Beach

Acorns Resort

16 RV Sites, 4 Cabins

Acorns Resort anchors itself on the shores of Milford Lake, Kansas's largest body of water at over 15,000 surface acres, offering a lakeside camping and lodging experience that stands as one of the finest outdoor retreats in the Great Plains. With cedar and oak canopies shading the grounds, a rocky shoreline distinct from the sandy beach areas found elsewhere on the lake, and a full range of accommodation options from RV sites to Pacific Yurts, Acorns Resort has established its reputation as the premier destination on Milford Lake's western shore — and one of the most complete camping destinations in the entire state. Sixty-one RV campsites with gravel pads accommodate rigs of all sizes across the shaded grounds, while 25 custom-built cabins nestled among the trees provide solid-wall comfort for guests who prefer not to sleep in their own RV. Six Pacific Yurts overlooking the rocky shoreline offer a distinctive middle ground — camping-adjacent in feel, genuinely comfortable in practice — and a lodge facility with nine hotel-style rooms rounds out the options for larger groups with varying accommodation preferences. Pontoon boat, kayak, stand-up paddleboard, and canoe rentals are available directly from the resort, simplifying gear logistics for guests arriving without their own watercraft. Pets are welcome throughout the property. The setting captures the best of Flint Hills-edge Kansas — wide sky, gentle hills, and the mirror-flat surface of Milford Lake reflecting sunrises that reward waking before the day gets underway. The 163 miles of shoreline surrounding the lake offer extensive room for exploration by water, and the resort's rocky shore has a distinct character — moss-covered limestone and ancient Flint Hills geology — that makes it visually different from the sandy areas elsewhere on Milford's banks. Blue herons are a consistent presence along the shoreline at dawn and dusk, and the stillness of Milford Lake on a calm morning is one of those quintessential Great Plains experiences worth the trip alone. Milford Lake's fishery is one of the most productive in the central United States, with wiper, walleye, crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and channel catfish all drawing dedicated anglers who make the trip specifically for the fishing during prime spring and fall seasons. The Milford Nature Center, operated by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, offers free exhibits and well-maintained birdwatching trails right on the lake shore and is worth a morning visit for guests who want context for the region's natural history. Junction City and Manhattan are both within easy driving distance for dining and supplies, and Fort Riley — one of the U.S. Army's largest and most historically significant installations — adds genuine military and frontier history to the surrounding landscape. Spring and fall are prime seasons at Acorns Resort, with fishing particularly productive in April and May when lake temperatures are optimal. Summer weekends draw full-capacity crowds to Milford Lake for boating and water recreation, so booking RV sites, cabins, or yurts well ahead of any July or August visit is essential. The resort's breadth of accommodation styles — from open-sky RV pads to yurts to hotel rooms — makes it one of the most versatile camping destinations in Kansas regardless of your preferred level of outdoor immersion.

from $30/night

Camp Mi Casa on the Route RV Park

51 RV Sites

Camp Mi Casa on the Route RV Park in Carthage, Missouri, offers 51 full-hookup RV sites directly on Historic Route 66, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 50 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Back-in, pull-through, and premium pull-through categories sit alongside an outdoor pool, pickleball courts, and a beach, minutes from Carthage's Victorian square. Fifty-one sites run in back-in, pull-through, and premium pull-through configurations, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp, sized to 50 feet. Laundry, restrooms, showers, and a pavilion handle the practical side. The layout prioritizes the social character that makes Route 66 campgrounds distinctive — travelers comparing notes and planning the next day's drive over evening fires. Pets are welcome. An outdoor pool and beach anchor the warm months, with pickleball courts and swimming filling the rest. A golf course is nearby. The amenity set is practical rather than elaborate, which suits a park where most guests are moving through on a route rather than settling in for a week. Carthage sits on one of the Mother Road's most authentic and well-preserved stretches, and the town's Victorian commercial square is minutes from the park. The property serves both dedicated Route 66 travelers making the full pilgrimage and visitors who find the city en route to somewhere else. Directions from Springfield: continue on West I-44 to Carthage Exit 18B/I-49 North, north on I-49 to Exit 53 for Webb City/Central Avenue, left toward Webb City heading west on Highway 171, then the second exit at Brooklyn Heights and left at the end. Summer Route 66 travel is the peak — reserve ahead.

