The campground was very loud - lots of music, yelling, just loud. There is garbage everywhere - like bags of it on the deck of the "camp store" that doesn't appear to be used anymore. And junk all over. The bathrooms were cleanish. Everything was nicely mowed. It was twice as expensive as most places we've stayed lately.
We arrived on a Friday afternoon and stayed 2 nights. We were a little worried about getting in on a June weekend, but surprisingly, it did not fill up. $15/night for a tent site with showers and it was a great site along the woods with a nice flat area and could still see the lake.
We stayed on a Monday night and it was very quiet. A lot of empty spaces. And a lot of seasonal campers were gone for the week. The owner was super nice and it was close enough to the State Park to run over to the beach. Nice large, flat spot with full shade. Maybe I'm still on Midwest pricing, but I get annoyed when I have to pay for a shower when I've played $25 for a non-electric and no water tent site. The bathrooms were clean.
KOAs aren't my first choice - I don't use the extra amenities and the tent sites are often pretty out in the open. That said, usually I am happy enough with what I get and can count on almost always get a site last minute. This KOA was terrible -- the tent sites didn't have the standard nice flat KOA tent pad and the only level spots put you inches from the road. No trees, bushes, etc between them (but that's not unusual). Bathrooms (main and family cabins, which were a nice option) were not busy but also not clean at all - no set schedule and we never saw anyone cleaning them while we were there. Next to busy loud highway (not something they can do anything about, just an fyi). at least average KOA niceness for $50/night - the experience fell far short of that.
We stayed one night and arrived late without reservations. We found a spot in the C Loop where there were many other tent campers and several unoccupied sites. The wildlife we saw and heard was enjoyable. The boys also did their running on trails in the area. Close to the Visitor's Center for cave tours and a really nice setting for camping.
The location of the sprawling campground is beautiful on the popular Dale Hollow Lake. The kids enjoyed the beach. However, the tent sites were limited to the inner circle areas, as opposed to the right on the water with great views for the concrete-heavy RV sites. However, the worst part was the size and placement of the tent sites. they are tiny and I have no idea how anyone would find the space, much less a level spot, for a normal family tent. We didn't actually stay within our site with 2 small 2-person backpacking tents. We considered using an RV site but didn't see one with level grassy areas.
Edited: We were camped illegally on the grass. Tents are supposed to be on the uneven gravel pads. So 3 tent sites and their parking have a maybe 40 x 50 gravel/asphalt area.
There has to be better places to tent camp in this beautiful area