This weekend, we took a family trip to the North Carolina Zoo. Keep reading for zoo travel tips and our thoughts about this convenient, kid-friendly campground.
Where We Stayed
We like this campground because it continues to grow. There are “glamp tents,” new additions to the playground, a dog park, and other improvements since the last time we stayed here. Also, you can’t beat the location. It’s only a seven-minute drive in one direction to the Zoo and about that far in the other direction to restaurants groceries, and shopping.
| Campground Name | Jellystone Asheboro |
| Location | Asheboro, NC |
| Dates | September 13-15, 2024 |
| Site Number | Site 34 |
| Site Surface | gravel, not level |
| Hook-ups | Full hookups + 50-amp electric |
| Cost | $96 per night (including taxes and fees) |
| Water Pressure | 60-70 psi |
| Voltage | ~120-125 V |
| Verizon Speed Test | 18 Mbps down; 27 Mbps up |
| T-Mobile Speed Test | 50 Mbps down; 6 Mbps up |
| Campground WiFi | 6 Mbps down; 5 Mbps up |
There were a lot of activities offered over the weekend, so this seems like a great place to stay if you’re traveling with kids. To give you an idea, this weekend’s activities included a fishing tournament, a “hey hey” ride, rainbow bracelet making, and glow face painting. Of course, the activities change from one week to the next, so it’s worth asking what’s scheduled for whatever dates you’re considering.
We like this site because it’s very long and pretty private. The back and driver’s sides back up to a wooden area. There are trails through the woods, but they’re enough away they’re not really a problem. On the passenger side are a few tent camping sites, but they’re probably 100 feet away. It’s not very level, at least not when you try to keep your RV close to the connections on the driver’s side. In fact, the first time we tried, we were about 7 inches off from side to side. We had to move the RV further from the connections to be around 3 inches off and be able to fix it with our red levelers.
Other sites are closer to the pool, playground, dog park, and fishing ponds, but this one works for us. This campground has made a lot of trails through the woods for hiking and golf carts.
The campground map shows two ponds for fishing. At some point while exploring the trails with the dogs, we stumbled upon another. There was a family fishing, and we think it belongs to the campground, but it’s not on the map. Corona didn’t care for the gravel, but Aiken certainly enjoyed himself.
After leaving the pond, we made another discovery. On the map, it’s called the Bunny Hop Pump Track. We have no idea how long it’s been here, but we hadn’t seen it before.
There were a few adorable little kids riding around on motorized balance bikes. While we talked with the parents for a bit, Aiken made friends with everyone, including giving their 18-month-old daughter a kiss. So far, Aiken hasn’t met any human he doesn’t like.
It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the dog park is a decent size. Aiken was able to run around and stretch his legs. It’s pretty basic, but there’s a bench in the far corner and a trash can right outside.
The pool was closed for the season, so we didn’t do any swimming, but it’s worth noting that the campground has a pretty nice pool. It’s a beach-entry pool and has a water slide.
What We Did
We went to the Zoo, of course! First, we went for the hiking trails. Later, we visited with family and saw the animals.
The Zoo Trails
Did you know the NC Zoo has hiking trails? It’s true! You’ll find the trailhead for the Purgatory Trail in the far corner of the North America parking lot. Three other trails branch off of it.
I don’t know what the other trails are like, but parts of the Purgatory Trail are fairly rocky. It’s totally doable, but you need to watch where you’re walking. With the exception of the first quarter of a mile or so, I wouldn’t try to bring a stroller on this trail or any young kids who aren’t pretty good on their feet. (Because we’re usually hoping to be at the zoo when it opens, we have only ever done the out-and-back Purgatory Trail, so I can’t speak to the conditions of the other trails.)
The Actual Zoo
We arrived around 9:15 on Saturday morning. My mom stayed in a cabin at the campground, so she rode with us. My sister and our nieces met us in the North America parking lot.
NC Zoo Travel Tip
The NC Zoo has a traditional playground and the Kidzone. Because this area is in the North America section, we found it tricky to start our day in North America, because the kids wanted to spend all their time there and we’d only just gotten there.
If you enter through the Africa entrance, you reach the play areas toward the end of your visit. Just keep in mind that the Africa entrance is only open from April through October.
We got pretty lucky in terms of animal viewing on this visit. I caught this video of the mountain lion interacting with an employee. I don’t know exactly what they were doing, but one employee closed off the chute that connects the outdoor area with the indoor housing. A second employee came up to the fence and one of the mountain lions came over.
I do love the red river hogs.
Where We Ate
DairiO
For a fast food place, DairiO has good reviews. We don’t have any in our area, so we thought we’d give it a try.
Wow! The place was packed! There were seats available when we arrived, but by the time we left, almost every seat we could see was taken. After eating our meal, we cleaned up our table and went to look at the ice cream. By the time we came back with ice cream, out table was taken and we had to find another place to sit.
For dinner, we got the grilled chicken, chicken tenders, and a hot dog. We thought all of the food was good, but I’d say the chicken tenders were great.
DairiO also has ice cream, shakes, flurries, and more. The cookies and cream was especially good. I like a higher cookie to cream ratio than usual and theirs delivered! They even had no-sugar-added vanilla, so if you’re watching your sugar, there’s an option.
If we find ourselves near a DairiO again, we will definitely be back.
America’s Roadhouse
We ate here a few years ago when we were in the area (also with my mom). At that time, my mom said her salad and chopped steak were delicious. Unfortunately, the food did not live up to our expectations this time. The burgers and the chopped steak (chopped steak and one burger ordered medium, other burger ordered medium well) were well done. The salad was still good, and the mozzarella sticks were delicious. Either we caught them on a bad night or the food has gone downhill since our previous visit.
Wildlife
I spotted this lovely frog on a tree while walking the Purgatory Trail.
As we were getting ready to leave on Sunday morning, I spotted this praying mantis on one of our RV tires. He did not appreciate my efforts to relocate him to a safer spot.
More Photos
Happy travels!
