Koa

[MScampers]

I had never even heard of KOA campgrounds until recently. It's not exactly my kind of thing, but my wife loves these type of campsites (swimming pools, stores, etc.). What do y'all know or think about them? Pros? Cons?

[Bigdog57]

Re: Koa

My experience with a KOA campground was NOT a good one. Very non-tenter-friendly. They stuck me on a wee sliver of grass on the back fenceline, basically too small to put an RV or trailer on, between the RV dump site and the bath house, and next to a sports stadium with those big bright lights on all night! Noisy, bright, just a hellish experience for a camper. Haven't been back to a KOA since. And as it was close to Da Mouse House (Disney) it was $70 a night some twelve years ago! Probably double that now.

[MScampers]

Re: Koa

That's the sort of thing that I was afraid of.

[terasec]

Re: Koa

had one near my land in upstate NY,
pricey,
stayed at a tent site once, was like $20
and stayed in one of their cabins once, at like $60, compared to local motel which charges $50/night,
its a chain and have their fee's but better choices out there

[MScampers]

Re: Koa

Thank you. I appreciate the honest answers.

[actad]

Re: Koa

There is a KOA near my step-daughter's place in Pittsburgh. We have trouble navigating the stairs at her house. That is the only reason I would consider it, but I would rather stay nearby at a state park in Ohio or WV and drive 40-60 minutes than do the KOA.

[MScampers]

Re: Koa

LOL...fair enough.

[SpitzoMT]

Re: Koa

I haven't personally stayed at one , so I can't offer a review. If you do a google search of KOA campgrounds & refine your search to reviews, you should get some quick results with the info you desire. Good luck & happy camping!!

Sent via iPad2

[MScampers]

Re: Koa

Thanks SpitzoMT. I did that, but I really wanted some 1st hand info from the good folks here. It's the whole "believe 1/2 of what you see, less of what you hear, and none of what you read on the Internet" thing.

[Mike]

Re: Koa

My friends invited me to stay with them at a KOA campsite while we bicycled the area.

I stayed in their pop-up camper. My opinion is that if you are a woodsy camper, KOA will not supply you with that kind of experience whatsoever. KOA's are a family entertainment venue with a camping theme.

When I stayed at the KOA with my friends, I did not expect much an outdoor experience, so I was not disappointed. I enjoyed swimming at the heated swimming pool after the bike ride.

I thought it convenient to buy some postcards at the KOA store and write them at the campsite.

We had neighbors parked so close to us that you could not really tell where their campsite started and where ours began - and that was OK because it was sociable and that was what I expected.

There were tons of kids running around and screaming with delight and their young parents did their best to make sure none of the kids got run over by the steady flow of motorized traffic within the camp area. I enjoyed the energy that all those kids stirred up. All the noise was no bother to me. It just reminded me so much of travelling and camping with my own siblings and doing pretty much the same things.

The KOA I visited was built in the era of Yogi Bear so the roads and campsites were sized for canvas tents, pop-ups, and modest Streamline campers. It was comical to see the oversized "Dick Cheney-esque" RV campers lumbering along crushing anything and everything along the inside curves of the wavy asphalt camp road. Overhanging limbs lower than about 20' got raked off by these desensitized McCampering tanks. There was a major traffic jam when two of these beasts tried to pass each other on the narrow camp road and their wheels went off the asphalt, into the soft mud and they both got hopelessly stuck. Lots of people standing around wathing - men giving advice, kids chewing on candy and gawgking. Dogs getting in the way...

That is pretty much KOA camping in a nutshell.

[SpitzoMT]

Re: Koa

Yes MScampers, sadly that is true a lot of the time. I do find the Internet to be helpful most the time, but its definitely more trusting to hear something straight from the horses mouth. Take care & good luck to ya!!

Sent via iPad2

[MScampers]

Re: Koa

Thanks y'all. It sounds like a place that I might try out one time, but I probably won't be buying a membership anytime soon.

[Mike]

Re: Koa

Thanks y'all. It sounds like a place that I might try out one time, but I probably won't be buying a membership anytime soon.

Well, the KOA campgrounds aren't for everybody, but LOTS of people sure do like them - especially families with kids.

[MScampers]

Re: Koa

Thanks Mike. I really appreciate the input.

[Joyous56]

Re: Koa

The two things to be said for KOAs are that they are konvenient and usually klean. They are not for someone who wants a quiet outdoors experience. That said, they are usually well located off the interstates and 'usual' travel routes, and provide a relatively decent place to camp for the night....for convenience, not for the experience many of us are looking for. You will not see deer or have to worry about wildlife (if you worry about such things) because wildlife wouldn't get within 100 yards of one of these places.

KOAs have a place for certain campers, where you need a place to stop for the night and want someplace that is convenient and clean, but without expectations around the ambiance.

That's my $.02.