Being frequent visitors of the park, our friends have learned that just about every weekend in the summer gets fully booked.  It is a must that you make reservations early if you want a particular site or if you wish to be grouped with your family and friends.  Reservations can be made one year in advance if you plan on staying a week or more.  If you plan on staying less than a week, reservations can be made starting in January.  I was very thankful for the tip to make early reservations.  I made our reservation on Jan 16 for a weekend in August and we got the only available full hook-up site! 

We arrived on a Thursday afternoon for a 3 night stay.  We were on site #648, a full hook-up site.  It was also a pull-thru site and we maneuvered the trailer in very easily.  We enjoyed a large paved patio area with a picnic table.  Each site has a bonfire ring.  Our friends were grouped together on sites #330-333, water and electric only sites.  Because their four sites were adjacent, they shared a large grassy area where all the families could gather and enjoy a bonfire and meals together. 

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The resort is next to Interstate 80 and our site was 2 spots off the road closest to the Interstate.  This was not a heavily wooded or secluded park so the freeway noise was to be expected but we didn’t let it bother us too much.    The campground was pretty noisy anyway (in a good way!) from all the people and bustling activity.  In the evening, it helped that we had our air conditioner running and earplugs in to drown out the freeway noise while we slept.  Quiet hours were enforced by the management and campers were respectful of the policy.

I usually call ahead when visiting a campground to find out what the roads and pathways are constructed of.  I was happy to learn that the entire park was paved asphalt and mostly level.  We used Caitlin’s WIKE trailer as her main mode of transportation.  We rolled her effortlessly around the campground and I believe wheelchairs and transport chairs could roll just as easily.  However, the park is HUGE and getting from our site to our friend’s site and other attractions was quite a long walk and could be tiring for people like Caitlin that have limited mobility and stamina.  It was common for campers to drive to their destination within the park to drop off people and items.  There is limited parking near the attractions and amenities.  Many people traveled around the park on pretty much anything that had wheels….bikes, scooters, wagons, strollers and golf carts were the most popular ways of getting around. 

The variety of things to do was endless!  There was something of interest for everyone in our party.  The attractions we participated in were accessible for people with disabilities.  The entryways were flush to the ground so entering and exiting was not an issue.  The buildings and areas were spacious which made it pretty easy to maneuver around given the large number of people at the park. 
There is so much to see and do that I’m only able to comment on some of the attractions and activities.  I guess we will have to make another visit to check out what we missed!  Here are our experiences with the attractions and activities:

Jumping Pillow

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If you are not familiar with a Jumping Pillow, it is an air-filled plastic dome that people can jump and bounce on.  As you can imagine, it takes a lot of balance to stay upright on this thing!  There are two jumping pillows at the park.   We happened to be near the pillows at a time when there weren’t many people using them.  I put a transfer belt on Caitlin and got her on her feet.  It took a lot of effort to maintain our balance and we tired after a few minutes even though we were not bouncing a lot.  More kids started to get on the pillow and it was getting too bouncy to stand.  I decided to sit down and we scooted down to the bottom of the pillow.  It was just as much fun to let the other kids do the bouncing for us!  Caitlin was laughing hysterically the whole time!

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Water Activities

With 3 outdoor pools, a Splash Zone, an Aqua Play Zone, an Indoor Pool and 3 Water Slides, there are plenty of ways to beat the summer heat! 

The Splash Zone is a shallow water play area geared toward toddlers.  We got thoroughly soaked walking Caitlin thru and around all of the sprayers!   We took a break and she relaxed in one of the kid-sized beach chairs.  This was the least busy of all the water areas in the park.

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When we were ready to move on to the Aqua Play Zone, we decided to walk thru one of the outdoor pool areas to get there.   This was a sports outdoor pool and it was packed with people playing volleyball and basketball.  It was not the best pool for our situation so we decided to pass.  The pool deck was very crowded and we could have bypassed this area and taken the outer sidewalk instead.

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The Aqua Play Zone is a large water “jungle-gym” with water slides, sprayers and a dumping bucket.  It is geared toward elementary aged kids and older and was much busier than the toddler zone. Taking Caitlin on the waterslide was a group effort and a bit of a challenge.  We carefully and slowly made our way up the stairs with one person in front of her and someone supporting her from behind.  Part of the way up there was a rope bridge that was wobbly to walk on. 

At the top of the waterslides, there was no staff managing the lines.  The kids were waiting patiently but at times, not waiting long enough between turns.  We were slower to get off the waterslide at the bottom and other kids would come down while we were still on the slide.  We managed to block them from hitting Caitlin.  On the next trips down the slide, we made sure we had a friend wait at the top to make sure no one else came down until we were off the slide.  Caitlin absolutely loved it and squealed with laughter the whole way down!

 Last, we visited the Indoor Pool.  There was hardly anyone there and it was nice and quiet.  I did not get a picture (sorry!) but there was a handicapped hoist in this pool area.  We made our way down the steps and enjoyed a leisurely dip with our friends.

Gift Shop and Garden

The gift shop was well-stocked with all things Yogi, Boo-boo and Cindy bear!  T-shirts, slippers, bags, hats….you name it they probably had it!  There is also a snack bar in the same building.  We ordered some ice cream and sat in the seating area where kids were enjoying Yogi Bear videos played on a big-screen TV.  

Behind the Gift Shop building is a lovely garden.  We took in the gorgeous view of Barton Lake and stopped to take pictures with a statue of Yogi Bear.  We walked on a charming little bridge over a creek.  This led to the launch area if you chose to rent a canoe or paddleboat.

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Recreation Schedule

The Recreation Schedule was extensive!  Every hour of our stay was jam-packed with activities.  Some examples were crafts, karaoke and wagon rides.  We were only able to make it to the Recreation Center for a couple games of Bingo. Check out the easy-to-play Bingo cards, just flip the little tab to mark your numbers!  I think for next time we will pick a couple more activities and make sure we are free during the scheduled time.  Aside from the provided activities, we visited a lot with our friends and took walks around the park.  One night we listed to a band playing in one of the common areas.  There was just so much to do and not enough time in 3 days!

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Arcade

This was a great place to escape the heat and cool off playing some games!  It was located right in the heart of all the action so we popped inside to check it out.  Table games such as pool and air hockey were mixed in with new and classic video games.  Caitlin “spun out” on the Rugrats driving game (remember that cartoon??).  And being fans of the ‘80’s, naturally we had to play classic Ms. Pac Man and Galaga!

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Have you visited the Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Camp-Resort at Barton Lake in Fremont, Indiana?  We would love to hear your experience in the comments below!