The sites were decent sized, but most had no shade. There is no sewer hook up, but there is a dump station. They are also lacking cable TV. The people working there were very nice, and the casino's security patrol regularly drove through. A decent park overall, probably best used as an overnighter. We would probably stay there again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Argosy's Empress Casino RV Park is barely passable as a stop going west to east around the south park of Chicago. We wanted to stay two days and move out on Sunday morning but after one night we decided to leave (and found that traffic was just fine on Saturday morning). We got up early and were ready to roll when I waited at the locked office which said it opened at 7. When no one arrived I walked over to the hotel and complained I had not received my credit card receipt since "it is given at check-out". The reply is that the RV office is really not yet staffed after winter break. I suggested a sign would be helpful for campers. If there is any rain, this park becomes very muddy and the restrooms degrade in cleanliness. There is no sewer, nor cable nor internet. It is high-priced for value received but it is really the only public park in the area. We would not stay here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
A bit different. Sites had NO Sewer hookups (reason for 7 rating. Concrete pad level with grass between. Office closed Tues and Weds (strange) Helpful people. Restrooms clean. Walk to casino (but not on hot days). We camped here in a Motorhome.
The Oasis Campground and the Empress Casino Campground are one and the same despite being in different locations on Streets and Trips. It's a good thing they had an open space, because Oasis was my "backup" for the night if the Empress was full. The spaces are short, so we had to disconnect the truck. The casino is about a 15 minute walk from the central area of the campground. They ask if everyone in your party is over 21 when you check in, but there were a couple of trailers with kids here. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
I somehow forgot to review this park earlier this year when I was reviewing the 30+ parks I visited last year. I just stayed here for the umpteenth time over the years last week on my way home from my spring southern trip. As noted in other reviews, there are cement pads, W&E hookups, and showers but little else. No cable, no WIFI, no recreational area, and, the last time I asked, the hotel pool was not available to the RV guests. Unless you are for the casino, there is no reason to stay more than 1 night. $30 is a lot for just W&E and a cement pad. I only use it because it usually makes my trip through Chicago on Sunday morning hassle free. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Large concrete pad adjacent to the Empress casino. Has a shuttle van. You have to be 21 or older to stay and/or visit. Easily accessible to Joliet and if you like to gamble, not much more to do there. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a quiet and well maintained park with good security. The sites have plenty of space as well. Near to the intersection of I-55 and I-80. It is a 1 hour drive to downtown Chicago. Allow more time during rush hours. It is about 4.5 miles to the Metra train station with service to downtown and points in between. Also there is a laundry room at the bath house. The staff has always been very helpful. We stay here 2-3 times a year. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
An OK park. Fair interior roads and pads, gravel and grass sites. A good place for casino goers, not much else there. Nothing very close either. Many casino RV resorts have paved sites and pads with 1st class amenities. This is more like state park level of accommodations. No bad, not resort like either. Was clean, neat and secure. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We stayed here 5 nights. The restroom/shower was spotless when we arrived, but was never cleaned in 5 days. Cable TV has only a few local channels. Park was very quiet and security was quite good. Compared to Windy City campground this place
is a 5 star resort. There is a dump station that requires a bit of concentration to negotiate. Sites can be comped as mentioned by another camper. We will stay here again as we go to Chicago often aand this is the nicest place we have found so far. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
2000
$14
Pool is at hotel next door. Site can be comped. Very nice park close to casino but on a hill and isolated from traffic and noise. Level, large pull thrus easily handling 40' 5th and toter with landscaping between sites. Clean laundry room We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Very large park with nice grassy and treed sites. Large pool, swimming lake and fishing lake, complete with Canadian goose and what they leave behind. 30 amp only, and the FHU sites seemed to be used by seasonal and member camping only. Restrooms, showers and buildings in deplorable condition. Laundry room is terrible with 10-15 year old washers and dryers that showed their use. Had a sign posted that said iron in water will turn your whites yellow. We went into town for laundry and would not use restrooms or showers. This could be a very nice park with some upgrades to above. Located next to a cloverleaf of two major highways making it very noisy 24 hours a day. We will not stay here again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
