Best Cabin Camping near Normal, IL

Whether you consider yourself a tent camper or an RV nomad, if you want to discover Kishauwau Cabins, you’ll have to give up both of these traditional outdoor camping experiences in favor of heading indoors to explore the best of what nature has to offer in this area. Perfectly perched far away from traffic, noise and the routine drudgery of day-to-day life, Kishauwau is situated far back in a thick-forested pristine patch of land that places you very near two of the best state parks that the Land ‘O Lincoln has to offer – Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks – with each positioned kitty-cornered from one another and only 3-4 miles away from where you will be laying your head hear in one of Kishauwau's pristine log cabins.

Apart from getting a really sweet discount of 40% if you are Dyrt Pro, what I love most about Kishauwau is the extremely personal hospitality that you will experience here, where the wife (Terisa) & husband duo that run this rustic, premium log-cabin scattered campus, promote a very strong vibe of 'Ohana,' Hawaiian for 'family,' which I have to admit, sounds a little weird when describing this very distinct Midwestern vibe, but it's true.  If there's anything that you will coming here it's 'family.'  From the moment you enter this serene, wide-open natural playground, you will feel at home. You will feel surrounded by good folks that want you to enjoy the community that they have painstakingly created here.  There’s a special vibe here that makes one immediately feel relaxed and a million miles away from that last worry or deadline that you so eagerly left your 9-to-5 work mindset to escape to and put some distance between. 

Amenities for the cabins vary depending upon what size and level of deluxe accommodations you might be interested in and can include the following: full kitchen w/ pots, pans, cooking utensils, silverware, glassware and dishware, flat-screen TV w/ DVD player, fire ring, picnic table, brand new Weber BBQ charcoal grills (or in a few exceptions, gas grills), bed linens, heating and A/C as well as, my personal favorite, a mighty sized great front porch complete with either swinging bench or patio chairs (or in some cases both). Of course, the greatest amenity you’ll discover here at Kishauwau is the wide-open expanse of the place, as well as the amazing quality nature experience that awaits you just outside your front door. 

And whether you’ve come packing everything you need for your stay or decided to come spur of the moment and didn’t bring a single thing, Kishauwau has you covered with what is, quite possibly, the most and best well-stocked camp store and adjoining gift shop I have ever seen for a place that is such a modest size campground. From a lending library full of reading books, music CDs or an endless array of DVDs to puzzles, board games and many other distractions to borrow throughout your stay, this place is very well accommodated should you need any distraction other than what the amazing nature provides that you are surrounded by.  One of my favorite touches here?  Even if the camp store isn't being attended by Terisa or her husband, there's an honor envelope where you can just take what you'd like and leave your money in the pouch that is provided.  Now, if trust isn't core to being family, I don't know what it is.  

Insider's tips?  Here's a few: (1) First and foremost, the owner and manager of this property, Terisa King, is one of the most passionate, friendly and accommodating owners I have ever met in all of my outdoor camping adventures - so rest assured, should you decide to stay here at Kishauwau Cabins, you will have a top-rate experience, well, because with Terisa looking after your every want and desire, an amazing experience here, trust me, is pretty much guaranteed!; (2) Once you get tired of staring into the fridge or your Cordova roto-molded cooler and don't want to think about what that next meal is going to be and want to try out some local fare, then I highly recommend the following options: Starved Rock Lodge main dining room where you enjoy some fairly traditional continental cuisine, wherein I recommend the fried Walleye, fried pork chops or blackened catfish, and while this legendary lodge offers up just OK fried chicken, if that's what you have your heart set on, then don't compromise and drive another 20 minutes away to Rip's in Ladd, where trust me, you'll have the best fried chicken of your entire life; (3) Should you come either with your own canoe or kayak or simply want to rent one, no worries, there's tons of opportunities for you to get on the water, which is really isolated in these parts to the Illinois River, of which my good friends over at Kayak Starved Rock Campground have you covered - at either one of their properties on either side of the Illinois River; (4) If you come towing your bicycles and want some great trails to hit, then look no further than the I&M Canal trek, which has more than 20 miles of really great scenic bike trails for you to hit; (5) Whether its days spent hiking, biking, running or kayaking, when you get to that point where you'd just like to find a hole in the wall and throw down some ice cold tall boys, then you could head over to nearby Utica where you would have a handful of options from a very nice outdoor biergarten at Lodi Tap Room, August Hill Winery for some very mediocre Illinois produced wine or Canal Port for some great shots and decent cocktails; and (6) Last, but not least, unlike many other properties, Kishauwau Cabins offers up unique packages like Cabins Campfire Cookin', S'mores & More and Stargazing packages that come with unique amenities, discounts and experiences - check out their website for more details.

