Being able to enjoy the same amazing campground for over 35 years isn’t something everyone gets to do. So what makes it so special that someone would want to keep coming back? For Jen, some of it’s the nostalgia of camping at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Barton Lake as a young girl. The other reason is all the fun amenities, activities and friendly campers and staff. As the years have past, the fun activities she got to enjoy as a child is now something her own family gets to enjoy.
If you are not familiar with Jellystone Barton Lake, it is conveniently located off the Indiana Toll Road. A quick 2 minute drive from the Michigan line and about 20 minutes from the Ohio border.
140 Lane 201 Barton Lake, Fremont, IN 46737
Barton Lake campground started in 1965 with only 20 sites and has grown immensely over the years. Recently the family-owned business was handed off to Northgate Resorts in 2021.
Has much changed since the handoff? Yes and no. Northgate has continued to grow the campground by improving some of the existing amenities as well as adding new features. What do we miss about the old Yogi Bear? Seeing the smiling faces of the original owners, Mr. and Mrs. Barry. But we are sure they are enjoying their retirement after creating this beautiful campground.
Let’s move on to what you want to know. How much fun will you find at Barton Lake? This might get long because the options are endless. Let’s start with what’s free because you know we love free things. If you want to learn more about the site accommodations, hop over to our blog Ways To Stay at Barton Lake when you finish reading about all the fun you will encounter with Yogi.
Just add water and a smile
On those hot summer Indiana days you can spend your time in one of the 3 outdoors pools, the splash zone, or the interactive water playground. Splash the day away with the 8,500 square foot Aqua Play Zone featuring a huge interactive water playground with water cannons, blasters, and several water slides! Are you feeling a little more adventurous? Then try out the two large water slides to the east of the pool area. Yep, the water slides are now included with your stay.
Sand isn’t our favorite thing but if you like the feel of sand between your toes then head down to the beach near the recreation center. There is a playground and swinging bridge to check out there as well. Sometimes the Indiana weather doesn’t cooperate. It might be a little too cold or rainy to swim outside. Lucky for you they also have an indoor pool near the ranger station.
Just Another Hole-In-Fun Day
The 18-hole mini golf course (this is also now free) is full of fun and challenging obstacles. This can bring out the competitive side to any family. We like to add the twist of whomever wins has to buy everyone ice cream. Somehow it’s always Brian or Jen’s dad that buys whether they win or not. They made it even easier to grab some ice cream by offering it at the arcade , which is next to the mini golf and pools. You can go inside or use the walk up window. Super convenient to grab if you are in a wet bathing suite.
Laugh. Play. Repeat.
Jellystone has the typical things you would find at a campground such as playgrounds. Here they have 5 different playgrounds spread throughout the park so you won’t need to walk far to find one. Down at the athletic field you will find one of the larger playgrounds along with a basketball court, sand volleyball and a gaga ball pit. The athletic field is used for multiple activities throughout the day. Some of the activities are planned by the staff. But it’s so large you are welcome to have your own family/friends game of football, baseball, tag, etc. Don’t be surprised if you have other campers asking to join in your family game. The other primary playground will be near the far end of the pools. There you will be able to bounce around on one of their two jumping pillows. There is another sand volleyball court and gaga ball pit.
So much to do. So little time.
To make each weekend even more fun they have created themed weekends with corresponding games and crafts. Sometimes we pick our weekend based on the theme. Other times we pick just based on which weekend we have available between work and kid activities. A few theme examples are Carnival of Dreams, Tropical Bearadise, Stars Stripes and Campfire Nights, Christmas in July, Super Duper Heroes and our favorite weekend is one of the Halloween weekends.
The wonderful staff also have daily activities planned for the campers. To see the full list of activities each day make sure to download the Jellystone Park app. When you first open the app you will need to pick which resort you are staying at. Once you enter Barton Lakes specific park you will be able to pick from activities, attractions, park info, contacts, etc. Click on activities for a daily breakdown of each activity. There will be a short description of what the activity entails as well as if there is a cost. Some examples of free things to do would be free craft time (usually themed for that weekend), wake up the bears & parade, balloon stampede, movie night, train ride, hey ride, games at the athletic field, glow-in-the-dark dance party, followed by a glow parade and more. For the paid items the prices can range from $0.25 for quarter bingo, $1 for a small craft or ceramic painting, to playing laser tag for $15. Some other examples of paid activities are adults-only canvas swap (we are looking forward to trying this one), gem mining, pancake breakfast with “special guest”, tie-dye shirts, color run, sand art, adults only sip N paint, and more.
Whatever floats your boat
Don’t forget you are staying on Barton Lake, so you have lake activities to fit in for your vacation. You can rent paddle boats, paddle boards and kayaks per hour. Row boat rental is per day. You will need to sign up for this at the Ranger Station. If you are wanting to fish but prefer to stay on the ground there are a few fishing areas for you as well.
It’s Leg Day
Do you want to get a leg workout? You should rent one of the pedal cars to sightsee around the campground. Word of warning, there are some hills back in the wooded area. We never knew how out of shape we were until we rented one of these. We would see little kids fly by all the time with one of the pedal cars. They made it look so easy. We said they must have had a different car then us that was easier to pedal and not the fact that we were out of shape.
“Pic-a-nic baskets may be delicious on the lips, but they’re a lifetime on the hips!” ― Yogi Bear
After exerting all that energy trying to pedal a car you might need to refill your own tank. You can grab something to eat at the Tiki Hut located in the pool area or Boo Boo Cafe located inside the Ranger Station.
The Tiki Hut offers more quick, easy to grab items like hot dogs, pizza by the slice, hamburgers, nachos, candy, Icee, and other assorted drinks. Boo Boo Cafe will offer a lot more than the Tiki Hut. You can order a whole pizza, corn dog, chicken tenders, chicken wrap, wings, mozzarella sticks, spring rolls, pretzels and more. Don’t forget your ice cream is across from the Ranger Station in the Arcade.
One of our traditions is to get donuts on Saturday morning. Tom’s Donuts delivers fresh donuts to the campground every weekend. They are available on Saturday and Sunday mornings only. If you are at the campground during the week or just want to visit Tom’s Donuts, it’s a quick 7 minute drive down the road. One fun fact about Tom’s Donuts is that on May 28, 2022 they set a Guinness World Record for the most freshly baked donuts sold in eight hours. When the day was over, Tom’s Donuts sold 8,558 donuts. Make sure to get your picture in front of their winning sign.
You can see why Jen has enjoyed spending time year after year at Barton Lake. This is a campground with nonstop entertainment for all ages.
Do you want to visit the campground for the day? Or maybe you want to visit someone who’s already camping at Yogi? You’re in luck! They offer both day and visitor passes.
To learn more about the campsite options and different types of cabins available hop over to our blog on Ways To Stay at Barton Lake.
To learn more about the campground and to book a reservation visit their official website. Make sure to check out all their special offers before you book.
Don’t have a camper? We can help you. Visit our RV rental page to rent our camper through RVshare or Outdoorsy.
Campground - Video review
Note: this video was made in 2020 prior to transitioning to Northgate ownership. Some details may have changed.
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