Everyone needs a vacation. It doesn't have to be an exotic trip to Thailand, but it's good to break away from your regular routine, if only for a few hundred miles from the place you call home. And while it's usually more fun to have a place to wheel when you arrive, sometimes the journey to your destination can be just as relaxing and enjoyable.Recently we broke away for a little trip through the Carolinas, and along the way we stopped by Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Daddy's Joe's in Tabor City, North Carolina. Though we had to keep our 4x on the trailer, the 350-acre facility offered us plenty of room to roam around, enjoy the countryside, and set up our own private campsite. Equipped with a water park, a mud truck trail tour, golf cart rentals, and a catch-and-release pond, Daddy Joe's sure beats spending the night in your average hotel. Ranked number one out of over 70 Jellystone Parks in 2008, the friendly southern facility has accommodations for all types of outdoor enthusiasts. So before you plan you're next countryside vacation, check out Daddy Joe's as well as the other Jellystone Parks (www.campjellystone.com).
A fun way to spend a few dollars and take a scenic adventure through the forest is to hop in the back of the park's high-riding F-350. With the truck fitted with a full bed cage to protect the riders, the muddy trail tour is a great way to get your 4x fix without getting your own truck dirty. To us a vacation is about being outdoors, not cramped up in a hotel room. The park is equipped with cabins, RV hookups, yurts, and a dozen primitive campsites, so there's a place for outdoor enthusiasts on any budget to rest their head. Summer is a great time to play in the water park! The mega-slide tops a hotel pool any day!