Camping Crossville KOA in East Tennessee
Camp Tennessee: I’m talking with Mark today. He’s the Manager at the Crossville KOA in Tennessee. Mark, why don’t you start by giving us a little bit of background on the Crossville KOA there?
Mark: Okay. We’ve been here, a KOA, for about five years. My uncle owns it and then I manage it, and I’ve been here for about two and a half years. And we have 22 acres, and we’ve got about ten cabins that we rent out. We’ve got three fishing ponds and a walking trail around the back of our property. We’ve got a game room. A swimming pool. We’ve got a bathhouse that has four nice, separate showers in that. Of course we have the laundry room. Then we’ve got a recreation hall that everybody comes in, like has their meetings or we have some birthday parties and family reunions.
Camp Tennessee: Sure. So, one thing: I have talked to a lot of KOA campgrounds for our website, 50 Campfires, and one thing I’ve noticed is – and KOAs started this quite a while ago – the camping cabins. They’re very basic, but they’ve been around for a while, and the managers always tell me that they do very well and that people really like staying in them. Do you see the same kind of thing down there?
Mark: Yes, for sure. Ours are just 49 per night, and so that’s something that’s cost effective, and then people can still get the atmosphere. You know, being out, having a campfire at their cabin or just having the outdoorsy feel, but they do just have the one little room in those cabins, but most of them, like ours, still do have a TV and a microwave and a little refrigerator area. But some I don’t think have quite that. They just have like a bed, maybe a table and chairs in there, and that’s what most people are just looking for. For something basic if they’re just coming in one night and they’re going to get up and leave early the next morning.
Camp Tennessee: Yeah, and no tent to set up. That’s always nice too.
Mark: Yeah. Yeah. Well, we have tenting here too, but that’s like 20 dollars per night. And then, like I told you, if they want to upgrade to one of those small cabins, it’s like 49. So, it’s just something. If people are trying to save money, they can tent, or if it’s bad weather or something, it’s well worth it to upgrade into one of those cabins.
Camp Tennessee: Sure. If I was staying at the Crossville KOA and I wanted to venture outside of the Park for the afternoon, what are some local attractions you’d recommend, Mark?
Mark: Just about ten or twelve minutes from here, we’ve got O-Zone Falls. It’s a nice 100-foot waterfall, and that’s not too far to go to, but it’s really neat to see. And if you enjoy hiking and stuff like that, we’ve got Justin P. Wilson State Park. It’s about 15 minutes from here. And then we’ve got the Crossville. The Cumberland Mountains State Park. That also is about 15 minutes from here. So, they have some boating and different things there. They’ve got a nice restaurant there, and then they’ve got some nice hiking trails. And then I’ll usually tell people also about there are riding stables about 15 minutes from here. Wildwood Stables. And then we’ve also got Stonehouse Winery, which they let you try their fudges and cheeses and their wines. So, that’s some of the attractions that I try to send people too, and then also we have the world’s largest tree house here, which is 100-foot-tall, 10 thousand square feet, and it took that guy like 12 years to build it.
Camp Tennessee: Wow.
Mark: Yeah, so that’s pretty awesome and everybody that I send to it really comes back with a good reaction. They really have a good time with the family.
Camp Tennessee: Man, I think I could fit probably seven of my house in that tree house.
Mark: I’ve heard that.
Camp Tennessee: That’s pretty crazy. Two more questions for you, Mark. If you were going to spend just one hour at the Crossville KOA in Tennessee, how would you spend your time there?
Mark: I’d probably just get out and just walk around the campground. You’ve got a beautiful view of the mountains and you see some nice ponds. But just kind of get out and enjoy the outdoors, and then maybe have a campfire or something.
Camp Tennessee: Sure.
Mark: Most people enjoy doing that.
Camp Tennessee: Yeah. And if you could spend just one night at the Crossville KOA in Tennessee, which specific site would you stay at and why?
Mark: I would stay at the Cowboy Cottage. That’s one of our little bit nicer cottages, and it’s one of the newer ones. But like I was telling you there, it’s got a beautiful view of the mountains and the pond, and it’s kind of back, a little bit more privacy.
Camp Tennessee: Very cool.
Mark: So, that’s the one I would stay at.
Camp Tennessee: All right, perfect. Well, thank you so much, Mark, for taking some time out of your day to tell us a little bit about the surrounding area and to give us some more information on the Crossville KOA in Tennessee.
Mark: That’ll work. Thank you, sir.
