Cabin Camping at Big Ridge State Park in Tennessee

Every Memorial Day weekend we try to go camping as a family; just the four of us. It’s a sweet get-away with little distractions and an opportunity for us to reconnect after a busy year of school, work, and this year quarantine.

We rent a cabin and have stayed at many state park cabins over the years which all have their own uniqueness. This year at Big Ridge in Tennessee, we had an exceptionally quirky cabin. All seemed well at first inspection. Then as I was putting our groceries away I noticed the floor in the kitchen had quite a slant that pulled you to the far corner of the kitchen whether you wanted to go that direction or not. The fridge door would even fly open due to the slant and hit the stove if you weren’t careful. This is the type of stuff that makes memories, right?

It was a one-bedroom cabin with a small bathroom attached. It felt like Little House on the Praire and I loved it. Brent and I joked about one-room pioneer cabins being the original tiny homes. We had a queen-size bed and the boys slept on a pull out sofa bed using their sleeping bags. Way better than sleeping in a tent!

As we were preparing for our showers the first evening we realized there was no hot water. Of course, fear settled in quick, as you may have heard we dealt with cold showers recently. After some trial and error, we figured out the breaker had been turned off. After a quick flip of the switch and some time waiting for the water to heat up, we enjoyed the luxury of hot showers.

One morning we woke up and stumbled into the kitchen to discover big black ants had taken over. Oh, the joys of camping! They were everywhere. We started a contest to see who could kill the most bugs. Brent tried to catch up by killing crickets in the evening. Dean was ahead for a long while but Grant ended up the victor.

We saw signs indicating that Canadian Geese were wreaking havoc on the park. Fox decoys had to be put in place for “geese eradication”. It seemed extreme but I guess geese can create a lot of damage. Throughout the whole weekend, we never saw a goose. I guess the decoys were working!

Camp Food is the Best Food

On these yearly trips, we go all out with junk food. We let the kids pick things they usually are not allowed to have. We got the idea from Brent’s aunt and uncle. It’s nice to be able to stray from the normal routine and have dessert after every meal. It’s loads of fun for the adults too. Donut sticks and Oreos were big hits this year.

Our meals are simple. We usually prepare campfire foil meals (some call them hobo dinners or silver turtles) for the first night. We prepare them at home and pack them in the ice chest. Once we arrive at the cabin I’ll cook them in the oven or over hot coals in a fire.

Park Activities For The Win

During the day we take it easy with at least one outing a day. The rest of the time is spent in the cabin reading, working on puzzles, napping, or watching a movie. This year we had a screened-in porch. It was lovely to rock in the rocking chair while watching wildlife.

On our outings we explored the state park, drove to the closest town to visit their historic downtown (not much to see), we even did a seven-mile hike with our kids. The boys were able to swim at the lakefront since it recently opened. The Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC built the cabins and stonework around the park during the Great Depression. This is the case of many of the state parks we visit, including the ones in Oklahoma.

The park also has an opossum named Persimmon who was rescued as a baby from the side of the road. We found out she likes cheese, cheddar to be exact. We were told by a park ranger that it is very rare for an opossum to actually hang by its tail in a tree. Also, they have no control over when they play dead. It’s the only marsupial in North America and it carries its babies in a pouch like a kangaroo. It felt like real-life Wild Kratts getting to learn from the park ranger.

The kids always like to request a State Park Passport booklet to keep track of the parks we visit. A Junior Ranger book is also a fun-filled booklet with lots of great games and information for the kids. Both are free.

Hearing the rain fall on the tin roof, laying in the hammock looking up at the trees, and drinking coffee from our enamel camping mugs are some of my favorite moments. Time away from our home, time in the outdoors even with a slanted cabin were all a wonderful escape from the daily weight of Covid-19 on our world.

As in the book, Too Much Vacation, we had troubles and triumphs. One thing is for sure, it will be a memorable vacation. Just like the Berenstains, we will be able to look back at this trip and laugh in the years to come.

I’d love to hear about a memorable vacation you’ve taken.

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