Best Glamping near Manchester, KY

Great option for young families. Many activities at the park and it is also close to the birth place of Kentucky Fried Chicken. They have nice sites for larger campers and some for small units that are more shaded.

This is great for a night or two, we have used it as a base camp for property search. For this ise it has been great. The sites are a good size with picnic tables at each site. The only problem right now is construction going on behind it, they are clearing out land to build something and they started work today at 5 in the morning. Also you do get road noise as it is at the intersection of two main Kentucky roads.

Kingdom Come State Park is a little jewel in southeastern Kentucky! There are 6 tent sites (7 if they allow you to reserve the one next to the duck pond), each with a gravel drive, mulch tent pad big enough for two smallish tents, fire ring, and picnic table. The nearby shelter house provides restrooms and trash cans. The local ranger was most helpful in providing firewood (free!) and offering to bring us water to wash up with or for drinking (there is a water fountain across from the CG, but it wasn't turned on and there is running water in the restrooms). The area is known for bear activity, but we saw none. The surrounding mountains provide many short hikes that can be easily strung together to make for a longer trek if desired. We look forward to camping there again!

This was a one night stop on our way to Ohio. The property is nice and the sites are spacious. Didn't really like the placement of the fire ring. Had we used it, we would have been listening to our neighbor's music most of the night. We had a W/E site. Our Verizon cell signal was terrible and the campground wifi was not much better. The sites were gravel but were level. We didn't use the showers but they looked clean. The laundry room had only 1 washer and 1 dryer. The playground is best suited for toddlers. The dump station would have been convenient if we were dumping on the way in, but not placed well for dumping upon departure. They did have a zip line and a gem mining station for an extra cost. It was secluded enough that there wasn't a lot of road noise at night. It seems like it would be a nice enough campground during the summer. For the price paid for the site, it would have been nice to have included some of the extra activities. No cell or wifi service would probably keep us from staying here again as it was impossible to get any work done. Be sure to check out the Birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken. We didn't get to go inside the cafe(COVID), but we did have some photo ops outside.

This has ranked #1 for campgrounds for our family this season.

Nestled in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, this campground has all the things your family could want to do in nature.

Check in was super easy and the staff was great.

The site was very easy to get to.

We were on site 13 and it was nearly perfectly level from left to right. It had both 30 and 50 amp hookups and water (about 35psi on pressure). Each site has a charcoal grill, a fire pit with a grate for cooking and a large picnic table.

Our site backed up to the creek and a nice little levee for fishing. You could also go up back the park and fish right at the spillway from Buckhorn Lake Dam. Really fun experience.

Hands down the best playground for kids we have seen in a campground.

They had a large bathhouse with super clean bathrooms. Unsure about showers as I use the one in my TT.

There were horseshoe pits in two locations in the campsite. Several locations to dispose of trash. They also provided trash bags upon arrival.

Laundry facilities onsite and firewood you could purchase.

The dump station was clean and easily accessible with a hose for flushing.

Erica and her husband are the hosts and were so friendly and helpful. We were there over Mother’s Day weekend and they provided coffee juice and doughnuts for Mother’s Day.

A ton of kiddos for kids to play with and a great area for their bikes, etc.

We 100% will be back to this campground this season.

The sites are inconsistent between their sizes on the Clifty campground.  We had two small tents and one car.  If we had any more gear or people it would have been uncomfortable.  

I had to be careful when parking as I had to avoid the water supply, 2 trees, a safety pole for the water supply (painted brown), electricity box, and then the drop off on the other side of the road.  It did take a few turns to get in and out of the campsite.  We did have cell phone service (Verizon) at the campground.  My friend that was T-Mobile did not have cell service. There are areas in the park where I did not have a signal such as when we went hiking or exploring.  I would pre-download maps for the area on All Trails as that was extremely helpful. 

Some of the campsites at Clifty were much larger and were 2 of my site.  Each site had a water hook up, standard lantern/trash pole, fire ring, electric box, and was a short walk from the Clifty campground bathroom. If you can hand pick your site or scout it out before hand it is well worth doing that if you have a larger sized family or tent. 

