Best Tent Camping near Louisville, TN

Polite campers in rvs watched over my tent camp site while I enjoyed a couple of the trails. All in all a wonderful place to stay. Plus you're right by the river.

I wanted to visit MaryVille Kentucky because they have what was known to be the Largest Elmtree. I was very excited to see this. However there is no camping directly in Maryville so I doubled back and went to Poland Creek campgrounds which came highly recommended by someone in town.

This is a medium size campground which offers both RV and tent camping. There is a recreational facility which can be used for day use as well. Overall everything is grassy green and beautiful.

Sites are well shaded and even. There is a playground as well as a water area where you can launch a boat. I really enjoyed the campground as a whole because even if it was highly occupied it didn’t seem as though you were right on top of your neighbor.

The location wasn't far from Louisville which made it a great escape from the city yet close enough to get back easily. I can see this being a perfect spot for a day cation as well with a swimming area perfect for families.

My site was not located right on the water, those sites are reserved for those wanting electricity. Instead I was a short distance from, still very doable. I paid $18 for the site and it was great. I had full access to all the amenities at a fraction of the $30 charged for electricity.

TIPS:

• The camping season here is April through October so if you are trying to stay during off season you will need to contact the City of Louisville to make arrangements.

*If you would like to bring a boat, it must have inspection and tags for the state of Kentucky.

Cherokee Dam campground is literally one of the most beautiful campgrounds in the area! The grounds are so well-kept, and the lake is just breathtaking. The campground is near town, so you can grab some bbq or hit the local hardware store for anything you need. The campground also had a camp store for essentials. They even delivered firewood to our site.

The people running the campground were just amazing. So nice and helpful. Most of the sites have lake views. We were in site #36, and we were in our camper. Lots of space, no shade at all in this one. Most of the sites had some shade though. Picnic tables and fire rings at all.

I’ve noticed the TVA campgrounds don’t have many showers, so I was glad to have that in our camper, just be aware, you might have to wait for one if you are tent camping. The tent sites were awesome, right on the water, and a short walk from the parking lot. If you have a rooftop tent, you won’t be able to park at your site, so you’ll be sleeping in the parking lot, but you could make it work.

There’s a swimming area, boat launch, and walking trails. This is a great spot to have a great time on the lake!

If you are looking to dabble in the Smoky Mountains without losing all cell service, camping at this location is perfect for you! I found that while traveling when you want to be removed from civilization but still able to touch base you can't beat a good KOA. This one is a great example of just that, offering amenities for you to enjoy but proximity to easily drive to an adventure just ahead.

This place was pretty nice to say the least, it had that rustic mountain feel but with modern amenities. You could stay here in a cabin or RV or take it down to the tent camp, like I usually enjoy doing. The cabins here though were a little touch of magic and I would recommend these for a holiday away or a Christmas cabin, they were just so cute.

Unlike a lot of KOA camps this one has year round access to pool and hot tub as well as sauna room. But the list of perks doesn't stop there, this is more of a resort feel than campground. They offer bike rentals, shuttle tours to the mountains, fishing, giant checkers and game boards, a clubhouse area, children's activities and both wifi and cable.

So what is the catch to this near perfect sounding place? The only one I could find is that tent sites are limited. Yep, only thing I could find!

There are 4 different cabin options, tons of rv spaces but less than a dozen tent sites in this HUGE mega park. They even offer a grill at this location... you can't beat all that!!

So back to the tent sites.... there are two types available in very limited quantities and they vary vastly despite being placed in the same section of the park only feet from one another. Deluxe sites are $52.99 a night a little to much for me, and while they looked nice with a sandy tent pad and bear boxes along with electricity and water, I was content with my grassy pad and no water or electric at a $30 savings. Sorry KOA you can't have $30 just so I can sleep on sand instead of grass that is what a sleeping pad is for.

So as you can see by my rating even though there was that sharp gouge in price from one site to the next I still gave them a 5 stars. Why you might ask? Well because this campground literally was a resort on a paupers budget staying in my grassy tent site. I had access to every amenity there was to offer, staff was friendly, nothing was left a mess by other campers (or if it had been staff cleaned it up before I knew it) and facilities were very nice.

This KOA set the bar high for others of the same brand and made me realize sometimes why I just enjoy doing the commercial camping thing... sometimes you want rugged... then sometimes you want to have a nice comfortable night that reminds you of home or a hotel...lol

Nice pull in paved spots for every tent site. Playgrounds and bath houses were kept nice and clean. The loops where the tent sites are can’t be quite busy so keep an eye on the kiddos

Went on a stag tent camping trip. Decent facility for state park. Sites are small wouldn’t recommend large rigs.

great tent sites. clean and big bathrooms.

Clean showers and toilets (including running water), easily accessible tent sites for large groups, litter-free, friendly staff, short hiking trails, less than an hour from Nantahala rafting

Nice Camp ground, they moved tent camping up close to road, they used to be next to Pigeon River but now those are premium RV spots. It's closest camping to Dollywood. Storm blew through and flattened our tent, KOA refunded the cost of the last night as we were unable to stay.

Amazingly clean campgrounds 10 minutes from the entrance of the National Park and 20 minutes from the Visitor's Center.

You have a choice of "rustic" tent sites, tent sites with water/electric/cable hook-ups, RV, or Cabins. All sites are pet-friendly including cabins. All camp sites include fire pit and picnic table.

Lots of amenities are included in your stay. 2 bathroom areas, 1 shower area, pool, wi-fi, etc.

There's a general store in front of the campgrounds with gas station and small cafe attached. The general store will even deliver your purchased firewood to your site.

This Koa is near a lot recreational places and some restaurants. Also near towns like Gatlinburg, Pidgeon Forge and Knoxville.

A nice vacation spot.

So, while I believe whole heartedly in the title, I must also disclose that I am the owner of Mountain Creek Rest, and that I rented my own tent site to be sure that The Dyrt's rental platform would perform properly for future guests!

With that said It is true that the Heartstone tent site at Mountain Creek Rest is secluded, romantic, and stunningly beautiful! My exclusive parking was right next to the tent platform, picnic table, and charcoal grille! 

The bathroom was just off to the side, and was clean and fresh.

 The campsite also had a firepit area with benches overlooking the tumbling Squally Creek!

I hope that you, as a prospective guest, will come and see for yourself what a wonderful spot this is.  Truly Yours, Brian

We tent camped here before we got our 5th wheel. Loved it and the kiddos did also. We even stayed a extra two nights. Everything is super clean. They have a nice store and also golf cart rentals. Huge playground and water slide.

Loudest noise is the dam above grounds. The hum is soothing and constant. Water flows downriver at different depths before you eyes. The lights on dam at night, mesmerizing. Simple and low key campground. Mostly made of tent camping. Bathhouse is small but clean.

Typical KOA, everything was well maintained lots were nice sized, and they had lots of fun activities for the kiddos.

Lots of different stays available here, pull through lots, tent sites, and cabins

The tent sites can be decent or real bad. T9 and T14 were horrible sites at the bottom of a hill where all rainwater runs through. T7 and T8 are ok sites. They are fairly flat.