Campground Review
This was my first time to Jellystone Hill Country, and my family had a wonderful time. We will be returning in the near future for sure! Luckily for us, they do have a very detailed website that addresses a lot of the questions and concerns one might have. So in this review, I will do my best to give insight to the aspects that may not be clear on their website.
CABINS
We stayed in a Cindy Bear cabin, number 6 specifically. What a fabulous cabin. It had everything we needed and had plenty of space for our family of 5. I love that the “master bedroom” is on the opposite side of the cabin from the bunk room. Makes the space feel larger. The kitchen has a full size fridge/freezer, microwave (huge, modern microwave), coffee maker, toaster, and plug-in 2 burner stove. NO oven so skip the frozen pizzas. You will need to bring ALL your own linens, including sheets, blankets, TOWELS, and dish rags. There was a small bottle of dish soap on the sink for us, but no sponges or rags. There was also plenty of plates, bowls, cups, silverware, etc. but the pots were somewhat old and had lost their non-stick properties. I would throw a frying pan into your luggage if you plan to make pancakes during your stay. (Actual items vary by cabin, so another cabin may have a very nice frying pan, who knows?). I literally didn’t see a single spider or fly in the cabin the whole time we were there, which is a miracle considering all the buggy cabins I’ve stayed in over the years. What a clean and pleasant experience.
GOLF CARTS
We rented a golf cart during our stay. While they are cute and fun to buzz around in, the park really isn’t big enough to warrant one, unless you are staying in a cabin or site very far from the action. When booking, there is an option to choose your specific site for a $15 fee. My advice is to pay the $15 and choose a site close to the Hill Country Hall and the waterpark, and save the $62 a day on the golf cart. We stayed RIGHT next to the HCH and had no noise problems whatsoever.
ACTIVITIES
Each weekend they have planned activities for the kiddos. Most of these activities occur on Saturday. Our weekend was Carnival Games and Halloween. The carnival was cute little games set up for the kids to play with candy as prizes. I would say the optimal age for that carnival was between 4 and 7 years old. In the evening they had a costume contest (we won best group!) and trick or treating around the park. The kids had a blast. Check their website before your trip to see the calendar of events.
WATER AMENITIES
Wow! If you and your kids love to play in the water, this is the place for you. Their outdoor complex includes: one standard rectangular pool, one very shallow splash pad with several water spouts and a tiny kids slide, which flows into a deeper (3 foot) pool, and a large kids water play center that includes two decently large kids slides, high pressure water cannons, and lots of stairs to climb around. We were so impressed by the sheer square footage of fun and how a whole family could be happy in this one place for hours. Also, plenty of seating for mom to relax ;). Here you can find their concession stand, that serves fairly priced hot food and Blue Bell ice cream.
If the sun is not your scene, no fret! They have an INDOOR pool too! The water is the perfect temperature, and has a connected hot tub for soaking. Perfect for mom and dad to relax in the hot tub and keep a close eye on the kids swimming.
STORE
If you forgot anything, or have the unexpected occur (like my husband having a stomach ache), the store is there with items you may need. They also sell tons of souvenir items if you want to adorn your entire house (or RV) with Yogi Bear paraphernalia.
Overall, I can’t say enough good about this place. The staff is friendly, the cabins clean and roomy, the activities sweet and age-appropriate, and the water park out of this world. We are already planning our next trip back!
(My family and I were given a discount in exchange for this review, but these opinions are my own and no way affected by the discount)
Product Review
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - here I am testing the MH2 Headlamp by Ledlenser ( http://www.ledlenserusa.com/mh2-505.html#start=3 )
One night, my daughter noticed a “cave” (read: drain pipe under a bridge) that she wanted to explore. Sure that there would be dangerous critters in said cave, we strapped the MH2 on her and followed close behind. Well if there were any critters, we would have seen them for sure!
The lamp was bright and strong and showed exactly where you needed it to shine. You can simply twist the lens in the front, and the beam can change from focused to broad. It also can shine red light, or flash, both of which would be very useful in an emergency. The headband is also wide and comfortable. The adjustable strap made it easy to transition between my daughter, all the way to my husband in a second. Both could wear the light comfortably. I recommend this headlamp for anyone looking for a low-price hands-free lighting option.
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