Tent Camping near Effingham, Illinois

Camp Lakewood Campground

52 RV Sites, 3 Tent Sites

Camp Lakewood Campground in Effingham, Illinois, offers 52 RV sites and three tent sites within a mile of both I-70 and I-57, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 120 feet. Premium pull-through categories, including one with a patio, join full-hookup and water-and-electric back-in tiers, with an outdoor pool, boat ramp, and game room. Fifty-two sites span back-in 30-amp, back-in 30/50-amp, back-in water-and-electric, premium pull-thru, premium pull-thru with patio, and pull-thru 30/50-amp categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 120 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. One hundred twenty feet is among the most generous capacities anywhere and accommodates anything on the road. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric category does not carry sewer at the site. Three tent sites round out the lodging. A laundry, propane fills, dump station, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. If you arrive after the office closes with a reservation, your name will be on an envelope with your site details. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a boat ramp for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing, and a game room, playground, and swimming filling the rest. Pets are welcome. Effingham is the crossroads city of downstate Illinois, where I-70 and I-57 meet — one of the most convenient overnight stops in the Midwest. Demand tracks interstate traffic rather than a season. Reserve ahead for holiday travel periods.

from $35/night

Terre Haute Campground

35 RV Sites, 7 Cabins, 5 Tent Sites

Terre Haute Campground in Terre Haute, Indiana, offers 35 RV sites, seven cabins, and five tent sites with 30 and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 89 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Every RV site is pull-through, including premium categories with patios, alongside an outdoor pool, fitness center, and clubhouse in Vigo County. Thirty-five pull-through sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 30-amp, 50-amp, and 30/50-amp service, sized to 89 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Premium categories add a patio. Every site pulling through means no backing after a long day on I-70, and the 89-foot capacity handles large coaches with a tow. Seven cabins and five tent sites round out the accommodations. A general store, laundry, propane fills, dump station, RV storage, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side, with WiFi throughout. Late arrivals are covered: if you have a reservation and arrive after the office closes, your name will be on an envelope by the front door. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a fitness center, clubhouse, and game room open through the season. Sports courts, basketball, horseshoes, walking trails, a playground, a dog park, and a community fire pit fill the grounds, with planned activities besides. Pets are welcome. Terre Haute sits on the Wabash River at the Illinois-Indiana border, on the US-40 and I-70 corridors. The Lincoln Heritage Trail and Indiana's covered bridge country are both within day-trip range. The campground serves both through-travelers and longer Wabash Valley stays. Summer is peak — reserve ahead.

from $40/night

Kaskaskia River Camping & RV Park

34 RV Sites, 7 Tent Sites

Kaskaskia River Camping and RV Park in New Athens, Illinois, offers 34 full-hookup RV sites and seven tent sites on the riverbank, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 90 feet. Back-in categories at four amp combinations join pull-in and pull-through tiers, with a pavilion and direct river access. Thirty-four sites span back-in 20/30/50-amp, back-in 20/50-amp, back-in 30/50-amp, back-in 50-amp, pull-in 20/30/50-amp, and pull-through categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric, sized to 90 feet. Listing the exact amp combination in every category removes any doubt about what you are plugging into, and 90 feet accommodates anything on the road with room to spare. Seven tent sites round out the lodging. A pavilion handles the practical side. The river carries the recreation, with boating, fishing, hiking, and biking all from the property. The amenity set is deliberately spare, which keeps rates low and suits a park built around the water rather than on-site programming. Pets are welcome. St. Clair County sits in the rolling agricultural country between East St. Louis and the old river towns of the American Bottom. The Kaskaskia is Illinois's second-longest river and runs navigable here, with a lock and dam system and good catfish and bass water. St. Louis is about 40 minutes northwest, which makes this a quiet base for the metro without metro pricing. Summer drives the heaviest demand, with spring and fall fishing strong and considerably easier availability. Reserve ahead for holiday weekends.

from $18/night

Jellystone Park™ Lake Monroe

103 RV Sites, 10 Cabins, 14 Tent Sites, 2 Onsite RV/Trailers, 7 Lodges

Jellystone Park at Lake Monroe in Bloomington, Indiana, offers 105 RV sites, 17 cabin and lodge units, and 14 tent sites with 30 and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 61 feet. Two swimming pools, a splashground with water slides, a jumping pillow, laser tag, and boat rentals deliver the full Jellystone family program beside Indiana's largest lake. One hundred five sites run in full-hookup and VIP full-hookup configurations carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 61 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Seventeen cabins and lodges — including a cottage in the woods with a loft — plus RV rentals serve guests without a rig, and 14 tent sites cover simpler camping. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side, with WiFi throughout. Recreation is the product. Two swimming pools and a splashground with water slides anchor the summer, with a jumping pillow, laser tag, gem mining, and pedal carts besides. A recreation center, craft room, ball field, sports courts, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, and gaga ball spread across the grounds, and boat rentals put guests on the lake. Golf cart rentals cover the property, with a snack bar, bar, and visiting food trucks for meals, plus a pavilion, playground, and walking trails. Pets are welcome. Bloomington sits on State Road 46 in Monroe County. Lake Monroe is the largest lake entirely within Indiana, Indiana University's campus is in town, and Brown County State Park's covered bridges and fall color are close. Summer families and IU parent weekends drive demand — reserve well ahead for both.

