Best Cabin Camping near Columbia, PA

This place has everything! Mini golf, playgrounds, indoor pool, outdoor pool, hot tub, kiddie pool, Cafe, arcade, camp store, pond with fishing, kayak and peddle boat rentals, hiking, fenced in dog area, walking trails. Not to mention all of the different cabins and specialty houses you can rent like the tree house, train caboose and others. Everything is very clean and the roads are paved which make it great for riding bikes. There are open field areas so you can drive RC cars, play volleyball, catch, Frisbee or whatever. Lots to do here and something for everyone. Nice size sites as well. Ours was nice with a lower fire pit area. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the seasonal site behind us had their solar lights on the whole time. They were very bright and made it difficult to enjoy the fire at night.

This is a solid, inclusive campground. Good hookups. Playground, pool area with 2 pools, a water park, and 2 hot tubs. Mini golf was free. Everything else has a fee. Water hours are limited to 11am to 7pm even in 90 degree weather. Store has good hours open until 10. It’s large and their website states there are day passes, so it it very crowded in the water park. People were nice. I’m gluten free so no food options, but a place delivered as we forgot a food bag at home. My grandson got stung by a wasp or bee during laser tag which was a downer at the end of our trip.

This park is all for the kids. This will be our second year going. So much to do for the kids. Our first year we did a birthday package where they brought a cake to the camp with Booboo for my daughter. They have the pools and playgrounds and fishing. Also the bonus of the hot tub being dropped off for two days. We do not rent a golf cart as it’s dam dam expensive. So we make sure to get close spots so we can walk. You can bring pets but we choose not to as we are not at the camp much. We do go fishing while we are here and my daughter loves this place

Site Details: We stayed in the Dragonfly camping cottage (quick weekend trip without the husband, and I’m not quite up for towing and setting up the popup by myself with 3 kids!). It was a standard rustic-type state park cabin, with one double bed, one single twin bunk, and one regular set of bunk beds, so it sleeps 5-6 comfortably. There was also a sturdy dining room table with chairs and an oscillating fan inside. Electricity/lights and heat, but no AC. Very clean inside. The cabin also had a really nice front porch, picnic table, and fire ring, and was situated with a beautiful lake view. The area we were in contained both rustic cabins and yurts (which looked really neat).

Facilities/Overall Park: Multiple bath houses were scattered among various loops, and each one we visited was very old, dim and drab, but they were also spacious and reasonably clean. Showers all had old rust and water stains. However, it was nice that there were so many of them, because this is a very large state park with multiple camping loops. Most tent and basic RV sites were shaded and private, while the newer FHU sites were more open (but still nicely spaced). Hosts and rangers were nice, but not very helpful or proactive when they needed to correct a reservation mistake they made (but it worked out in the end). There is a beautiful lake with a really nice day area in the center of the park, with a great playground and concession stand. The lake is popular for fishing and swimming, although there is oddly no sand beach; swimmers just entered the water straight from the grass.

Surrounding Area/Attractions: Not much going on in the immediate vicinity, but Harrisburg, Amish country, and Hershey are all doable day trips from the park. We were here just for the Hershey RV show, and it was an easy 40-minute drive.

Overall, this was a very pretty park with site options for every type of camper, but certain elements are in need of updating. I don’t think I’d go out of my way to make this park a destination, but it’s a nice option as a base camp for visiting the RV show or other attractions (with a much cheaper price tag than the private CGs closer to the action).

West Chester KOA This is a really nice KOA not too far from downtown Philly. The campground is located in a beautiful part of the Pennsylvania countryside with rolling hills which meant the roads getting there are narrow and windy. A bridge nearby the campground was washed out earlier by a hurricane so we had to take an alternative route going about thirty minutes out of our way. (Make sure you check their website for directions!) There is a lot to do in the surrounding area like visiting the historical sites in downtown Philadelphia, Valley Forge, or exploring Amish country. 

This is a typical KOA with lots of amenities and activities for kids– swimming pool, jump pad, miniature golf, volleyball, butterfly garden, gem mining, playground, store, dog park, nature trail, etc. There is a large pool area with pavilion but it was closed during our stay since we were there early in the season. The campground is right on the Brandywine River which is a slow meandering pretty river that is great to get your feet wet or go for a paddle. Canoes and kayaks are available for rent if you have time and as there is very little current in the river you can paddle out and back without any trouble. There is a nice, short nature trail which was nice to walk our dog and she enjoyed getting wet in the river. 

The campground is hilly which means that a fair number of sites are not level. Our site (#27) was level for our RV but the patio sloped downhill and we could not use our picnic table or find a level spot for our chairs. Some sites are “premiums” with paved patios, Adirondack chairs, fancy firepits, BBQ grill, and tables and chairs with an umbrella. These sites are really nice, but you pay a lot more for them. Some sites are located adjacent to the river with nice waterfront views, but beware some might be muddy. There are lots of camping cabins and a couple of glamping tents. 

Overall, the campground is very clean with no trash lying around and the grass was mowed and trimmed. The 50-amp electric was good as was the water pressure. The sewer connection uphill from our site so it did not drain properly. There is basic cable but since you are so close to Philly there are plenty of over-the-air channels. The Wi-Fi at our site worked well. Garbage is picked up at your site. The surrounding area has plenty of restaurants, shopping, and interesting things to see and do.

The first thing to know is that Thousand Trails sites are a first come, first serve. Meaning you have to arrive early in order to get the best spots. They don't reserve sites for you. For everyone complaining about driving around and not finding spots, if you get there early enough aroung 1 pm, you wont' have a problem.

This campground is located behind two farms and behind some woods, so you won't be able to see it from the main road. That is great because there was no traffic noise around. When we arrived to the gate house, the woman there was very helpful in recommending sites area for us. We chose a pull through site for our 30 ft TT since we are newbies (our 4th trip). There is ample space between you and your rv neighbor and no real obstructions to park. The trees are not in the way of the parking space. Each site had a lamp post so that at night, you could easily see where you are parked but they place them low to the ground so as not to add to light polution. The roads are a mix of gravelled area and asphalt. They have an overflow area for those with extra cars and those with tow dollies. This keeps the campground from looking like a junk yard.

As for the entertainment, we arrived too early for the pool to be open but they do have an indoor hot tub for those 16 years and older that is open. The store hours are a bit strange, with some days being open until 2pm on some weekdays. Their store has a good supply (just the essentials) but their best selling item is Hershey ice cream (so good!) They have a tennis court, mini golf, basketball court, and you saw many kids out witth their bicycles. There is even an arcade center for the kids and a rec center with a pool table.

The campground is very safe at night, no noise disturbances at night and we had no problems having our kids wander around by themselves. The batthrooms are nice and are designated shelters in case of severe weather. The pond is not suitable for swimming and has no swimming signs around. Nature decided to reclaim the area and the fish have an abuncance of kel to live in. It is a wonderful fishing and boating area.

All in all, it was a lovely campground.