Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Shelbyville? The Dyrt helps you find campsites near Shelbyville with tent camping. Whether you're looking for a quiet, dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Jefferson Memorial Forest features a campground for tent camping and can accommodate both families and groups. Although the Forest is only minutes from Metro Louisville, camping here seems like a much more remote camping experience. Located within the Horine Reservation, the campground is in the uplands of the Forest and has good separation between individual campsites. Seven family campsites and four group campsites are available. Latrines and water are near to all the sites.
$15 - $35 / night
Our farm is located on the property where the ferry brought individuals across the KY River from Versailles, KY. We are a private farm and live here for the pleasure of the land, the quiet from the city, and the outdoor activities. We want to share this with our guests.
Come and enjoy bourbon country on the Kentucky River. We are located next door to the Wild Turkey Distillery, and within miles of a few others. Our 35-acre property offers immediate access to the KY River, and is within 5 minutes of an quaint downtown area, should you decide to go to town for a meal. Plenty of restaurants for your choosing! 7 minutes away is a Walmart should you forget anything. Come and relax in our peaceful surroundings. Horses, mini horses, goats, mini mules, all on site and loving attention. Bring your frisbees, cornhole, and yard games.
$32 - $82 / night
Stop and camp at Birdsell Castle. Camping includes: Sit around the campfire with other enthusiast and enjoy a Castle lifestyle. Axe throwing and archery.
The castle has several shops with a variety of items and is actively looking for additional consignments from artistians world wide. Some wholesale items available for vendors as well. Vacation rental rooms are being constructed and hope to be available this fall
$25 - $75 / night
Tree Line Retreat is the ideal spot for some well deserved R&R;! Nestled on a 40 acre working farmstead, the primitive camp sites are natural grass areas under a tree canopy of large oaks, cherries and other species. You are welcome to hike around and explore the 40 acres, plenty of backroads for beautiful biking, nearby lake with public access for fishing, swimming& picnicking. Located between Cincinnati OH and Lexington KY, the retreat is a short 20 minute drive to the Ark Encounter in Williamstown KY, 45 minutes to Lexington KY, 50 minutes to Cincinnati. An abundance of wildlife roam the area from many species of birds, deer, turkeys along with possible visits from our free range barn cats! Bartlett Farm proudly raises California, New Zealand & mini Rex rabbits, Embden geese, Muscovy ducks, pasture raised chicken and pasture raised eggs. There are some fenced farm dogs to make noise to keep predators away and some barn cats. All tent sites are brush hogged and the access road is as well. Firewood and water by the gallon available for purchase.
$20 / night
Guide
Well kept campground with a pond. Bathrooms were well maintained and clean. Lots of stars at night!
Guide
Lots of run down RV’s and shanty town in the back of the park. More long term renters than weekend warriors. One dump station, no sewage on the sites. One bathroom, for the whole Park. lots of tents sites (that were busy) makes for poor bathrooms. Not to mention its outhouse style with no climate control. 1/3 men’s bathrooms were out of order and 1/3 urinals were too. 2/3 showers where out of order and the two useable toilets, the door locks were broken. No wifi. Fires are allowed. Fire pits are run down so be mindful. 2/5 bars for ATT services. Sites aren’t labeled or labeled extremely bad. Electrical seems very out dated. Make sure you have protection. Over priced at $60 + tax for the night. Scattered shade. Pull through sites mainly. Picnic tables have seen better days (years more like it). Good space between sites and access to the river for water sports. Little lake for fishing. No pet area and strict leash laws. I wanna give this a 2/5 because they were pleasant. They encouraged me to review on multiple sites but I think that would be bad for them so I’ll stick to my main review site. 1/5, if the price was better like 30-40/night maybe 2/5 but for the price of a motel 6 and only electrical and that is sketchy. Save your money book elsewhere or avoid.
Guide
Great hosts, quiet camping location, 5 minute drive into town. No, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but we don’t need all that stuff. I’d rather pay a cheaper price than to stay at a place with activities going on all the time and so much noise you can’t enjoy the countryside.
Traveler
First thing first. Keven was awesome! Hands down best stay at a camp area I've ever had. Hospitality awesome. Animals awesome. Neighbors were quiet as well. Even though we had an accidental mishap. Kevin was super cool. Would definitely recommend. Will be coming back for sure.
The "island" site is a nice little shaded area above the riverside. Off to the right corner of the site is a set of stairs leading down to the river with an area to take some chairs and relax by the water. On a clear night it was super relaxing listening to nature and looking up in the night sky and seeing orions belt and the moon directly above the river. Pretty damn cool especially if you have never seen country sky at night. The animals are a few donkeys, chickens, and a farm cat all are very friendly and won't get into your stuff but occasionally will stop by and say hi. Overall....great experience. If you get a chance to book this spot. Don't think about it just do it. THANKS KEVEN! keep the bottle caps going!!!
Traveler
We last minute booked this spot as a family getaway and we are so happy we did. It was perfect for our kids and dogs. Kids were none stop walking the dogs, and scootering up and down the road. Everyone was so kind, there was even live music! And can I take a moment to say the restroom/shower was the cleanest I have EVER used. Huge thanks to the staff, you can tell they truly take pride in their work. We had a site next to the creek and it was beautiful! We are already talking about coming back!
ScoutCampsites are shady and flat, bathhouse is clean and well maintained. Office staff are friendly and helpful. We had a blast spending the day in the creek! Thanks for an A+ weekend campout!
Scout
We absolutely love this campground, very friendly staff and well kept and clean!! They are pet friendly and allow portable fences.
Scout
Just stopped for one night late in the afternoon and was easy to get off the interstate. Very nice grounds, clean restrooms, and quiet
Guide
My family visited Louisville South at the beginning of June for an extended family trip.