from $45/night

Sleeping Bear Retreat

1 RV Site, 4 Tent Sites

Sleeping Bear Retreat near French Lick, Indiana, offers 1 water-and-electric 20-amp RV site and four tent sites across more than 60 acres of mature woodland, with rigs accepted to 20 feet. A disc golf course, pond, walking trails, and community fire pit serve a quiet retreat in the southern Indiana hill country. The RV site is water-and-electric on 20-amp, sized to 20 feet, with a fire pit and picnic table. The retreat is direct about this: they offer small camper sites only, for rigs up to 20 feet, and no large RV sites. Plan accordingly — this suits vans, teardrops, and small trailers, and nothing bigger. The sites carry water and electric rather than sewer, with a dump station on site. Four tent sites round out the lodging. A dump station, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. A disc golf course, pond, walking trails, sports courts, volleyball, community fire pit, and firewood fill the grounds, with fishing, hiking, biking, and productive birding. Planned activities run through the season, and a golf course is nearby. Pets are welcome. Sixty acres of mature woodland for a handful of sites is the entire proposition — genuine quiet and space rather than a numbered pad. Orange County holds an unusual combination. French Lick and West Baden Springs are historic mineral spring resorts with grand hotels — the West Baden atrium was once called the eighth wonder of the world — alongside the Hoosier National Forest's hiking, Patoka Lake, and one of the darkest night skies in Indiana. Spring and fall are most comfortable. Reserve ahead, and check your rig against the 20-foot limit.

from $20/night

Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph

255 RV Sites, 70 Cabins, 42 Tent Sites, 149 Cottages

Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph in Santa Claus, Indiana, offers 255 RV sites, 219 cabins and cottages, and 42 tent sites with 20, 30, and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 96 feet behind a gated entrance. A water park, splash pad, and lake anchor a two-time National RV Park of the Year in America's Christmas Hometown. Two hundred fifty-five sites span standard 30-amp back-in, super 30-amp back-in, deluxe 50-amp back-in, and deluxe 50-amp pull-through categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric, sized to 96 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, BBQ pits, and site WiFi. Two hundred nineteen cabins and cottages and 42 tent sites make this one of the largest and most varied properties in the worklist. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. A daily resort fee covers WiFi, the adult and kiddie pools, restrooms and showers, basketball courts, horseshoe pits, playgrounds, and the splash pad. A water park, outdoor pool, and splash pad anchor the summer, with a lake supporting boating, fishing, and paddle boats and boat rentals on site. Mini-golf, an arcade, game room, recreation center, sports courts, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, and gem mining fill the grounds, with golf cart rentals, walking trails, a dog park, pavilion, on-site dining, and a snack bar besides. Pets are welcome. Santa Claus is the only community in the United States with the name, and its post office has issued Christmas-postmarked mail since 1856. Summer and the Christmas season both drive demand. Reserve well ahead.

from $44/night

Jellystone Park™ Pittsfield

90 RV Sites, 52 Cabins, 5 Tent Sites, 4 Glamping Sites, 6 Cottages

Jellystone Park Pittsfield in Illinois offers 90 RV sites, 52 cabins, five tent sites, and four glamping sites on a private lake, with 30 and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 60 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, open all year. Back-in and pull-through categories at both amperages join a splash pad, beach, jumping pillow, and boat rentals. Ninety sites run in back-in 30-amp, back-in 50/30-amp, and pull-through 50/30-amp categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with site WiFi, sized to 60 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Fifty-two cabins, five tent sites, and four glamping sites make the lodging inventory unusually deep. A general store, boutique shop, laundry, propane fills and exchange, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. Day passes run 11am to 6pm and include the jumping pillow, wibit, pool, slide, splash pad, paddle boards, and kayaks. A splash pad and outdoor pool anchor the summer, with a private lake, beach, and boat rentals supporting swimming, boating, paddle boats, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, inflatable water toys, and fishing. A jumping pillow, arcade, game room, gem mining, sports courts, volleyball, gaga ball, horseshoes, golf cart rentals, walking trails, hiking, biking, a recreation center, playground, pavilion, dog park, bar, and snack bar fill the rest. Pike County sits where the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers define the western Illinois landscape. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $43/night

