85 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
The area surrounding Nashville, Illinois features several established campgrounds with Washington County State Recreation Area serving as the closest developed camping option. Located 18 miles from Nashville, this recreation area provides tent sites, RV hookups, and cabin accommodations in a wooded setting around a lake. Campgrounds in the region predominantly offer electric hookups with varying levels of amenities, from primitive sites to full-service facilities. Most camping areas in southern Illinois lie within state-managed recreation areas or along the shores of lakes like Carlyle Lake and Rend Lake, providing water-based recreation opportunities.
Many campgrounds in the Nashville area operate year-round with peak season running from April through October. Water access points and shower facilities may be limited during winter months. Reservations are recommended for summer weekends, particularly at waterfront sites. "This is a nice little park in southern Illinois. It is surrounded by cornfields, however the park is wooded. The park surrounds a very pretty lake," noted one visitor to Washington County State Recreation Area. Most developed campgrounds in the region provide basic amenities including drinking water, restrooms, and electric hookups, though not all sites offer sewer connections. Cell service varies throughout the area with better connectivity near larger towns.
Lakeside camping represents a significant draw for visitors to the Nashville area with several campgrounds offering direct water access. Washington County State Recreation Area receives positive reviews for its quiet atmosphere and dark skies, making it popular for stargazing. As one camper described, "The campground is pretty far from any big metro area, so the sky was real dark, great for picking out constellations." Mixed-use campgrounds throughout southern Illinois accommodate various camping styles, with many offering separate areas for tent camping and RV hookups. The majority of developed campgrounds maintain clean restroom facilities and spacious sites, though amenities vary between locations. Several state recreation areas in the region provide additional activities including hiking trails, fishing opportunities, and boat rentals, making them suitable for extended stays.
"Hidden amongst the corn fields…little town of Nashville had ample supplies for restocking! Tent area was flat! Quiet after 10pm. Lots of nature sounds at night."
"This is a nice little park in southern Illinois. It is surrounded by cornfields, however the park is wooded. The park surrounds a very pretty lake and I have attached a picture."
"Water and dump at the entrance. Shower houses. Very nice pool and camp store. Hosts scattered and occasionally hard to find to pay for your spot. Wildlife galore. Next to largest lake in Illinois."
"This State Park is located outside Carlyle,Illinois. This park offers playground areas and more. Cabins, campsites with power or no power the choice is yours."
from $15 - $30 / night
Check Availability"It is directly on Carlyle Lake, ,the largest lake in Illinois. It has activities for children on the weekends."
"Right next to the marina and with many sites right on the lake, you can’t go wrong here."
from $30 / night
Check Availability"This is our favorite campground in Central/southern illinois. The sites are very nice and most have shade. There is a beach for campers to use, and a really nice playground."
"Coles Creek is a nice, large campground located on Carlyle Lake in Illinois. It has full hook up, 50 amp sites with many located right on the water!"
from $20 - $250 / night
Check Availability"Full hookups, reservable sites, walk up sites, and all sites are large! Full hookup sites are booked solid so make sure you go online 6 months out or you are out of luck."
"We camped right on the lake with a great view. "
from $20 - $60 / night
Check Availability"Long first day drive, but so handy and staff couldn’t be more accommodating to our late arrivals. Just far enough from Interstate so noise isn’t an issue. Lots of services at the same exit."
"This is primarily a RV park near I-64 and on a highway. Noisy!! Bad noisy. Camp site was nice. Grassy, level, near a picnic shelter with tables. Shade trees. But only about 2-3 such sites."
from $60 / night
Check Availability"Overall Rating: 4 for cleanliness and location for travels on nearby highway. Spillway is not particularly pretty."
"Every camping spot has trees surrounding it so it’s very"
"Boulder is a lovely campground tucked away on Carlyle Lake. It has it's own marina where you can rent a slip for your boat. The sites are well spaced and have a beautiful view of the lake and sunsets!"
"The bathrooms, showers, and laundry all close by. Good hot water in the showers. The host was friendly and helpful. I’d go back again!"
from $20 - $40 / night
Check Availability"McNair ACE: Tate 4 for cleanliness and stopover location for travels on nearby highway. Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(72 yr olds in 27’ trailer.)"
"Bathroom close by and very clean. Shower house only available at the main campground, which was a distance away and not reasonable to walk with a little one."
from $20 - $125 / night
Check Availability"Quiet and plenty of trees and a walking path. A beach to swim at and a dock to fish off. A playground for kids. You can tent camp in a.few places but mai.ly for electric campers and.RV's."
