Family Camping at Santa’s Whispering Pines Campground

      We recently went on a trip to Santa’s Village in Bracebridge, ON and stayed overnight at the Family Camping Grounds in Santa’s Whispering Pines Campground.  Santa’s Whispering Pines Campground camping and trailer park is located beside the beautiful Muskoka River. Tenting and trailer sites are available as is a General Store on-site for all of your needs.

When we checked in at the office/general store we were greeted by the very friendly Sarah who gave us our key as well as a rundown on the park and camp rules.  We were also able to order firewood to be delivered directly to our site.  I thought that was awesome because I am used to having to drive to some wood lot in the middle of nowhere to buy wood as is often the case at provincial parks.  Then we were off to unpack and get our site setup for the evening.

We had reserved a Yurt as we needed the room for Keira’s pack n’ play for her to sleep in.  I’ve never stayed in a Yurt so this was a first for me.  I’ve done the cabin thing, the trailer thing and the tent thing so this was really extra exciting.

I was actually super surprised by how big the yurt was inside.  It featured a bunk bed – double over queen, as well as a table with two chairs and plenty of room for Keira’s Pack n’ Play.

As I mentioned in my post about Santa’s Village, Keira decided not to sleep on our drive up which I knew meant nothing but trouble.  Especially after a long day of fun at Santa’s Village.

After unpacking I tried to get Keira to take her afternoon nap but as I feared it was not happening between the lack of sleep throughout the rest of the day plus the go-kart track was right across the street and was a little loud for her.  (She hates airplanes, lawn mowers etc… I don’t expect it would be a problem for families with slightly older children.)  Anyway, I threw her in her stroller and off we set to explore the campground in the hope that the quiet at the back of the campground would help her sleep.  I was right, she was off to sleep within about ten minutes.

While out on our walk we came across the camp playground which was busy with little kids playing, as well as the campground pool which was quite festive looking, although understandably empty thanks to the strangely cool weather.  We also stopped in the restrooms to take a look and found them pleasantly comfortable with both washroom stalls and shower stalls.  These aren’t the outhouses you tend to find in provincial parks but more like the few and far between “comfort stations” you can find.  No holding your breath while you go. 

When I brought Keira back we got her into the yurt and she stayed asleep for about two hours while we got our campfire going and dinner cooking.  Once she woke up we fed her dinner and got her all cozy and ready for bed.  This was what I was looking forward to… roasting marshmallows over the campfire!  I did manage to get 3 eaten before it started to pour down on us.  Oh well, that’s life!   We all got a great sleep despite the weather dropping down to Novemberish temperatures, and thanks to the yurt we stayed nice and dry!

For the first time ever, we woke up before Keira and caught her fast asleep, all snuggled up in her playpen.  It must have been all that lovely fresh air!

Do you take your family camping?

Elizabeth Lampman

Elizabeth Lampman is a coffee-fuelled Mom of 2 girls and lives in Hamilton, Ontario. She enjoys travelling, developing easy recipes, crafting, taking on diy projects, travelling and saving money!