoor movie theatre, games, civil war reenactments, wine tastings, etc. We were certainly never bored, and the kids thought they had died and gone to heaven. Our site was extremely close to our neighbor's site, but still surprisingly roomy and decently shaded. We were right next to the pancake hut (free daily pancake breakfast included during the on-season) and playground, and very close to other activities. Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is just a stone's throw away, with great hiking, sight-seeing, and cute little shops.

Overall, this is a really nice place, but much more of a resort than a campground in my opinion. The kids loved it, but I’ll always prefer the wooded seclusion of a state or national park. However, if I was looking for a more action-packed, activities-filled “glamping” experience, I wouldn’t hesitate to return.

If you are looking for a fun filled vacation that is by far the most kid friendly park we’ve ever been to this is it! The pool is absolutely amazing to say the least. My grandkids didn’t want to leave from the time it opened until the time it closed. We stayed 4 days last year and we booked immediately for a 6 day stay this Aug 2018. My granddaughter asks me weekly is it time to go to yogi bear yet mom mom. She just returned from Disney and immediately asked when she is going to her favorite place! Sorry Mickey! Ladies there is the best outlet shopping less then 10 minutes away too and don’t forget the Christmas Store only 15 min away! Also historic and very haunted Sharpsburg and Gettysburg are very close as well.

Nice little spot near Thurmont Maryland. Good playground for the kids.

We recent went camping for the first time at Jellystone in Maryland. 5 of our 6 kids came with us, so we knew we needed to find a camping ground more geared kids. Jellystone was amazing in every way possible.  The kids were never bored and had so much fun.  Us, as adults, were also never bored. We are definitely going back. Camping ground was clean, staff was nice and tons of fun activities.

I booked last minute and got the last paved, pull-through spot for the weekend prior to Halloween. Every weekend in October there are family-friendly festivities, and the guests and staff got really into it. It’s very close to Harper’s Ferry (almost worth the hike into town rather than the difficulty finding parking in a town with one parking lot). Took the dogs to the frequented Maryland Heights Trail, and that was a great 4-5 mile uphill jaunt that overlooks the town. Stunning in autumn. The site was clean, offered recycling, and the on-site store was convenient. For how close it is to Washington DC and Frederick MD, this is an easy getaway.

We set up camp at Harpers Ferry/Civil War Battlefields KOA Holiday as our launchpad to visit the historic sites in and around Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and Frederick, Maryland. 

We paid$114/night(average per night, including fees and taxes) for Site# 94. A bit pricey considering a lack of elbow room, but it’s a great location and everything is well-kept. 

THINGS I LIKED: 

• Location, Location, Location! Close proximity to plenty of historic and tourist places to visit. The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Visitor Center is literally next door. Harpers Ferry Lower Town and Bolivar Heights are a few minutes by car(or shuttle from the Visitor Center). Frederick and Antietam are each barely 30-minutes by car. Gettysburg, Baltimore, and DC are about an hour’s drive. 

• Clean and level gravel site with well-maintained utility hook-ups. 

• Great campground store filled with food, drinks, camp supplies, souvenirs, and essentials you may need while away from home. 

• Friendly staff in the office& store. 

• The whole park is quiet and well-maintained. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH: 

• Heads up, big rig owners! Our Pull-thru FHU Patio site(#199) had a serious slope. It was impossible to level my 45’ motorhome without elevating the front wheels dangerously in the air. The nice staff kindly moved us to a FHU site without the patio and furniture. And refunded the difference in price for the lesser site. Thanks for providing the move but ‘premium’ sites should be somewhat level, am I right? 

• Get cozy, the sites are quite small and tightly packed together. 

• A $3 per night“Pet Fee” for our small, mostly-indoor dog felt a bit like nickel-and-diming. I realize it only amounted to an extra$12, but he didn’t need any extra gravel. 

WOULD WE COME BACK? 

• Absolutely, this is a nice campground with lots of great places nearby including Harpers Ferry, Antietam, Frederick, Washington DC, Baltimore, and more.

Lots of things to do for younger ones. The adults can still relax in the lazy River and pool. Bathhouse had no hot water and was filthy. Guest services was non existent. On a positive note, A perk for us for our first trip with a camper was the pull thru sites.

This is a huge campground geared around kids. We didn't bring any with us this time and were just staying here overnight. We are in pull through site 753, pretty level gravel site, full hookups, picnic table and fire ring. The site wasn't well cleaned, grease dumped in the gravel, dead grass, lots of stink bugs! Also had to finagle the cable line to get it to work. There are very clean showers and restrooms, large camp store, restaurant, mining for kids, Waterpark, and pool. Many cabins, pull through, back in, and tent sites.

