Welcome to Fort Whaley Campground in Whaleyville Maryland. This beautiful well manicured Campground offers all of the amenities and comforts of home. Visit them soon and relax. Find Maryland RV Parks near Whaleyville Maryland 21872. You'll be sure to create memories the whole family can enjoy for generations.
Well Howdy Folks! We're down right tickled skinny that y'all moseyed onto our website! Fort Whaley Campground is Frontier Town's cousin campground and is located in Whaleyville, Maryland just 15 minutes west of Ocean City. Open March through November, we offer fine and dandy amenities, planned activities and the peacefulness of bein' city close yet country quiet. We've got spacious campsites caterin' to primitive tentin' all the way up to luxury 45 foot motor homes and campin' cabins. Just 12 minutes away is Ocean City, Maryland with its' beautiful sandy beaches, famous boardwalk, great fishin' and amusements galore. Also just a stones throw is Assateague Island National Seashore (home to the wild ponies), the quaint Victorian town of Berlin, Maryland with its' antique shops, farmers market, weekend festivals and much, much more. Golfers will thrill to the challenge of playing some of the top rated golf courses in the country. And best of all, Fort Whaley campers get free admission to Frontier Town Water Park and a 20% discount to the Frontier Town Western Theme Park! Y'all come now, ya here!?
Directions to: 11224 Dale Road Whaleyville Maryland
From NJ and NY
Take NJ Turnpike South. Once you cross the Delaware Memorial Bridge, follow signs for Route 13 South towards Dover. In Dover, take Rt. 113 South. Before Selbyville, take Rt. 610. Continue on Rt. 610 and cross over Rt. 50 West and East. Fort Whaley is on the corner of Rt. 610 and Rt. 50 East.
From PA
Take I-95 South. Follow signs for Rt. 1 to Rt. 13 South towards Dover. In Dover, take Rt. 113 South. Before Selbyville, take Rt. 610. Continue on Rt. 610 and cross over Rt. 50 West and East. Fort Whaley is on the corner of Rt. 610 and Rt. 50 East.
From MD, DC and VA
From Beltway 495, take Rt. 50 East. Continue past Salisbury for approx. 15 minutes. Turn right at Rt. 610 (Dale Road) in Whaleyville. Fort Whaley is on the corner on the left.
THE LEGEND
Celebratin' Over 40 Years of Makin' Great Memories Each and every day, we celebrate in the drama that surrounds that bygone era of the late 1800's. It was a time of cowboys out on the open range, of the Native American Indians and the outlaws, of the saloons, the trains and the stagecoaches they plundered and of the brave citizens and lawmen who brought order to the boomtowns of the wild American frontier.
We take great pride in sharin' with you our tribute to the great American West. No other era in history has captured the emotions of Americans like the Ol' West. We feel pride (and some shame) from the successful conquest of the vast western land and share the courage with the brave settlers who tracked into the unknown on foot and by wagon train. American's ambition dates back to the traders, prospectors and shopkeepers who worked doggedly for a small fortune. Our respect and admiration goes to the calvarymen, lawmen and gunfighters who, in spite of being outnumbered in an unfamiliar territory, protected the settlers, railroad crews and townspeople who extended civilization. Our affection for the Ol' West is the product of numerous writers, artists and filmmakers who glorified it all. We also recognize those western heroes and their sidekicks who rode into our lives on the big screen and in television westerns not so long ago. We proudly tip our Stetsons to all the people that give us the Ol' West.
Working for this company is about as close as anyone can come today to the individual of the Ol' West that we glorify so much - the cowhand. We have the comradeship of the trail drives, the epic sight of a full campground, the adventure of meeting the requests of our guests, the pride in handling the hordes of campers settling in for the night and setting out on their daily trek to the beach and the satisfaction in a job well done.
Although we tend to glorify the life of a cowboy, in reality their lives were hard and bitter; riding endless miles to repair fences and herd cattle while weathering the ever-unpredictable elements of the outdoors. Their average age was 24; one in six were Mexican, 25% were African American, a few were Native American and even a rare few were women. They covered about 60 miles in a 15-hour day and usually averaged one cowhand for every 400 head of cattle. Most lasted in the profession of a cowboy for only about seven years.
