Tots in Tents

Camping locations are primarily state parks within 1-3 hours of Durham, North Carolina in the spring, summer, and fall.

Tots in Tents is generally aimed towards families with children age 0-8 but can be enjoyable for kids of any age. A variety of group activities are planned with all ages and abilities in mind. This is a wonderful opportunity for both experienced and novice campers. We particularly love having first time campers join us!

Make sure to check each trip’s description carefully for exact length/timing. But generally speaking we camp from Friday late afternoon until Sunday mid-morning. We highly recommend camping two nights, even for first-timers, but you are also welcome to join Saturday morning and only camp for one night. And because you will be on your own campsite, you can also come earlier or stay later (with appropriate reservations).

You will need to reserve and pay for your own campsite via the state park, which typically costs $30/night. Other costs associated with camping (gear, food, etc) are also the responsibility of the each family. (One this to keep in mind is that most of the campsites can accomodate 2 tents with up to 6 people and 2 vehicles. So if you have a family you’d like to camp with, you can split the campsite cost!).

Because we want to keep things as accessible as possible, participating our Tots in Tents activities (hikes, campfire/marshmallows, story time, etc) are free of charge. We welcome contributions of any amount to help offset the costs of each trip. Your contributions also support the time and effort that goes into planning and leading trips.

No! With our new logistics model, there are opportunities for families to pick what suits them best. Check each individual event description for information on what types of equipment can be accomdoated in each campground. Generally speaking most of our events are held at campgrounds that have a blend of tent sites and RV/pop up camper sites. A few even have small camper cabins (though these are usually in a separate loop, it would still be walkable to our centeral gathering site).

While Parenting Off The Beaten Path doesn’t maintain an inventory of loaner items at this time, we do have an informal gear loaning google spreadsheet that we maintain with folks who are willing to lend certain items to families who are registered. Get in touch with us with plenty of lead time and we can see how we can help connect you. We can also advise some other less expensive purchase or rental options in our area.

The number one thing we hear from families who want to take their kids camping but haven’t yet is that they would feel more confident if they knew some other people who could camp with them. That is why Tots in Tents was created!