Best Glamping near Cincinnati, OH

Autumn is the best time to camp in Ohio. Lots of small bathrooms. Lake access. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was due to the fact there was no quick reentry. Had to wait for rvs in front of me to register.

This camp ground is pretty standard for Ohio State Parks. It does have a cool new sleeping option. Yurts! We enjoyed our time in the yurt.  They also have trails that are easy to tackle and well marked at this park. 

We were able to easily have the kids in one bed and we were in another bed.  The small fridge and microwave made it easy to pull a meal together. The fan kept us cool. 

Water is a short walk away and so are restrooms. You have to bring in local fire wood for your camp fires.

Along the Ohio river Morgan’s is the perfect spot to camp if you enjoy nature. The wooded sites are very large even the small ones with mature trees. So close to everything Cincinnati has to offer but beautiful scenic river views.

My wife and I had a great time visiting Hueston Woods and visiting the Raptor Center. Located north of Cincinnati along Ohio’s border with Indiana.

We stayed here with our pop up camper and felt right at home. The bathrooms and shower houses could use some updates and there were no full hook up sites when we went but our site was nice and quiet.

Our dog, loved the miniature golf and visiting Acton Lake.

Friendly staff, level sites, surrounded by woods and water.

Twenty mins fro downtown Cincinnati.

Perfect for base camp to explore the area.

Cowan Lake State Park is near Wilmington, Ohio and they have been making a lot of improvements to the park.  It is a great location between Cincinnati and Columbus with easy access from the highway.  This is good if you want to meet with friends somewhat in between.  It isn't too close to the highway so you don't hear the road noise as it is a few miles away but it is an easy drive to the park. 

They have been revamping the Nature Center to make it more accessible to folks as they have recently added a ramp. The Nature Center actually has two buildings side by side used for different purposes.  Then behind the Nature Center they have a location where several birds are located in cages.  Then next to where the birds are kept you will notice a new paw print trail that is a short but informative hike.

The commissary has great pizza and ice cream.  We also bought our firewood and ice from them as well.  We didn't need to leave the park.  We had a few trails to pick from and picked two of the shorter ones for members in our group.  

The cabins have been revamped as well.  They are all close to each other so if you wanted to have a family reunion or a get together this would be a great spot to do so.  At the end of the main road it will lead you to the lake.  You can use the dock to put your boat out (kayak and certain motor boats).  Folks are fishing at the lake or simply enjoying the beauty of the lake.  

The beach is simple but that is part of the charm.  It is clean and we were able to swim on the hot days that we had while camping.

Indian Lakes Campground is 10 minutes east of downtown Batesville, an hour to the east of Indianapolis and an hour to the west of Cincinnati. With over 1000 sites they offer a KOA section, year round leased sites, Thousand Trails sites and individual sites. We’re a married couple in our forties traveling with two dogs and a cat in our 37 foot motorhome and members of Thousand Trails. We arrived on April 3rd, the day prior to Indiana Covid-19 stay at home restrictions. The property owners were gracious enough to allow us to extend our stay beyond the normal 14 day limit for our personal safety. We were assigned a 50 amp site with water and sewer in loop 4B. This is an open loop with very few trees for shade. Immediately across from our site is a large field about the length of a football field. We can see the lake in the distance past the recreation and pool areas. During our stay we did not access the restroom, laundry, recreation or store areas as we were practicing social distancing. We plan to make many return trips to this campground in the future. Because we were the first to stay in our site since the campground closed for the winter season we had a little site maintenance/pickup to perform but nothing too out of the norm. The noise from the highway can only be heard about once a week. On weekends there’s an increase in golf-cart users and most neighbors are respectful during quiet hours.

This is a great county park! It has a nice “campground” feel set in a large pine trees and wide sites but has 50-amp full hook-up sites. The campground is set in Winton Woods County Park which is about 20 minutes from downtown Cincinnati.

There are 123 campsites including RV sites, tent pads, and camping cabins. Most RV sites are back-in but there are 12 pull-thru sites. There is a myriad of sites here from 50-amp full hook-up with paved pads and patios to 30-amp gravel sites. Sites have fire pits, picnic tables. Campsites in the front section (1F – 25F and 1R – 12R) are big rig-friendly with paved roads wide enough to easily maneuver. All utilities worked accordingly and were well-placed in the site. Our 4G Verizon phone got good reception and we were able to get plenty of antenna television channels. The online reservation system is easy to use and gives you an array of sites/cabins to choose from. Be aware that lots of people use this park on the weekends so it can get quiet busy.

There are lots of amenities at this park. Within walking distance of the campground is Winton Woods Lake which has a harbor with boathouse, snack bar, boat rentals and playgrounds. There are miles of paved and rustic hiking trails. There is a camp store, dump station, laundry, restrooms/shower house, boat/kayak launch, and fishing access. Located in the park is a golf course and horseback riding center.