eXplore Brown County

11 RV Sites, 14 Tent Sites, 5 Onsite RV/Trailers

eXplore Brown County in Nashville, Indiana, offers 16 full-hookup RV sites, 14 tent sites, and five named retro camper rentals — Betty, Gladys, Lucy, Sophia, and Wanda — across 500-plus acres of hardwood hills, with 30-amp service and rigs accepted to 40 feet. Zip lines, a four-acre fishing lake, and an event gallery make this the most activity-dense outdoor complex in the state. Sixteen back-in sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 30-amp, sized to 40 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables; water-and-electric sites are also available. Fourteen tent sites and the five retro campers round out the accommodations. A dump station, restrooms, showers, firewood, and WiFi handle the practical side. Recreation is the entire proposition. Fourteen zip lines, two sky bridges, and a rappelling tower run through the canopy above the forested ridges, including the longest, fastest, and highest twin zip line in Indiana. A four-acre lake supports fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and boat rentals, with mountain biking, hiking, walking trails, volleyball, horseshoes, corn hole, and a playground besides. A recreation center and cabins fill out the property, and off-roading is nearby. The Gallery serves as a wedding and event venue, seating up to 165 guests indoors with additional porch seating. Pets are welcome. The property sits within the landscape of Brown County State Park, Indiana's largest, 15 minutes from the artists' village of Nashville. Southern Indiana's hardwood hills make this one of the Midwest's most celebrated fall color destinations. October foliage and summer adventure programming drive demand. With 16 RV sites on a property this busy, reserve well ahead.

Blue Springs Ranch

142 RV Sites, 33 Cabins, 65 Tent Sites

Blue Springs Ranch in Bourbon, Missouri, offers 142 RV sites, 33 cabins, and 65 tent sites on a spring-fed Ozarks property in Crawford County, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 65 feet. A zip line, horseback riding, kayak and boat rentals, and spring-fed swimming run on site, and the ranch is open all year. One hundred forty-two sites run in back-in, water-and-electric back-in, and pull-through configurations carrying 20, 30, and 50-amp, sized to 65 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Thirty-three cabins and 65 tent sites make this one of the larger and more varied properties in the Missouri Ozarks. A general store, laundry, dump station, RV storage, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. The spring water is the difference. Constant clear cold water feeds the creek and ponds, setting the ranch apart from the warm-water lake resorts that dominate Missouri summer camping. Swimming, kayaking, paddle boats, boating, and fishing all run from the property, with kayak and boat rentals on site, plus a zip line, horseback riding, paddle boarding, an outdoor pool, and a beach. A playground, pavilion, and barn round out the grounds, with planned activities through the season and strong birding in the surrounding timber. The ranch also operates as a wedding venue. Pets are welcome. You can reserve a cabin or campsite any time of year, and groups can be accommodated year-round with notice. Note that floating and trail rides close from October 31 through April 15 — worth checking if either is central to your trip. Summer is peak for the spring-fed water. Reserve well ahead.

Ozark Outdoors Resort

Few Ozark destinations pack as much river adventure into a single address as Ozark Outdoors Resort, a sprawling riverfront property on the Meramec that has been welcoming families to Leasburg, Missouri, since 1960. The resort lines one and a half miles of the Meramec's scenic banks with more than 200 RV sites, motel rooms, cabins, and tent sites—enough variety to accommodate any travel style under the towering hardwoods and limestone bluffs that define this corner of Crawford County. A full roster of water-based recreation, aerial adventure, and evening dining ensures guests rarely need to leave the property once they've settled in. RV sites range from primitive to full hookup with 20/30/50-amp electrical service, water, and sewer, and a picnic table and fire ring accompany each site regardless of hookup level. Cabin options span rustic Country Log Cabins and Deluxe Kozy Cabins to motel rooms, condos, and group retreat lodging, giving the resort the flexibility to host family reunions, corporate outings, and church groups as easily as solo travelers. The Meramec Mercantile supplies camping essentials on-site, while the Paddlers Bar and Grill serves seasonal meals and cold drinks at the water's edge. Float trips on the Meramec, Courtois, and Huzzah Rivers form the beating heart of the Ozark Outdoors experience, with canoe, kayak, raft, and tube rentals available for half-day or multi-day journeys through crystalline Ozark spring-fed water. For those who prefer their adventure overhead, the Floating Treetops Aerial Park delivers 36 unique challenge elements across six ziplines suspended among the forest canopy—a course that engages first-time climbers and seasoned adventure seekers alike. Sand volleyball, horseshoes, and a swimming pool add land-based options when the river crowd thins in the late afternoon. The Meramec River corridor hosts some of Missouri's most spectacular cave country, with Onondaga Cave State Park just upstream offering guided boat and lantern tours through one of the Midwest's finest show caves. Meramec State Park, a few miles east on Highway 185, provides additional hiking trails, cave tours, and a family aquatic center popular with summer visitors. The resort's position between St. Louis—about 75 miles northeast—and the Missouri Ozarks interior makes it a natural launching point for exploring the Salem Plateau, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, and the Current River corridor to the south. Float trip season runs April through October, with June and July delivering the warmest water and the most festive atmosphere on the Meramec, when the resort's campground fills with the laughter of families who have made the Ozark Outdoors float trip an annual tradition. Spring and fall bring lower crowds, quieter campsites, and a more contemplative Ozark experience for those who prefer their river adventure without holiday weekend energy. Reservations are strongly recommended for summer weekends and holiday blocks—the combination of riverfront camping and the Floating Treetops aerial park draws visitors from across the Midwest, and popular cabin styles book months in advance.

