Care Camps Weekend Returns for 2019!

Camping is an experience that everyone should have a chance to experience. It's something young and old alike can enjoy, with activities and adventures that can relax, inspire, and create new and lasting memories. With KOA's Care Camps program, KOA ensures that children with cancer have a chance to experience all of those adventures and more without costing their families a dime.

The on-site medical facilities are staffed by caring professionals who are ready to administer any needed treatments, while camp counselors have undergone extensive training to be able to assist the kids with their unique needs. The majority of these staff members are volunteers in order to cover costs and to make sure the donations are used to give the kids a great camping experience.

Throughout their stay, kids get to choose from a plethora of activities including kayaking, paint races, and shaving cream fights. They also get the chance to experience some traditional camping activities like roasting s'mores and telling stories around the campfire. The Care Camps foundation works to make children's wildest camping dreams come true year after year.

Throughout the month of May, we are celebrating KOA Care Camps and donating to the cause in a couple of special ways. On May 10th - May 12th, we are participating in KOA Care Camps Big Weekend. Guests staying on Friday May 10th, receive Saturday May 11th for $20. Every $20 charge goes straight to KOA Care Camps! Get another chance to donate every Saturday in May and throughout the year at our weekly Charity Pancake Breakfast. Pancakes are free and money from drinks and coffee, along with any additional donations, are given to KOA Care Camps. So join us once again this year in our support for KOA Care Camps and give kids with cancer the chance to just be kids for a weekend.

Easter Weekend is a Blast at Williamsburg KOA!

Easter is just around the corner and the Williamsburg KOA has a lot planned for the weekend! Join us for the first taste of spring on our beautiful 180-acre campground. Easter is a time to celebrate life. What better way to celebrate than by going camping with friends and family after a cold winter? Join us for our annual Easter Egg Hunt, and expect a visit from the Easter Bunny! We'll also be having a visit from the Teeny Tiny Farm Petting Zoo and more this weekend, so make your reservation today.

As if that isn't enough fun for your spring getaway, don't forget about what's happening in Williamsburg. Busch Gardens is open for Spring Break and filled with the best coasters, food, and shows in the state! Busch Gardens is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the beloved children's program by welcoming the Sesame Street Gang for extra fun for the little ones every weekend in April. Shake off the bitter cold of winter this month and throw yourself into a family vacation you'll never forget!

By staying at the Williamsburg KOA, you have easy access to tickets to Busch Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown Settlement, and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown! Select discounted tickets are available. Check out our website for more details on ticket pricing, or stop by the campground General Store.

A Sesame Street Spring at Busch Gardens

As the trees turn green, the flowers bloom, and the birds start singing, the Sesame Street gang is getting ready for a party over at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. In April, visit your favorite Sesame Street characters during Busch Gardens’ Sesame Street Kids Weekends, with a special show, Let’s Play Together!, to celebrate their 50^th Anniversary.

            With over 50 years of experience creating fun and great memories, the Sesame Street gang knows how to have a great time. Enjoy story time on the stoop on 123 Sesame Street every weekend along with visits from some of your favorite characters.

 On April 5^th-7^th, join Rosita for singing and dancing while learning some Spanish along the way! Enjoy fun crafts and activities too all weekend long.

On April 12^th-14^th, let your imagination fly high with a visit from Super Grover! Enjoy exclusive activities like paper bag puppet fun as well as creating some of your own art for the Magic of Art Wall.

On April 19^th-21^st, satisfy your cookie cravings with a visit from the big, blue fur-ball we all know and love, Cookie Monster! Make your own cookies and enjoy a cookie scavenger hunt across the Forest of Fun this weekend and make your wildest cookie dreams a reality!

On April 26^th-28^th, take a trip to Elmo’s World for a visit with everyone’s favorite red monster! Add your personal art creation to the Magic Wall of Art, and enjoy other exclusive activities like card-making and some finger puppet fun.

While the little ones enjoy a Sesame Street celebration, the older kids and adults can still enjoy the best shows, food, and rides that Busch Gardens has to offer. Make sure to check out shows like Oktoberzest and Celtic Fyre and classic rides like the mythical Griffon, along with newer attractions like the VR ride, Battle for Eire.

Be sure to stop by our camp store at the Williamsburg KOA to get your tickets before you head to the park. We have One-Day Tickets for adults and kids for $69.99, Two-Day Tickets for $74.99, and Three-Day Tickets for $84.99! Check out these and other great deals at our camp store.

Happy Labor Day From All of Us at KOA!

Happy Labor Day from the Williamsburg KOA! The first Labor day was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City as a public parade of labor organizations. It was made a public holiday in 30 states over the next 12 years and was recognized as an official federal holiday in 1894 to be celebrated on the first Monday of September. Labor Day is a celebration and dedication to all the American workers and what they have achieved socially and economically through the years.

Come and celebrate this holiday with the Williamsburg KOA. There will be family friendly fun and games and weekend. While you are here you can take trip through the ages at Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Jamestowne, or the Yorktown Victory Center. Colonial Williamsburg offers many interactive demonstrations of historical events and the great food is a bonus. If you are looking for something a little more thrilling, spend the day at Busch Gardens! The roller coasters will leave you breathless and the spectacular shows will have you talking all day.

Celebrate Labor Day with us at the Williamsburg KOA!

Preparing to Camp with your Pets

If there is one human activity dogs were made for it is camping.  All the new smells, long leisurely walks, sitting by the campfire;  but what can be done to best prepare for our dogs?  Keep reading for some ideas to make camping with your dog a great experience for all!