A very well kept campground with many thinks to do for the whole family, including a large stocked fishing lake. My gravel pad was a little out of level and pushed my MH to its limits to level. I was not able to get a full hookups site because adjoining pads share the same electrical and water posts. I needed a long 30 amp extension cord to get a sight that had sewage. They could not provide an extension. Finally, the latest Garmin GPS could not find the place because of street changes. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a Passport America resort. You need to follow the directions in the PA directory to get here as it is difficult to find, but worth it. Our campsite had a concrete pad, full hook-ups, 50 amp and partial shade. Resort is clean and well maintained. Staff was very friendly. Would definitely stay here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We had a blood-pressure raising experience just trying to get into this park. Getting to the park requires careful navigation. When we arrived at the front gate, we pressed the intercom button to ask for admittance, but there was a malfunction and we received a busy-signal type sound. When I used my cell phone to call the office to ask for admittance, the manager (Mike) answered the phone and was very rude. He agreed to open the gate, but did not. When I called back, he yelled at me to use the intercom and then hung up on me. We were rescued by a very nice young woman from the office who walked out and opened the gate. She was so pleasant we chose to overlook the manager's behavior. The park is located at the intersection of two interstate highways which makes it extremely noisy if you are parked on the periphery. It does have nice facilities and is reasonably close to a Camping World and Chicago. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Sites are grass and gravel with a cement pad for the RV and picnic table. Well over half the spaces had unoccupied RVs on them. Almost all of those were well-maintained. They were big sites, although getting in to some of them with a 40-footer without driving on the grass was difficult. Park is well maintained. 214 sites; 101 have water/electric (30 amp) only. Most of those 101 sites with no sewer appeared to be seasonals. Two playgrounds for kids. Bathrooms and showers were clean and private. Clearly, March is the off-season. We were there during some heavy rains, and the grass parts of the sites were somewhat muddy. The staff appeared to be preparing the park for the busy season. It's across the road from a freeway and when the wind is right there is a lot of traffic noise, especially on the "Homestead" side of the park. We would happily stay there again, especially since the guy at the desk said we could use two 30-amp connections. With our cheater box, we could run both heat pumps as well as other appliances. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This was the first stop on our trip West. It was a Passport America Campground and a very nice park. The grounds appeared to be well kept. We were given a site with no sewer but it was a level cement pad. The washrooms and showers were clean but dated. The campground has a fairly large clubhouse which was being used on this day for a wedding. There are two bodies of water. One is a small lake for fishing etc and the other is a swimming pond. The park also has a swimming pool. Some seasonal sites as well. We would return to this park even for a few days to check out the area We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
I would like to make you aware of a horrible experience I had at Leisure Lake. This past Saturday I went to Leisure Lake in Joliet, Illinois to spend the night for some tent camping. When I showed up with my guests, I informed the gentleman at the front desk that we were planning on spending the day there and wanted to pay for one night of camping plus the additional fees for my additional guests. I had called the day before and was told that it would be $20 per night with 4 free guests and $4 for each additional guest. My party included a total of 4 adults with 5 children. Well as soon as the man at the front desk saw us he said that he shouldn't be letting us in, we had too many cars (3) and the park was for members only and not to be used for spending a day at the campground. I informed him that I had called the day before to make sure it would be okay and was told that it would be okay, at that he slams my passport of America card on the desk and yells at me and my guests to get the hell out of there. He says that I had spoken to him the day before and he never told me that it was okay to spend the day at his campground, he said that I could only camp there if I had a trailer and no other way. I told him that we had tents and would be camping in tents but he refused to listen to me and threatened to call the police if we didn't leave. He was not aware that one of my guests was a Cook County Sheriff and witnessed the entire event. Not wanting to make a scene my guests and I left the campground very disappointed. I do not know what bothered this man that made him throw us out. About a month earlier my family and I went to Leisure Lake and purchased the Passport Of America there and spent the weekend there. We were so impressed with the campground that we thought it would be okay to take some friends so they can see and enjoy their facilities. My one guest, the Cook County Sheriff, is in the process of purchasing a travel trailer and was anxious to see their facilities but was disappointed with how we were treated. We camped here in a Tent.
Review Rating
[ 9 / 10 ]
September 2004
$18
This is our 2nd visit to this membership park, (Coast to Coast, etc. ) and we really enjoy it. The first time through was in early spring and while the park is open year round some of the sites and bathrooms didn't have water... but it was quiet! This last time, was great. Wide sites, plenty of grass and shade. A great little pond to fish in and seasonal activities. It was a great place to unwind for a few days. I'm not sure about price. As a Coast-to-Coast member it was $8 a day and we could extend beyond the 7 day max. We would definately return. We camped here in a Motorhome.
The Interstate noise is terrible. The driveway into the park is full of chuckholes-about 6" deep. When we arrived the grass had not been cut for a long time. While there, they did get out a lawn mower and gave it a lick and a promise. If we return to Joliet we will find another park We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
I rated only a seven only because it does not offer all the usually amenities of newer campgrounds. However all services were very much up to date with 50 Amp full hook up sites available in quantity. It is located just off exit 134 and a mile east on I 80 frontage road. A little close to highway and does offer some noise but is an oasis in Chicagoland where full hookup sites are not readily available within 33 miles. This is a great overnight stop. We camped here in a Motorhome.