We wanted to stay a couple of days in Southern Illinois, and based on past experience the campground choices weren't very promising. Imagine our surprise when we picked up a visitor's guide and saw an ad for a new campground in the area! Marion Campground, as the name implies, is located in Marion, Illinois, at I 57 exit 53. It opened about 3 months ago, according to the person in the office. We were hesitant to stop, because it's not listed in any of the campground directories or on this site, and most of the campgrounds that aren't even in the directories are REALLY bad. We're glad we did decide to stop, because this place is really much nicer than any of it's competitors. It's located near the exit ramp, and in fact you can see the vehicles on the interstate from our site, but noise hasn't been a problem at all. Making the turn into the street the campground it located on can be a little tricky because of some ongoing construction, but it's not bad at all. The campground is right in Marion, and is located right behind several houses, but that hasn't been a problem, other than a dog at one of the houses that occasionally barks. There is a train track that runs directly next to one side of the property. However, the switch engine from the Crab Orchard and Egyptian Railroad runs by the campground exactly twice per day – once in each direction – never at night. And I've never seen it haul more than 2 or 3 cars at a time in the two weeks we've been here. There are 58 RV sites, of which 27 are pull-through. The sites are level and some are long enough for 40 foot rigs towing without unhooking, but the site layout can make it really confusing figuring out which way to go to get into the assigned site. Adding to the confusion is the fact that the owners don't have site maps yet. Just keep your eyes open and all will be well. The electric is good, and sits right at 120 volts or so, even in the 104 degree heat that's been here for a few days. Water pressure is good, but seems to be a little on the low side. They have satellite TV available. This isn't exactly the same as cable tv, but the end result is about the same – They receive satellite tv channels on their dish, and make about 25 of them available on their internal cable system that's available on each site. You just connect your tv to their system, set it to “cable” and receive the 25 channels. It works pretty well. They also have wifi. When we first arrived here, the wifi was very intermittent, and it finally croaked for a day or so. Since they had it serviced it's worked very well, with a download speed of almost 1.5mB/second. There is no store or pool yet, although it's my understanding they're planned for the future. They do have a kid's play area, with a swing, slide and other playground items. They also have a pavilion. The laundry room is clean and, like everything else here, new. The shower rooms are unusual – Each individual shower room has a shower, toilet and sink. And clean. One of the 4 shower rooms is fully handicap accessible, with a roll-in shower stall. The only negative I noticed is there is no one on-site at night, and there is no provision for security, such as a gate. And the owners don't make a night contact phone number available in case of an emergency, or power failure, etc. They don't seem to understand that the campground business isn't a 9-to-5 operation – hopefully they'll address this in the near future, before a serious problem forces them to. All in all, this is a nice campground, with all the amenities we needed. We initially planned to stay for two days, and wound up staying for two weeks. We camped here in a Motorhome.

This is a brand new campground, only open two months. There is a pavilion, and playground, with plans for a basketball court and horseshoes. Land has been purchased for a swimming pool, also. The park itself is well laid out, good access roads, and established trees left on sites, offering shade on many sites. All trees are tall and kept pruned so there is no interference with camping units of any height. The shower building is brand new with four showers, one for handicapped, and each shower is an individual bathroom, i.e., each unit has a shower, sink and toilet, with ample dressing area, behind its own locked door. The WiFi is stable and fast, and the cable TV, while it is only 25 channels, is adequate and reliable. There is a small laundry area with new machines. We were so comfortable that we extended our stay. And there is a lot to do and see in Marion. DO NOT confuse this park with Motel Marion Campground, which is not too far away. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.

Stayed here over Memorial day weekend. This is a newer park (recently listed in Woodalls). Great showers and laundry room, level pull-thru sites. Campground is right off of I-57 (exit 53) in Marion. Not a huge place, but a good overnight stop. Price includes cable tv, internet access, and all hookups. If you are passing through, and need a place to stop this is it. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.