Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Memphis, TN

Camp is surrounded by industrial area. Play road entrance closed making for a high stress night entry from Memphis. Use W UseMitchell St entrance. If seeing Graceland is on ur list, better to call at Graceland.

Only an hour from Memphis, this campground is VERY nice - three camping areas, two lakes with boat rentals, 6 cabins, and a gorgeous 27 hole golf course. It is always well kept, the staff is pleasant and they have a small store at the visitor center.

Mississippi River State Park is in Marianna, AR and was built in 2008 in the St. Francis National Forest. The park office and convention center are beautiful and have several learning stations and activities for kids and families. There is also a simple paved walking trail with identification points for local trees, birds, wildlife, etc.

The campground has only a few sites. I don’t remember exactly but I believe it’s only 18 but all have lake views. All sites are level with electricity, water, and tent pad. Some sites have tiered tent pads that might not be great for kids or “old knees”. If you bring your own kayak, canoe, or boat, you can launch directly from your camp site without any issue. Our kids just wanted to through rocks 😂. There aren’t many hikes but there is a 1.5 mile trail (video included) which was fun. We saw a few snakes but they were just king snakes.

MS River SP is a short drive from Memphis and is a great quick weekend getaway. There isn’t much for small kids to do when the swim beach and swim area are closed but most families will love the serenity and peace that MS River SP offers.

Tom Sawyer's RV Park offers a unique camping experience on the Mississippi River with a mix of pros and cons suika game. Visitors praise the beautiful river views, spacious sites, and pet-friendly policies, as well as convenient amenities like free laundry facilities. However, recurring issues include basic or outdated bathroom facilities, limited tent camping options, and inconsistent site maintenance. Overall, it's a great choice for short stays, particularly for those with RVs, looking to enjoy scenic riverfront views and the charm of tugboat traffic.

This place was ok, very small, however more than half the trails and park were closed due to flooding. Lots of construction in progress. There was no sewage hook ups (water electricity only), nearby dump station. Bathroom facilities were very clean. The two trails opened were nice. My kids brought there bikes and enjoyed the one bike trail. I was a little annoyed by the park staff. They came by at least 15 times each day, checking tags, checking fire pits, checking pets, etc. I get it, but it kind of ruins the whole experience when you are relaxing in your camper and see park personnel snooping around constantly. We saw them everywhere. We couldn’t even hike without seeing them. It just felt invasive.

Quiet place in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Memphis. Odorous, there is a water treatment plant close by. We parked the mobile apartment, grabbed an Uber, and went to Graceland.

PS. Uber’s will take you to the Casino at Southland, but they will not pick you up. You have to use a taxi service, which is auto $35.00 to take you across the bridge, back into Tennessee.

Although this is called the Memphis KOA - it is a bit of a hike.  Especially when the bridge (I-40) is out.  

This campground is very typical for a KOA Journey.  Right off the interstate, nice pull-throughs, minimal amenities.  

We stayed here for a couple of weeks while working in Memphis - good/bad comments below:

Good

1. Staff.  Super nice, very helpful.

2. Ease of access to I-55.  

Bad

1. Remote (not in a good way). Kind of far from West Memphis, within 10 minutes to Marion, but nothing is convenient. 

2. Not in Memphis.  Per the name, this is really important to note.  Assume it is 30 minutes to where you are going in Memphis.  45 if the bridge is out.  

3. It floods when it storms.  Like 5 inches standing water.  Should probably be fixed.

This is a huge campground and the price for a spot was at least double what we would pay elsewhere (nearly $100). We weren’t able to get a campground at Tom Sawyer and the reviews were all over the place for the rest of the Memphis campgrounds that we decided to go ahead and splurge on this one.

This was our first Jellystone and I was shocked at how many campers the campground accommodated - there are RVs everywhere. Most of the amenities and services are located at the front of the campground and includes a store and propane, playground, dog run, pool, showers and laundry, gold mining station, and sports courts (basketball, Gaga ball, and basketball). Further back in the campground, was another playground and dog run and a really cute little lake.

We were staying off-season so there was no activities and they actually deflated the jumping pad, but my kids still had fun and I could see this campground either being a blast in the summer or being a nightmare because of too many people. While we were there, I saw almost no children and several of the camper sites looked like the guests were staying long-term. For a campground that is marketed towards families, the demographics were a bit strange.

That said, it was super clean, well-organized, the landscaping and sites were maintained, everyone was friendly. We got two loads of wash done and my husband said the showers looked good. There were some restaurants and a Walgreen that looked like they delivered to the campground. WiFi worked and they had cable tv.

We reserved a basic site, but for more money you could get a site with Adirondack patio furniture and there were plenty of cabins as well. We reserved same day online and they have a system for late check-ins.

I’m definitely giving Jellystone another go - but next time during the summer. I’m not sure whether this campground is a good base for exploring Memphis - I think if you had a car it would probably be fine as it’s only 20 minutes or so.

This is a really nice campground just outside of Memphis, TN. They have a swimming pool, playground, covered party pavilion, laundry and lots of kids activities. They also have cabins for rent. This appears to be more of a long term rental campground, but it is a great place to stay if you are traveling there for the weekend for local events, baseball tournaments at Snowden Grove or a Memphis vacation. The campsites are very close together and most are in the sun with no shade.

We camp here often just to get out of the house. The campground is well maintained with a clean bathhouse and fairly spacious RV sites. The playground is right in the center of the camp site loop. There are trails that run through the woods around the campground, though they could use a little more foot traffic to keep them clearly marked. The one issue that you will read about in every review is the smell of the close by dump. We have camped here a lot, and have only experienced the smell once. It definitely takes away from the beauty and quiet of this small campground, but depending on the weather and wind, you won’t be bothered with it often. You do have to drive through some of Memphis’ not-so-nice neighborhoods to get here, but once you get there, you would never know that you are in Memphis! We love this campground for a quick and easy get away with fast access to all that Memphis has to offer.

Nice campground right along the Mississippi river.   They have open sites (no shade) right along the water and some Wooded sites with tons of shade.

Large pull thru sites, with your own space, but still a little close together.

Run down neighbor hood on the way to the park, but far from the road and a very safe place to stay.   The entry is a little "sketch" but really nice once you get in.    10-15 minutes to Memphis, TN.   

Wiseacre Brewery in Memphis is well worth the stop and Beale Street is right there as well.

Best family friendly campground in the Memphis area. Amazing facilities and amenities. Decently sized lots with trees! Loved our stay here.

Great view of the bargies go up and down the river. Camp ground is clean and well taken care of.

lots to do in the Memphis area

I wish we had nicer camping in Memphis, but unfortunately we don’t. We came here for the hiking trail. The trail is nice during the cold months, but being this close to the river and the Memphis humidity, I can’t even begin to imagine how awful the bugs are during the warmer months. Only a few campers were here at the time we visited, and 2 of them looked like they had been here for months, if not longer. It’s not in the best area of town either. A lot of people do love to come here to enjoy the pool during the summer though! Chucalissa Museum is worth checking out if you are here.