Cherokee / Great Smokies KOA

Second time we have stayed here. First time our Granddaughter broke her leg on the bounce. Second time we can’t get warm.

Loved this place! The staff at the front were super nice and helpful. Everyone we saw around the park was nice. The area was great and our cabin was perfect. We’ll be going back for sure!

The new staff are rude and uncaring! This campground use to be our favorite place to spend our vacations. With the new management and changes its obvious money is the only thing they focus on. we have been coming here for years but have decided to look for a new place to camp around cherokee. Tough to watch a place go from great to horrible but there are much better choices locally and they put the emphasis on the customer. Terrible stay.

We were assigned a site at the time of booking which was at least three months in advance. Upon arrival, about 20 minutes before check in, there was a motor home set up on this site and the owner no where to be found. At this point the older lady at the desk told me «we don’t guarentee a particular site». Ok, you told me which site I was getting. At this point she offered me another site and a free night, good resolve. Then she came up with some story about some guy had a heart attack, so they are shifting everyone around. Fast forward to set up, the new sight was very nice, lots of potholes in the streets, but other than that, it was ok. The free WiFi, two tin cans and a string works better! It kinda worked one day out of four. And the FREE CableTV, I got better reception when I was a small boy with rabbit ears and aluminum foil. Bottom line, nice setting but if you want amenities, you need to find another campground.

Mixed feelings. Came here for family reunion. Lots of fun activities offered, especially for kids. However, we had several problems from the start. First, I arrived less than an hour before check-​in (hard to estimate exact arrival time when you’re traveling 10hours), and the front staff were going to make me pay money just to drive back to the sites to see what family had arrived! Since there is almost no cell service up there, I had no way of communicating with family. The staff was curt and indifferent to me, but finally a nicer staff member let me use a visitor pass until check-​in. There were two of us couples staying in a two bedroom cabin, but they only had one key. When we asked if they had another, we were given sour, ugly attitude and the staff acted as though we were ridiculous to ask for two keys. (This was an aggravating detail that required a lot of extra planning– annoying). There was a strong smell of vomit on the porch of our cabin, and they came to «fix» it twice, but it never was resolved. We also had no end tables, mirrors, air-​conditioning, or any other promised amenities. Our ceiling fans were rickety and seemed as though they would fall off. Other family members that had the SAME (or in some cases, cheaper) cabins had TVs, AC, mirrors, and plenty of storage. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to what your cabin is like. Luck of the draw, I guess. The pool, snack bar, trampoline, and activities are great. Go tubing– a blast. The older staff are rude, indifferent, and cold, but the younger staff were exceptionally kind. They played with the kids, were helpful, and seemed to genuinely care. I’m not sure that I would stay here again without personally looking at the exact cabin being assigned. Be careful.

My husband and I are new to the camping world. We picked a KOA because of the amenities offered and overall reputation of the «resort atmosphere.» Upon arrival, we upgraded to a river front pad for an additional $ 15/​day. The river at best was 1 inch of running water that pooled into a nasty, mosquito infested retention pond. After setting up our site, the grounds were mowed and grass was blown all over our personal items. After cleaning up their mess, we visited the pool and returned to find our pad covered in clippings from the weed eating. The pool was ice cold and featured a broken hot tub, broken fountain and lose stair railings leading to the pool. Behind the pool is a walking trail that is used as a dumping ground by the facility. Debris everywhere. Website advertises free wifi… good luck with that one. Bath house had hot showers but poor lighting or no lighting in some. Showers offer a small bench for personal items and lots of spiders. Mold everywhere. Toilet stalls littered with graffiti and toilets non functional or clogged for the entire week. Change machine and vending machines broken. Bring your own change because ATM also broken. Jumping pad out of order. Bike rental nice idea however you probably want a tetanus shot before operating. Put-​put a joke. Ice machine broken. Staff at best was inconsistent. The older staff members were great! Spoke when out and about, gave fudge samples, even gave us firewood. Younger staff very disengaged with anyone outside their personal conversations. Pot holes everywhere. All this for +$ 60 day! Don’t forget their rates go up without notice for holidays (Thursday before Labor Day included!) to +$ 80 day. Stay at your own risk!

Crowded, but lots of strange little activities for kids: jumbo chess board, bouncey house without the house, etc. If you walk to the far end of the campground, a bar extends out into the Oconaluftee River, making it easy to jump in with your inner tube and float down the river a bit.