Where to Find a Great Family Vacation Spot in Lancaster, PA

This has been our best family vacation summer yet! We spent last weekend without tv, without tablets, and without anything else that started with a lowercase i in front of it (except my phone because I was using it as a camera to capture our memories). Remember when I told you about the Encore resort where we stayed in Florida? The same company reached out to our family and told us about another resort they have just 45 minutes from our house! This time we had the chance to stay in a the charming Country House at the Spring Gulch resort in New Holland, which is in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country in Lancaster area. So, of course I jumped at the chance to see this awesome vacation spot so close to home. Thank you to Encore for working with me once again!

Spring Gulch is a family resort that offers spots for camping in tents or RVs, cabin or chalet rentals, and a few rental homes as well. We were taking five kids and a few adults along with us, so we decided to stay in the Country House. It was a perfect choice for our family. This is a four-bedroom house that sleeps up to 12. There were 2 single beds and 5 double beds throughout the house. It also had two bathrooms, a living room, and a full kitchen.

What we loved most about this house was it’s central location on the resort. The playground was literally next door, so we could sit on the porch and keep an eye on the kids as they played. The swimming pond with a small beach was located directly behind us, and the fishing pond, pool and basketball court were all just a very short walk away.

The kids loved having an unplugged, structure-free long weekend. They were able to have a lot of freedom and independence and spend almost the entire weekend outside. It reminded me a lot of the vacation home my grandmother’s family used to keep. We spent time fishing and visiting the pool, and we taught the kids several different card games. Since we’ve been home, the girls have brought a piece of our vacation home and continued to play with that same deck of cards.

We spent most of our time outside in bathing suits.

There were also a picnic table and a fire pit in the front yard of our house. The kids liked making s’mores every day.

The house itself was quaint and cozy place that reminded me of my great-grandmother’s home. I used to stay with her when I was home sick from school. The country house was very similar. There was nothing extravagant, but it had everything we needed.

Truth be told, we didn’t spend a lot of time in the house itself. And I loved that about Spring Gulch! There was so much to do, the kids never got bored, but even so it still felt like a laid-back weekend with lots of quality family time. We were always running from the pond to the pool or to the general store for ice cream.

Some things to know if you are thinking about a Spring Gulch vacation:

This is a campground and RV resort with awesome amenities and family-friendly activities. The pool, ponds, and lots of activities on site are included in your rental fee. You will need to supply your own bed linens, sheets and towels, food, toiletries, etc. There is a small country store on-site where you can purchase anything you forgot, and it is just a few minutes away by car if you need to run to the store or go to a restaurant.

A few things, like mini golf, do require an additional small fee.

We stayed on-site the entire three days we were there. The only time we spent any additional money was the one time we bought the kids ice cream. There is a calendar of family-friendly activities that changes pretty frequently. We were there for a pirate-themed weekend, so there were some pirate-themed activities for kids and a barn dance on Saturday night. Our kids range in ages from 6-11. There was plenty to do for all of them!

The whole family had an amazing time. The kids are already talking about making it a tradition and going back next year.

If you are thinking about booking a weekend in the Lancaster area, head over to the RV on The GO website to learn more about the Spring Gulch property, or search to find a site near you.