This weekend we camped at Shady Grove Campground which is located at 65 Poplar Drive in Denver, Pennsylvania. This is approximately 20 miles outside of Reading in Lancaster County. The staff was friendly upon check in, however we did not receive a list of events for the weekend. The camp store looks brand new and had a very small grocery section along with a few merchandise items. There were also ice cream bars available for purchase. Included in the office was a small game room which consisted of a pool table, foosball table and an arcade game. Located behind the office was a very large pond for fishing and kayak, canoe or paddle boat rentals.
The campground itself was not overly large. There were seven sections for camping. One downfall is that every campsite is gravel. There was no grass at any site. For a family with young children like our infant daughter, this could be difficult, as they are not able to crawl around. The campsites were also pretty close together. We were on a corner, site #57, directly across from the pool and playground. You could purchase firewood here for $5 a bundle. However, the bundle only had five to six pieces of wood in them. This came out to about $1 a piece of wood. Luckily, the gentleman aside of us was leaving and he left us his firewood saving us a ton of money that literally would have just gone up in flames.
Our son had good time playing at the playground which was completely fenced in behind the pool. It had four slides, a rock wall, swings, seesaw, rocking horses and other ladders to climb up and over. There was also a nice open grassy area to play frisbee or catch in the playground area as well. Aside of the playground there was also a macadam basketball court. There was a pool also in the same area as the playground and basketball court. There was about a dozen lounge chairs and another dozen regular chairs to sit by the pool. There was also a small pavilion area if you seek some shade. There were no tables or umbrellas to sit by though, which would have been nice. The pool was nice and clean and was only 5 feet deep which is nice for children to be able to stand. There was no lifeguard on duty and you had to be 16 to be there without supervision.
There was a pavilion near the back of the campground as well. According to the website there was supposed to be a family carnival however we didn’t know where to go since we didn’t receive any information about the event and nothing was posted in the office. I’m not actually sure if they had it or not. In case you don’t want to stay at the campground there are plenty of area attractions within a few minutes to an hour or two away. Stoudt’s Brewery is right down the road along with Maple Grove Raceway nearby, Site & Sound Theater, Outlet Shopping and Antiquing are close by, as well. For a further drive you can also visit Hershey Park, Gettysburg and Dorney Park.
We had a full hook up at our campsite which consisted of water, sewer, trash, cable and wifi for $55/night which is a great price! Since we opted for full hook up we really didn’t use the bathrooms too much. They were pretty far away in the back corner of the campground. There were only four bathrooms that were a combination of a sink, toilet and shower with bench for clothing. The campground was full, as there were a lot of workers staying there full time due to the pipeline construction nearby. Everyone we met was very friendly, and it was nice to meet people from different parts of the country.
This campground is also pet friendly. There was a very nice grassy area for dog walking. They were allowed in most areas except the office, pool, in the pond and the Deluxe Cabin #2 available for rent year round.
There are tent sites available for rent and also a rustic cabin and two deluxe cabins. Tent sites are $35/night and the cabins range from $90/night to $125/night. There is a $25 charge for pets in the rustic cabin and the Deluxe Cabin #1 on top of the rental fee. There are also seasonal sites available.
Our son was very excited to find his first painted rock as well at the campground. We posted it on Facebook to RVing Rocks and Sams Rocks as per the instructions on the back. It was a kitty and he just loves cats so he was pretty happy to show us his awesome find!
We had a great time camping with our family as usual however due to the gravel sites I would most likely look for another campground the next time we decide to camp nearby. Some people may like the gravel, however since we have pets and young children it is something we would prefer not to have in the future.
