I’ve always wanted to take my family out to a cabin and this past Memorial Day weekend I finally got to fulfill that wish. Thanks to the folks at Trekaroo and Kampgrounds of America, we had a taste of tiny house living at our local KOA.

Unfamiliar with KOA Kampgrounds or camping in general, we made sure to pack all of our essentials plus linens (this includes pillows, y’all), towels, and food. Since we planned on doing some grilling, I came up with a camp friendly spread of our favorites. The afternoon before taking off, I prepared all of our food, lightly cooking and foil wrapping everything to be grilled the next day.

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When we arrived at our KOA, we were greeted by a friendly staff member and directed to our deluxe cabin where we observed our surroundings and dropped our bags. Now, my primary reason for wanting to retreat to a cabin was to have some private family time and focus on my desire for simpler living. So imagine my introverted distress when realizing how close the cabins and campsites were in proximity to each other (more on that here). The boys were super excited to be in such a magical place, so I had to trek along and keep it moving.

We stopped by the general store to pick up our keys and park pamphlet. The owner and staff were very welcoming and hospitable. On our way back to our cabin, we stopped at the playground where the boys burned a little energy before dinner. Once back at our cabin, we settled in and prepared for the day ahead. We made a little fort for the boys from the bottom bunk… for them to chill out with their tablets until bedtime. No shame.

Greg and I woke up fairly early the next morning and had a chance to function before being bombarded with requests. I decided to take advantage of the complimentary coffee in our cabin so that I could properly adult. We noticed that the park actually started clearing out as the day progressed. I may have done a slight jig of glee. I used that as an opportunity to take some photos around our cabin. While out, our neighbor in the next cabin over offered to take our family photo if I took one of hers. We were both armed with Canons so it was a smooth transaction.

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After our mini photo session, I got started on the grill. Greg took the boys on the trail and kept them occupied with the frisbee until it found its way up into a tree. Luckily, it stormed later in the day, releasing it from tree captivity. The time spent during our second day at the cabin really inspired us to seek more destinations with cabins available and to also look into acquiring a tiny house we can tow during road trips. Usually I’m the one with these crazy ideas, but Greg was totally on board and making suggestions. Sometimes it takes an actual experience to ignite a passion.

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After lunch, we headed over to the playground. We spent quite a while on the swings and Jax claimed the Kids Kabins. We will definitely be building a Kids Kabin or two of our own once we purchase a home. How could we not? They are SO stinkin’ CUTE. On our way back to our cabin we paid a visit to the resident Donkey, Jenny. The boys were no longer amused once they learned they couldn’t feed her. Within thirty minutes of returning to our cabin, Jax helped himself to a nap. He was ‘wo out… we all were. That meant early bedtimes for all of us and another early morning to pack up and get in our last hurrahs.

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We spent our last few hours at the cabin packing up and preparing to head home. We didn’t get a chance to hit the pool before checkout, but the staff was kind enough to let us spend a few minutes for a quick dip. I honestly just wanted photos to share with you all. Blogger life. It started pouring as we made our way to the pool, but I managed to salvage a few decent shots from a series of awkward outtakes.

It was hard handing over the key to our cabin. Our weekend at Kampgrounds of America was one to remember and the start of a yearly tradition. We’ll definitely be back.

Win a KOA camping trip!

Have you ever wondered what’s behind the yellow sign? The folks at Kampgrounds of America are giving away camping trips good at any KOA Kampground! Enter to win over at Trekaroo!

Grand Prize: 3 complimentary KOA Camping Vouchers good for one night apiece; including Deluxe Cabins, at any KOA campground in North America. $500 prize value.

Smaller Prizes: 2 complimentary KOA Camping Vouchers good for one night apiece; including Deluxe Cabins, at any KOA campground in North America. $300 prize value

This post was in partnership with Trekaroo. We received complimentary lodging in order to share our KOA experience.