Best Glamping near Chrisney, IN

Camp sites are pretty small, but are aligned along a small stream. Heavy truck and train traffic can be heard at all hours. Sites equipped with electricity, a gazebo & picnic table, and fire pit. Camp store, cave tours, gift shop, and other pay activities are within steps of camping, but only open until 5:00. No security or staff at all after hours. Bath house was heated, extremely clean with flush toilets, and continual hot water. City water access in the middle of the campsite. Play area and 2 large covered areas for get together's. Newer cabins looked very nice from outside. Caves are obviously a must see while there. More caves are within driving distance.

Ranger Review: Primus at Harmonie State Park

I recently visited Harmonie State Park near New Harmony, In. https://indianastateparks.reserveamerica.com/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=IN&parkId=570048 Just a heads up when camping in Indiana there is a fee to visit the State Parks. I always carry cash for that , laundry and in some states bathroom use. So, the number one thing that stuck out to me about this campground was the shade. For the most part it’s level (floodplain...I saw no standing water) And all the sites are nicely shaded (we are talking full growth) and good size. The sites are electric only, no water, no sewer. There are centrally located water hydrants and a dump station on the way out of the campground. The campground wasn’t very full when we visited, but there is a plethora of activities to enjoy. An Olympic size pool which back in the day my kids woulda loved. Hiking paths (very wide), one right by the campground and a connector trail to the mountain bike trail area. There’s also a bike section on the paved roads. You could spend a comfortable week here and not be bored.

Product Review: As a Dyrt Ranger I get to occasionally try out outdoor products while camping and this trip I brought along some Primus “kitchen gear” https://primus.us/ . Primus is known for its camping stoves , the kitchen accessories are pretty sweet too. I have the Trailsporks , a long spoon , a spatula for grilling , campfire plates and a campfire knife. These are very sturdy made accessories and pack in my kit without taking up a lot of space. There are a lot of options on the site to fit your packing needs too, from family fireside to fastpacking . I’m building my fireside kitchen kit .

Obannon Overall, this is a nice state park to camp in. Staff was very friendly. They have ice and wood. My kids enjoyed the nature center, pioneer village, and one of the easy trails.

We stayed in 220. It was nice to be right by the playground and bathrooms (which is what we wanted). Some spots near the back would be nice and secluded like the 180s and 190s and they’re still not too far from the bathrooms and playground. The better playground is in loop A.

I will say, I didn’t see any staff members cleaning up trash, getting campsites ready, or anything the 2 days we were there. Even though we went in November, it was a nice weekend and wasn’t dead, so I was surprised I didn’t see anyone cleaning. Wasn’t the cleanest state campground we’ve been at in Indiana. Certainly wasn’t awful though either.

My biggest gripe was they were hosting a huge cycling group. Like the whole loop A. We were all the way back in C. They held a concert that went on from like 8-11 pm. Being in a pop up, it was so loud and never ending. Made it difficult for my kids to sleep. If they’re going to hold (or allow) events like these, it should be posted on their website. Even with our sound machine, we still couldn’t block it out. I realize quiet hours aren’t until 11, but to me there’s a difference.

There is also hardly any signage and spots are difficult to find. No arrows about which way to go, signs saying which loop you’re in, and spots are only marked on the electrical boxes.

Overall, may stay again and try out the pool since we’re not too far from home, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to stay here.

This is a huge state park! There are lots and lots of campsites in this state park bordering the Wabash River. Sites are divided into smallish areas some for tents, some for RVs and some mixed. Lots of trees for shade. Bathhouses in each area with showers and toilets. Very clean & well maintained. Some areas with children playgrounds. The park has multiple picnic areas and shelters. There are a couple of ponds. There is a boat launch at the Wabash River. There is a good size swimming pool (though closed at my visit for the pandemic). Park sells firewood for individual fire pits at each site. Electric hookups at most tent sites. Water spigots near each bathhouse.

Wow, Lake Rudolph Campground is huge! So huge in fact that we only ever saw 1/2 of it - we never even ventured into the other 1/2 of the campground (the top half of the map, which is probably MORE than 1/2 of the campground). We stayed in a water / electric site in Ornament Circle which was perfect because it was very close to the fishing ‘lake’, bathhouses, mini golf, and tram stop for Holiday World (which is, of course, why we were there). The mini golf (9 hole) was actually a lot of fun, and the fishing pond has a ton of fish in it. We caught crappie, bluegill, and a few smaller bass - but there are definitely some larger bass in there. The bathhouses were relatively dirty, but had free showers and plenty of stalls. We did not visit the campground store or anything in the upper 1/2 of the campground, as I mentioned, so we did not go to the in-campground pool or mini waterpark. The location of the campground is perfect if you’re visiting for Holiday World / Splashin’ Safari.

Speaking of which, I was a little hesitant about Holiday World as it sounds a little cheesy, but I think it’s one of the nicest amusement parks we’ve ever been to - and we’ve been to a lot! The theming is awesome with each section of the park entirely entrenched in its given holiday (different colors used on fences, the theming of all of the rides themselves, the concessions available, special characters, etc), it was just a ton of fun. We got to the park shortly after it opened, which means we had about an hour in the main park before Splashin’ Safari opened (which was our main focus). I had the grand idea to head straight for The Voyage, which I had heard was the top-rated coaster in the park, and grabbed the seats at the back of the coaster (it’s a wooden coaster, right? you’re supposed to sit in the back).

Ho-Lee Crap.

That thing was insane! I have never been on a wooden rollercoaster anything close to that extreme - in fact, all 3 of the famous wooden coasters at Holiday World obliterated most other wooden coasters we had been on. The Voyage in particular, though, is intense. I would not recommend sitting in the back of the train.. hah. The Legend and The Raven are both AWESOME and we enjoyed those more than The Voyage. The new (steel) coaster, Thunderbird, is extremely smooth, especially after riding the old wooden coasters, and it was fantastic - one of my favorite steel coasters that I’ve ever ridden. We spent most of the day at the water park, which was also a great time. The Mammoth in particular was a ton of fun, and unique - it’s a ‘water coaster’ but you sit in a large circular raft (with nice individual seats) instead of the typical in-line 2- or 4-person tube. We really enjoyed that one, though it did break down a few times that day which increased the wait times. The food was decent for an amusement park, and we definitely felt like we got our money’s worth.

We will definitely be back, and will stay at Lake Rudolph when we return!

As soon as we exited the highway we were struggling to see though the immense cloud of smoke that was building bigger denser as we approached the park. We quickly learned that this was from all of the camp fires in the park, it was then we realized that this park was a small city.
The Pro’s - they have every amenity you can think of for everyone including the family dog. The park is located in a cute town with a deep Christmas theme. You will meet a lot of people most of which were great. Bathrooms and other related areas were very clean and well maintained. Daily trash pick up. AT&T cell signal was good.
The Con’s - There are people every where and it appeared that many of them did not know they were in a family camp while consumed beer after beer cussing at there friends and family while playing there inappropriate music very loud (I’m not saying I think they shouldn’t be able to do this its just seemed out of place in a town themed after Christmas, and in a park called Rudolph lake with a heavy focus on families. I think the park can do a better job of controlling this). The electrical at our site was not working properly and we had to run off of a 110 plug we found. The smoke at night was a little hard on the lungs. There is Wifi but it was virtually un-usable.