Best Campgrounds near Portland, TN

This was our first official campsite. We were here from December to March. Reservations were easy to make. Check-in was a breeze. The ladies at the front desk are super kind. The maintenance people were caring and considerate.

There is a laundry area and a bathhouse. There were 2 smaller washers and one big washer. The big washer didn't work while we were there, which would have been more convenient. There were 2 regular dryers and one large gas dryer, which was amazing and could dry everything in 20 minutes.

The bathhouse is warm and roomy. There were only 2 stalls and 2 showers, but the showers had enough space that you weren't getting dressed in the same space.

There is a pool and a hot tub, but since we were there in the winter months, we didn't use those. Next to that, they had a big chess game, which my kids were able to play on warmer days.

There is a small little park area that my kids were able to enjoy during the warmer days.

The lots themselves are all the same size, except the pull through lot. There is enough space between neighbors to have a small yard with the fire pit. There is a nice picnic table on each site.

We had a nice view of the water to wake up to. The docks were accessible. The beach was accessible.

We had family come and stay in one of the glampers, and it was clean and maintained. We really enjoyed visiting them there.

We talked to a lot of other campers, and they ranged from weekly to long-term stays. So we were able to get more information about that, too.

They have free wifi, but we didn't use it much since we have our own.

Definitely recommend staying here!

Tailwater CG - Glasco, KY 1/1/25

(72 yr olds in 27’ trailer.)

Overall Rating: 4 for an overnight stay. Great winter price, but 40 minutes from 65 w trailer. Price 2024: $8 w interagency pass during winter Security: Host’s site at entry. Usage during visit: Only us Visual Privacy Between Adjacent Sites: No Site Spacing: Close. Varies.
Pad surface: Gravel Reservations: Required. Can be made at the cg.
Outside Road Noise: No Through Traffic in campground: No Electric Hookup: Yes, however off during winter 24/25.
Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: Yes Potable Water Available: Yes. Only at one location during winter. Generators: Allowed. Bathroom: Two. Flush Bath and showers bathhouse is closed during winter. Pit toilets at far end open. Pull Throughs: One. Cell Service (Verizon): 1 to 3 bars Setting: Along River Recent Weather: Cold nights.
Solar: Yes Host: Yes, helpful.
Rig Size: Varies between sites. Sites: Some sites back up to the river. These are the best locations, I think.

Our GPS brought us right to this KOA resort near the Grand Old Opry. Check-in was fairly quick and we were escorted to pull through site J-2 with FHUs and KOA patio. The utilities are more to the front of the site with two sewer connections. We had decent water pressure. This campground (CG) has a lot of mature trees that would make satellite iffy depending on the site. We got 4 bars on Verizon and used our MiFi versus Starlink for our overnight stay. The KOA WiFi was very good when we tried it. The CG has the upgraded sites, cabins, and amenities to include a shuttle bus stop to make this a true resort. However, there are sections of, as they say around here,“residents that have been here a minute.” For the most part their areas are clean, but when someone starts their old diesel truck up at 3:45 AM for 15 minutes before going to work it takes away from the resort ambiance. There’s also a lot of interstate noise. The playground area across from us went crazy with kids running around and screaming with no adult supervision. The office staff was very nice and helpful. We stopped by the office to let them know that one of our sewer connections was missing a cap. The issue was fixed before we go back to our campsite. The gift shop at the office is well stocked with sundry items and souvenirs. Overall, this KOA was a pleasant experience.

This KOA was easy to find by following our GPS. We checked in about 45 minutes prior to their 1:00 PM check in time and they didn’t even mention us being early. We decided we didn’t need an escort to our site as it was near the office. We proceeded to deluxe-patio pull-through site H-4 with FHUs. The utilities were nicely placed in the middle of the pad. Water pressure was good at about 50 psi. This site has plenty of shade as does most sites in the campground (CG) due to mature trees, so we did not put out Starlink. We got 4 bars LTE on Verizon and used our MiFi versus Starlink. Site H-4 has a utility box on the yard side, so we had extra space between the adjacent site. They have a decent sized dog park with an agility set up. This KOA has a lot of amenities and lives up to a Holiday KOA rating. The dog park is a nice size. They have a decent laundry room behind the office with 4 washers and 8 dryers. It’s$2.50 to wash and$1.50 to dry. They have 2 fishing ponds. The large one you can keep 2 fish for$20 and the small one is catch and release. There’s some traffic noise from I-65 and surrounding roads. Our main reason to visit the area was to visit the National Corvette Museum. We enjoyed our two night stay.