Happy Camping!

This waterfront campground is perfect for anglers and particularly boaters who want to have their vessels close at hand, tied up at the marina, providing quick and EZ access to a fresh body of water that is formed where Upper Lake Peoria meets the Illinois River. For campers who want to get away from it all, while still being within close driving distance to civilization, Carl Spindler offers the convenience of a nearby major city (Peoria) while still providing a decent escape for some rest & relaxation within a fairly decent vicinity to nature. The best part about this lakefront getaway – apart from the incredibly cheap prices for an overnight stay – was hands down, the very friendly staff who offer up everyone a very strong dose of Midwestern hospitality.

This pet-friendly CG offers a lot of amenities including: FHUs featuring electric, water and sewage as well as playground, community fire pit, restroom and shower facility that are in pretty good (not pristine) condition, laundry, fresh tap water, boat launch, 2 dump stations, WiFi (although very poor connection) and a beachhead. All sites are very level here and come with a picnic table, fire ring and electric, while a good number of the RV slots have a combination of electric amp options in addition to water and sewage hook-ups. At the marina, you can purchase ice, small sundries and camping supplies and / or simply use this spot to launch your boat, kayak or canoe from. There’s also options to rent a slip, store your boat and / or trailer for the winter. There’s even a deluxe cabin to rent in case you don’t have a tent or RV.

While most of Carl Spindler is designed more for the RV-driving or 5th Wheel toting kind – and to be honest, some of these look like longer-term residents and / or traveling professionals – offering up some 55 individual slots (some of which I would definitely describe as ‘very snug’), this outfit does provide 2 different options for decent camp sites with me tent pitchin’ bredren in mind, both of which sit right in front of the Illinois River. In these areas, and actually for the entire campground, there’s not much (if any) shade, tree cover or brush that contributes to an overall lack of privacy – so whatever your activities might be, you and your camping brood will be on full display to the rest of the campground. At least if you chose to set up your tent over in the primitive camping area, this area is still pretty underdeveloped (for now), so over in these parts, you’ll have a greater feeling of solitude, peace & quiet.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you’d like to knock some pins down while slurping some delicious local cold brew, head on over to Landmark Bowling Center; (2) Should you be looking for some decent trails to hike check out nearby Powerton Lake State Park; (3) You will want to time your sundowners correctly, because if you do, you’ll be sipping Mai Tais leaning back in your camp chair listening to some Amy Winehouse watching the sun set in the west over the Illinois River as the twinkling stars come out to shine their brightest all with a crackling bonfire keeping you warm and lit on a gorgeous Midwestern night; (4) While I always pack a long 100 foot electrical cord for all of my electricity needs, I’ve never had to use it, except here, where the electrical outlet in the primitive tent camping area is shared by all 4 sites and ours was the furthest away – so we got lucky; and (5) In the event that you grow weary of conjuring up that next meal from the depths of your Cordova roto-molded cooler or onboard mini-fridge and want to check out some local flavor, there’s a handful of options, but all will require a bit of a drive, of which I highly recommend Avanti’s Ristorante for their excellent pizza and Italian subs, the Blue Duck BBQ Tavern for outstanding smoked brisket and Obed & Issacs Microbewery for the finest local taps as well as their signature dish, Kitchen Sink Pie (don’t ask, just order).

Happy Camping!

Beautiful views. Great sites. Excellent communication from the manager. We got a pull-through site in the middle. We brought our two dogs and they loved this place. Our kids did too. No there's no playground, but our 7 and 8 year old girls loved this place. No there's no pool. It was very quiet and peaceful. Every day the manager and his crew were working on maintaining the grounds. The only complaint - there's no sign on the bathroom/shower house! Please put up a sign! (It's right next to the office, but you cannot tell it's a bath house because it looks just like the cabins next to it. There's no signs to tell you where the dumpster is either. Ask Don - he's very friendly and accommodating. Oh, the water. Like the other reviewers stated, the water is not for drinking. Bring cases of bottled water. But the water is fine for showering or other things. Even with water filters, it is still brown. I'm guessing that is because of the river. Good luck finding a site with no shade. There's mature trees everywhere! Also, it was very quiet and peaceful. The showers and bathrooms are amazing! Very clean. We'll be back!

