Best Tent Camping near Ava, MO

This is one of the largest KOAs I've stayed at and the kampground itself is very nice. The staff were great ands check in was super quick. Also, there's a rugged little trail that goes behind the kampground. It was a great little walk for the dog and I to stretch our legs after our long drive. 

The tent sites are all located at the back of the kampground around a circular pavillion. Each tent site has its own water facet, electricity, and fair internet which are somewhat redeeming for the negatives below. It's nice to have a covered picnic table and the lattice provides some privacy from the picnic tables of the other campers. Other than the traffic is very quiet in by 7:30 or so. Everyone seems respectful of each other. 

The tent sites are disappointing to me. They're small, close together, and nearer to the highway than makes for a good night's sleep in a tent. That makes them kind of pricey for what you get.

I'm tent camping because I want to be distanced from other people. I put mine up as far to the side as I can go, but I'm  still literally only 10 feet from the next tent. Other users mentioned grass on the sites. I haven't seen any grass around and site 5 has only stones on the tent pad. This site also has probably the worst view. It faces out toward one of the kampground roads and is in full view of the street light. The back sites seem darker.

I'd highly recommend this KOA if you're visiting Branson in a trailer or RV. The kabins also look really cute (and there are lots of them!). If I visited here again in a tent, I'd pick one of the two sites that face the woods.

Even though their website says they have tent camping they DO NOT

Park is clean and well run. Along the beautiful White River, trout heaven. 3 “cabins” available, these are park model RVs in permanent spots along the River. Tent sites with no hookups available, but not at rivers edge. You can put a tent on an RV spot. Programs available from park rangers. Store in campgrounds has most of what you may have forgotten. Tent sites have trees for setting a hammock, some better than others.

Went here for a Jeep Jamboree and had a great time. There are several areas to tent camp and have great amenities as well. Toilets, showers, food, etc. The hosts are very hospitable and treat you great!

Mainly an RV campground with some tent sites. Camped with our camper van at site #35 along the White River. Long walk to the restroom from here. The RV sites have paved drives & offer views of the river. Most sites are small, feels crowded, although there were many unoccupied "Reserved" sites. No privacy between most sites; can easily hear conversations from neighboring sites. Table, firepit, water & electric hookups included. The restroom/shower house is clean & warm. Campground is popular with fishermen. Big Bluff hiking trail nearby; excellent trail. T-Mobile service is very good. Campground is clean & well maintained. To us, the layout of the RV sites along the river had a mobile home park feel to it. The 20 tent sites are in a wooded section away from the river. These sites appear to be spacious- more so than the RV sites.

We had a great time camping Memorial Day Weekend. We tent camped. The campsite was really nice and everyone was very friendly. The visitor center is awesome and the park had several activities available. We went to an owl talk and a bear talk that was very informative. We also did the lake cruise. I would highly recommend this park.  This is my favorite camping spot.

We stay here 3 or 4 times a year, they have lots to offer. Bike/hiking trails, horse shoe pits, basketball court, a very large picnic area a store with thing's if you forget something, very nice bathrooms with showers. They offer tent camping area that's pretty nice, and rv camp site with Full hook ups and some with just water and electric. It's a must see, also, some site are available year round

This campground was wonderful! We needed a tent site for one night and we ended up getting a whole grove of trees to ourselves! It was a Saturday night and there was an open mic night and bbq. The atmosphere was light and fun and the people rocked! Very clean bathrooms and showers. The rates were very very affordable too! 10/10!!!

I’ve camped here 2x for Jeepstock in September. Brandon, the owners closes the park for the event but it’s still maxes the facilities capacity. The tent camping is questionable, but lots of great electric sites. Generator camping is far away from everyone else so that’s nice.

There’s limited bathrooms and showers but I think that’s going to change soon with additions to the grounds. Nice new cabins are being added yearly. If you ha e a chance to visit SMORR, I would recommend it!

PROS- First the floating was excellent on the northfolk River. Great wildlife along the way including cranes, turtles, ducks, fish. Fantastic on site restaurant with bar and grill that has Saturday karaoke and Friday live bands. The best showers with privacy and cleanliness. Has extras on site like cornhole, basketball, Foosball, and a pool table. The campsites were large. The tent sites were shady and grassy with even ground and near the river. CONS- The RV sites have zero shade and very little grass so it's mostly clay mud on the ground, which would have been fine but since it rained it made a giant mud soup mess. The cost is higher than the recreation government sites online for camping.

I have been floating on the James River many times. Always a great experience on the river.

Campsite PROS- Very large grassy sites for tent camping with RV sites also available. On site general store for various floating items, alcohol, food etc

Campsite CONS- VERY STRICT camping rules when camping with minors... We were all well over the age of 21 ( 30 years old +) with the exception of my brother who was 20 at the time. He was DENIED an overnight site due to his age and the alcohol sold on the premises. Even with my father present . Also their shower/ bath room is poorly maintained and always dirty. They have one bath and toilet for men and one for women for the entire campground, which has well over 40 sites. They are unorganized when it comes to drop offs and pick ups and could use more staff to help get on and off the river for floating.

