We are a camping family–especially my husband. Before I met him I had never been camping and I had my initiation by fire on a bike trip we took along the Pacific Coast Highway from Oregon to California. We loaded our gear into saddlebags and pedaled our way south over the course of several days, pitching our tent at a different campground each night. Because we didn’t have a vehicle we were permitted to use the hiker/biker sites at each campground which were often nestled in the woods and much more private. We encountered the same bunch of folks each night and made it as far as Crescent City, California before hopping a bus the rest of the way to San Francisco. It was not a trip for the faint of heart and I’m not going to say that I fell in love with camping during that week because I didn’t.
What I love about camping is being outdoors–the campfire at night, percolating the coffee on the camp stove in the morning and sitting at the picnic table listening to the birds, hiking in the woods and swimming in the pond. What I don’t love about camping is the sheer chore of it all–firing up the camp stove and waiting forever for the water to boil for the pasta, washing the dishes in a dishpan in the cold water of the spigot, arranging and rearranging the food and gear in the trunk of the car, and worst of all, swinging into total survival mode when it rains.
“Glamping,” on the other hand, is my ideal. A combination of two seemingly incompatible words–glamorous and camping–glamping aims to add a bit of luxury to the tradition of roughing it that camping purists seem to enjoy. Glamping is a way to enjoy all the pleasurable aspects of the camping experience without the hard work and hassle. Give me hot and cold running water and a fridge and I’m a happy camper. Add a small stove, a real roof, and a comfy bed and I’m in heaven.
Enter the Sea Pirate Campground in Tuckerton, New Jersey on Jersey’s famed shore. Located just 11-miles from the beautiful beaches of Long Beach Island, the Sea Pirate Campground is a perfect place to call home while exploring the region. Owned and operated by the friendly Benn Family for 40-years, the campground’s 300+ acres offers myriad accommodation options, as well as some great family activities including crabbing, kayaking, fishing, arts and crafts, two playgrounds, a fantastic pool and special events throughout the season.
I was recently invited to spend a weekend at the Sea Pirate Campground while visiting Tuckerton for the annual Privateers and Pirates Festival at the nearby Tuckerton Seaport. Initially I thought that we were going to be staying in one of the campground’s “barebones” cabins which offers a small refrigerator and electricity (including air conditioning) but no bathroom or running water and I came prepared for a relatively labor-intensive camping experience. My husband was unable to join my girls and I so I loaded my trunk with all the gear we bring when we tent-camp, ready to forge ahead on my own. I have to admit that despite my decent skills in outdoorsmanship, I was relieved pleasantly surprised to learn upon our arrival that we’d been assigned a deluxe cabin instead.
Our Little Cabin
My girls were delighted when they saw our cabin, but sad that their middle sister wasn’t with us for the weekend as she had something to do at home with dad. Our middle daughter has an obsession with cute, little houses and her sisters knew how much she would have loved this charming cabin with it’s sweet porch and cozy interior.
The first thing I noticed when we went inside was that the cabin was spotlessly clean–a detail upon which the Benn Family prides itself. The two room cabin sleeps up to six people in a double futon and twin bunk beds in the main room and another double bed in a private bedroom in the back. In between is a small kitchen with a full-sized refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker and a full bathroom with a bathtub (an important detail for families with babies and toddlers). The girls immediately claimed their bunks and began unpacking their things and making their beds (linens can be rented for a fee), which had thick, comfortable mattresses. I unloaded our cooler into the fridge, brought in the rest of the bags and unpacked our groceries. Another big plus was the amount of storage space in the cabin. At full capacity, six people have a lot of stuff. There is a wardrobe in the front room, plenty of cabinet space in the kitchen, and a chest of drawers and large closet in the back bedroom–tons of space to stow gear and bags so you’re not tripping over everything!
S’mores Under the Stars
Something very important to know is that you should never transport firewood more than 10-miles from its point of origin. This protects forests from infestations of invasive pests or pathogens that could be brought in from elsewhere. The Sea Pirate Campground has a well-stocked camp store with plenty of firewood for purchase. Firewood is also delivered around the campground a couple of times each day. Each campsite, cabins included, is equipped with a charcoal grill, fire ring and picnic table and there is nothing like getting cozy around the campfire each night. Nine of the campground’s deluxe cabins are located in one small area of the campground making these a great location for a group of families vacationing together. My friend Fadra’s family was in a pet-friendly cabin at the end of the loop as they had their doggy Leo with them and the kids were able to run back and fourth between our cabins over the course of the weekend. I could definitely see staying here with a bunch of friends.
After several melty, roasted marshmallows my girls headed inside to tuck themselves into their bunks with their books while I sat outside chatting by the fire a while longer. When I went inside to check on them they were each snuggled into their beds as comfortable as if we’d been at home.
The next morning I was able to easily fire up some french toast and scrambled eggs in the cabin’s little kitchen–something that would have been a challenging feat to have done over the fire, grill or camp stove–and we ate breakfast in the warm sun at our picnic table.
A Tour of the Campground
On Sunday morning before we left, we were treated to a tour of the entire campground by Matt Benn, the son of the owner Pat. Matt took my girls and I all over the campground in one of the campground’s golf carts (available to rent while you’re staying on property). We were able to check out each of the different types of cabins and cottages, see some of the beautiful, wooded tent sites, and visit the “crick” that can reached by a short hike on a path at the back of the campground.
Matt gave us some campground history while he drove us around the property, stopping numerous times to pick up even the smallest scrap of litter that appeared in our path. The campground offers myriad accommodation options ranging from traditional bare sites for tents and RVs (several with full hook ups) to one and two room “barebones” cabins, deluxe cabins (like ours), and large family cottages. Another section of the campground is home to permanent trailers that the campground rents seasonally and many families return to “their” site year after year.
Matt brought us into several cabins and cottages and proudly showed us one of the newest cottages that had just been completed. The cottages are all quite spacious with two private bedrooms, a full-sized futon, dining table, full kitchen and comfortable screened-in porches to keep the mosquitoes and gnats from spoiling your dinner. About 75-acres of the campground’s land contains campsites while the remaining acreage is woods, marsh, and creek. The family hopes to build an additional 50 sites and cabins in the near future.
Activities Abound!
There is plenty of fun to be had for families right at the campground. Guests can rent kayaks, which are delivered to the creek by campground staff, and paddle out to Barnegat Bay for a real boating adventure or spend time lounging by the pool. The wide, flat loops around the campground are a perfect place for kids to ride their bikes and most will love spending some time fishing in the little pond that is kept stocked for catch and release. And if you’re looking for some time on the beach, family-friendly Long Beach Island is about a 15-20 minute drive. For a bit more glitz, Seaside Heights and Atlantic City are about 30-miles north and south.
All in all we really enjoyed our weekend at the Sea Pirate Campground. For families who enjoy camping in any configuration this clean, family (and pet!) friendly destination is a great spot!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Tuckerton Seaport. My girls and I were guests of the Sea Pirate Campground for the weekend. This program is in partnership with Real Mom Media (www.RealMomMedia.com). As always, all opinions are my very own!
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