Charleston, IL is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. Charleston is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Illinois camping adventure.
$20 / night
"Close to Eastern Illinois University and lake Charleston which has trails."
"Great little campground close to Charleston and Eastern Illinois University. Not really anywhere to fish close, but nice quite park."
"A great lake for fishing and kayaking. A hidden gem in central Illinois with a great little family owned restaurant. The staff and camp host are super friendly and helpful!"
"Walking trails all around the campground, all sites close to or on the lake. Little restaurant, ice cream, and kayak rental place on site through October 17. Good fishing spot. Several playgrouds."
"This is a KOA Journey, it is right off the interstate in a nice little town in East Central Illinois. It has full hookup, and electric and water sites."
$15 - $25 / night
"Wonderful private campground surround by woods, an open field and a small pond. There is a small playground, covered patio, bathrooms with showers and plenty of lawn space!"
"Far enough away from the interstate you don't hear the traffic. No nearby trains either. The grounds were neat and clean. The fishing pond is great and beautiful. Big rig friendly."
$18 - $48 / night
"This campground has a dog park and beautiful views, but the sites are very crowded. There are full hook up sites and electric only. If you like the party atmosphere, this place is for you. "
"Beautiful views of the lake! Just all-in-all a well maintained park. So, why not 5 stars?"
$18 - $48 / night
"One of the nicest on the lake. Clean, well maintained, nice spacious spots, boat ramp and parking, dog run, playground. Reservation made on Recreation.gov. Sometimes available spots for one night."
"Located on Lake Shelbyville, Bo Wood is an Army Co of Engineers park. Plenty of full hook ups and tent camping spots. Most by the lake."
$18 - $48 / night
"We've been camping at Coon Creek, on a beautiful Lake Shelbyville, for a few years now, the place is perfect for family vacations. And that's exactly what we do."
"There are many sites on this campground that are wooded and have views of Lake Shelbyville. Boat ramp to put in your boat or kayaks and sand beach for the kids to go swimming."
$35 - $999 / night
"The sun sets behind the camper. Very nice clean restrooms, laundry room and a area you can grill in using their grills."
"Biggest complaints are that it had a sewery smell and you could hear the highway. They have a bar and store. Firewood bundles were 10$!"
$25 - $65 / night
GuideReview of Drive In Tent Camping Site 2. Showed up on a Thursday night and had our pick of all the drive in and walk in sites. We decided on site 2 in the drive in area. Previous reviews and a book by John Schirle on Tent Camping in Illinois helped us with this decision as well. Decent maintained sites with some older picnic tables and fire rings, but let's be honest this stuff sits outside 24/7. Site 2 seemed to sit back the farthest with site 1 a close second. Both wooded sites that made for great shade and helped some when it was raining. Any two families looking for two sites could certainly set up and share the experience. Nice little cove behind them to try fishing. Just watch the hike down the path or ravine. Dog friendly, fresh water supply (hint put the handle all the way up and wait a few seconds), ability to store stuff in the car close by, outhouse toilets visible at the walk in parking lot, and helpful host for easy check in who even sells fire wood made for a great few days ($5 a bundle). Rated B/S site at a cost of $10 a night.
GuideOne of the first campgrounds I ever went to and when camping in Illinois, my go-to campground and lake. My wife and I love this lake and have a lot of memories here.
RangerGreat sites. Plenty to do. Favorite place to camp in Illinois.
LegendThis campground is great proximity to I-70 for an easy on/off the interstate and just outside of downtown Terre Haute (approximately eight miles). The park is nice and shady with large trees. When we were there in November, there were very few other campers and most appeared to be transients there for just one night. With all the amenities in this place there is probably a lot going on in the summer. Downtown Terre Haute has plenty of activities including live music, sporting events, museums, restaurants, and historic sites.
RV sites are pull thrus and back-ins that vary from 50 amp full hook-up with deluxe patio to 30 amp water/electric. All sites were level. There are definitely sites big enough for big-rigs with tow vehicles so you don’t have to unhook if you are just stopping for a night. Water, sewer and electric hook-ups were well-placed and easy to reach. In addition to the RV sites, there are kamping cabins with deluxe accommodations (including air conditioning, kitchens, and bathrooms) capable of sleeping up to 6 people to rustic cabins without bathrooms. Tent sites are available as is a “teepee.”
Amenities at the park include: swimming pool, camp store (with fire wood), full service restaurant (May – November), propane fill, bike rental, basketball courts, playground, horseshoes, petting zoo, and coin laundry. The restroom and shower house was clean. There is a dump station located at the exit of the park. Our Verizon 4G phone and hotpsot had great service. Our antenna picked up about two dozen television channels
If you have a dog, there is an off-leash dog park and you are free to walk dogs around the property and there is a long road leading into park. The only problem we had with the park was that some of the trees were not trimmed and the roads where narrow and would rub against our RV.
LegendThis campground has a dog park and beautiful views, but the sites are very crowded. There are full hook up sites and electric only. If you like the party atmosphere, this place is for you. If you like a more spread out and quiet park, look at Lithia Springs or Opossum. Your park pass from any COE campground will get you in.
Photos view from dog park.
GuidePulled in about 7pm and immediately was greeted by the manager who showed us to our site, helped us pull in get settled and brought us firewood. The lake behind our trailer is beautiful and can be fished Catch and Release with Blue Gill and Bass. There's plenty of grass, Fire Pits, Playgrounds and a Dog Park. Wonderful campground and only about 10 min from downtown.
ScoutGiving this 4 stars for the awesomeness of the sites themselves. We were in 121. All of the sites we saw in our “loop” were super wide, all gravel and quite level. So well kept.....fire pit with grate, large picnic table....really, the site couldn’t have been better. Beautiful views of the lake! Just all-in-all a well maintained park. So, why not 5 stars? I really wanted good shore fishing and not only was it a long walk, but really not very good/easy to get to, or comfortable standing once you get there. Beautiful dog parks....one for large dogs and one for small, but again, a long walk from the campground. Not feasible for our older dog. One other thing, absolutely no lighting at night along the campground roadways. After dark, we watched a truck go into the ditch looking for the turn out (granted, the occupants sounded like they were well into partying), but the pitch darkness at night made it feel a little unsafe, especially walking the dog after dark. Still, the sites themselves are awesome.
GuideWe stayed at Boo Wood Campground for about five days and enjoyed much of their amenities.
The campground featured a dog park which provided room for our dogs to run around. There was also multiple playgrounds and even a small amphitheater. There was a large boat ramp with ample parking. We put in our kayaks on the boat ramp and enjoyed a nice paddle on a portion of the Shelbyville Lake.
We paid less than$25 a night for full hooks up and we had an almost lake view.
Our biggest issue with this campsite was the extensive bugs, once the sun goes down the bugs get horribly bad. We let our dogs out past 8 p.m. and our camper was covered with swarms of psychodidae(sewer) flies. Once we quickly got in our camper, we spent the next hour killing the swarms of sewer flies that entered our camper. We learned our lesson and once the sun went down, we did not leave our camper.
ScoutWhen asked why I couldn't put up a small fence for my dogs he went to great details to tell me why dogs had a bad rep in his park. When I said it wasn't on the website he got extremely angry, came close to attacking me and thru me out of his park and called the police. Don't stay there if you have pets.
Explore the great outdoors with your furry friends at some of the best pet-friendly camping spots near Charleston, Illinois. These campgrounds offer a variety of amenities and activities that cater to both you and your pets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Charleston, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Charleston, IL is Fox Ridge State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 13 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Charleston, IL?
TheDyrt.com has all 46 dog-friendly camping locations near Charleston, IL, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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