Best Glamping near Mondamin, IA

We stayed here overnight on our way out west, so we didn't have big expectations. We are fairly new to pulling a 5th wheel, so we wanted an easy pull-through site plus we wanted it to be paved. Well there are 2 premium sites - we stayed in site# 89. It was HEAVEN! Not only was it paved, but also had a huge patio with a table and Adirondack chairs, and a fire pit with additional seating. The site was situated such that our "good side" was facing the trees, away from the rest of the campground. We have a 43' 5th Wheel plus our truck, and there was plenty of space. That is the best setup we've had so far. We didn't have time to use any of the amenities, and are not traveling with kids, so I can't speak for how good it was in that regard.

We needed an overnight stop on our way to Kansas and this KOA was perfect. We pulled in just after dark and there was a note on the door stating staff was limited due to Covid. We pulled into a very large pull through on the west side of the campground (site 16). The KOA was pretty full but everyone was respectful and we didn’t hear much noise. We had full hookups & the site we were in was spacious with a picnic table and fire ring with grate. It had rained quite a bit before we arrived so we didn’t sit outside, due to mud close by our site, but we had a nice view. The next morning, we paid at the office before we left & the Manager only charged us half price (we intended to pay the full price) because he felt bad for not being able to be on site when we arrived (the schedule on the KOA app said staffed until 7pm & we were there just after 6pm).

We selected this campground as a base for a family get-together near Omaha, for 4 days/3 nights (Fri-Mon). For that mission, it worked well, but overall we were not super impressed for the price. This was our first KOA experience so maybe the thing we noticed were "normal" but there were some definite cons when compared to other campgrounds we've stayed at this year.

1. Very busy & packed... we noticed a lot of traffic seemed to be just a quick stop over for the night, so lots of rigs coming in the afternoon/evening and leaving the next morning. There is just enough room to park our average-sized trailer and truck, and have a picnic table next to it, but neighbors are very close. This is not what I would consider a campground for settling in and relaxing as a destination unto itself.

2. Some "deferred maintenance" was noticeable. The mini-golf course was in terrible shape. The playground equipment (swings, slides etc.) could use an update for sure. The road getting into the grounds has terrible potholes.

3. They seem to be very particular about some odd things, like not allowing rugs on the grass (which is definitely not premium grass!). Have to pay extra for a site with a fire ring, or even enough space for one, and the base price is already on the high side.

...BUT... it's not all bad!

1. Lots of good amenities, including picnic shelter(s?); community room with tables & games for larger gatherings; the pool seemed in good shape (though on the small side), big jumping pillow was a hit with the kids.

2. On-site shop with a good selection of basic items for you and your rig. Free coffee in the morning, pizza available for delivery (we didn't try it but heard it was good). Friendly and helpful staff overall.

3. The Kabins are really nice! A part of our group had rented one and it was a great base for gathering for meals, and had a decent firepit area. If we didn't own a camper, we'd consider this KOA just for the Kabins.

4. Close to Omaha - great as a jump-off point for family activities, shopping, etc.

In Summary: If you don't mind paying more for a campground which has plenty of amenities and is best suited for a quick stop, or, if you are looking to rent a cabin and would like to be located conveniently in the Omaha area, this is a good option, but is a bit overpriced when considering other campgrounds which have more generous spacing and a more laid-back and relaxing environment.

The campground itself was fine and very convenient in location to vIsIt famIly. The entrance/exit is difficult and it looks like it’s not their fault as they have been trying to get permits to fix it but the NE transportation is not being cooperative so I recommend patience on this section. What the “but” is, is that we were given an inappropriate size space for the rig we stated, super narrow and we stuck over the road by 2 feet. They had larger sites all around us but were told we could not change. Because it was only one night, we dealt with it and I just used the empty larger site next to us to have some outdoor space. One foot off our door was the next site’s sewer hook up and the picnic table was on top of the fire pit because there was no room at all. This was just stupid. If we go back to visit, we will insist that we are in a larger site as it was actually a nice campground. Apparently I didn’t get a picture, but here’s the map, do not stay here in sites 34 - 70 if you have a rig over 30’ and dont want to touch your neighbors camper.

I decided that while visiting my cousin I would make a weekend of taking her kids out to "camp." This KOA provided a fun experience for us kids of all ages... Little Tony got to ride a zip line and my wife and I enjoyed wine while making smores around a fire pit. Really if you are looking to dig in to nature a KOA is not the best place. It is like the Yogi Bear sites. They are convenient, and can be cheap tent pads for sleeping but if your looking for nature this is not the spot. You would be better off at a state park for about $10/night. But we were looking for an intro to camping for my second cousins and it was a lot of fun here. They had a zip line (it didn't cover a long distance and wasn't high off the ground) a pool, general store, and just enough seclusion to feel like we got the youngsters out out of the suburb and into another that had some adventure and trees... Awesome place if you have kids with you and your entire goal is to get them out and try something new.

We tent camped in the modern loop. Bathroom was clean, lit, and stocked - even had hand sanitizer! RV loops had flush toilets and showers, but we didn’t stay long enough to make the trek worth it. The walk down to the tent sites was annoying at worst, but plenty doable. Campsites were level enough, and there were a few sites with pads. Lots of ticks to look out for. There’s an airfield nearby so plane noise was regular but not frequent. Wifi didn’t quite reach the tent campsites; nor did Verizon service, but T-Mobile was good. All around a fine campground.