Indiana Beach/Monticello KOA - Monticello, Indiana
We just finished a long weekend at this KOA Holiday located near Lake Shafer. We are typically cautious when we choose campgrounds and like to find good reviews and there wasn’t much available on this one except a fair amount of warnings and negatives about the adjoining Indiana Beach Campground (violence, rowdy crowds, police presence).
Pros
Friendly and helpful staff
Clean areas
Large sites
Fair amount of shade
Large pool (cold)
Lifeguards
Nice camp store
Clean bath house and laundry facility
KOA side was quiet and very family friendly
Free trolley to Indiana Beach Amusement Park (we did not use)
Fairly level sites
Cons
It is literally connected to Indiana Beach Campground and they share amenities. Indiana Beach has 1003 sites ranging from primitive tent to FHU and brings in a variety of campers. Indiana Beach campers wear wristbands which make it easy to identify and we noticed they were the only campers that sped around on golf carts blaring loud music. However, it was enforced for quiet times.
Security guards constantly walk and ride patrolling the camp grounds (pro and con because we have never been anywhere that needed it, but nice to know it was there.)
Limited activities for a Holiday. It had a basic playground and the pool.
The splash pad is located next door and free to use. The kids did enjoy it but you can see the general neglect.
General neglect it the running theme with the amenities available.
Most of the games in the arcade don’t work.
Water pressure was poor at sites and in the bath house.
The showers are push button
The mini gold is surrounded by ponds full of gross, stagnant water.
Mosquitos were unbelievably bad as were gnats and ants.
General feeling was if we were close we would go for a weekend, but we were 3.5 hours away and would not drive that distance for this facility again.