Urban tenting isn’t for everybody, but when your tenting adventures take you to Washington D.C., you must take your RV alongside, as one of many nation’s finest campgrounds supplies an ideal base camp for exploring town. Cherry Hill Park, situated in College Park, Maryland, affords an excellent tenting expertise and easy accessibility to the nation’s capital.
While my household had a prolonged debate whereas selecting our summer time highway journey vacation spot, as soon as we chosen Washington, D.C., we didn’t have a tough time selecting a spot to remain. Cherry Hill Park is a famend tenting vacation spot that guests brag on far and huge. We had been desperate to camp at a park we had already heard a lot about.
Photo: Kerri Cox
When tenting, my household (which incorporates my husband and two younger grownup sons) has three essential necessities: electrical energy, cell service and a secure, clear surroundings. Beyond these, our favourite campgrounds have run the gamut from rustic state parks to over-the-top resorts, as we simply discover issues to get pleasure from about every. Our aim is continually to seek out methods modify our expectations for the kind of park we’re visiting.
After a fast test on the Good Sam web site, it was clear that Cherry Hill Park ought to simply meet our preliminary necessities — and extra with excessive Good Sam rankings on all elements. But wouldn’t it stay as much as our expectations in individual?
Cherry Hill Park Campground Vibe
Upon pulling into Cherry Hill Park, it was clear from the beginning that this park goals to impress. The check-in course of was straightforward, the campground retailer was chock filled with enjoyable stuff, and every part was vibrant and clear. If I needed to choose one phrase for my first impression, it might be “tidy.”
Photo: Kerri Cox
Going deeper into the park whereas heading to our spot, we observed how large the park is; nonetheless, regardless of its dimension, the websites are largely well-spaced. Thanks to a mixture of curves within the highway, plentiful bushes, and colourful landscaping, the websites felt cozy and distinctive, not like the cookie-cutter, sterile websites discovered at some massive resorts.
Cherry Hill’s ambiance jogged my memory of my childhood, rising up in a Seventies suburban subdivision, the place the youngsters performed in one another’s yards till the road lights flickered on at nightfall. In the campground, I noticed children swinging within the playgrounds, dashing via sprinklers on the splash pad, and biking the loops with siblings and buddies, as adults lounged round campfires.
Even with D.C. a brief drive away, it’s clear it is a campground the place households can spend time collectively. While the handy proximity to town and family-friendly surroundings are plusses, they are often drawbacks to some vacationers. Cherry Hill Park is situated simply off some main roadways, so one can find some highway noise. It can be a busy park, with various site visitors.
If you’re searching for solitude and silence, this most likely isn’t the park for you. However, my household hung out exterior, gathered round a campfire with pals we had serendipitously ran into on the park. We didn’t discover the noise or exercise bothersome for our tastes. The bustle was simply what we had been anticipating at this family-friendly campground.
Campsites at Cherry Hill Park
Cherry Hill Park affords a mixture of RV and tent websites, cabins, and glamping lodging. RVers will discover full hookup websites, together with back-in and pull-through choices. Premium websites embody a charcoal grill, a brick patio, additional desk and chairs, and handy areas within the park.
Photo: Kerri Cox
If house and privateness are necessary to you, name forward to see what websites are advisable, as some are smaller and tighter than others. Some are additionally situated close to busy facilities, which is usually a plus if you wish to stroll to them together with your children or a downside for those who choose much less site visitors. With a lot selection within the campground, it’s finest to speak to a park worker to seek out the fitting location for you.
We opted for a back-in premium web site on the sting of the park, figuring this may be a quieter, semi-private location. We appreciated the coral daylilies blooming alongside our terrace. Behind us, dense bushes offered a style of nature, and we may simply hop on one of many park’s trails. Our campsite was fairly charming.
Facilities & Amenities
Cherry Hill Park is chock filled with facilities. While many are objects that may be discovered at resort-level campgrounds throughout the nation, what makes this park particularly distinctive is the way it caters to D.C. vacationers in a number of methods.
Jefferson Memorial in spring. Photo: Kerri Cox
Cherry Hill Park goals to make it straightforward to get essentially the most out of your D.C. go to. The campground affords info classes that present ideas and methods for navigating town and its many points of interest. We determined to take the Metro into town from the close by College Park station.
Cherry Hill Park additionally operates its personal specific bus, which drops riders off close to D.C. points of interest within the morning and supplies return transportation within the night. Or, you possibly can take one of many campground’s guided excursions, with a wide range of sightseeing excursions supplied seasonally.
Photo: Kerri Cox
While you would possibly spend a whole lot of time in D.C. whereas staying at Cherry Hill Park, it’s advisable to additionally plan some downtime within the park. Kids will respect the varied swimming pools, playgrounds, splash pad, recreation room, tractor rides, and miniature golf course. Teens and adults can benefit from the health areas, strolling trails, canine runs, golf cart leases, and onsite cafe (which even affords on-line ordering and campsite supply). Seriously, the record goes on and on!
Photo: Kerri Cox
My household was not solely impressed with the breadth of the facilities and actions, we had been additionally impressed with the standard. Everything is well-maintained and thoughtfully deliberate. We additionally discovered the customer support to be top-notch. This degree of care and consideration is what makes Cherry Hill earn these good critiques that reached our ears lengthy earlier than we started researching our journey plans.
The Bottom Line
Cherry Hill Park clearly caters to D.C. vacationers, however this campground is a vacation spot in its personal proper, particularly for households. This park deserves a go to, whether or not you’re touring the capital metropolis or not.