Jump to a Section:
- How We Picked the Campground
- Top Family Campgrounds Near Atlanta
- Our Tent Setup
- Our Camp Cooking Gear + Menu
- Easter Weekend Traditions
- Kid-Friendly Campground Activities
- Final Thoughts on Camping in Georgia with Kids
- Download an Editable, Printable Packing Checklist for Camping with Kids
🏕️ Camping in Georgia with Kids: Why We Love It
There’s something magical about spring camping in Georgia—mild weather, blooming trees, and the thrill of sleeping outside again after winter. For our family, Easter weekend has become the kickoff to camping season. This year, we packed the van, brought the kids, and met up with my dad and his dog at Sweetwater Campground on Lake Allatoona.
How We Picked the Campground
We used the Live Bold AI Trip Planner (yes, the one we built!) to help narrow down options based on what matters most to our family:
- Within 1 hour of Atlanta
- Separate tent and RV areas
- Walk-in sites are a bonus
- Dog friendly
- Kayak access nearby
My exact prompt:
Help me find a few options for camping within an hour of Atlanta. I want a campground where there are tent sites that are separate from RV sites, and don’t mind a bit of a walk from the parking lot. We have two tents, a dog, and a place to put in our kayaks would be nice.Sweetwater hit the mark—and since we’ve also enjoyed Victoria Campground, we knew this area is perfect for camping with kids in North Georgia.
Since it was Easter weekend, it was definitely crowded, but we made the most of it and spent time together outside, which was the main goal. Skip below to read more about our weekend; stay here for a few options for camping in North Georgia/North Atlanta area with kids.
📍 Top Family Campgrounds Near Atlanta
If you’re looking for campgrounds in Georgia that work well with kids, check out these options:
1. Sweetwater Campground (Lake Allatoona)
Shady tent loops, lots of beach access (groomed and non). There’s a playground, boat launch areas for all different types of boats, and plenty of campground kids running around to entertain each other.
2. Red Top Mountain State Park
Great hiking trails and lake access; a favorite for active families.
3. Victoria Campground
Flat, shaded tent sites close to the lake and restrooms. Nice little playground next to the beach as well
4. Lake Blue Ridge Recreation Area
A little farther north, but peaceful and perfect for paddling. Great walk-in sites at the end of the loop, fairly quite for a popular park.
5. Fort Mountain State Park
Wooded mountain setting with trails and beautiful views.
Our Tent Setup
This trip was all about comfort. We brought:
- REI Base Campe 6-person tent – tall enough to stand in (so nice for getting dressed, or rocking a baby.)
- Exped Megamat Duo + Single – this gives us no gaps between us and Remi for when she’s rolling around or wants to climb between us.
- Toddler air mattress with bumpers for Arlo (our first trip without the travel cot!)
We skipped our ultralight gear for this one – stay tuned for another post!
🔥 Our Camp Cooking Gear + Menu
Cooking is our favorite part of camping. We have a cast-iron lovers dream setup – dutch oven, skillet, hanging tripod, waffle iron, sandwich press. We also bring our Coleman propane stove with some regular camping pots and pans, which make quick things like scrambled eggs and water for French press coffee easier.
Weekend Menu:
- Arrival happy hour with cheese, salami, and crackers
- Dinner – spaghetti bolonese in the dutch oven
- Breakfast – eggs, bacon, sausage and toast, coffee, orange juice
- Lunch – leftover spaghetti
- Snack – ham and cheese (planned for lunch sandwiches, but had a lot of leftovers!)
- Dinner – Burgers over the fire using the grill mat, chips and fruit
- S’mores for dessert
- Breakfast – waffles with the cast iron waffle maker
This kind of cooking is half the fun of family camping in Georgia.
Easter Weekend Traditions
This is the third year in a row we’ve camped on Easter weekend, and its one of our favorite family traditions. The weather is just right for camping in Georgia, before it gets too hot, and an extra day off is just enough for it to feel more relaxing with plenty of time to setup on Friday.
We brought along Easter baskets for the kids and eggs to hide on Saturday after they fall asleep, and waking up to find out that the Easter bunny found our campsite (again!) is magical. Note: don’t put unwrapped candy in plastic eggs, they are not ant proof.
The weather this time of year is perfect for camping in the Southeast, and the long weekend gives us enough time to truly settle in.
Kid-Friendly Campground Activities
Sweetwater Campground has a few simple features our kids loved:
- A sandy swimming beach, with a nearby playground
- Lots of quite paved areas for kids to ride around on scooters and bikes.
- My dad brought two kayaks that we took turns on – Remi loved paddling with Grandpa and Arlo did good for his 1-year-old attention span
- A mucky, muddy beach they actually preferred to play and dig in
- Remi’s kids’ fishing pole (with cold ham as bait!) – We didn’t catch any fish, but we did surprisingly get a few bites and could see them nibbling the pieces floating in the water, so it kept her attention, and even had Arlo interested for a good hour or more!
It reminded us that camping with toddlers in Georgia doesn’t need to be fancy. Just being outside is enough.
🌄 Final Thoughts on Camping in Georgia with Kids
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of taking kids camping, start with a local weekend trip. Look for:
- Short drive times (less than 90 minutes)
- Campgrounds with both amenities and nature
- A few comforts from home (a good tent setup goes a long way)
Spring in Georgia is the perfect time to try it out—and Sweetwater Campground might just be your new favorite spot too.
Download a Printable Checklist for Packing for Camping with Kids
Want to make sure you don’t forget a thing on your next trip? I pulled together a printable family camping checklist based on everything we packed for this trip—including our favorite comfort items, gear for cooking with kids, and easy-to-miss essentials (like a tablecloth and toddler bed). Whether you’re new to camping with kids or just want to stay organized, you can download the checklist here and keep it handy for your next outdoor adventure.
This will open as a Canva link, which you can edit with a free account if you want to customize, or just download as it and fill in the blanks after printing!
