The RV Atlas Blog

Thoughts on camping, parenting, and travel.

15 Aug
When Base Camp Feels Like Home (Brattleboro North KOA)

When Base Camp Feels Like Home (Brattleboro North KOA)

As we packed up the camper on the last day of our stay at the Brattleboro North KOA my mother-in-law mentioned that the campground had started to feel like home.  I agreed wholeheartedly.  This southern Vermont gem is possibly the best managed family campground that we have ever visited.  Ernie, Beverly, and their son Justin made us feel comfortable and welcome on a daily basis.  They are big-hearted people that are lucky enough to love what they are doing.  They also seemed to be having just as much fun as we were during kid-friendly... Read More
13 Aug
A Rainy Day in Vermont and a Glass Factory: Our Family-Style Anniversary

A Rainy Day in Vermont and a Glass Factory: Our Family-Style Anniversary

It rained from dawn to dusk today on our 13th wedding anniversary, but I’m pretty sure we managed to make it as romantic as possible with my lovely mother and three kids in tow. The Simon Pearce Glass Factory in Quechee is just simply a beautiful place, and even though the price tags on their items are too rich for our blood, the views (and glass factory tour) are free. We got to watch from just a few feet away while the craftsmen created vases and bowls and glass pumpkins. Jeremy seems to have developed a bit of a man-crush, but I am... Read More
13 Aug
More Food, and the Best Kind (eating in Brattleboro, cont.)

More Food, and the Best Kind (eating in Brattleboro, cont.)

Walker Farm, an organic farm and market was just next door to our campground outside of Brattleboro. My mother and I regretted bringing any food whatsoever from New Jersey once we stumbled into this place. We tried to restrain ourselves from buying one of everything. Instead we left with a random assortment including corn picked that morning, a melon, a cucumber, two raspberry cookies, and some local goat cheese. The real find ended up being some Beer Bratwurst from Green Mountain Smokehouse. The next night we had the brats loaded up with... Read More
12 Aug
Mocha Joe’s, Brattleboro (Make Sure to Bring Cash If You Go!)

Mocha Joe’s, Brattleboro (Make Sure to Bring Cash If You Go!)

My mother had kindly and sweetly bought us two pounds of Guatemalan coffee from Rook as a gift for our road trip to Vermont.  So there was absolutely no practical reason to head to Mocha Joe’s in downtown Brattleboro at 6:45 am to load up with more good coffee.  But road trips to Vermont with our lively little campers have nothing to do with practicality.  So I loaded Theo and Max up into the truck, very much against their will, and turned left out of the Brattleboro North KOA onto Route 5 South and headed into town. The boys were... Read More
12 Aug
Eating Our Way Through Brattleboro, Vermont

Eating Our Way Through Brattleboro, Vermont

We are basically eating and drinking our way through Vermont, and that was just not the plan at all. When we started to travel with infants four years ago, we gave up all of the nice restaurants and upscale wineries and fancy cheese shops. Those days will return, no doubt, and I will once again have amazing paella while gazing out at the water in Newport Beach, Rhode Island. But for now, I religiously pack the pantry with all of our staples like oatmeal and tuna fish. Then I meal plan for all of our dinners because the last thing anyone wants... Read More
02 Aug
Luray KOA: Neat and Tidy, Meet Your Match

Luray KOA: Neat and Tidy, Meet Your Match

When my husband suggested that we break up the drive from Asheville to New Jersey by stopping in Luray, I was less than supportive. I barely had clean clothes left. There was nothing but crumbs in the pantry. I was ready for home. But pushing Wes past six hours is, at this point, a self-defeating proposition, so I agreed to a couple of nights at the Luray KOA right outside of Shenandoah National Park. And my husband was, as he so often is, pushy yet right. My first comment about the campground was “Wow, this entrance is small.” I... Read More
28 Aug
Campground Review: Branches of Niagara, Grand Island

Campground Review: Branches of Niagara, Grand Island

Three generations of my family recently enjoyed an action packed, two week RV trip through upstate New York.  We kayaked and swam in the Finger Lakes, hiked past 19 waterfalls along the gorge path at Watkins Glen State Park, cliff jumped into a crystal-clear swimming hole near Buttermilk Falls, felt the rush of cool mist blowing off of Niagara Falls, and toured lighthouses and ate like kings and queens in Woodstock and Saugerties. The highlight of our trip, though, may have been the time we spent at one of America’s most exciting new... Read More

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