I actually preferred Clifty over the main campground (Ridgeline). Ridgeline was down a long winding road.  It had way more folks.  Ridgeline is better suited for the RV and large tent crowds. Look closely as each site is rated for a different RV length and they had one pull in site. At Ridgeline they even have one campsite (tent) that was rated for 16 campers.  Generally, each site was rated for 8 campers.  Ridgeline also had some horse campers as I was able to see their horse trailers when going through the campsite. I saw 3 riders on horseback when I was driving to the camp store.  The stables are in two spots on the road down to Ridgeline. 

Taken from Cumberland Falls State Park webpage "Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is the perfect destination to introduce the family to the thrill of horseback riding. The park offers guided trail rides that are easy enough for the first timer and still adventurous for the more experienced. Riders, age 6 and up will enjoy a 45-minute ride through an eastern Kentucky forest, beautiful in any season. The stables open weekends in May and are daily after Memorial Weekend until Labor Day. Also open on weekends during Sept. and Oct. Rides start on the hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cost is$20.00 per person. Personal horses are not permitted on the trails at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, but there are several opportunities to do so in the surrounding area. There are many miles of trails and several horse camps in the nearby Daniel Boone National Forest and The Big South Fork National River and Recreation area."

Clifty was smaller and quieter.  It felt like it had more trees and only tents on this row of campsites.  The campsites are close to each other as we talked with our camp site neighbors on the both sides.  When I first booked my site I knew of the difference in locations between Ridgeline and Clifty but I couldn't figure out what the difference in settings/vibe would be like and I am so happy that I had picked Clifty. 

The perk about the Clifty campsites is that they are close to the pool.  You can easily walk to the pool with your family when it opens.  The pool is free for campers.  I didn't get to check out their bathrooms but my fellow camper did and she said it was good.  I also discovered a trail and more down behind the Clifty campground.  I only found it as I noticed yellow blazes by the bathroom and followed it back to the trailhead.  Close to the bathroom is the dumpster with a home made jamming device to keep the bears out of the dumpster.  The Clifty bathroom was not ADA accessible as no wheelchair bathroom stall.  Shower wasn't accessible either if you have any mobility challenges. 

Moonbow at Cumberland Falls - We arrived early and had a picnic dinner.  The moon bow is best when the moon is high over the falls.  We were hoping to see it around sun set at 9:30 - 10:00 but we actually had to stay later.  Make sure you take advantage of the picnic tables that are near by and the bathrooms.  The best site to see the Moonbow is at the Upper Falls which is close to the gift shop/snack bar.  You can see the falls from further down at the other observation decks. We hung out there for some time to avoid the crowds at the Upper Falls.  

The parking lot will fill up as it gets closer to the time of the Moonbow. I avoided that by doing the picnic dinner and coming before sun set. The Cumberland Falls remain open till midnight as they know folks will want to see the Moonbow this is only seen at certain times of the year due to the moon.  It was nice to notice the ranger at the entrance of the park as we were leaving.  He was keeping tabs on the crowds at a distance as he wasn't needed at that time. 

Hiking - Ask for a map at the lodge as I didn't see them at the campgrounds or even signs explaining what trail 12 vs 2 was in the area.  Also, be aware that the Sheltowee trail is in the area this is a 333 mile long trail and you will see the white blaze or turtle blazes. 

Even some of the signs such as where the waterfall was for the near by Dog Slaughter Falls Trail said the falls were 1 mile away but it was actually several more miles.  I used the All Trails App and kept track of the miles on my Fitbit.  We found the Extended trail on All Trails and that matched up to the GPS tracking we did while on the trail.  We found 3 different signs for this hike in 3 different locations and each time the mileage was off.

We usually camp here at least 3 times every year. They have dedicated tent sites with electric and also a primitive tent area. It's open year around but in the summer season you can take a trail off of loop I that leads to the community pool to cool off. The campground organizes fun activities for the summer holidays like tie dying, camper's only pool party, bingo, best decorated campsite, etc. It always seems to pack out everytime we are there.

Pretty wooded spot along the water with lots of history to explore. Pros: lots to do (pool, museum & historic buildings, some hiking trails, ranger talks, playground, sports fields, pool), tent loop. Cons: most of the camping is out in the open on concrete pads so if you’re in a tent and can’t get one of the tent loop sites you might not have a great time.

