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This place is great, been going the past 3 years with my sister and family. We love it! This year when trying to book they have implemented a 3 night minimum stay on the cabins we love but we can only do 2 nights on the weekend so that really stinks! I really hope they re-think this rule.
Pros: friendly staff, clean washhouses, nice pool, good activities, nice cafe and camp store is well stocked!
Cons: fire ring placement for the site on the right of us was not optimal and quite close to our unit. The family there was concerned and not comfortable having a fire so close. Also, they say 2 vehicles per site allowed, but site on the left of us had 3 which left us unable to use the fire ring that was 6ft away! However, the biggest negative is the stupid wrist bands they force you to wear.
Overall, 4 stars as it we had a good week camping and at the Zoo and The Wilds!
We stayed in the family house. Three adults and 7 kiddos. It's got a real "church youth group" retreat feel to it. The living room is uncomfortable and sparse. Tons of beds and they were fairly comfortable. The downstairs (basement) level is freezing but we liked that. The kitchen needs an island and it was barely stocked with enough tools to cook for 2 people let alone 10 to 20. No dish towels, no kitchen rug, one or two pots and pans, no plastic bowls or tupperware. It's definitely NOT like an Airbnb where there's a cabinet of odds and ends. We picked up groceries on our way only to find we needed to return to purchase coffee filters, salt and pepper and other things that are standard amenities when you rent a large home from airbnb. That stuff is cheap and should be provided. We left the remainder of our 200 filters (195) for the next person along with some other necessary supplies. Hopefully they will help out the next person. Maybe the staff just takes everything for themselves when folks leave? The sleeping rooms are carpeted and the large living/ dining area are hard flooring but there wasnt a vacuum or mop to be had in case you needed to clean up. Any house that is meant to accommodate large groups (with kids) should have those things. Especially when you're expected to leave it in the condition you found it. We went back to the store to buy a swifter mop and no matter how many times I mopped the floor was never clean and the mop pad was black with dirt. The Airbnb ad said it had a highchair which meant you had to go to the snack bar to get one of their wooden table highchairs. The kind restaurants have with no tray and not functional for any child under 6 months. The split level steps that go up and down arr completely unsafe for kids. The spindles are like 12+ inches apart and a small child could easily fall from the second level straight down to the bsmt. So that was another trip back to the store to spend $60 bucks on a walkthrough baby gate. Plus $20 on an electric screwdriver in case the baby was strong enough to push the tension mount and still tumble down the stairs. The gift shop is way overpriced but that's to be expected. One of the pool slides was broken and it was broken 4 yrs ago when we stayed in one of the larger cabins. But the pools and splash pads were great otherwise. Unfortunately, they don't open until 11am which kinda sucks for kids who wake up at 6am. I think 9am or 10am would be more appropriate. Another issue is that they're not really clear about how and when to sign up for the zip line and other paid activities. They need a booklet that gives accurate info like "all children must be present at sign up" and "you can sign up in advance". We wasted a lot of their and our time because of vague information.
Another thing of note is that they have expanded since we were last here and now visiting guests have to park at the entrance and walk to the other side of the campground. So my cousins with kids had to carry their baby, and all their pool supplies, etc and drag their young kids across the grounds. Then go back for a watermelon. When it's 90 degrees. That really sucks. Overall, the staff was really friendly and the kids had a blast. It was just a rough stay for adults due to the dirty conditions, lack of supplies, no comfortable place to sit and relax in the house, having to drop off and pickup visiting family member (who pay to visit) at the entrance, and charging like three thousand dollars for 5 days of vacation that felt like work.
Good amenities and extras here, nice campground but you can't travel with family or friends; they charge by the person so the prices jump up significantly, not inclusive rates you pay for utilities. Best for single person or couple or traveling through.
As a bus driver, I took a group of kids for some function for school. The people that work here are so nice and friendly! They even fed us bus drivers for free! Amazing! Can't wait to take a mini trip here with my kids.
