Just recently, my family had a chance to return to Kampgrounds of America (KOA) to take part in their first ever “Blogger Night” at its new Ventura Ranch location in Southern California, to help get the word out about this terrific camping option for everyone. After my last KOA post, my social networks on and offline went all abuzz with fellow moms who said, now THIS is the kind of camping I can do! And at least two families in my network were inspired since to make reservations at KOAs this summer!
Like many of you, all my life I have whizzed by the iconic yellow and black KOA signs that dot the American highway on family road trips, and never quite understood what they represented, until just this year. And I will never look at them the same way.

See, when I was in my teens and early 20s, sleeping on the ground, under the night sky was an adventure. But years later, as a mom with three young children in tow who needed access to clean bathrooms at a moment’s notice, camping became way more work than relaxation, and the idea of returning home more exhausted than energized was not the way I wanted to end family vacations. While my kids and I still value the sounds of overnight nature under a canopy of stars from inside our tent, we have also experimented with a wide variety of other camping options in recent years — from our city’s family camp, to trailers and RVs, and most recently, KOA!
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Sometimes I hear people explaining that KOA Glamping is not really camping – but I beg to differ. The one thing I have come to appreciate through members of the Outdoor Afro community and beyond, is an awareness and respect for the ways camping can take on many forms, and how it is adaptable to a wide range of lifestyles, values, locations, and family needs. And for those of us who require amenities from home, or are reluctant campers, KOA is one kool glamping option, providing a gateway to deeper connections for families in nature!

Back to Ventura KOA…first off, as you can see in the pictures, our “Kottage” unit was a serious luxury rival with our previous cabin at the Santa Cruz KOA. In addition to a full bath with a shower, flat screen, and a sleeping loft for the children, we had fully equipped kitchen with a gas stove and refrigerator. My favorite feature: an overlook of the nearby creek and rolling hillside vineyards.