While there is nice natural beauty within some of the park and nearby, most of this park is more built up than your typical state park. You can play mini golf, go swimming in a lifeguard-watched pool, play sports. They even have a new high ropes course (ziplines) my cousins speak highly of. The hiking trails are quite historic with Daniel Boone and other settlers’ stories, including a historic mill, stone church, and cemeteries. For our personal taste this campground was too resorty, but it would be great for a family or diverse group.

Yay: Campgrounds have full amenities including grocery.

Nay: The campground is very open, not private. The county fairgrounds is inside this park so if you happen to go through while an event is taking place it will be crazy busy.

Surprise: loved the bird sanctuary and was pleasantly impressed by the historical information. Love the mill stone walkways.

There's a few different options of sites to choose from, from the basic to ones with gravel living space to ones with sewer hookups. The bathrooms could use some updating as the sinks don't have hot water and using the shower requires pushing the faucet on every 2 min. The putt putt course is okay, but needs to be cleaned more often. The playgrounds were our favorite place to be as they have a pretty good choice of equipment. There are a couple hiking trails and there's a pool for the summer months. Overall it was a pretty good getaway.

Been here many times. Lots of activities lots of shade. Sometimes hard to get full hook ups.

Not a fan of pay sites usually, but I wasn't planning on hanging out, so it didn't matter.

I got all checked in and paid for a load of firewood which they urged me to take more, which is always nice, so I had plenty for my stay. Electric and water on site was a nice surprise for the 25/night price tag, and the clean bathrooms and showers were an added bonus. Used this stay for my first time hammock camping, and honestly I was lucky to find trees suitable for it, but I did manage to get it hung and slept comfortably. This place is obviously popular with families and RV campers so expect to get past a crowd going in and out. Distance from Cumberland Falls and city amenities was a big help for me.

Had a great time at this park.

We stayed in the H area. All the areas before H appeared to have sewer hookup but we didn't. Simple playground nearby as well as a basketball court. Nets needed to be replaced but hey, it's not the YMCA. Bath houses close to us. Not super clean but not dirty. Spots were pull through so that was a plus. Pretty unlevel though. Bring lots of blocks. Burn ban in effect so no campfires but it was a good precaution to take for sure. Might visit there again but definitely want sewer hookup and will take more blocks.

Would definitely reccomened this place for great hiking. And the natural beauty makes the walking absolutely awesome.

Enjoyed this campground as a quick one night stop during the winter.   I think it could seem crowded in the peak season when it is full. 

Decent WIFI which was a big plus and, while we stayed in a full hook up site, the dump station was well positioned and easy to navigate.

The playground, mini golf, bath houses, and the multipurpose room in one of the buildings all looked well maintained and very nice.  

Glad we stopped

My GPS took me to the museum rather than the campground, and being I arrived after dark, it was a bit difficult to read signs to find my way...phoned a friend and she got me back on track to the campground. During daylight, found a lot more directional guidance existed than I thought the night before! Everything is well marked with a lot of signs, information and maps! Hiking trails are easy to find and we'll marked. Campground staff know the park, area & attractions. Showers & bath house are clean and well kept. Definitely a park focused on history in the area, education & family activities.

Loud Carson road and kids playing basketball til 11:00 pm. They were very loud and vulgar.

Site had lots of room though. We left after the first nite. Lost our next 2 nites fee but worth the loss not having to stay any longer.

Staff somewhat indifferent.

The bathrooms and showers was clean. They have a place to do laundry. Very nice playground, basketball court, swing, and volleyball court. We got to fish right beside our camper. Definitely recommend!

I just went on a long weekend trip and my main focus was to fish and check out some geology. I was really happy with all the amenities available and close proximity to my interest. GREAT PLACE.

This area is the best place to see Elk in the east! This is a small campground near Buckhorn Lake. It is close to the water for boating and swimming, there is a playground, but for much else you will need to travel outside the area.  There is a resort park called Buckhorn Lake nearby, which is a state facility with cabin camping (and a lodge), that is much more built up. Your GPS may be confused.

Yay: We liked the simplicity of the site, it is well taken care of.

Nay: No complaints but you need to bring your own boat.

Surprise: The ELK (not at the campground though).