Met up with family to fit in one last night of tent camping for the year. They didn’t really take reservations and the pricing shifted on us (quoted $75 for 6 adults 4 kids over email, then $10 per person when we actually showed up) so that was a bit weird but I’m not too concerned bc it was still a great deal. This is basic campground—flush toilets/showers and 3 cabins available but no other amenities unless you include water/electric hookups. I couldnt tell where the primitive tent sites were bc the map online doesn’t quite line up with what we saw there. You’d come here to relax around the fire, play some outdoor games, maybe do a little walking, and that’s about it. It was just what we were looking for. Some people looked like they were going to try to fish but the water in the fishing area was low which makes me wonder if it gets really buggy in the summer. We were on 2 huge pull-thru sites with just our 2 tents and we were the only tent campers I saw—maybe 1/3 of other sites had RVs. Some seemed to be permanent so not sure if that is common? Views of the river were great, kindling was plentiful, and it was SO QUIET and peaceful at night! I usually don’t sleep the first night of camping because my brain has to tune in to the new noises but we got some good rest even with temps dipping down to 45. Would love to come back in the summer for longer.

Perched on Upper Peoria Lake where the Illinois River conjoins, this family-friendly and pet-inviting lush camping outpost is completely surrounded by Spring Bay Fen Nature Reserve, absolutely guaranteeing a sublime encounter with nature on top of offering direct waterfront sites that will frame one of the most beautiful sunsets as you look west to Peoria during Happy Hour. In all, there’s about 80 sites – all of which are incredibly spacious, unlike a lot of other RV parks – to choose from at Millpoint, where a slow meandering gravel lane will have you navigating around the campground where you’ll take good note of the excellent shade that is provided everywhere.

From an amenity standpoint, Millpoint Park packs a punch with a combination of back-in and pull-thru sites offering up standard water, sewage and electric hook-ups, relatively new picnic tables and in-ground fire rings as well as a designated dumpster upon exiting the grounds. There’s a fantastic boat launch that will have you fishing, kayaking and experiencing this body of fresh water shortly after you anchor into your spot for the night.  In fact, you don’t even need to get into a boat, by accessing one of 2 small little lakes where you can simply cast a line in from the dock or around the perimeter. The meticulously clean restroom / bath house facility is located near the front adjacent to the main office, where next to this are 3 cabins that can be rented, just in case you forgot your tent or RV. Additionally, there’s decent hiking paths to explore both north and south of the property, with the latter offering up a small beachhead at Funks Run. The place also sells firewood, but if you need anything else, you’ll need to head south towards town where there’s no shortage of shops and restaurants.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you are a tent camper, there’s 3-4 designated areas for primitive camping, but if you’d like something less primitive and with access to water and electricity, then book yourself into one of the 5 designated tent sites: #233-#237, of which I recommend #236 and #237 as they have a small waterfront area flanking the southern perimeter; (2) The water here has a lot of iron in it, so don’t attempt to drink it, but according to the locals, it’s fine to shower in, so I would encourage you to bring a decent amount of bottled water with you; (3) If you haven’t camped out here in central Illinois during the summer, you will want to bring good DEET spray to keep the ticks away as well as hard-core smoke or scent-fused candles that are peppermint, eucalyptus or lavender-scented to keep the gnats at bay; and (4) The owner, Don, is quite possibly one of the most accommodating and friendly campground owners I have ever met– so don’t be shy if you need anything at all during your stay, including a discount to his pizza restaurant.

Happy Camping!

General: City camping is generally challenging but this was a good place for us to land for the night as we were passing through. Very easy access as soon as you cross Peoria Lake to East Peoria. The flip side of this is that you will hear constant road noise and an occasional train. Reservations are made by phone and when I called to make mine, was told we would be in Site 33. Typical for us, we arrived after the office was closed and saw Site 33 was occupied. We took Site 36 and when I went to pay the following morning, I discovered this is where we had been moved to as site numbers are not supposed to be guaranteed. It appeared that there were many long-term campers staying here. The rate of $24 for an electric site was reasonable. Full hookup sites and a few tent sites are also available. 

Site Quality: Site sizes are, for the most part, very generous and can accommodate a large RV and extra vehicle/s. Some are very close to each other (beach and overflow) and there is no physical separation between them. Each site has one (or two) picnic tables and a fire ring. Some sites have paved pads while the ones closest to the water are either gravel or sand. There are also several cabins.

Bathhouse: Clean but the only downside is there is only one sink, and it is located in an awkward place (perpendicular to and close to one of the stalls). Showers were small and I did not use so cannot comment on how well they worked. Hot water was appreciated. 

Activities/Amenities: If you are a boater, this is a great place for you as this is a marina! Small and outdated playground and a basketball stand but no basket or net. There is also a laundry room. 

Conclusion: For us, passing through, this was an ideal place to land for the night but since we don’t have a boat, we wouldn’t stay longer than one night.