This campground offers RV camping with full hookups or tent camping. The RV sites are a little small and close to each other, and you can tell some people are long time campers. That being said, it’s a very nice area by the river with lots of fishing, floating, and swimming opportunities. A few things to keep in mind-if it’s been raining a lot it does tend to get muddy, we don’t have 4WD and got stuck, luckily some others there did and helped us out. Once it dried up it was no problem. (It had been over for over a week, so it was out of the norm) The exit to get out is a hill with gravel so again not having 4WD that was a little tricky, the visibility is also not great because of curves so you just have to hope people aren’t going too fast. The last thing is this place is also a canoe rental so there are vans/buses with canoes going back and forth all day so it can be noisy.

My family stayed in the African Treehouse Lodge. It was a great weekend getaway. The kids loved that the upstairs was up a ladder and running across the swinging rope bridge. The playground has a zipline that all the kiddos had a blast using. We were able to "rent" for free a couple of movies from the office and the staff was really friendly and helpful. The trails made for a good afternoon family walk. Some trails were more cleared out than other but the variety is a plus in my book. They are not overly long trails but still very enjoyable. They have plenty of RV sites and some cabins and treehouses. Me and my wife will be coming back to one of the couples only treehouses for sure! There are not a lot of tent sites and they are all in one crowded area with little seclusion or cover but this place is clearly more geared to the RV's and Cabin getaways. Would be great for family reunions or family trips to the Branson area.

When it comes to this location I liked the overall spacing of sites and the shaded tent area.  This was so appealing when I pulled in.  At first I had eyed just a site by the water but when I saw these they were a bit further away but seemed to be just what I was looking for in the midst of the heat.

Many people come to this area to put a kayak in the water and enjoy, and while I wanted to do that it seemed a bit crowded for my liking as a novice.   You wouldn't expect that from the water but I get turned around easily and I didn't want to be out there in the way.   Instead I enjoyed the other activities and just being at camp itself.

A bit more about the options for water recreation.   They do have rentals and a shuttle service to accommodate you returning following a paddle, that seemed very reasonably priced.

Camp was very nice with lush green grass, access to fire rings and picnic tables.    It wasn't to loud although you could hear the sounds of campers around you pretty easily.    

They also had cabin options here, I didn't explore them this time around but they looked nice and the placement wasn't to close to one another.  The RV area was well spaced and had great areas for leveling out with ease, shade coverings for the exposed sites and similar amenities to the tent camping.

Family style theme campgrounds are always fun.   Not really so much about the hiking and outdoors as many other camps in the area but the amenities and attraction of the campgrounds are usually the selling point.  

I have seen many Jellystone Parks in the past, and I will say this one is a bit less themed than others.  However what it lacks in theming it does make up for in charm as the cast and staff are extra friendly and involved.   They ensure that children have interactions with Yogi and that there are plenty of fun activities for the entire family to enjoy!!

They host daily activity times for foam parties, scavenger hunts, interactions and crafts which is really fun and makes for a great family style outing especially for the younger kiddos.   Additionally they have a splash pad, swimming pool, hiking areas which are a bit less challenging, playground and ranger station.    

Though they do have an all inclusive style approach to entertainment they also have show tickets available for purchase for venturing into Branson itself, a great touch for additional entertainment as there are many things the entire family will enjoy.

Tent camping along with RV camping and Cabins is available but something unique to the park is the RV rental service where you can rent an RV to stay in, something not to many parks in Branson offer.

When I visited the park, some of the amenities and special attractions were currently closed due to the conditions going on in the world, but they still made sure to make it an exciting experience for all staying there.

Looking for a great place to park your boat but still be able to enjoy the benefits of Branson views?? This campground is one which is the best of both worlds as its quick and easy access to Table Rock and the downtown corridor is just a short distance in either direction. While this is a mainly RV location they do allow tent camping with plenty of amenities. 

The sites are spaced well throughout the mountainside and are built up to accommodate larger and smaller rigs without the need of massive amounts of leveling in many of the locations. The sites are large enough to allow you to park and still have space to move around to enjoy the picnic tables and fire rings offered at each of the locations. 

The common spaces offered include view points, boat parking areas and pavilions. In addition there are common restrooms available mid camp. 

The location has beautiful shade trees which create a comfortable temperature even on the hottest of summer days and provide a bit of cover from the more aggressive rains which occur in this area from time to time. This location does allow pets and you will often find people enjoying the common decks alongside their furry friends as they overlook the views of the city in the evening. 

On the property there is a nice pool and recreation area in addition to something a bit out of the ordinary, zip lines. This is the home of some pretty impressive lines which depart from the parking area of the main office and facility and allow you to see Branson through the canopies which surround it. The zip lines are not included in your initial price of stay however are comparable to other pricing in the area for similar activities. 

If you choose to visit this park you have access to laundry and picnic areas as well. The space is filled with fun but provides a comfortable base camp for activities beyond the campground itself. Keep up to date with the goings on of Branson with Direct TV and local channels upgraded WIFI.