You are within a few miles of everything … grocery, gas/diesel, restaurants, and plenty of shopping. The park is close to I-275 and I-75 making for easy access to major interstates. One place you should not miss is Jungle Jims international grocery and market. This totally eclectic, sprawling "grocery store" has so much to offer. They pride themselves on providing unique foods from all over the world. I could spend hours in this store perusing the isles of which are sectioned off into country and region. There are entire sections on Indian foods, wines, cheeses that you have never heard of, and tanks with live fish ready for the filleting. Also within close proximity is Greaters -one of the country's best ice cream shops (according to Food and Wine). Just down the street is a new person favorite sandwich shop called Izzy's which is famous for their corned beef and delicious potato pancakes.

Loved this park because you have a very nice campsite with 50-amp full hook-up site with lots to do in the area. Our site was level and the roads were easy to navigate in our motorhome. The paved trail around the lake was great for walking/jogging and perfect for launching our kayaks.

We would definitely stay here again.

Cabin A, . Check-in time is 2pm and check out is 12pm. Please remember to bring your own linens, Morgan's does not supply sheets for the cabins. There are 2 twin mattresses and 1 full size mattress. **Helpful information from their reservation email. 

They have 4 cabins in our area which would be nice to get another family to join us.  Then each family has their own cabin to retire to at the end of the day. 

https://www.morganscanoe.com/ This site is close to King's Island and Fort Ancient. It also was next to a bike trail.  Close to the Little Miami Bike Trail this was easy to walk on with my friend and her two little ones.  The trail was paved which was a huge help for those of us who were extra short and didn't always attend to their surroundings when walking. 

We were a little nervous as the cabin is so close the river. This is part of the charm but when you have a 3 year old in your group then it is smart to keep an extra sharp eye on the kiddo as the river is a huge draw.  We enjoyed being able to be close to the river and then being inside with a floor/door which a tent wouldn't have given us that extra security.  We had plenty of space for my friend, her two kids, and me. 

The cabin didn't have heat and I tend to get cold easily.  For the average person in the summer and spring you will be fine. I needed to layer up. We had two little ones so during the day instead of the usual King's Island we went to Entertainment Junction. https://entertrainmentjunction.com/ and I was also able to get a Groupon to reduce the cost. 

Price:$60.00/night for 2 Adults and up to 3 kids(3-16 years of age) 2-night minimum  required for weekends and 3-night required for holiday weekends.  The cabins weren't on top of each other. I felt that this was a better deal than some other local cabin prices and the atmosphere was better as well .

The tent sites which I explored on my walks are huge. A great camp site to have a bunch of friends meet up and camp at as it is so close to Cincinnati. This camp site, is far enough to get away but close enough.  This means that everyone can easily get there after work. We didn't want a long car drive with two little ones and this was a great way to start exposing them to camping in our "backyard". 

The prices equal the local state parks but the sites are bigger.  The area has huge trees and grassy areas to put your tents up without feeling like your neighbors are right in your space.

Super helpful friendly owners that quite frankly made our experience. They are also trying to improve the spot. This campground is mainly seasonal spots on the banks of the Ohio River. Close to the quaint town of Vevay, Indiana.

An older but updated Ohio State Park. Ran by a great volunteer staff! Nice canoe and kayaking lake, no motor lake. Fishing is good off shore or boat. Had a Bat house building event when we were there. Updated restrooms and shower house. Lots of shaded sites both 30 and 50 amps, no full hook ups, but easy to get too dump and water source for filling tank.

This was a great little find right on the banks of the Ohio River. Family owned operation…and just the nicest people you could ever imagine. Most of the little RV parks in this area are seasonal camper focused; and it shows. The owners here are focused on growing their business and have just completed a new building to accommodate a store and reception area, potential for limited dining, and activity center. They have also completed a new deck area that overlooks the campground and Ohio River. The park does have a large number of seasonal tenants however; they have reserved a number of great sites, even some on the river front, for nightly RVers(and have plans to expand that number). They offer both full hook-up and electric, 30-50 amp with water sites on a daily, weekly or monthly rate. The location provides easy access to both the communities of Vevay and Madison Indiana which are rich in history, unique architecture, dining, shopping and wineries. The location is just 20 minutes east of Madison on IN-56. Contact Tom Skojac at 317-902-4112 swisshavenrvresort.com 38.710849,-85.125427

This is a great park in southern Ohio, easy to reach, 20 minutes off the interstate 275. There are a number of good sites, but some with a significant slope that leveling would be an issue. There are a few site close to the water but are more compact. Plenty of well kept restrooms spread throughout the camping area. Bath house is clean and modern. There is potable water in multiple sites and a double sided dump station. The staff and the host are very pleasant and helpful. It's a park I will definitely return.