Coconuts RV Resort

39 RV Sites, 5 Houses

At the 7-mile mark of the Gravois Arm on Lake of the Ozarks in Gravois Mills, Missouri, Coconuts RV Resort has built one of the most distinctly resort-oriented lakefront campground experiences in the Midwest—a property where the swim-up bar at the adult pool, live music at Coconuts Bar and Grill, a water park, a marina with boat rentals, and the particular social energy of Lake of the Ozarks summer culture combine into an experience that functions more like a tropical lake resort than a traditional campground. If the Ozarks lake life is the goal, Coconuts is the campground built specifically to deliver it at the highest available intensity. Waterfront RV sites—available on both annual and nightly rates—position guests as close to the Gravois Arm as the property's lakeside layout permits, and the resort's amenity concentration is specifically designed for the guest who came to the lake to be on the lake in every possible way. Multiple pools anchor the aquatic recreation program, including separate private adult and family pools with a swim-up bar that is the resort's most distinctive social feature. A water park extends the aquatic programming for families. A 24-hour fitness center, dog park, pickleball, and tennis courts serve the health-and-recreation-oriented guests who supplement the lake activities with on-property options. Coconuts Bar and Grill operates on-site with live music and the social energy that Lake of the Ozarks visitors specifically seek from a lakefront entertainment destination. A 16-stall shower house serves the resident and nightly guest population at the scale the resort's site count requires. Arcade games, billiards, laundry facilities, and retail shops provide the complete on-property infrastructure. The Gravois Arm's position at the Lake of the Ozarks' southern reach gives Coconuts a water character defined by the lake's recreational intensity during summer months. The 54,000-acre reservoir—created by Bagnell Dam on the Osage River in 1931 and covering 1,150 miles of shoreline—is the Midwest's most concentrated summer lake recreation destination, with boat traffic, water skiing, tubing, and the general organized chaos of a lake that exists primarily to be enjoyed. The Gravois Arm's marinas and the resort's marina-with-boat-rentals give guests who didn't trailer a watercraft the access to the lake that the entire Coconuts experience is built around. Lake of the Ozarks State Park—Missouri's largest state park—provides a natural counterpoint to the resort character of the lake's commercial development, with 85 miles of undeveloped shoreline, hiking trails, two swimming beaches, and the geology of the Ozark Plateau on full display in the park's interior. Ha Ha Tonka State Park, with its dramatic karst springs, caves, and the castle ruins of a 20th-century Ozarks estate, is one of the most unusual and visually striking natural sites in Missouri and accessible for a half-day excursion that provides welcome contrast to the lake's summer intensity. Coconuts RV Resort operates seasonally aligned with the Lake of the Ozarks recreational season—the property is at its most vibrant from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with shoulder-season programming in May and September providing a quieter alternative for guests who want the lake without the summer-weekend crowd density. The swim-up bar and live music fill the social calendar during peak season. Reserve your waterfront site early for summer holiday weekends, bring the boat or rent one from the marina, and let the Ozarks lake culture do what it was built to do.

from $44/night

Laketime RV Campground

126 RV Sites

Laketime RV Campground in Osage Beach, Missouri, offers 126 full-hookup RV sites on Lake of the Ozarks, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service, ADA-accessible sites, and rigs accepted to 50 feet behind a gated entrance, open all year. Categories publish their exact length — 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, and 31 feet and up — alongside prime view sites, a boat ramp, boat docks, and private sand beaches. One hundred twenty-six back-in sites run in premium categories sized at 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, and 31 feet, plus a 26-foot prime view tier, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with site WiFi, sized to 50 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Publishing length by the foot removes every guess about fit — you know exactly what you are booking before you tow in. Accessible sites are available. A public boat launch with dock facilities and private sand swim beaches put the lake literally at your feet, with boating, swimming, and picnicking on site. A pavilion fills out the grounds, and a golf course and water park are nearby. Pets are welcome. Directions: Highway 54 to State Highway KK, northwest on KK to Duenke Drive / Walker's Cay Drive, in through the Margaritaville entrance, past the horse stables and left onto Gantner Ramp Road. Osage Beach's restaurants, pool bars, spas, and lakeside shopping are three minutes away, on a lake with 1,150 miles of shoreline. Summer lake season drives the heaviest demand and fills the corridor. Reserve well ahead for Memorial Day through Labor Day.

from $49/night