BLOWING ROCK, N.C. -- Some campgrounds on the Blue Ridge Parkway opened for the season this weekend. Many people were at the campground Sunday.

John Harding was there with his three sons, who were learning how to skip rocks. Harding says there hasn't been much to do this summer, so they have been trying out camping at different locations.  

He says it's a way to spend time together while social distancing.

"It's a great way to get outside, spend time with family. You have got to keep your distance from other people and its smaller crowds. A great way to escape into nature. I think everybody could use a little dose of that right now," Harding says.

Asheville resident Carol Stephenson was also camping at Julian Price Campground. Stephenson works in a hospital and says the escape is something everyone needs right now.

She plans to come back in September.