I've stayed here in the past and Cowan Lake does not disappoint. The B site campground is all non-electric tent camping, and far enough away from the larger RV pads that it's a quiet little campsite! Also, these sites are super close to the bathrooms on the beach, which were very clean during our stay. I was incredibly impressed, because the beach gets pretty busy during the day. The beach itself was clean (for a lakeside beach- there are geese, it's Ohio) and the lake was gorgeous! I will say, the only MILD annoyance is that some of the other campers would drive to the parking lot in front of our campsite and park there into the evening hours to fish or head down to the docks. I'm an early riser, so the headlights and car doors slamming were mildly annoying after about 10p. Not enough to make me choose a different campsite, but worth noting. We rented a tandem kayak and explored the lake, and the equipment was all in good condition. The Commisary is pretty limited but they do have a small kitchen and ice cream, as well as the basics like firewood and ice, as well as the boat rentals. Overall, one of my favorite lakeside campgrounds!

Hueston Woods State Park, Oh.

http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/huestonwoods 

Campground Overview: Hueston Woods State Park is very close to Miami University...in the Southwest area of Ohio. The direction we traveled from the south took us on numerous winding country lanes through farm country that actually meandered in and out of Indiana and Ohio.

(Disclaimer: I am a tent camper, preferring backcountry sites of solitude and privacy...so take my reviews of campgrounds with a grain of salt). 

The campground area is separated not only by roadway, but a short walk, ride or drive from the reservoir, docks, boat rental beach area and tiny nature center. 

The Campground Office sits at the campground entrance and does offer quite a bit of camping items for its tiny size should you have forgotten anything. The cabins and lodge are on the opposite bank of the reservoir. The tent site area was sparsely occupied and the particular area was empty that I chose. 

All campground sites are line of sight, no barriers or buffer between neighbors(something I do not enjoy)...the trees are mature and tall so offer no privacy. Noise/sound travels so when full, you’ll likely hear your neighbors conversations. 

Unknowingly, it appeared every weekend in October has a big Halloween emphasis, so the upper campground was sold out. I was advised the lower non electric loop would also be sold out...which reinforced my gratefulness for midweek camping. 

With the vast old growth forests, dried/dead branches for firewood was plentiful for a chilly night(38) fire. We evaded the impending rain for once and pressed on. Weekend campers experienced heavy storms as we left. 

There are several hiking trails and biking trails. Streams were dried up at our visit. A cool restoration covered bridge was a short hop from the campground. The lodge has a restaurant, a gift shop, an outside pool and a nicely equipped activity room for older kids complete with numerous arcade games, pool table, and ping-pong table. There is also a token tiny exercise center-Key card entrance for lodge stayers. The A-frame lodge, though nostalgic, needs some TLC and updating(especially the exterior). 

Traffic noise is noticeable, especially during quiet hours. While not excessive, it’s disruptive. 

Deer sighting were plentiful as were chattering tree rats...ahem, squirrels, sorry. Woodpeckers stayed busy overhead. At dusk an overly friendly“masked trash panda” encroached seeking to share my delectable and perfectly toasted s’more...having to be chased off(unfortunately, it appeared he has been fed by campers to be that bold). Other small birds were plentiful as were migrating Canadian honkers. 

Housekeeping notes: In the larger non-electric loop newer restrooms existed...modern bathrooms and showers were clean and stocked with TP. No paper towels offered, only electric hand dryers. Bathroom stalls, like the showers, utilized shower curtains rather than lockable doors. In my tent area...antiquated wood shed pit latrines...that truly needed razed. 

I did not have time to walk any trails, but talked with mountain bikers that spoke favorably. There were several marked trails near the reservoir area. 

Final Thoughts: It was a nice choice for a stop-over as I drifted north. However, I would not want to stay when it’s busy or on the weekends. The reservoir beach and watercraft fishing appears a big draw...and I wish I had brought both my bicycle and canoe.

Wow! Beautiful place, huge lake, very peaceful out by the water.

Campground was not the best- sites were VERY close together, with most of the campground completely exposed with no shade. It was like trying to relax on a huge parking lot jammed with RVs and people. At most of the sites, you'd literally have a family up against you 20 feet to the left and a family 20 feet to the right. This might be fun for kids, but not fun if you are looking for some peace and quiet.

The bathrooms were average for Ohio State parks- icky and grungy, but not gag-worthy. I'm used to the ickiness of state park bathrooms, so I wasn't grossed out. The showers and toilets nearest my site had big puddles of standing water full of dirt, bandaids, plastic wrappers and other gross items floating there the duration of the weekend. One sink was full of dirt the entire weekend. Showers were hot though, which is always a plus.