Pros- Lots of activities for kids. Nice pool, great playground, bounce pad. Bike rental. Decent (not spectacular) hiking trails. The RV sites with patio were very nice, but could be bigger.
Cons- some (not all) of the staff. One lady in particular was always rude, and didn’t like answering questions. There was a security light for the bounce pad that was on all night long, and thoroughly illuminated the adjacent tent sites. My brother’s family of 6 did not sleep well. This is something that is easily corrected by installing a shade over one edge of the light, but the staff didn’t seem to care.
Guide
Excellent campground. Clean and quiet. Can get busy but sites are not tight but spread out and plenty of space. Fine gravel sites with well kept grounds, shower house, and attentive host. We want to return and visit more Bourbon Trail Distilleries.
ScoutThe campground is easy to navigate. The ranger met us on the way in and was super-friendly. Our site was small bit not cramped, and there was a picnic table and fire pit. Plenty of space between each site. Neighbors were quiet and friendly. Will camp here again!
Scout
We tent camped and it was not a bad time. Very dead and very quiet, and we met a friendly raccoon.
Scout
This was a repeat visit. Just as perfect as the first time. Lake was beautiful and staff are always so helpful. They even have an on-site RV Tech that works for them who helped us fix our hot water heater. Very professional young man. We also enjoyed live music at the pavilion, and PIZZA from their new café, it was fabulous. They even have Boba tea.
ScoutSuch a quiet place. The resident goats, mules, donkeys and horses are very friendly - just like the hosts!
GuideIf you’re looking for a quiet campground in a semi-rural setting, this is the place for you. No frills, full hookups for 50 amp. No laundry on site and only one local laundromat. Super Walmart and Kroger within 5 or so miles. There’s a lake on-site but requires a medium sized hike downhill and through undergrowth. Shade is at a premium as there aren’t many trees.
GuideThe staff are super helpful. The site we had was for a 38’ RV. Full hookups, dog park, lots of places to walk, even trails. We had a great stay here and will most likely come back next time we’re near Louisville.
RangerBeautiful campground surrounded by horse country. Slightly rolling hills in campground but mostly level sites. We chose site 13 because it looked level in pics and had some open green space behind for our dog (neighboring site did as well). Able to set up with no boards or leveling blocks.
Lots of trees in campground (leaves hadn’t started back yet) and medium size lots with water and electric only. Two dump stations available. 2 laundromats, a pool (closed when we were here), and large camp store.
ScoutThis campground  offers, high-speed Wi-Fi that actually works!  the new owners upgraded last year and it’s fabulous !
ScoutThis campground became a KOA in late fall 2022. Since the new owners took over they have made wonderful improvements. Added a new saltwater pool, deluxe cabins, deluxe camping sites. All sites have 50/30 AMP. Most with lake views or select a site right nearest the lake. They added a New Cafe with pizza, coffees and Boba tea. Super clean park & restrooms
ScoutA campsite settled upon the bank of the Kentucky River with a friendly farm cat, goats, horses and cow we delighted in a campfire as the sun set and the stars came out. Our host had guided us into our weekend home and delivered a wagon load of firewood for a night of warmth and comfort. The night sky of stars and quiet stillness brought a calm and peace from our busy week.
We look forward to another weekend excursion to the farm next year.
TravelerCame for just one night. It was decorated beautifully for Christmas. Site wasn’t the easiest to back in. Obviously no sewer hookup which isn’t a huge problem. Hooked up to water and nothing came out. We got here at 9pm and left at 7:15am. Just an inconvenience but other than that it’s a beautiful park
TravelerVery clean. Really pretty. Felt a little out of place only bc I had an older camper.
Guide
We stayed two nights in our small mobile home. The pluses were electric and water hookups, and the beauty of the area. The trees were at peak color! The minuses were that some of the sites were very narrow, and some had a huge drop off from the camping pad to the grass. You almost have to drive there and look at the sites one by one to make sure what you're getting! Having said that, the area is well lighted and boasts a beautiful (though not really as easy as advertised) trail around the lake.
Guide
We had the most amazing time and actually ended up extending our stay here because of how lovely this spot is. Secluded and tucked away along the river. Very clean sites, both back-in and pull-through. Full hookups. They have live music and a food truck on Saturdays. Entry is by card-swipe only, so very safe. Peaceful spot without much noise. Little trail along the river to walk.
Scout
Campers beware. We had a family emergency and had to cancel our week at CAMP ON THE KENTUCKY. I gave them almost 3 weeks notice. This is the reply I finally got after a week of trying to get a response. I also sent him hospital discharge papers as proof of the situation.
"Well, as of now, we have a no refund policy so I feel I'm being very generous, that said, our time is not free. I'm sorry for you current situation and I wish you and your family all the best."
Scout
Loved this campground growing up! We tent camped and our relatives RV camped. However they have cut down most of the trees, the facilities aren’t maintained very well and the campground/park looks more run down than ever. It’s sad but I hope they update and maintain it more in the future.
Guide
The lake was nice especially with the extreme heat we had. Super crowded on the weekends but not too bad during the week. The bathrooms were terrible. Dirty and no toilet paper to be had on the busy weekends.
Camping near Shelbyville, Kentucky, offers a variety of experiences for outdoor enthusiasts. From well-maintained campgrounds to beautiful natural scenery, there’s something for everyone.
Camping near Shelbyville, Kentucky, has its quirks, but with the right preparation, it can be a fantastic experience for everyone involved!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Shelbyville, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Shelbyville, KY is Jefferson Memorial Forest Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 17 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Shelbyville, KY?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 tent camping locations near Shelbyville, KY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
