Can we still call this camping?
Now I do enjoy camping as much as the next city slicker… but let’s face it, there’s a whole lot of work involved. Take, for example, all the stuff. You’ve got to bring cool clothes because its summer and warm clothes because it gets chilly at night. Then you need to pack up all the food for your stay, the utensils AND a stove. Next, you need to bring some entertainment. Though my 4 and 2 year-olds have energy galore, they are limited hikers. The nature around us provides entertainment for a while, but you better have some backup toys on hand. I’m not saying it isn’t all worth the adventure. All I’m saying is that when you are making each meal (on a single burner) and organizing and reorganizing the tent depending on which things need to be most accessible, it can feel like a working vacation. Our solution? Camp Sacramento!
I have grown up with Camp Sacramento. It seems there’s a lot about it that remains unchanged. It is a 19-acre property with a creek through one end that is owned by the U.S. Forest Service and leased by the City of Sacramento. When my sister and I were growing up, the city subsidized the cost making it so affordable that Dad had to wait overnight in line the day before registration began in order to get a cabin. Nowadays it is more self-sufficient but still a very affordable vacation for families. In fact, to advertise this fact there is a price comparison of the costs of different vacations on the Camp Sac. website.
The cabins are very much the same. Built in the 1930s, there isn’t much to them. There is no electricity except for the lightbulb within the cabin and one on the porch. There are cots with mattresses and you provide your own bedding. In most cabins there is one dresser that everyone in the cabin shares. Restrooms /shower facilities are communal (but obviously divided by gender). There is a large dining hall where three meals a day are served cafeteria style. Outside of the dining hall is a huge bell that kids line up to ring prior to when the kitchen is officially open for service. Our family must have several pictures of my sister and I pulling on the cord with at least ten other kids, and now our own kids get to experience this rite of passage. Year after year, the younger kids can’t wait to ring the bell, but often end up eating a little dirt until they grow more bulk. Got to love those family traditions!
The part of this experience that divides it from the typical camping trip is that there are organized activities. Kids are divided into groups according to age. For two-hour chunks in the morning and afternoon they are led by the camp staff in some age-appropriate activity. The youngest group, ages 3-5, do nature walks, bug hunts, arts and crafts, decorate t-shirts, etc. Older kids have hiking, archery, rock climbing and other activities. Lake Tahoe is not far away so if you want to spend a day there, the kitchen will make a brown bag lunch for you to pick up in the morning.
My favorite part is the campfires. Everyone gathers around on bleachers while the staff lead us through goofy songs, skits, and stories. There is something special about sharing time around a fire at the end of a day. When we are tent-camping it is generally a time for the adults to relax while the kids drift off to sleep. Here we haven’t exerted so much energy cooking and entertaining, and I can really enjoy the silliness we all have together.
Camp Sac. offers the 6-day week stay or the mini-week stay (3 nights and 4 days). This year and the last two we have opted for the shorter stay. I am anticipating that Josh, though not quite 3, is ready to join his brother in the minnow group this time. Finally, our camping trip will feel like a vacation. Who knows, maybe next year we’ll stay all week!
I never knew about this place. Sounds great. I remember going away to camp in the 7th grade – first time away from home, and it was a BIG deal.
I have my 3+ year old enrolled in “Outerspace Camp” and “Cooking Camp” this summer, but alas, they are only 3 hour sessions for 3 days each. Similar activities to which your Camp Sacramento has, though.
I would love to take the kids camping some day, but I prefer a cabin…and my own bathroom.
Well, I didn’t know this place existed either. It sounds great, although I tend to prefer backcountry camping. When I get tired of longing for a shower like it’s a pot of gold (say, when the weather hasn’t been warm enough for me to jump in a lake), I’ll definitely look into Camp Sacramento. I know my girls would love that.
[...] happy to report that some of the Camp Sac traditions that I mentioned in my last post – crazy campfires and bell-ringing, lived up to their anticipation. Here is a snapshot of Ryan and [...]