"There's miles and miles of walking and biking trails! The sites are pretty generously sized. The host was nice and the price was fantastic! I paid $42 for 4 nights."
GuideFull hook up. Level. Parked in large trees. Concerned we might not be able to get our slide out, but it was okay. Shaded. Great water views. Lots of boat activity. Gave we “party cove” vibes. But family friend party cove.
GuideGreat views. Lots of water view sites. Just not a lot to do in the area. Hosts are very kind
GuideThe views!!! Loved it. Lots to do in the area. Recommend Giant City! Grounds were well maintained. There was a giant snake behind our site. And goose poop everywhere. But we are camping in THEIR homes.
GuideLovely lake. If you have an E-bike, you can ride MILES around the lower portion of the lake.
We were in spot 57. Spectacular views of the lake. Lots of trees. Large spaces. Nice concrete picnic table. But boy oh boy was this space unlevel. We were down 13 inches low in the back. The best we could get it was 6 inches off. A camper may not be as much an issue… but a class A, it’s rough.
ScoutThis is close to the Arch but not well maintained and security is lacking, No staff onsite and the gate is broken. we heard gunshots at 2 AM and left early the next day.
LegendBenton KOA Journey is an easy overnight stop just off I-57. Since we were already familiar with the campground layout, we called ahead to ask if we could go directly to our site on the opposite side of the road from the office and check in afterward. The staff gladly accommodated our request. We stayed in Deluxe Full-Hookup Pull-Through Patio Site 65, which made it easy to center our 40-foot fifth wheel on the utilities. The site was slightly off level, but we did not need to use blocks. The gravel patio featured a huge wheelchair-accessible picnic table, fire pit with cooking grate, stand-up charcoal grill, wooden swing, and bench. We received one bar on Verizon and two bars on T-Mobile. There are mature trees around the seven pull-through sites across the road from the main campground, but Starlink should work in most of them if you're able to position the dish around the trees. For this overnight stay, we used our T-Mobile Home Internet, which averaged 358 Mbps download and 2.7 Mbps upload. The campground Wi-Fi was adequate for light browsing. A fenced dog park was conveniently located near our site, and being across the road from the main campground helped reduce interstate noise. Overall, this is a clean, well-run KOA with exceptionally friendly and helpful staff, and a good overnight stop returning to our home base in southern Illinois to rest and dump tanks.
ScoutOften empty, free, great hiking near by. Known to flood but it’s volunteer run and you will have to check local weather reports to know.
GuidePulled in after the office had closed. They knew we would show up late. Around 1930. Still light outside. Opened the after hours check in and there was nothing for us. Or a map. Luckily there was a number to call. We called. Lady said she was on break and would call us back. Never did. After digging through emails, we finally found what site they had assigned to us. Very small print. Due to this app we were able to use the map posted. However there was no p10 site. Just up to p09. Called the lady back. Said there’s a p10 but that she would move us to p9 in the system. Just decide to stay because we’ve been driving all day. Beautiful grounds/location. Enjoyed a nice sunset. It’s sad it’s “kept up” by these people who can’t help someone because they are on break. Appears a lot of the campers live here. Which to me doesn’t matter. But it does when you can’t help someone for 5 min. Campers are nice. Bath house is a bit dirty. But usable. Skipping a shower tonight but the toilets and sink work.
ScoutThis is my first experience RV camping and it was wonderful. They have a Bath House nearby in case you need it but they also have electric and water right here. It is $20 per trip to get in, but only $46 per night. I understand it is significantly less if you are in Indiana resident.
Nashville, Illinois camping options extend beyond typical state recreation areas with several lesser-known campgrounds within a 30-40 mile radius. Summer temperatures typically range from 75-90°F with high humidity, while spring and fall offer milder conditions in the 60-75°F range. Many campsites in this region don't require advance reservations during weekdays, though holiday weekends fill quickly.
Fishing opportunities: Carlyle Lake at Dam West Spillway provides excellent shoreline fishing access. "My wife and I stayed at this campground for two nights along our cross-country road trip. We wanted to hit up a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game and this campground was close enough. The lake is enormous and there are plenty of fishing access points including a large dock so bring a boat!!" noted one visitor to Washington County State Recreation Area.
Swimming options: Many campgrounds offer beach access for cooling off during summer months. "We stayed at site #7 for one night in the spring. Some sites are spacious, others are pretty cramped. The loop that we stayed on was close to the water with views of Carlyle Lake. There is a swimming pool and campground store. The pool was closed when we were there but looked nice," reports a camper at Eldon Hazlet State Park.