The cowboy era began around the Gold Rush of 1849 and lasted until around 1887. It began as a cowhand for the great trail drives and ended as the glorified gunfighter struggling to bring law and order "to the west of the Pecos." The typical cowhand was a trail boss, cook, drover or wrangler. They were paid very little, usually working for room, board and tobacco. Jobs were seasonal. Round-ups took place in April with the trail drive lasting from May (still cold, but lots of grass) to mid-August (violent storms, drought and sparse grass).
The dangers of the trail drives included: rustlers, quicksand, surprise floods, lightning (take off spurs and hide guns and knives), stampedes (usually lasted about 4 miles and cattle would lose about 50 lbs. each, plus cows were lost by crushing or goring), dust storms, disease, scorpions and prairie dog holes. Cows could go about 4 days without water before they would become unmanageable and head back toward where they last remembered water to be - many dying along the way. After days without water, the trail boss would stop the drive to let the cattle graze and the cowboys rest.
Boom towns grew up along the trails to provide cowboys with a bath, a haircut, new clothes, whiskey, some gambling and the loving affection of women. When a drive was near, the cowhands took turns coming to town. Most towns were seasonal with false fronts hiding tents and shacks. Saloons outnumbered other establishments, two to one. By the late 1870's, bowling alleys, arcades and roller rinks sprung up to offer additional entertainment to the cowhands. Some towns began to advertise to bring herds their way and put on bullfights and Wild West shows to attract business. Area farmers despised the "summer people" - the cowhands, buyers and hanger-ons. Some boomtowns grew, developing a steady trade with permanent townspeople who soon wanted to control the trail hands. If they made their laws too strict, a new marketplace sprung up not too far away. It usually took about ten yards for a boomtown to become a permanent settlement. All worked well until the blizzards of 1886 when most of the cattle died. The investors never recovered from the loss of capital and the great cattle ranches soon lost the battle over water rights and land fencing and succumbed to the sheep, the homesteaders and townspeople.
By the late 1880's, this era was coming to an end. About this same time, the newspapers began to glamorize the Ol' West. Some cowboys reveled in the image and even constructed phony violence for the benefit of gullible Easterners, staging fake gunfights as the trains pulled up, hanging dummies from telegraph poles or dragging them across the plains as trains passed by. Dime novels were written to glorify the Ol' West. Melodramas were written and performed in the East, enchanting us more with the Ol' West.
This rich and colorful American heritage of the Wild West has captured the interest of people from every nook and cranny of the world. Due to this growin' popularity of the Ol' West, Frontier Town Wild West Show was born in 1959. As the Show thrived and expanded during the early years of the 1960's, a mighty need arose to provide housin' for the more than seventy ranchhands, rodeo cowboys, Native American Indians, Can Can Dancers and actors who created the Wild West Show. So in 1963, they tamed the land and set up camp in the beautiful acreage on the Sinepuxent Bay. And, lo and behold, it became a small campground for our hard workin' employees boastin' 65 campsites. Yet, it wasn't 'til six years later that our campground finally swung open its doors for business in 1969.
Frontier Town Campground has grown in numerous ways over the years. Durin' the 1970's, our first modern bath house was built. The 1980's brought us them highfalutin' computers, a new Front Desk, Camp Store, Laundromat and two more bath houses. The 1990's began with the construction of The Crystal Pistol Restaurant and a major revampin' of Cowboy Miniature Golf. In 1992, much of our campground was destroyed by a nasty Nor'easter. However we sprang up again! This time, we grew bigger and less vulnerable to the ravages of such calamities. With all this major reconstruction after the storm, we added a new marina, crabbin' and fishin' pier and cable TV. Also, our Front Desk was enlarged and renovated. In 1995, Trailer Life Magazine voted us one of the top six family campgrounds in the United States. In 1999, we introduced y'all to the newest addition to our family, our cousin campground, Fort Whaley Campground, located jus' 10 minutes West on Rt. 50 and Dale Road in Whaleyville, Maryland. That same year, we was a-sportin' a brand new activity pavilion, The Land & Sea Visitors Center as well as an enlarged Water Park featurin' a shallow swimmin' hole, fun fountains and mini-slides fer them youngins. In 2000, we started the millenium with a larger Front Desk, the Beach Moose Ice Cream Parlor and our Jaws Exhibit. In 2001, we have finished the construction of our Front Desk building, landscaped the front entrance with cactus and yucca plants for a more Southwestern look as well as adding a new Lazy River Ride which will encompass our entire Water Park. From our very humble beginnings of them there 65 original campsites in 1963, we now have more than 500 campsites.
