Planning a Hershey Vacation? Why More Families Are Choosing Camping Instead of Hotels

Planning a family vacation to Hershey is exciting. Between thrilling rides, chocolate-themed attractions, nearby Lancaster County, and destinations throughout Central Pennsylvania, there is no shortage of ways to fill your days. One of the biggest decisions, however, is where your family should stay.

Hotels may be the traditional choice, but more families are discovering that camping offers something different. Instead of simply providing a place to sleep, a campground becomes part of the vacation itself.

At Elizabethtown / Hershey KOA Holiday, families can spend the day exploring the Hershey area and return to a campsite or cabin where there is room to unwind, play outside, share a meal, and gather around a campfire. For many guests, those quieter moments become just as memorable as the attractions they came to see.

Camping Gives Families More Room to Be Together

A traditional hotel room can work well when most of the day will be spent away from the property. However, families often discover that sharing one room for several nights can feel restrictive—especially after a busy day of sightseeing.

Camping gives everyone more room to spread out. Depending on how your family prefers to travel, that might mean relaxing beneath the awning of your RV, enjoying the outdoor area beside a tent, or staying in a comfortable Deluxe Cabin with sleeping space for the family.

Outside, there may be a picnic table for breakfast, chairs gathered around the fire ring, and room for children to enjoy the fresh air. Instead of ending the day inside four hotel walls, the family can continue spending time together outdoors.

The Campground Becomes Part of the Vacation

Hershey attractions may be the reason a family begins planning the trip, but the campground can add an entirely different layer to the experience.

After returning from a day at Hersheypark, children do not necessarily have to head directly indoors. They can enjoy the campground, play a game, take an evening walk, or simply relax outside while the adults plan the next day.

Families may also choose to build downtime into their itinerary and spend part of a day enjoying the campground amenities. That slower pace can be especially welcome during a vacation filled with rides, attractions, driving, and scheduled activities.

You Do Not Need to Own an RV to Enjoy a Camping Vacation

One of the most common misconceptions about campground vacations is that every guest must own an RV. That is not the case.

Cabin camping gives families an opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere and outdoor experience of a campground without purchasing equipment or towing a camper. Depending on the cabin selected, guests may have access to comfortable sleeping arrangements, climate control, a kitchen or kitchenette, a private outdoor area, and space for children and adults to settle in.

A cabin can be especially appealing to:

• Families trying campground vacations for the first time
• Grandparents traveling with children or grandchildren
• Guests who want outdoor time without tent camping
• Families who need more sleeping space than a hotel room provides
• Travelers who want a comfortable place to return to after exploring Hershey

For many non-RV travelers, cabin camping offers a comfortable middle ground: the convenience of lodging combined with the atmosphere of a family campground.

Meals Can Be Easier and More Flexible

Dining out is part of the fun of traveling, but buying every meal for an entire family can quickly become expensive and time-consuming.

At a campground, families often have more flexibility. Breakfast can be enjoyed at the picnic table before leaving for the day. Lunches and snacks can be packed for an outing. Dinner might be cooked on the grill, prepared inside a Deluxe Cabin, or kept simple around the campsite.

This does not mean giving up special restaurant meals or vacation treats. It simply gives families more control over the schedule, food preferences, and overall travel budget.

Camping Creates Time for the Moments You Cannot Schedule

Most family vacations are built around planned experiences: attraction tickets, meal reservations, arrival times, and places everyone hopes to visit. Those experiences matter, but many lasting memories happen during the unplanned spaces in between.

They happen while children play a game at the campsite. They happen when everyone laughs over a slightly overcooked marshmallow. They happen during a quiet morning beneath the trees or when the family talks around the fire after a full day near Hershey.

A campground naturally creates more opportunities for those moments because families are not separated from the outdoors—or from one another—when the sightseeing day ends.

🔥 Campfire Tip

If this is your family’s first camping trip, a Deluxe Cabin can be a great way to experience camping while still enjoying many of the comforts of home. You’ll get to enjoy campfires, outdoor meals, and the campground atmosphere that make camping vacations so memorable.

A Campground Can Work for Different Vacation Styles

Not every Hershey vacation looks the same. Some families want to visit every major attraction. Others prefer one busy day followed by a quieter day at the campground. Some bring their own RV, while others would rather unpack in a cabin and begin relaxing immediately.

A campground gives families the freedom to shape the trip around their own priorities.

Guests can choose among available RV sites, cabin accommodations, and tent camping options. They can stay active throughout the day or leave room in the schedule for swimming, fishing, campground activities, and time around the fire.

That flexibility is one of the reasons camping works well for families with different ages, interests, and energy levels.

Is Camping Always Better Than a Hotel?

Not necessarily. The best lodging choice depends on what a family wants from the trip.

A hotel may be the right fit for travelers who want a simple overnight room and expect to spend very little time where they are staying. Camping may be the better choice for families who want more outdoor space, flexible meals, campground activities, and an experience that continues after they return from the day’s attractions.

The important question is not simply, “Where will we sleep?”

It is:

“What kind of vacation experience do we want our family to have?”

For families who value outdoor time, shared experiences, and room to make memories together, camping can offer much more than a place to stay.