A 2-Day Family Camping Itinerary

A 2-Day Family Camping Itinerary at Hickory Hill

Some family trips start with a long list of places to be and times to keep. The best camping weekends usually work a little differently. You unpack once, let the kids find their favorite corner of the campground, and give the whole family enough room to make the weekend their own.

That is the beauty of a Hickory Hill weekend. You can fill the day with pools, mini golf, the jumping pillow, playground time and a campfire, but you do not have to schedule every minute. The campground gives you a comfortable home base in Bath, New York, with easy access to the Finger Lakes when you want a little adventure off property.

Use this itinerary as a starting point for a family camping weekend. Then leave a little space for the moments nobody plans, the extra lap around the campground, the second round of mini golf, the kid who suddenly becomes the keeper of the campfire stories.

Day 1: Arrive, settle in and let the weekend begin

Try to arrive with your first evening in mind. Campsite and rental check-in begins at 3pm, so a relaxed arrival plan usually works better than trying to squeeze in a full day of activity before you have even unpacked. Once you get to your site or rental, give everyone a small job: unfold chairs, find the flashlights, set up the picnic table, or walk the dog before dinner.

Families staying in an RV site can use the first hour to get settled and check the site details for hookups and features. Families in a cabin, cottage or lodge should make beds right away, since linens, pillows and towels are not provided in rental units. It is much easier to do that while everyone still has daylight and energy.

First stop: a campground walk

Before dinner, take an easy walk through the resort. Point out the places your family will probably use most, such as the pools and spray park in season, the playgrounds, mini golf, the jumping pillow, the camp store and the dog park. This little walk does more than help everyone get oriented. For kids, it turns the campground into a map of possibilities.

If you are visiting during a themed weekend, check the activity schedule during your stay. Planned activities and times may change with weather, staffing and the season, so the current schedule is always the best guide.

Dinner should be simple

The first night is not the time to prove anything. Keep dinner easy: grilled hot dogs, foil packets, sandwiches, pasta salad, or anything your family can eat without turning the campsite into a full kitchen. If you forgot a small essential, the camp store can help with many of those classic camping-trip misses.

After dinner, let the evening slow itself down. A short round of mini golf, a little playground time, a walk to see the sunset, then back to the fire pit. This is where the weekend starts to feel like a memory in the making.

Day 2: Make it a true Hickory Hill day

The second day is the one to enjoy the campground at full speed, or at half speed, depending on your family. Start with an easy breakfast at your site or rental. Pancakes, bagels, cereal and fruit all work well because nobody has to think too hard before coffee.

Morning: play before the heat of the day

Use the morning for the activities that burn off energy. The jumping pillow is a favorite for kids and is open during store hours, weather permitting. Mini golf is another good morning choice because it works for mixed ages. Younger kids get to play, older kids get just competitive enough, and adults can participate without needing sneakers and a stopwatch.

If your family likes quieter mornings, trade the activity rush for a walk on the hiking trails or a slow loop around the campground with the dog. Hickory Hill has a large dog park and doggie stations throughout the park, which makes bringing the family pup feel more manageable.

Midday: pool time, lunch and a reset

From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, the pools and splash park are a natural centerpiece of the day. They are open daily during posted seasonal hours, with no lifeguard on duty, so families should plan to supervise closely and take breaks as needed.

Build a lunch plan around convenience. Eat at the site, head back to the rental kitchen if you are staying in a cottage or lodge, or keep a cooler stocked with easy favorites. A midday reset matters. It keeps the afternoon from turning into the overtired part of vacation that nobody writes about in the scrapbook.

Afternoon: choose one bigger moment

This is a good time to pick one thing rather than five. Maybe it is another swim. Maybe it is a round of 18-hole mini golf. Maybe it is a wagon ride if one is scheduled. Maybe it is a short drive toward Hammondsport or Keuka Lake, then back to the campground before dinner.

The goal is not to do everything. It is to give the day a shape. One bigger moment is usually enough, especially when the kids still want room for the small things, snacks, bikes, playground friends, and a few more bounces before bedtime.

Evening: campfire, stories and the good kind of tired

The second night is when the campground rhythm usually settles in. Dinner feels easier. Everyone knows where the flashlights are. The kids have a favorite place to go. The adults have figured out which chair is theirs.

Plan a campfire night if weather and current fire guidelines allow. Keep dessert simple and let the evening stretch a little. The best family camping memories are often not the biggest events of the weekend. They are the jokes that get repeated, the marshmallow that goes wrong, the grandparent telling the same story one more time because this is exactly the place for it.

Rainy day swap: keep the weekend moving

Rain does not have to ruin the trip. Hickory Hill is close enough to Corning for a museum day, and the Corning Museum of Glass is one of the best rainy-day options in the region. You can also keep the day smaller with board games, a trip to the camp store, a quiet meal in a rental, or a drive to Hammondsport if the weather is passing through.

Pack one small rainy-day bag before you leave home. Cards, coloring books, a puzzle, dry socks and a movie option for the evening can turn a gray day into a cozy one.

Before you book

Hickory Hill offers RV sites, tent sites, cabins, cottages and lodges, so the best family itinerary starts by choosing the stay style that fits your crew. If you want more outdoor living space, look closely at RV site categories. If you want a private bathroom and a place to sleep without bringing an RV, compare cabins, cottages and lodges. Site features and sleeping capacity can vary by individual site or unit, so the booking map is the best place to confirm details.

Ready to make your own Hickory Hill weekend? Check availability and pick your dates.