We bid y'all welcome and thank y'all for growin' up with us, for sharin' yer vacations, yer memories and good times here at Frontier Town.
Area Attractions and things to do:
16 Mile Brewing 16 Mile Brewing is located approximately 19 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about 16 Mile Brewing in Georgetown, DE Assateague State ParkBerlin 21811 Assateague State ParkBerlin 21811 is located approximately 15 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Assateague State ParkBerlin 21811 in Ocean City, MD Assawoman Bay State Wildlife Area Assawoman Bay State Wildlife Area is located approximately 13 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Assawoman Bay State Wildlife Area in Fenwick Island, DE Beach Plum Island State Park Beach Plum Island State Park is located approximately 28 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Beach Plum Island State Park in Nassau, DE Burley Oak Craft Brewery Burley Oak Craft Brewery is located approximately 5 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Burley Oak Craft Brewery in Berlin, MD Cape Henlopen State Park Cape Henlopen State Park is located approximately 27 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes, DE Delaware Seashore State Park Delaware Seashore State Park is located approximately 20 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Delaware Seashore State Park in Rehoboth Beach, DE Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats is located approximately 24 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats in Rehoboth Beach, DE Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Dogfish Head Craft Brewery is located approximately 25 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, DE Ellendale State Forest Ellendale State Forest is located approximately 26 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Ellendale State Forest in Ellendale, DE Evolution Craft Brewing Company Evolution Craft Brewing Company is located approximately 16 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Evolution Craft Brewing Company in Delmar, DE Fenwick Island State Park Fenwick Island State Park is located approximately 14 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Fenwick Island State Park in Fenwick Island, DE Funland Rehoboth Beach Funland Rehoboth Beach is located approximately 24 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Funland Rehoboth Beach in Rehoboth Beach, DE Holts Landing State Park Holts Landing State Park is located approximately 15 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Holts Landing State Park in Ocean View, DE Jolly Roger Amusement Park Jolly Roger Amusement Park is located approximately 12 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Ocean City, MD Milburn Landing State Park Milburn Landing State Park is located approximately 22 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Milburn Landing State Park in Pocomoke City, MD Pocomoke State Forest Pocomoke State Forest is located approximately 22 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Pocomoke State Forest in Pocomoke City, MD Prime Hook State Wildlife Management Area Prime Hook State Wildlife Management Area is located approximately 30 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Prime Hook State Wildlife Management Area in Milton, DE Redden State Forest Redden State Forest is located approximately 24 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Redden State Forest in Ellendale, DE Redden State Forest Bailey Tract Redden State Forest Bailey Tract is located approximately 22 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Redden State Forest Bailey Tract in Georgetown, DE Salisbury Zoological Park Salisbury Zoological Park is located approximately 16 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Salisbury Zoological Park in Salisbury, MD Shad Landing State Park Shad Landing State Park is located approximately 20 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Shad Landing State Park in Snow Hill, MD Trap Pond State Park Trap Pond State Park is located approximately 13 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Trap Pond State Park in Laurel, DE Vaughn State Wildlife Management Area Vaughn State Wildlife Management Area is located approximately 23 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Vaughn State Wildlife Management Area in Girdletree, MD Wellington State Wildlife Management Area Wellington State Wildlife Management Area is located approximately 25 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Wellington State Wildlife Management Area in Princess Anne, MD Wicomico State Forest Wicomico State Forest is located approximately 8 miles from Whaleyville. Read more about Wicomico State Forest in Powellville, MD