Campground Review Summary

• Name: Brown County State Park
• Dates of stay: May 4 – 7, 2019
• Location: Nashville, IN
• Type of campground: State Park
• Cost: $28.53/night
• Additional fees: $9 entrance fee
• Stay limit: 2 weeks
• Accepts mail / packages: at the Lodge
• Cell reception: AT&T fair
• Website: https://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2988.htm
• Pros: beautiful park with lots to do
• Cons: electric hookup only (30 amp)

Full Review

Following the mountain bike trails up the Midwest led us to this gem of a State Park. Growing up in Indiana, I had been here before, but it was many years ago. Much has changed since my youth!

Many State and National parks cannot accommodate big rigs like ours. Happily, this park has a few sites that fit our size. The Reserve America website offers detailed descriptions which aid greatly in site selection. I perused the options and chose a likely site for us (Site 19) in the Buffalo Ridge campground that was described to be long enough and level, and I booked 6 months ahead (the earliest possible reservation date) to lock in my spot. The winding road into the campground can be navigated (with care) by the largest rig and the site I selected worked perfectly, as advertised.

Our back in, gravel site was easy to get into, was long and wide, and equipped with a fire ring and picnic table. Only 30 amp electrical hookup is provided at each site, but sewer dump stations and water spigots are available. Our campground also included two bath houses, playground and camp store. Our AT&T data hotspot was slow, but usable. We were parked in a clearing, but for some reason the DirectTV satellite couldn’t lock on to a signal. However, quite a few Indianapolis channels are available over the air.

Our site was just lovely –  roomy and peaceful. The campground was reasonably full on the weekends, but almost emptied out during the week. One little niggle was that hot water was only available at one of the two bath houses for showers. And the shower water temperature was pre-set, you couldn’t adjust it. It was comfortable enough, but I like to have the option to adjust the temperature to my liking. Otherwise the bath houses were fine –  clean and functional.  Being on only 30 amp hook up meant going to water conservation mode and having the ability to only use one AC unit at a time. But the weather was only AC-worthy two days out of our stay, and we can easily go a week or more on one fresh water tank, if we’re careful. If we were here during the hot summer months, the 30 amp hookup may have been more problematic.

The park itself is beautiful. Hiking and biking trails are accessible right from the campground – and the mountain biking trails lived up to their stellar reputation. The Park amenities include a Lodge with full service restaurant, an aquatic center, nature center and horseback riding concession.  The small nearby town of Nashville offers restaurants, shopping, and an IGA grocery store.

The cost for our 7 night stay, including booking fees and tax, ran just shy of $200. On top of that, you are required to pay a park entry fee ($9 for out of state vehicle) the first time you enter. The total daily rate is more than we paid at our last campground near Mammoth Cave for a large full hook up 50 amp site. But, staying in the park was far less expensive than staying outside the park at a higher priced campground and paying entry fees every day, not to mention far more scenic. Staying in a beautiful park like this makes for much more of a traditional camping experience, which we don’t often get at a commercial RV park. Priceless.

Bottom Line: Beautiful State Park with big rig capabilities; only 30 amp hookup, but worth it.