Five Cool Hipcamp Sites for Kids 

Some kids are born campers. Others need a little convincing. Lucky for parents, Hipcamp, an online site and app that enables people to discover places to stay on private and public land, offers a variety of kid-friendly outdoor stays that will appeal to even the most ambivalent adventurers.  

To make the search for your next outdoor overnight trip a little easier, REI Co-op partnered with Hipcamp to select five child-approved stays in various regions of the U.S. These sites offer a range of outdoor activities fit for little ones, from fishing and paddling to playing in tree houses and hiking with goats. They also showcase the variety of lodging choices available through Hipcamp—furnished cabins, cozy yurts, spacious campgrounds and more—that allow parents to customize their family’s outdoor experience. 

Read on for our five favorite Hipcamp stays for kids across the U.S., from the Southeast to the Pacific Northwest.  

Four Springs Farm

A sunrise cresting over a hilltop, chickens clucking nearby, fireflies revealing themselves at dusk—this is what you can expect from a stay at Four Springs Farm in South Royalton, Vermont. This 70-acre farm on a lush, west-facing hillside includes four tent sites that can sleep groups of all sizes (one sleeps up to 24). Kids will enjoy watching the chickens and resident cat, Luna. During the day, they can participate in farm chores; explore paths, streams and woods on the property; and eat their lunches at picnic tables. Once the sun sets, they can tire themselves out by counting and chasing the fireflies they spot, allowing the light-up beetles to perch on their tiny fingers.  

Snow White Sanctuary

If your little ones love animals, bring them to Snow White sanctuary. This campsite—described as a “swampland oasis”—sits on 24 acres in Vinton, Louisiana, and is home to many wild and domesticated animals. Kids can spend the day spotting aquatic birds, hiking with goats or hanging with rescue animals like friendly dogs and elderly horses. If your kids let you pull them away from the animals long enough, you can take them out on one of the sanctuary’s five ponds in a paddleboat or kayak (included with booking). Once the stars come out, roast s’mores over a campfire. 

Windy Goat Acres 

This hobby farm in Iowa has all the fixings of a kid’s oasis: a furnished tree house, creative lodging (more on that later), a rope swing, kid-friendly hiking trails and affectionate animals, including potbellied pigs, goats, llamas and horses. As if that’s not enough, the family can also head to nearby Otter Creek Lake (less than 5 miles away) for fishing, kayaking (Windy Goat Acres has two kayaks available), swimming and more. The unique overnight sites also make this a worthy experience—choose among yurts, lodges or hanging tree pods (kind of like a small, suspended tent). You’ll enjoy a weekend of family bonding and return home with tired kiddos. It’s a win-win.  

Jug Handle Creek Farm

If you’re seeking a spacious campsite with room for several families, consider Jug Handle Creek Farm in Caspar, California, a small town along the Golden State’s northern coast. One of the 14 available tent sites at this 33-acre farm and nature center boasts enough room for you and a couple other families to comfortably spread out three to four tents. (It’s the one dubbed “The Family Spot.”) You can play campsite games, build a campfire and recline in sun or shade—this space has plenty of both. When your kids get squirmy, you can take them to explore Jug Handle Creek Farm’s native plant nursery, community gardens, nature trails and forests. If you have a water-loving crew, take a 5-minute walk to Jug Handle Beach for a picturesque dip. This farm also has one RV site and three lodges available.   

Glen Isle Resort

Seeking the solitude of the backcountry without having to log the mileage by foot? Consider Glen Isle Resort in Bailey, Colorado. Situated near the Platte River and surrounded by wilderness, this space feels far from city life—and that’s by design. Glen Isle was built in 1901 to be an escape from nearby Denver and had been family-run since the 1940s until it was bought and renovated by two longtime visitors who couldn’t pass up the chance to reclaim its glory days. Kids can also learn a little history here—this space was once a Native encampment, and tribal artifacts have been unearthed on the property even in recent years.