Little Mexico Campground — Hotel in Jackson Township

Remember summer camp? Dirt roads winding through tall trees? A lake or river with the sun glinting on it, hinting of a cool way to spend an afternoon? Laughter filtering through and around the cabins? You couldn’t wait to go to the art cabin and make sand art, or braid something with that lanyard material. A big bonfire with other campers?Every night. If that was part of your childhood, there’s good news, you can experience it all again WITH your kids. Little Mexico Campground is a family-run operation that has a nostalgic summer camp feel to it. It has gotten some negative publicity (guilty…but please read on) but it deserves a closer look.

The campground was originally part of a large parcel of land owned by one family. Two large flat areas on either side of Penn Creek (affectionately known as the “Rio Grande” by the original owners) lent themselves to farming, but the land on the far side of the creek wasn’t all that large, so in the 1950’s, the original owners decided it would be a great place to camp out and enjoy the quiet and the water, which by the way, is enticing on that side as there are rapids which make a delightful sound 24/7. This flat area was named “The Mexico” field. (See the theme here?). It became popular with family and friends, and the original owners figured they were on to something and opened up the larger field on the near side of the river, and named it, wait for it… “Little Mexico”. Pretty soon the place was booming, the original owners and their children planted pine saplings to define boundaries of new campsites, ran phone lines to campsites (!), formed a summer baseball league, built a pavilion for rollerskating, installed a fully lined swimming pond, and another pond for bumper boats.

The second owners purchased the camp in the early 1980’s and carried on with the traditions, adding a huge swimming pool. Little Mexico continued to prosper with mainly seasonal campers but was sold to owners who did not tend to the property and let it fall into disrepair. The current owners, Steve and Missy, took possession in 2012, and have been steadily working to improve the infrastructure of the camp and make it more appealing to weekend campers. There are still some challenges as there are some legacy issues from the previous owners, but returning campers assure me that each year they come back, Steve has upgraded something or installed a new feature. This year a mini golf course was added,and the jump pad and laser tag are also quite new. Two small sheds near the pool offer crafts and ceramics. Bingo is held on Friday nights, and there are themed weekends throughout the summer.

Pro Tip- if a quiet space to read or nap is your definition of a great campsite, then grab one of the back-in sites across the ridge, 156-143 are CHOICE, but do not include sewer (The owner will pump you out for a small fee, or you can swing through the dump station on this side before you leave. Most sites there are big rig friendly, there were lots of big 5th wheels there when we camped. The bridge is 13’ 10” so most rigs will fit just fine. If you love to socialize, then the near side is your go to. You will be close to everything so reserve well ahead for a back-in spot (208-218) with river access.

Speaking of access, the creek, which is actually more of a river, is slow-moving as it passes by the near side campground but picks up to some quick moving rapids as it rounds the bend by the far side campground. Bring your water shoes or sandals, canoe, kayak (rentals available), or tube, as floating down the Penn Creek on a hot summer day is one of the main attractions at Little Mexico. You can put in a mile up river or several miles up for a longer float. Fishing is also popular, so bring your rods and flies.

Little Mexico is a great place to relax and enjoy yourself if you get the right spot. As with any campground, if there are noisy people, barking dogs, or unruly behavior, notify the owner promptly, they will take care of the people responsible so that you can...

We were there for Christmas in July and we were very disappointed. The website made it seem like they had more activities planned. They said on website they were to make a snowball ortament. It was actually a blue piece of paper and you glued cotton balls on the paper to make a snowman. That was very disappointing. Then the pool when we got there Friday it was 96 degrees and the pool was gross it had green stuff floating in it on each corners of the pool. The one side of the pool was broken with a board over the end with a note that said if you get in on the side of the pool you will be asked to leave the playground. Then the little girl that her mom either runs the campground or owns the campground was mean and bossy to all the kids. Telling everyone what to do on the playground and if they didn't listen she would tell her mom and we would be kicked out of the campground. On Saturday we did get in the pool it looked a little better but it was over 100 degrees and it was HOT as heck out there. We were getting in the pool and my 7 year old slide off side of pool into the pool and the same little girl said I guess they can't read the rules of the pool. I told her that she she just go about playing and she told me if I kept talking to her she would tell her mom. This little girl is probably 11 or 12 she ran the park. We went there with family to have a good weekend and we were very disappointed in...

Beware, most of the positive reviews are about Christmas lights! (I stayed in the summer.) I have been to countless campgrounds and I can tell you this place is ridiculous. The bathrooms at both ends of the park smell so SO horrible that there were people gagging and unable to use them. I stayed multiple nights and it did not get better. We had to sign all of these rather rude forms and fax them to be able to stay - which I have never experienced while camping before. You also have to pay in advance and cannot cancel for a refund for any reason. Three arcade games took my son’s money and they told us they don’t manage the games and would not refund the quarters. They charge you for all of the extras like the jump pillow, and they have a very rude sign hanging that basically says if you’re unhappy, leave. This was obviously hung due to many complaints they’ve received. The people are unfriendly and a few of the men made us very uncomfortable. The prices in the store are insane, and everything is gross or broken. The sites are nice but very packed together and loud. The owners have 6 or so small dogs that bark at you the whole time you’re there. I could go on and on… but needless to say we will not...