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Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park™ Camp-Resort: Tower Park

A Local Mom's Review

By Amanda Rose Stoner, Stockton CA June 6, 2018

Mommy Review of Jelly Stone at Tower Park

 There is something so special about taking a step out of the busyness of day-to-day life, into the fragrant, refreshing world of outdoor living, where things are simpler and time seems to move slower. However, for most people here in the Central Valley, such a camping trip can require weeks if not months worth of planning due to the availability, cost, and distance of the desired destination. Almost any veteran resident of the Central Valley could tell you about the familiar, local, nature-getaway spots, most of which is concentrated in the Sierra Nevada foothills. As beautiful as these areas are, they often take an average of one to two hours to reach, and the rocky, winding roads to the destinations can often be intimidating for prospective travelers. But what if there were a way to enjoy all the amenities of a full-on, family camping getaway adventure, but it was within miles of where you lived? Imagine being able to hook up your RV, pack your camper shell, or just throw what you have into your SUV, and drive just a couple miles west of I-5 on Highway 12 to a fully-accessible campground experience? Well, that's exactly what we did. I recently had the pleasure of taking my family to this very location, Jelly Stone at Tower Park. What we experienced proved to be even better than what we had expected and we returned home raving about the fun we had to anyone who would listen!

As you near the grounds, you will notice from the highway, a large, white water tower that reads “Tower Park.” When you see this, you will know that you have arrived! Checking in was an easy process, much like checking in to a hotel. As we walked back to our car, we noticed dozens of boats lining the docks which sit on the Delta, a feature of the area that many visitors take full advantage of! Once we entered the downward-sloping campsites that just follow the front-desk, we were amazed to see all the families that were happily enjoying their stay. We watched as kids of every age chased after each other or rode bikes back and forth across the area. Families were lounging or riding around in golf carts around the resort. RVs were decorated creatively with strings of cafe lights and some patrons even had projector screens with their favorite movies playing out on the grass next to their camper! Barbecuing proved to be a must for almost every family there and you can see permanently mounted barbecue grills planted every few feet between campsites. The best part of all this? (at least to us...) For those who didn’t elect to bring camping equipment such as a tent or an RV, gorgeous cabins are available that can accommodate 4-8 people. And I have to say, these cabins were simply AMAZING. 





Each cabin was clean, updated, and beautifully built. Jelly Stone could have provided the bare minimum of simple beds, bathroom, and locking doors...but the park really went the extra mile with additional fixtures such as a mounted flat screen tv, a sofa pull out bed, a complete kitchen, a set of bunk-beds, an indoor and outdoor set of table and chairs, a bedroom with a queen bed, an upstairs loft with extra sleeping space, as well as heat/AC for the entire cabin. Needless to say, our family was able to sit back and relax after a long, fun day of enjoying the other awesome features and amenities. We spent much of our time exploring the different activities that the park was offering on our particular weekend of stay. The theme for our time there was “Dinosaurs” and the park provided fun things for kids to enjoy, from a giant dino-egg hunt to an evening movie of The Good Dinosaur in the outdoor theatre. But even with themes aside, the park also has some permanent activities such as the water attractions (hot tub, two pools, waterslide and water blasters), mini golf, laser tag and gem mining.

Grown-ups were taken care of too with plenty of shaded tables and tanning cots to stretch out on.

Right next door to the pools was a  playground which includes a giant bouncing-pillow area. As you can guess, our little one did NOT want to leave! You would see kids play for hours in this area and the most exciting part: watching the construction crew build a massive water zone and lazy river which should be ready to go mid-summer.

A highlight of mine was visiting Sunset Sweets ( a couple times during our stay). It is a small cafe and ice cream shop which sits alongside the water. They carry and serve delicious Gunther’s Ice Cream/Hawaiian shaved ice and they even host an evening ice cream social where you can build your own sundae as one of the activities for the weekend. And just in case you forget something at home, there is a store on site with basic necessities, food items and souvenirs. It is incredible the way that a family can enjoy detaching from the craziness of daily life back at home, all while being practically in their own backyard (so to speak). We were so grateful to have enjoyed the refreshing experience of having nature around us but with the option of taking advantage of amenities that come with a resort. If you are looking for a fun, cost-effective, family getaway this summer, you have to check out Jelly Stone at Tower park! 


Highly recommended by my little family and most especially my 3-year-old daughter who hasn't stopped talking about Jellystone since we left.

You will find something for every member of your family to enjoy!

This is most definitely a place we will be coming back to especially once the lazy river is up and running. Plus, I found quite a few themed weekends that sound like so much fun to be a part of (I mean how fun does Christmas in July sound? I might just book another getaway :)

 Check the website www.towerparkresort.com for upcoming themed weekends and events. And if you happen to be available the weekend of September 7-9th, mark your calendar for the Macaroni Kid Meetup. Use MAC15 and get 15% off your stay!!!! You won't regret it! 


-Amy Rose Stoner