KOA in Cherokee

[Dad2futurecampers]

We spent our labor day weekend at KOA in Cherokee and I must admit it was nicer than I expected. We anticipated a pretty bare bones experience here as that was what we found at the other two KOA we have visited. To our surprise it was a very nice place to camp. It's bit more on the glamping side than roughin it but with young kids in tow and a weekend of site seeing on the schedule that's okay with me.

Our site was a pull through site without a shelter. First time since our first camping trip that we had a paved site but it was nice as it made leveling the pop up a cinch for a change. Only problem we had with the site was that people would park in front of the site blocking our ability to leave. We had to get KOA management to help in one situation.

Pros:
They has a large staff was nice and help to us during our stay.
This KOA had two large pools (indoor and outdoor) that looked nicely maintained. A nice large jumping pillow for the kids to bounce on for hours. A couple of playgrounds again for the kids. Activities run the by the staff for kids, (though be prepared to shell out a few extra dollars.) A very nice grill/restaurant (served pulled pork on Saturday, cooked all day on a large smoker in front of the restaurant) Shuttles to the casino's for the adults. Bathhouse was decent, seemed clean most of the time and spacious. And one pond for fishing that is supposed stocked twice a week.

Cons:
Ugly wire fence surrounding the property limiting access to the fishing ponds. (I'm glad we did not get a site near it or in sight of it, as it would have put a damper on my weekend.) Most of the fishing ponds were being dredged or renovated while we were there (but one was open). DJ concert on Saturday for kids started off inappropriate music mixed in with kid friendly music, which I though was wrong for a family friendly campground.

 

[Warren Linke]

Just spent a wonderful weekend at the KOA in Cherokee. Trout ponds were pumping out some awesome sized trout. They're stocked 2x a week apparently. $10 per day for a Cherokee Nation fishing permit and it's catch and keep only. DO NOT THROW BACK. There's a fish cleaning station at the lower entrance to the ponds. The gates to them are locked until 8am, but you can walk out the entrance and down the other side of the fence earlier if you choose. Concrete spots were nice looking, but we stayed on a gravel site with full hookups. Pool was nice. Don't expect much for supplies at the store, as it's snacks and collectible type stuff. There's very little camper and fishing supplies, although they do sell worms. Cafe is reasonably priced and food wasn't half bad. Staff was super friendly. There's that bouncy thing that all KOA's seem to have, bicycle rentals, and a regular schedule of events. I can't wait to go back. This time I'll venture off site into Cherokee and do some exploring. There's tourist trap shops, tubing, and of course the casino.