1.  Proper dog walking equipment. This would be a collar/harness and a leash. The leash should ideally be no more than 6 ft,  leave your retractable leash at home for this trip. Due to the close proximity of one camp site to another retractable leashes pose a serious threat to both dog and human. Dogs could run out in front of vehicles, get into altercations with people or other dogs, or wrap the leash around your legs and cause injury.

2. Proof of rabies vaccination.  While you probably won't be required to show this upon check-in, it should be with you. Most campgrounds are located in rural settings and there will most likely be wild animals hanging around the campgrounds. Raccoons, skunks, foxes etc all carry rabies. Save yourself and your pet from expensive quarantine requirements should they become involved in a dog to dog fight, bite a human, or tangle with a wild animal.

3.  Bring some sort of outdoor restraint.  Many people bring portable dog pens, or a "tie-out" that can be attached to something sturdy. This way your dog can hang out with you outside without risk of wandering off. Along this line however, never leave your dog unattended while outside. Most campgrounds specifically address this in their Campground Rules and Regulations. Nuisance barking and temperature related stress for your dog can result from being left alone outside.

4.  Bring along toys/comfort items. Your furry family member may prefer your bed for sleeping, but if not, bring along his/her dog bed. Are you planning on going places your dog would not be welcomed, or would be too stressed to attend? Consider boredom toys. An example of this would be a Kong cone filled with peanut butter and frozen, or a puzzle ball filled with treats. This should keep most dogs happy for quite awhile. You can also inquire about local pet-sitting companies, they will come and walk/play with your dog while you are gone.

5.  Bring the same dog food you usually feed. Now is not the time to try something new, including  treats.  If your dog has never had peanut butter then fill your Kong with familiar treats. And, if you have a dog with a sensitive stomach you might bring a gallon or more of water from home too.  A dog with GI distress can certainly hinder your fun. 

Many RV'rs will tell you they bought their RV specifically to bring their dogs on vacation with them.  But, dogs are not the only animal you may find camping. Cats, especially those trained to walk on a leash, exotic birds such as Parrots or Cockatiels, or leash trained Ferrets have been known to enjoy a weekend of camping. There are campgrounds for equestrians with stalls available.  Whether you have a tent or a state of the art Motor Coach, camping with your furry friend  makes the experience that much more enjoyable for everyone!

Care Camp Weekend Event!

Camping is a great way to relax and unwind from the stresses of everyday life. Children with cancer face stresses and challenges that few of us can imagine, so what better way to relax than a camping trip!

This month, we are celebrating and donating to the KOA Care Camps foundation, a charity created by KOA to take children with cancer camping across the United States. These Care Camps are staffed by volunteers, nurses, and medical personal who create a safe camping environment where the kids can build new friendships, embrace the great outdoors, and spend time making great memories. The full camping experience is also provided free of charge, as the donations and contributions from campgrounds and donors along with the efforts of volunteers cover all of the costs.

The KOA Care Camps not only provide a safe place to camp, they also strive to give kids the best camping experience ever. Activities like kayaking, shaving cream fights, and paint races take place alongside campground classics like telling stories around the campfire and making s'mores. The Care Camps foundation works to make children's wildest camping dreams come true year after year.

On the weekend of May 11-13th, we are giving campers Saturday night for $20, with all of the profits from those Saturday's going straight to Care Camps. All of the proceeds from our Charity Pancake Breakfast on Saturday morning are also going directly to Care Camps. So join us this year in our support for KOA Care Camps and help kids with cancer just be kids for a weekend.

KOA Camping and Social Media: An Experience for All to Share

Camping with us at Williamsburg KOA is more than just a typical camping trip, it's an experience. It's taking your child on their first outdoor excursion and watching their face light up as they toast their first marshmallow. It's celebrating a weekend getaway or anniversary with your significant other within all the beauty of nature and all the comfort of home. It's getting back in touch with your roots whether it be in a rustic cabin or tent, or connecting with the revolutionary and colonial activities in the area. Camping with Williamsburg KOA is bound to create some memories and what better way to help preserve those memories than through the use of technology.

Camping and friendship go together almost as well as chocolate and marshmallows. At KOA, we offer complimentary wi-fi to our campers so that your Facebook friends are able to enjoy your presence while you partake in all the presents nature can give you.

Apps like Instagram and Facebook provide campers with a great and useful space to not only post pictures and memories, but organize, modify, and store them. Social media platforms allow campers a way to access a larger audience and share their camping experience with the world. Whether you want to save your experience with KOA for your own enjoyment or broadcast what a crafty camper you are to the world, doing so through social media is sure to make the memories meaningful and long lasting. These memories are special moments that tell a story, and we encourage you to share your story with us.

Traditionally camping has been a way for family and friends to get away from the daily stresses of modern life, escape from schedules, and connect with one another. Here at the Williamsburg KOA, we have events to entertain the whole family in the hopes to bring families together, and foster new friendships with fellow campers.

Camping with KOA is an experience the whole family can enjoy. Whether you are outdoorsy or indoorsy, we have a list of amenities that is sure to make your stay enjoyable. There are many activities sure to keep the children happy and the parents even happier! Whether you are a camping traditionalist, who enjoys a good campfire story, or a modern day movie-goer, looking to watch a film under the stars, camping with us is sure to be an enjoyable experience, and one worth sharing.