Waterpark- awesome and really makes the whole park. Lazy river is so fun and our 6 year old did the tunnel waterslides like 100 times. Very clean and well run even if crowded. Mini golf- very nice and included in price. The jumping pillow and playgrounds were also good and there was a lively game of kickball being played in the evening. The pull through sites closest to the pool and jumping pillow are by far the best. We stayed on Bear Trail and had the whole place to ourselves, which was awesome, but the sites are not real level or spaced out, so we just got lucky. The whole place is festive and kind of feels like a theme park- magical for kids. We enjoyed it.

This campground is a great place for families. Everything from a waterpark, to a lazy river, adult pool, playgrounds, hay rides, activity center, volleyball, hiking trails, and a store are available. The sites are level, but full sun. Full hookups.

They have so many activities for the kids! The sites are mostly a comfortable size.

Great campground! Not too big or crowded with tons of activities for kids to do. Only down side was they were short staffed so some things closed early. Overall, an excellent place to camp with great service!

The staff was very friendly, and the park was clean.

A little hard to find, no major/large signs to tell you where to turn into the park. The entrance comes up quick and could easily be passed.

It was a nice place to stay for kids, lots to do for them. But very expensive for tent camping. I still paid nearly 100 a night.

We had a blast and will be returning next season.   Multiple pools and a great little water park.   Store was well stocked, they also had a ice-cream / quick food store attached to the pool area and staff super friendly.   Lots to do for kids of all ages, gaga pit tournaments at night, movies, hay rides, character events tons of stuff.   Big miniature golf course, it could use a little TLC but over all fun and a little challenging.   They are finishing a lazy river which I look forward to next season.    Roads are all crushed stone and the sites are concrete pads or what appeared to be very level crushed stone sites with grass.

We were looking for a place to take the family for a few days to get away for a while. We'd been to the Jellystone in Luray and decided to give this one a chance. Big mistake! 

I called their customer service number and asked if the water park would be open. I was told yes. We arrive on our first day of 4, put on our swimsuits, and play in the splash park for several hours. My 3 year old loved it. It closed early, maybe 3, and I overheard something about it being shut down for the year. Wait, what!? How is that possible when I called to prevent this type of thing from happening. We stop by the front office the next day and sure enough, closed for the season. As I'm leaving the front desk another irate customer had the same thing happen. No apologies, we'll try to make this right. Nothing. I could have convinced my credit card company to stop the charges but that would have been a huge disappointment to my kids. 

We decided to stick around for what became a literal ghost town. We maybe ran into one other family each day we stayed. 

The state of the park was sad. 

-Flooded mini golf course (several holes were unplayable)

-Two pedal carts available, 1 with a broken seat and the other didn't work. 

- Free laser tag (a plus) with a field full of small tree stumps and roots to trip over (ask me how I know)

-a giant hole next to the jumping pillow big enough for my daughter's foot/leg to fit in. 

And these are just some of the things. When I brought it to the attention of the staff they thanked me and said they'd tried to do better next time. Next time? No way would I return without reassurance things improved and an apology for how things happened the first time.

Camp site (Tent camping)

Camp site was pretty spacious. We set up our tent on gravel. No hookups to electricity or water. Rangers deliver firewood for your convenience.

Facilities / Amenities

Huge pool divided into two sections, one for mainly kids and the other for swimming and water slides. There is a food court in the swimming pool and a camp store right next to it.

They play movies every night at the outdoor theater near the pool.

There is a basketball court, playgrounds, and jumping pads.

During the day, we did tie dying t-shirts at the pavilion.

There is a 18-hole mini golf course as well.

We travel here from PA every year for their Halloween weekend and returned one summer to enjoy the other options for activities. They have tons of things for Children including a waterpark, a jumping pillow, ziplining, trick or treating, haunted trails, etc. The options are endless.

After you get here, theres no reason to leave because they have a store on site as well as an icecream shop!

The wind was strong and cold all weekend. We stayed warm inside and watched movies.

It's a fun filled campground for the whole family. They have lots to do whether you want to relax or swim, play games, etc.

Great campground for families. Large water park that goes to 3 ft. Playgrounds, dog park, canteen, mini golf, jumping pillow, laser tag, pedal cars, gem mining are just some of the amenities. Very pricey during peak season. We did the camp & store at about $50/night.