Biking trails: Paved paths connect many campgrounds to nearby attractions and towns. "I really enjoyed my stay here! There's miles and miles of walking and biking trails! The sites are pretty generously sized. Easy bike ride into the town of Carlyle," writes a visitor at COE Lake Carlyle McNair Campground.
Affordability: Many campgrounds in the Nashville area offer low rates with additional discounts for seniors. "This is an ACOE so it is inexpensive and clean. There's lots of shade, level lots and waterfront sites. Though there is no water access on each site, it's not far from anyone. They do accept America the beautiful pass," notes a camper at Dam West Campground.
Privacy between sites: Some campgrounds provide more seclusion than others. "Site 26. We were basically by ourselves being mid week in November. Great view. Nice camp hosts. This place looks like it could get pretty full in the summer. It has its own swimming pool," mentions a visitor at Boulder Recreation Area.
Lake views: Many sites offer direct waterfront access with scenic vistas. "We stayed in site #6. Had full hookups, plenty of space, lots of shade, and a wonderful view. The site is level and also has a picnic table and fire ring. Overlooks the marina so you can watch boats come and go," reports a camper at Boulder Recreation Area.
Seasonal water access: Water facilities and hookups can change throughout the year. "Easy to find. Affordable overnight stay with electric. Beautiful lake. Friendly campers and hosts. Pit toilets. Spotty Verizon," notes a visitor at Washington County State Recreation Area.
Bathroom variability: Facilities range from primitive to modern across campgrounds. "Overall this is a VERY nice campground. There is a camp store, firewood available, and even a pool! The trails around are nice and our family had fun hiking. HOWEVER: Unless you have a restroom in your rig, be prepared to walk up to the showerhouse. The pit toilets that were spread across the campground were in horrendous condition," warns a camper at Eldon Hazlet State Park.
Reservation requirements: Some campgrounds fill quickly, especially on weekends. "We arrived at this campground at 11am on a Friday only to find that the first-come, first-serve sites were already full. After talking to the campground host, it sounds like they go fast," advises a visitor at Dam West Campground.
Playground access: Several campgrounds feature play areas for children. "We stayed here for the first time the weekend of October 9th. There are three playground areas, a basketball court, sand volleyball and a pool during summer months. Lots of families with kids, bike rides and plenty of other lake and outdoor activities in the area," shares a camper at Coles Creek Recreation Area.
Halloween festivities: Special seasonal events occur at select campgrounds. "They have a huge Halloween event every year where people decorate their sites (pretty extensively) and there's a haunted house, then kids trick or treat from site to site. The campground also provides pumpkin painting contests and other fun activities. Better get there at least a week in advance for the halloween festivities- it fills up!" advises a visitor at Eldon Hazlet State Park.
Beach swimming: Many Nashville area campgrounds offer lake access with designated swimming areas. "While there are many full service sites available, this campground offers dozens of rustic tent sites right next to Carlyle Lake as well! We felt secluded yet had easy access to the campground shower house, swimming pool, wooded nature trail, campground hosts and camp store," reports a visitor at Eldon Hazlet State Park.
Electric hookup variability: Most campgrounds offer electric sites but amperage differs. "Quick overnight stay on our way West. Staff was friendly and welcoming on check in. Easy on and off Interstate 64," notes a visitor at Archway RV Park.
Site leveling challenges: Some waterfront sites require additional leveling equipment. "Sites are nice, although all sites face each other meaning you will be 5-10 feet from your neighbors if you are sitting out front. Full-hookups with only a 50amp connection so if you are using 30 make sure you have a 50/30 adapter," advises an RVer at Archway RV Park.
Dump station availability: Not all campgrounds have sewer connections at individual sites. "I was thoroughly impressed with the upkeep of this area. The campground is well maintained and has plenty of hiking area, fishing area, and playing/swimming area for children. The only thing I would change is the ONE dump station for this massive campground," mentions a visitor at Coles Creek Recreation Area.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Nashville, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, Nashville, IL offers a wide range of camping options, with 85 campgrounds and RV parks near Nashville, IL and 1 free dispersed camping spot.
Which is the most popular campground near Nashville, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Nashville, IL is Washington County State Recreation Area with a 4.2-star rating from 13 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Nashville, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, there is 1 free dispersed camping spot near Nashville, IL.
What parks are near Nashville, IL?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 12 parks near Nashville, IL that allow camping, notably Carlyle Lake and Rend Lake.
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