Deer Creek Campground

Deer Creek Campground sits on the spring-fed Black River in Lesterville, Missouri—a Reynolds County Ozark community about two hours southwest of St. Louis where the Black River's cold, clear current, high quality of water, and accessible float corridor have made it one of the premier river recreation destinations in the Missouri Ozarks. The campground's combination of RV sites, cabins, and tent camping with an in-house float trip outfitting operation makes it a genuine Ozark river camp where the water is not merely adjacent to the camping but central to the entire experience. RV sites with hookup options, cabins of various sizes, and tent sites accommodate the full range of camping preferences, with outdoor pool, playground, a large pirate ship play structure for children, volleyball court, fire rings, picnic tables, and a covered pavilion available for rental providing the on-property recreational infrastructure. A camp store handles supply needs. The campground's Black River position means that creek access is immediate—the spring-fed water characteristic of the Ozark streams maintains temperatures in the mid-60s through summer, providing the cold, refreshing float and swimming experience that distinguishes Ozark river recreation from the warmer lake swimming that characterizes most Midwest summer camping. Deer Creek is also a river outfitter, offering four- to ten-person rafts, party islands, canoes, kayaks, and tubes for a seven-mile guided floating trip on the Black River—a self-guided float through the Ozark woodland where the river's spring-fed clarity, boulder-lined pools, and gravel-bar swimming holes define a distinctly Missouri outdoor experience. The float trip returns guests to the campground via shuttle, and multiple daily launches accommodate camping guests who want to spend more of their day on the water than a single float covers. The combination of the campground's location on the float corridor and its outfitting operation makes it one of the more self-contained river camping operations in the Missouri Ozarks. The Reynolds County Ozarks are anchored by a series of Missouri state parks that collectively make the area one of the most park-dense recreational landscapes in the state: Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, where the Black River flows through volcanic rhyolite formations creating natural rock water slides and swimming pools unique in Missouri, is the most famous. Elephant Rocks State Park, a field of billion-year-old granite boulders among the oldest exposed rock in Missouri, provides geological wonder accessible to visitors of all mobility levels on its paved trail. Sam A. Baker State Park, one of Missouri's most beloved parks, provides additional Black River access with hiking and camping in the St. François Mountains terrain. Deer Creek Campground operates through the Missouri Ozarks river season, with peak float trip demand from Memorial Day through Labor Day when the Black River's consistent spring-fed flow and moderate gradient make it accessible to all experience levels. Fall brings cooler temperatures, reduced crowds, and the hardwood foliage of the Ozark plateau in its full color display from early to mid-October, when the river's accessibility continues but the social intensity of peak summer diminishes. The campground's proximity to Johnson's Shut-Ins and the geological wonder of the Reynolds County state park cluster makes it a natural combination of river camping and state park exploration in a stretch of the Ozarks that rewards a multi-day stay.

from $33/night

Jellystone Park™ Mark Twain Lake

7 RV Sites, 33 Cabins, 12 Tent Sites, 1 Lodge

Jellystone Park at Mark Twain Lake in Monroe City, MO, offers 7 full-hookup pull-through RV sites and 34 cabin and lodge rentals, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 45 feet. Every RV site is a pull-through carrying water, sewer, and electric with site-delivered WiFi, a fire pit, and a picnic table. With 34 cabins against 7 RV sites, this is a cabin resort that also takes RVs, so book the pull-throughs early. Laundry, a general store, a boutique shop, firewood, golf cart rentals, and both RV and boat storage cover the practical side. Pets are welcome. Your per-person camping fee includes access to the Water Zone, the RV park pool, theme weekends, and hourly activities listed in the campers app. The recreation is the full Yogi Bear program: a water park with a lazy river and splash pad, an outdoor pool, mini-golf, laser tag, a jumping pillow, gaga ball, a recreation center, sport courts, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, corn hole, gold panning, a snack bar, a bar, and live music. Monroe City sits on Mark Twain Lake, an 18,600-acre reservoir on the Salt River in the northeastern Missouri prairie. Rates are on the booking page. Seven pull-throughs at a resort this size means they go first.

from $25/night