Best Glamping near Cincinnati, OH

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.

This campground is well attended as most lots are filled each time I visit. The bathrooms are clean. The sites have LOTS of extra space in between for hammocks, kids running, and privacy. There are lots with trees and lots without. There is a commissary that includes everything you could possibly need as well as a hot grill. There is a beach for swimming, trails for hiking (not long distances), a basketball court and multiple playgrounds. When we were there, they had an outdoor movie theater for the kids and served complimentary popcorn. It was nice and hassle free.

The adorable cabin fulfilled my tiny home dreams and camping craving! The cozy cabin had a queen bed, twin bunks and a sofa that made out to a full size sleeper. Kitchen included a fridge, sink and single cup coffee maker. Coffee k cups were provided in a few different varieties as well as sugar and creamer packs. Bathroom had tub/shower, clothesline to dry swim suits or hand-washed clothes, toilet, sand sink vanity. Bedding and towels were provided and were crisp, clean white. WiFi was a bonus and although it wasn’t the fastest it was very useful when looking up nearby activities. Our cabin had a grill, an outdoor table with four chairs, a swing and a fire pit which we enjoyed our last night there. Staff was friendly and helpful. There were laundry facilities within the park and lots of activities but we didn’t take advantage of any of that during our brief stay. Overall, we were very pleased and would gladly stay again!

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.

Park is well maintained. Nice sized pool and very clean pool area. Park has a playground and dog park. Lots of space between campers with cement patio, fire pit and picnic table and lots of trees. We had no issue pulling in our 42’ 5th wheel. We came in after hours and our name with sits number was posted on the door and plenty of maps for the park. Nice layout! You could barely hear a train off in the distance which sounded cozy. Campground is about 30 min from Madison and Ohio River is across the street. Only con- trash cans are like in a whole different country and hard to get too. Would stay again!!!!!

This campground has nice facilities- a nice hot shower (four stalls only for the entire campground) a total of 6 flush toilets, a snack bar and a picnic pavilion with electrical outlets if you need to charge your phone. We were on a riverside campsite but unfortunately none of the brush had been cleared so we could not see the river. Imagine how much more fun it would be to actually be able to see the river and watch all the people floating by! It wouldn't be that hard to cut down some brush to create a view. 

The noise was not the greatest. They assured us that there was a night person who monitored noise and partying, and there were signs everywhere saying that quiet hours started at 10, but a group of loud, drunk men right on the river were allowed to yell and make a ruckus until at least 2am, probably later, because I stopped looking at my clock after that. This was really irritating that they would be allowed to party so late and make so much noise that you could hear them all through the property. There were also kids in the water right in front of our site from sunup until way past dusk, screaming their heads off constantly, so if you are camping for peace and quiet, this is not the place for you. It was barely the place for me, but I wanted to be on the river for a weekend so I just tried to ignore all the noise. 

Our site was quite muddy but I guess that's to be expected when you are next to the river. 

I'd called a few times to make sure they would transport our kayaks and they said "yes, sure" as if that was no big deal, so I was a bit shocked to discover upon arrival that the cost of transporting a personal kayak was the exact same cost as renting one of theirs. This is pretty expensive, and why would we bother with transporting our own if they charge the same to use theirs? If I had known, we would have brought two cars, so I found that very irritating. It cost us $67 for two people to spend 3 hours on the river. Pricey, in my opinion. 

All in all, I would return, but be more prepared with two cars and heavy-duty earplugs to block out the loud parties.

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.