Best Glamping near Topeka, IL

Recent Glamping Reviews in Topeka

64 Reviews of 11 Topeka Campgrounds

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 1, 2025

  Millpoint Park

  Waterfront Camping Bliss @ Family-Friendly CG

  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!

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  

  Dec. 26, 2024

  Carl Spindler

  Waterfront Camping Bliss with City View

  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!

• J

  Julie N.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 22, 2024

  Millpoint Park

  Beautiful and spacious!

  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.

• 

  Melissa C.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 28, 2024

  Millpoint Park

  Peaceful, Clean, Beautiful River Views

  Peaceful campground, well maintained, beautiful views of the Upper Peoria Lake/Illinois River. We enjoyed a nice pull-through full hookup site that required minimal leveling. Water has a lot of iron so does smell/taste weird.

• 

  Rayn C.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 17, 2024

  Spring Lake Park - Macomb

  Just lovely so spacious and clean. Gorgeous view of lake from cabins.

  Friendly staff. Kayak and Pontoon to rent. Trails go all over the entire park! Clean showering facilities. Our furnished cabin faced the lake it was an incredible view.  We had fun fishing and sitting by the campfire in the evenings. Overall definitely worth the 5 stars!!!! Thanks Ryan and all of the staff out there! We will revisit soon.

• 

  Nick W.

  Guide

  

  May. 16, 2024

  Kentuckiana Campground

  Great family atmosphere

  Great place for kids. Decent little parks. Huge slide in the holler. Spots are kind of cramped and close together, one of our favorite places though!

• M

  Mike V.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 27, 2023

  Millpoint Park

  Excellent campground and value

  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!

• A

  Adam S.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 17, 2023

  Spring Lake Park - Macomb

  Awesome campground

  Always a great experience at spring lake. Fishing, boat rentals, convenience store and shower house are all great. Beautiful and we’ll maintained.

• 

  Lisa H.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 9, 2023

  Carl Spindler

  Only the basics, but perfect for certain needs

  I came to this campground because of a local event where I knew I was going to be gone a decent amount of time, but also have some down time. This place was perfect for my needs. I got a full hookup site, easy access, extremely quiet. Great views at the opposite side of the campground from where I was. Looks like lots of "permanent" sites mixed with regular turnover. Also looked like a lot of sites were occupied by people working in "traveling" industries, where this place was their temporary home. I would come back again for a similar situation, but the playground is very minimal, so I wouldn't come back with my kid.

• 

  Travis M.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 17, 2023

  Millpoint Park

  Great spot

  Very open place. Great spots to fish, and everything here is shaded.

• 

  Stephanie O.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 11, 2023

  Carl Spindler

  Carl Spindler

  The shower houses are amazing! This campground is very well maintained and right on the Illinois river. The view of Peoria at night is beautiful

• S

  Sean H.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 29, 2022

  Springfield KOA

  Nice relaxing campground

  Campground is quiet and in a nice wooded area but still only 5-10 minutes from nearby shopping and attractions in Springfield.

• E

  Elizabeth R.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 17, 2022

  Sankoty Lakes

  Not our vibe

  Sankoty Lakes is nice, but seems more or less like the RV equivalent of a gated community with a strict HOA or a country club. People were frequently circling the area on golf carts, and someone stopped to interrogate us about our trailer and whether we had told the reservation department that we had a trailer when we booked. Sites are good, level with full hookups, but the RV area is only accessible by driving around the side of the complex and through a neighborhood, and then you have to wait for someone to come open the gate. Might be great for some folks, but we just didn't feel welcome.

• 

  Mary T.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 27, 2022

  Millpoint Park

  Millpoint a nice campground

  Millpoint is a nice campground again not a lot of internet, but since there are not a lot of folks it is not bad. Great TV.

  Loved the water.  We went in Fall so not that many people camping.  It was nice.

• 

  Leslie G.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 14, 2022

  Riverside Park

  Good last minute campground

  We were looking for somewhere last minute on the 4th of July and we were welcomed here. All RV/ camper sites are close to the bath and shower houses. We had electricity and water hookups and a picnic table available. This site is close to a large industrial strip for shopping and restaurants if you don’t want to cook! Also close to the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

• 

  Laura L.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 10, 2022

  Millpoint Park

  Quiet, spacious lots and beautiful view

  Owner was friendly and campsite was clean and spacious. We had a beautiful view of the river and we’re right next to the water so the kids could fish.