Great place for kayaking. There was a little free library, which is a great idea. The snack bar was hopping the whole time. They need to make more than one pot of coffee at a time in the mornings (1 pot when they have 249 sites? They are missing out on $$!!), but I only buy coffee on the morning I'm packing up.

Overall, I enjoyed it here, but I'd only go if there are LOTS of free sites and you know you aren't jammed up against 2-3 other groups of people.

This campground has nice big sites, not the tiny sites that some Ohio state park campgrounds have. Most of them looked relatively level. However, there is no privacy, you are smashed right against your neighbors on both sides, and some parts were essentially just an RV parking lot.

The showerhouse was fine, I wouldn't call it clean as there was hair and scummy stuff everywhere, but I was there on a fully booked weekend so I guess you'll have that. The toilet/sink building nearest to our site reeked of urine, think gas station bathroom that hasn't been cleaned in years- looked clean but smelled terrible. There was also just one pedestal sink in this bathroom, so nowhere to put your things if you want to brush your teeth, even wash your hands. 

The big problem was the noise. We were there on "camper appreciation weekend" and they way they "appreciated" us was have an extremely noisy, not-very-talented cover band blare extremely loud 70s and 80s music for three hours on Saturday night. They had big speakers, amps, drum set, the whole bit. You could hear it quite clearly and loudly from every corner of the campground. I go camping for peace and quiet, to hear the crickets and birds and the crackle of our campfire. I do not want to have to endure three hours of men wailing on their guitars and belting out every top forty hit ever written by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was extremely annoying, disruptive and jarring, and took away from our camping experience of sitting peacefully by our camp fire. If I were to return here, I would call first to make sure they are not "appreciating" the campers and putting on an unsolicited rock concert.

This was my second visit to the park. Some things have changed:) The park was very busy over the holiday weekend.  The movies were a highlight and the Friends of Hueston Woods had some tasty snacks you could purchase.

We opted not to swim at the beach but it is quite lovely. It wasn't over run with Geese.  You have a sandy area, grassy area, volley ball area, and playground. It is one of the better beaches for Ohio State Parks in the southern part of the state.  We bought a day pass to the pool at the lodge. This was a wonderful evening swimming late into the evening past sun set. 

In 2020, some of the campsites are being improved (see sign below). We camped on the RV side in our tent. This area is more populated and the bathrooms are better. It is more "groomed" the grass and landscape.  If you go to the primitive campsite side the grass is mowed but it has a more rustic feel to that side of the camp ground. 

The red covered bridge that is near by you can either drive to or walk to from the primitive side of the camp ground. The bridge is still beautiful but be prepared that folks have taken to writing on the bridge. Some of it is chalk or mud but it doesn't follow LNT. Not a fan of names or other tidbits on the bridge. 

The nature center here does a great program as we were able to look at various birds of prey. This was a highlight. 

We thought about renting kayaks but didn't want to wait. They don't do specific time slots so it is a wait around approach. We had better things to do than wait around. We went out on the trails. Some of the trails were better marked and others were not clearly marked.  We were able to figure it out but it was a bit tricky. 

**Photos and videos are not uploading fully so I will be back to upload more at a later time.

Cowan Lake State Park - A friend and I were able to kayak on the lake the night of a Friday the 13th moon. It was beautiful. Sadly, no pictures as I do not have a water proof camera. The next day we also went out for another paddle under the bright sun.  The boat ramp and parking lot is easy to use and has a good layout.  They do have some tent sites close to the boat ramp area and you can see the lake from those tent sites. 

Our campsite did not have any trees but they have planted a lot of new trees. I assume this due the previous trees having to be cut down due to Emerald Ash borer damage. Our campsite didn't have any shade but others did so you really have to pick wisely. 

The trails here are easy and short.  I loved the informational boxes and tags that they had on the trees or plants.  This is helpful if you have little ones with you or if you are like me and just like to learn about the animals/plants on the trail. 

The park also had a lending library and walking stick lending program. I thought these were simple but memorable features for this park. 

Our campsite was close to two different bathroom structures.  One right behind our site was toilets only. This did mean that sometimes folks would walk on the edge or through the camp site at times.  The other bathroom structure was further down the road and it had both toilets and showers.  The larger bathroom had an ADA shower in it as well. 

The camp store was well stocked and you could rent bikes from the store. These bikes were often all over the campground so be extra careful when driving in the park.  They do have the orange flag but as they are low to the ground it is hard to see them at times. 

The cabins here have both a fire ring and grill. This isn't the case at all Ohio State parks so it was a nice surprise.  They also have a porch that is screened in with a view of the lake. You are not able to walk down to the lake from the cabin but it is a lovely view. 

For those who want to "Walk-On" camp please take a look at the photo of the neon yellow paper as how the park approaches this will be different in the future. 

**Not all photos or videos uploading so some information may be missing. I will try to upload again later.