Granite Falls vacations... what I am missing?

"Francl27;d-934152" wrote:
I sent my Sims there, and promptly regretted my decision. Seriously, what do your Sims do over there? There isn't even an option for my adult Sims to read to their kids! No chessboard, nothing...

Short of playing horseshoes, fishing and grilling hotdogs, what do you do? They didn't even get any whims associated to that place...

I found it to be very boring and found myself waiting for the vacation to end, it is one of my most disliked packs. :)

It is indeed boring. I can't understand why it is the only "vacation" pack so far and why it is so damn empty. Hopefully we'll get something new soon but we'll need seasons first.

I send certain types of sims there and I use it as a place to "unplug" for them though I would like more options such as beaches and mountain retreats.

Some of it depends on which cabin they check into. I usually bring a tent but they don't always sleep in it the whole time. They can hang out in it or read Wilderness Digest. Sometimes they play cards if a cabin has that or I'll have them watch a movie on the little tv which has a little bit different feel than doing it at home. They hang out around the campfire roasting marshmallows, playing music if they have a guitar and telling stories. Sometimes they catch on fire.

I'll send them hiking (I do wish that they could hike in a group and stick together). Sometimes they cloudgaze or cloudgaze with someone else which can be romantic. Yes, they go fishing. Sometimes I send them to the national park or they harvest veggies from the garden or catch and then grill their own fish or roast it by the fire. If they want, they can look for herbs. Sometimes I have kids look at the collections in the National Park. There are things that they can do at home but it is a place to get away.

It's a quieter locale but it does appeal to all ages if they are somewhat outdoorsy or like to be a bit rustic. It works for some of my sims and sometimes I use it as a honeymoon destination but I would like more options.

I recently revamped my Granite Falls. I kept the basic camping ground where you need to use a tent, and I added "The Cabin" restaurant there, which is absolutely awesome and well fitting. The other three lots became various grades and levels of countryside Nordic housing. All of the builds grabbed from the gallery. It didn't really add more to the gameplay there than the possibility to go out to eat and to enjoy a sauna (vitally important when outdoors, imho), but it made it more fun for me to play.

As for what to do there -- revamped or not -- mostly my sims begin working on the related aspiration, so they're busy fishing, picking strange plants and catching insects. I also always go and visit the hermit, just because. If you're not an aspiration-focused player, there's all the outdoorsy things already mentioned: fish, jog, hike, play horseshoes, grill things on campfire, tell stories around campfire (and meet the ghost), learn to play guitar, 'n so forth.

I admit I'm usually very skill-gaining aspiration-fulfilling player and it's difficult for me to let the sims just do stuff that doesn't benefit them in any of those ways, so my sims chase the insect and fish collections and work on some skills there, but if you want to just hang out, it's all outdoorsy relaxed there.

I don't go there often, mostly when I have a sim whose personality fits that aspiration and/or really wants to learn herbalism, or if I play a family a long time and they give me 'need a vacation' moodlets every time they come home. :)

All that said, we could really use a different style vacation world, can't wait!

I would enjoy it if we could buy vacation homes (it was possible in TS2). They should've made Granite Falls larger with more lots + a hotel (including a spa).

I love Granite Falls simply for the beauty and I use the objects that came with Outdoor Retreat all the time. Sadly, I don't send my Sims there nearly as much as I should. Lately, they only go there to hunt for insects, plants, fish and visit the Hermit's hideaway. I like to befriend the Hermit, get the special fertilizer recipe from them and do some fishing at the Falls there.

Speaking of the beauty, I like to put an easel on the standard camping site for my Painter Sims. It would be cool if they were to put some easels around the area for anyone to use, like in Windenburg.

It's also good to take your woodworking Sim to the campgrounds if they're at least Level 7 and get the Camp Mascot schematic from the giant statue. Those mascots are crazy profitable if you keep your Sim very focused, and quick to make. They sell for about the same as bathtubs, but only take half the amount of time to create.

I do wish there was more general things to do though, as others have mentioned. For instance a playground for kids would be nice. Most State parks in my area have one of those.

I send my sims there when they're working on their herbalism skill. There are a lot of herbs and plants there that can't be found anywhere else. The herbal recipes come in pretty handy. I like forests and camping myself, so I enjoy taking my sims camping.

I always used to make forested parks or community lots with ponds in The Sims 2 and 3 where my sims would go just to hang out or fish, sometimes just to read a book while enjoying nature, so I really like Granite Falls.

I love it ... although I don't usually send a family there. I normally send my single sims. I have sent smaller families though, once a sent a mother and child and once a father and teenage son. Either way I send them and they usually work on multiple aspirations switching between them while enjoying their time there. Sometimes they do the camping thing and sometimes I set up the National Forest as a luxury place to stay.. It will have anything they are interested in. Spa stuff, music stuff, painting stuff ect... I've even stayed so long there once (on a single sim) that some of the plants in the garden had reached the perfect stage before I sent them home. I usually get the insect collection completed at this point even if the vacation only lasts a week... because I know where all of the insects spawn. They usually spend at least 3 days in the hermit's place (if not more).
It's my favorite game pack.
You can redo your rental lots prior to taking the vacation or use the national park for free and redo that on the spot. I'm not sure why you couldn't read to your kids there I was able too when I went with a child.

After a while, it does get boring so I usually end the vacation early. :#

Because of that, I took one of the smaller lots and changed it to a cafe/community pool that they can go to. The cafe part looks like picnic style with a few tables and couches inside. I made the pool have a green hue with plants and rocks around it. I included music and games like chess, dart throwing, etc. I also fixed up one of the bigger homes to have toddler options for families. Of course, There are always things I wish they could've included, like the action of them actually making the tent, hammocks, swimming in the lake, getting in the lake with a tire swing and canoes, trailer parks, flapjacks, or games like axe throwing. :|

Anyways, since I fixed it up with the options I did have, I do enjoy going there a little more now that my sims have more things to do other than go to the forest and collect bugs, fish, and harvestables. o:)

Really you are complaining because camping is boring? Then send your sims glamping.