• M

  Marie B.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 18, 2022

  Millpoint Park

  Private and Spacious

  This place felt like real camping. The spots were pretty spread out and easy pull through. It was full hookup with electric, water, and sewage. The host was fast as soon as we pulled up he printed a receipt and escorted us to our spot with his truck. He even gave a coupon to a pizza shop that he owned which was super cool. 

  Plenty of big shady tree and river front views. Bugs werent too bad. We were able to do some fishing and kayaking. We caught some bluegill, buffalo, and large mouth bass. 

  It was dog friendly with plenty of room to walk your dogs around. 

  The only thing that was weird was there was no dumpsters to be found. We looked everywhere for them and could not find them. We ended up hauling our trash with us.

• 

  Darren D.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 15, 2022

  Crazy Horse Campground

  Perfect Getaway

  My best friends family stays out there and has nothing but great things to say about the place. I happen to agree with them. If you need a place to get away from city life but don't want to travel far away from town, you can't beat this place.

• W

  William H.

  Scout

  

  May. 30, 2022

  Millpoint Park

  Great Campground

  Camped here over the 2022 Memorial Day weekend and had a great time. We were on the river side so we could fish, watch the sunset. Large sites part shade. The owner Don, what can you say, he was great, if you needed anything he was there to accommodate. We did not use the shower house as we had a camper but we had to check them out, they were spotless. We are definitely going back.

• A

  Adam F.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 27, 2022

  Carl Spindler

  Nice city campground for fair price.

  Campground is very well kept with very clean showers and restrooms. Golf carts are allowed here which is a plus. There are some river front sites that are electric only, the full hook ups are away from the river. Some of the sites can be a bit cramped but everyone was nice so it didn’t bother me. There are a lot of seasonal campers there as well. I payed $28 a night for a full hook up.

• 

  Robert S.

  Guide

  

  Mar. 4, 2022

  Millpoint Park

  Nature and Rustic

  This rustic looking camp has a lot of hidden gems. Wide sites. FHUs. Right on the water. Level sites. Lots and lots of trees. It’s natural and rustic. Owner/Mgr is great and low-key and just a nice guy. Was honest about everything, especially this time of the year. Much appreciated

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Dec. 30, 2021

  Carl Spindler

  Good for passing through

  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.

• L

  Leslie

  Scout

  

  Sep. 18, 2021

  Deer Creek Campground

  Deer creek was awsome

  Nice place and people very helpful and beach is so clean

• L

  Leslie

  Scout

  

  Sep. 18, 2021

  Deer Creek Campground

  Wonderful place for family camping

  Very enjoyable and relaxing, people were great and nice beach

• D

  Dean E.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 16, 2021

  Riverside Park

  Decent campground

  Decent campground, tent campers are right next to RVs so you get the random RV light on at night.

  Stargazing is acceptable to the north, but don't waste you time looking anywhere south. Springfield lights drown it out.

  They are right next to a boat launch on the Sangamon River so that's a plus. Right next to the boat launch for a car. I wouldn't want to haul a kayak or canoe to the 1 mile to the campsite if I could avoid it.

  The lady I had for check-in was super sweet and friendly so that's a plus. Check-out is just drive away. No phone call or anything nessesary.

  Firepit was overgrown with grass and the stone ring was broken but that was an easy fix. Plus they do let you bring in your own firewood so that's always nice.

  Overall I'd say average campground. They have some nice parts, and some meh parts. While I wouldn't go out of my way to avoid them in the future, neither would I go out of my way to revisit them.

• t

  terry

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 1, 2021

  Springfield KOA

  Koa Springfield

  Clean, nice playgrounds for kids. Putt golf was a little run down. A little muddy as it rained that morning, but not a mud pit like some campgrounds. Showers clean, host very friendly. Everyone was extremely nice, but not in your face with it.

• 

  Kaitlin D.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 1, 2021

  Carl Spindler

  Okay

  First of all we are so grateful for them to squeeze us in for a reservation with 1 days notice. The campground is great, views are amazing, and you are literally on the beach of the Illinois river. But some negatives they lost a star for.

  1. In the overflow “unpaved” section there is 1 station of power for 4 campers. So you definitely need a LONG power cord which our neighbors did not. So campers a little close together.
  2. For the non water sites finding the two available spickets for everyone in the overflow was a serious challenge. Esp at 5 pm after the office closed. Luckily we had a kind lady let us use hers from her full site. Better signage would make all the difference.
  3. A few neighbor campsites like to blare loud music from their golf cart later than midnight. Which is very disrespectful. Overall great time and perfect weather. Not sure we’d stay again if overflow was all that’s available.