Fireworks bursting in the sky on the Fourth of July; gathering around together for a Thanksgiving feast cooked over the campfire; bright bulbs hung on the tree at Christmas Time—you can celebrate all these exciting holiday traditions, and more, in your RV! Whether you’re visiting a campsite with a large motorhome or a small camper, you can make the most out of the festivities with your family, friends, and fellow RVers by planning ahead of time. RV Trader is sharing more on how to celebrate holidays at an RV campground.
Holiday Celebration Ideas to Try while Staying at an RV Campground
- New Year’s Eve
Follow our list of new year’s resolutions for RVers and ring in the new year with your vehicle at a campground celebration. Decorate your RV with streamers, get out your noisemakers, and put up string lights around your vehicle—if you’re sharing a campsite with friendly RV neighbors, you can even hang up the lights between your vehicles. Host a potluck with food and drinks, and check if your campground is hosting a pavilion party or fireworks show. Play games with friends and family such as cards, board games, or cornhole. Make a campfire to stay warm, just be sure to practice fire safety and follow set procedures at the campground. When the countdown begins before midnight, be sure to be considerate of others nearby at your campground and keep the noise down as you celebrate. After the festivities wind down, remember to be green and clean up any trash for a clean start to the new year.
- Valentine’s Day
Leave room for romance in your RV this Valentine’s Day by planning a special occasion at the campground with your significant other. Start by choosing a campground destination with beautiful scenery. Consider campgrounds near the beach, mountains, lakes, woods, a vineyard, a spa, or a charming small town. Bring your hiking gear in your vehicle and do some outdoor activities while you take in the view together. Follow tips for turning your RV into a romantic getaway, and surprise your loved one by setting out roses or flowers along with custom Photo Tiles in your vehicle. Cook a meal, make a charcuterie board, and put on a playlist with your loved one’s favorite music to help set the mood. You could also enjoy a movie night, make s’mores together over a campfire, or gaze at the stars in the night sky.
- Fourth of July
Celebrate the nation’s birthday by planning an excursion to a campground at one of the top fourth of July RV destinations. Spend Independence Day outdoors with family and friends as you serve up hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue, apple pie, and ice cream. Check with your campground on their specific rules for cooking out, and confirm if they have grills, charcoal, wood, or propane tanks. If you’re looking to spend time outdoors during the summer holiday, take a hike or bike ride near your campground, relax on the beach, go for a swim, and go boating or fishing. You can also check if your campsite has any recreational facilities to play team sports like baseball, softball, kickball, volleyball, or soccer. Go out with a bang and see a fireworks show, remembering to always practice fire safety and keep your distance from the fireworks.
- Halloween
For frightening fun with your RV, plan to stay at a campground near a spooky town that goes all out for Halloween. Look for graveyards, haunted houses, and ghost tours, or family-friendly activities with fall festivals, hayrides, and pumpkin picking. If you dare, take a detour down the most haunted roads in America on your next RV trip to your camping destination. Decorate your vehicle and the trees at your campsite with cobwebs and spiders, bats, ghosts, and skeletons, tombstones, and lights. Put on a creepy costume and have a contest with other RVers, and then go trick-or-treating around the campsite with your little ones. Get in on the activities with pumpkin carving, face painting, and creating crafts. Have a scavenger hunt in the woods, and tell ghost stories with flashlights, or by the campfire.
- Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is about getting together with those you care about and appreciating what you have. An RV campground is a great way to celebrate the holiday with a community of fellow RVers, all while enjoying fall colors in the great outdoors. Learn how to cook Thanksgiving dinner on a campfire, or in your RV by planning ahead, gathering your cooking and food supplies, and knowing what options you have for cooking in your vehicle. Check with your fellow RVers if they can bring sides and a dessert for a feast together. Or, you can order a meal kit, consider catering, cook ahead of time and then reheat your food, and save leftovers. If it’s nice out, go for a picnic at the RV park, and toss the pigskin around with your friends and family.
- Christmas
Bundle up and visit a winter wonderland during the Christmas season and stay at a snowy RV campground. Celebrate Christmas by decorating your RV with lights, a wreath, candy canes, stockings, or a small tree in your vehicle. You could also, with permission, put up lights and ornaments on a tree nearby at your campsite. Enjoy hot cocoa and treats by the campfire while listening to your favorite holiday tunes or host a Christmas party with other RVers at the campground. Don’t forget to check if your park may have a grand illumination with a Christmas tree or other building. White elephant gift exchanges, caroling or karaoke, wrapping presents, building gingerbread houses, wearing quirky Christmas sweaters, or swapping Christmas cards with your fellow campers are all festive ways to enjoy the holiday at a campsite.
Bonus: National Park Holidays
America’s National Parks invite RVers to explore and appreciate nature with outdoor recreation and campsites. Throughout the year, you’ll find free entry to National Parks on holidays, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day, National Park Week, the Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, National Public Lands Day, and Veterans Day. Plus, in August every year, the National Park Service Founders Day celebrates the establishment and preservation of the National Parks System. See which parks allow RVs at their campgrounds, what reservations are required, and what hookups and amenities they have so you can join in on the celebrations.
Get the most out of your RV and the holidays by celebrating at campgrounds throughout the year. If you’re ready to purchase your next new or used RV, be sure to see all the listings on the nation’s leading online marketplace, RVTrader.com.