This was my first experience with free camping and it will be tough to beat! There was another camper in the small area I found off the gravel road, but it was quiet and peaceful. I woke up early enough to see the sunrise and the fog coming off the river. Simply magical.

Be sure to stop by the little town of Gainesboro (I think that’s the name) for a cup of coffee at Nostalgic Coffee Cafe. They mixed together one of their favorite concoctions that wasn’t on the menu and it was PERFECTION!

Price ok, friendly staff, facilities ok, live music and shuttle service togo downtown. That’s all we need.

• nice staff

• restrooms o.k.

• over 90 Dollars with 3 Kids 🫣

• loud (near the street).

Not our place, but good to explore the city with a cheap Shuttle to downtown.

In 2023, We stayed at this resort in the summer months. At the end of our travels in 2023, we stayed through the winter as they are open year-round. 

The staff was exceptional, and the resort is about 20 minutes from downtown Nashville. 

I do not recommend camping on a shore site during winter, as the wind is colder off the lake.

Propane is available on-site, and the laundry room takes CC/Debit and is clean.

Nice campground with full amenities- staff very pleasant and helpful

Senior Pass $12/night. Wide, level campsite on the water. Very nice and well kept. Great Starlink access.

Ugh, I hate to write bad reviews...but this was, to us, such a bad experience, from what I call deceptive pricing, to location within camp, no signage/direction locators, crowding, safety issues, and more. 1) Our"delux" cabin was located/surrounded in a row filled with BIG RVs. 2) There was no signage/location indicators at the dark row corners or roads within park. It is even hard to identify what are actually road at night so finding it at night amongst the HUGH RVs was horrific! 3) There was no sidewalks or places to walk except on the one lane roads...this is unsafe for kids, especially if you have to go out at night. 4) The"Deluxe" cabin is small, but tha bathtub is REALLY small. More of a small kids tub. 5) Air conditioner is across from foot of bed. The grid on the front of ours was broken, so the air came straight at us on bed, made the bed sheets feel moist and uncomfortable to sleep on. 6) Sun shines in from window above tub into room blinding you, we had to stuff a towel over it. 7) Crowding. Spaces are small, so there are BIG RVs boxing you in everywhere. 8) Floor tiles are warped on edges, you can tell animals have went to the bathroom on them. 9) Floor was dirty (room itself was clean and looked good and so was the bed sheets) 10) Pricing, to me, was deceptive, see my receipt. In making the reservation online, I put 2 adults and 2 pets. It came up$182.69 as a total and I paid that. There is a note that other charges for"additional" adults, pets, etc may apply. It says"additional" not that they don't charge you for your pets until you get there.  So I had to pay an additional $58...making my total for the night almost $250.  Would never stay again!

Only negative is you must bring your own fireplace and it must be raised off the ground. Parking with our truck and trailer was a little awkward, we were a little too long for the spot we were in and the person next to us had the same issue. The staff was super friendly and everything was well kept. Everything else was pretty much everything you’d expect from an rv park. There’s a $10 round trip shuttle that takes you to downtown Nashville from the campground parking lot which is super convenient!

No Service (showed me how addicted i am). Other than that as described.

Bit over priced. It went up each night we stayed. We had a fifth wheel on a standard gravel 30/50 amp site. Full hook up. Advertised internet but there wasn’t any in the section we stayed. There was a little shade in our area. The whole place is alternated by cabins and camping sites. There is grass between every site. Plenty of playgrounds, a pool and pond/beach. Golf cart rentals are $55 per day and people run them all day and night. Golf carts were playing music at midnight. This place does not sleep. And if you bring dogs, you must physically show them the rabies tag, they don’t check their email. Even though you pick a spot on their map they will change you to a different spot unless you pay the $35 extra to “lock in” a specific spot.

Excellent in all ways. Even had entertainment each night. Very helpful staff.