Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

My daughter (7) and I are headed to our first Knoxville Nationals, and are looking for any advise possible.  As of now we will be arriving Wednesday.  We're camping in the north campground.  How busy is it Wednesday late morning?  Would it be best to try to arrive Tuesday evening instead?  What are the best kids friendly activities before racing starts each day?  Any information will be appreciated to make it an unforgettable week for both of us!

I have stayed at the North campground multiple times, and will be this year as well.  If you can arrive there any day before Wednesday, it is advised------------especially if you have an RV over 22-24 ft.  I had a 36' for a while, and I would actually bring it the weekend prior because it gets so congested.  If you have a smaller RV or a good spot that is easy to get into, you can arrive on Wednesday with little issue.  

Activities? I've usually gone with adults, but have brought my son and friends when they were teenagers.  I'll have to leave a lot of that up to other visitors of the Nats for the most part.  However, I can give you a few suggestions.  My son really enjoyed below the dam----fishing and just hiking around the area.  We also enjoyed downtown Pella.  I do see a lot of kids around the track area during the day and I know there are scheduled events for kids as I see groups of them here and there.  I think when it gets closer, Knoxville Raceway will put out an itinerary and all kids activities will be listed.  

Also, the state fair is usually the same time as the Nats, so taking her to Des Moines might be an option one of the days.  ????   Check the schedule for that as well.  

Just some ideas----sorry I can't give you more.  Enjoy the event. 

Des Moines also has a nice zoo if the kids would like that.  Slideways in up the road.  

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I don't camp, but do have a couple of kids the same age. We usually go up during the day one day and walk around the vendors, visit the HOF, check out the trailers and the teams working on the cars. 

Red Rock is close. The kids enjoyed going to the Playscape North Overlook Park. There are some wooden things to climb on and around. You enter in the  north overlook beach and park north of the actual beach. There are also multiple playgrounds scattered around the Lake.

We also stop in Prarie City and hit up Goldies Ice Cream, which also serves hot food. There's a playground at the Prarie City Rec plex, which is straight south of Goldies. Annnnd b/c we like ice cream we usually hit up Jersey Freeze, which is a sponsor at Knoxville. 

If you're okay with driving you have quite a few options within 30 mins of you. 

Keep It Real

I think they have a small kids zone under the grandstand with a basketball hoop and other activities for kids. Sometimes you'll see drivers there for events during the day. If you have a car available, there is a lake called Red Rock where I think there is a small beach and other activities. There is also a bakery in Pella called Jaarsma nearby with all kinds of treats I'm sure any 7 year old would love. 

Pella has a small water park that a 7 year old will enjoy.  There is also a big playground in Pella.

Check out Smoky Row in Pella for great ice cream.

Howell Station is the campground below the dam.  North Overlook is very cool.  There is also some lake swimming available most of the time.

When I took my kids at that age, I found having a friend of theirs along was helpful.  We did stuff together and then the kids had time to explore and play.  We normally stayed at Howell Station and the kids played catch or soccer, rode bikes, etc.

Knoxville has a Rec Center where you can swim, work out, shoot hoops, take showers etc., for a few bucks

As dsc stated there is a kids zone all the way down at the main grandstand. They typically organize a few games with drivers and Knoxville employees. I have a 6yr old and he typically enjoyed that area. The hall of fame was neat for him too. The Hall of Fame also has some events that someone her age may find interesting. Slideways has go karts and fun things to do. 

If she is a fan you could probably spend a day just walking the town and seeing all the cars parked around town and visiting with teams. Watch some of the drivers Twitter feeds as they may have meet and greets. I know Rico & McKenna Hasse have had things in the past

We are at North Campgrounds also and I have been taking my Daughter since she was 7 or younger. She is now 17 and Loves going to Knoxville. Some of our activities are the Water Park at Pella, Slideways, Adventureland in Des Moines at least 1 day, Come Nationals time we visit the track a lot. We have a Golf Cart so it is handy to to go back & forth to the track but there is a Shuttle Service that runs all day up until an hour or so after the Checker Flag drops that makes stops at select areas in town.  Someone mentioned the Parade which we have missed for the past few years but plan to go this year. For us a lot of it is just the Camp experience that goes with the racing. .

One thing I use to enjoy during the Nationals which they do not do anymore was the QSAC 1/4 Scale Nationals. When they did it at the H.School is was a lot of fun to watch. Them first few years they had a whole lot of cars that use to get in on that. Mostly fender cars but there were still a good mess of Sprints that raced in it as well.

as mentioned already, Pella has a water park, many fun food places(Dutchfix and others), and Smash Park will be open, a family amusement center. The lake has lots to do as well, you can even rent a pontoon boat! There's a playground in west market park with BBQ pits and tables in the park, just a couple blocks off the square, and a historic village to tour if your into that type of thing. Knoxville also has activities as Slideways.

Quit bragging!

I would recommend coming Tuesday evening if possible.  Some of the lots aren't very level and it may take a little time to get set up.  If you come late morning on Wednesday and things happen to be backing up and you have any trouble getting set up, it might seem pretty hectic.  We always like to get there a day early so we can relax on the day of the races.  Keep in mind too, that it might be more difficult getting out than getting in.  Things can get backed up early Sunday morning with everyone trying to hit the road at the same time.  Last year we just waited until after lunch and had no problems.

Also, on a somewhat related topic:  If anyone's looking for a camping spot I have one available for a small camper (25' or less) for all 10 days with water and electric hook ups.  PM me for details if interested.