We were disappointed in Happy Acres Kampground. We reserved a Deluxe site and found the site only had water and 30 amp hookup. The "deluxe" site came with a cement slab for the picnic table. The area for our trailer was sunken so low, we had difficulty cranking our stabilizers up and down. The swimming pool is advertised as heated, but was incredibly cold. The bathrooms were dirty (floors muddy, toilets not cleaned, towels not stocked). The showers are pay-showers. We were very disappointed with the customer service of the staff. They were terse and did not like asking questions when you went to ask a question or purchase something in the store. The mini-zoos were not kept up well and the peacocks and roosters (which are situated right next to campsites) squawked and crowed LOUDLY at around 5:30 every morning. Not exactly a relaxing time to sleep in. The biggest disappointment was we saw signs everywhere with dozens of posted rules, but none of them were ever enforced. For example, there were rules for no running or rough play at the pool, no food or beverages at the pool, adults only in the "adult relaxation area", and quiet times were 10 pm. We clearly observed severe infractions of all these rules, and they were never addressed by the staff, even when they were in plain site of it. The price we paid for our stay, $42 a night, was excessive compared to the cleanliness and supervision of the campground. We will not return. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Our rating is low primarily because of cost and the attitude of the office staff. This is a great campground if you have kids and want lots of activities for them. If you don’t, it has a number of disadvantages. The cost is high for what you get. Without any discounts (we got a Camp Club discount for weekdays – it doesn’t apply on weekends) for $42 a night you get water and 30 amp electric. They do pick up trash at your site, which is good because there are only two dumpsters (at one location) and they were overflowing the couple of times we went there. Visitors are charged $5 for adults and $2.50 for children, but are allowed to use the pool and other amenities. There are three shower houses, one apparently intended to accommodate the tent sites and the other two on opposite corners of the very large property – it could be a long walk depending on where your site is. There’s only one laundry, with two washers and two dryers; the washers are $2 a load and the dryers $1.50. We found the people in the office to be curt and, although not exactly unfriendly, not particularly welcoming and helpful. Finally, the fire pits are sunken, without anything around them above ground, which I think is a hazard, especially in the dark when it would be easy to fall in them if you were walking through a site without lights on. They do have wi-fi if you’re near the office, but we didn’t use it so we don’t know how good or reliable it is. We would stay here again if we had to be in the area and couldn’t find anyplace else, but would not choose it if another alternative was available. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We've camped with Happy Acres for many, many years and generally enjoy the campground. They do offer many kid friendly activities and the sites are huge and grassy. The biggest downfall of this campground is like other reviewers have stated, the staff. The staff is for the most part family and though some are courteous at best, there are a few that are just rude, short and self proclaimed important - in particular one of the grandsons of the owners. In recent years we've witnessed them kick other long time campers out for very minor violations and the concept of customers first has been lost along the way. Their prices have been raised to higher then other nearby campgrounds that offer just as good to better amenities without the attituds and though we've been longtime campers here - we will be spending our money elsewhere. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Campground does not have sewer connections. They send a tank around to pump out the RV tank once a week. (Maybe two if you complain) We were lead to believe that they had full hook-up sites. (This site also indicated sewer) We think they believe that the pump service makes it a FHU. We were in a deluxe site. Big rig beware there are very few sites that will handle you. We could not park the truck without being in the road at our site parking across the site. It is considered a pull through but we could not negotiate the turn because of trees. Had to back into site behind us to get out. The picnic table is in concrete and cannot be moved out of the sun, however there may be some tree shade at certain times of the day. We had to pay extra for guest (grandkids) and the shower was a pay shower. I would not stay there again. That said, if you have kids and do not need better sewer service I would recommend this campground. There are lots of activities for kids to do. Also, the campground has beautiful grounds, some great sites for pop up units. There is some dust from the roads but not to bad. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Under new management. Bath houses were spotless and well maintained. Variety of wooded to sunny spots. We were near the pool. Very nice shady spot. Quiet times enforced. Staff very cordial and helpful. Well stocked little store - pricey but to be expected. Amazing albino peacocks in petting zoo. We brought our own wood in so it was free. My first "camping" experience and we had a great time. Will be going back. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This was my first time camping in at least 20 years. I picked this location, due to it's proximity to suburban Chicago (about 45 minutes north of my home) and because I was traveling with my 5 year old nephew and in their website, they really push "the family concept". We had a pull through site which made set up easy for my rental trailer. The restrooms/showers were clean, although I had to pay a minimal fee to use the shower ($.50 for a good 15 minutes). There was plenty to do for my nephew and he made friends with the other kids quickly. There is a small swimming pool and 2 fishin' holes, one with a very small beach for swimming and paddle boat rental, the other strictly for fishing. In the larger, we caught several (very) small bluegill in about an hour. Not really entertaining for me, but my nephew had a blast, no matter how big the fish were. Also, no license was needed since we were on private property (wish I knew that ahead of time). They also have a mini golf course and a small camp store. There is a large supermarket nearby with plenty of restaurants from fast food to casual sit down in case you get tired of hot dogs. In all, we enjoyed it (of course it's no Fort Wilderness!) but most likely won't go back simply because I would like to try as many different places as possible. I would recommend it though... We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Went here with my kids because their website emphasizes the 'family' aspect of their campground. Well, we had to contended with a lot of rowdy drunk seasonal campers. I finally called the front office at 3am to complain. The owner (an older guy) said he'd check into it, but never did. The bathrooms were filthy, the swimming hole was swampy, unkept, and dirty. And, I had called in advance to check on their fire policy because my kids love having a fire. When we arrived, they had ran out of firewood! The girl at the desk told me her parents were seasonal campers there and I could buy firewood from them. Yep, $15 a stack. This place is owned by an elderly couple who obviously no longer have the energy to maintain anything. We camped here in a Tent.
This was the seventh campground we stayed at this year. It was by far the worst one. The
sites were difficult at best to back into because of trees along both sides of most sites and narrow roads with vehicles parked along them. It did not appear that the restrooms and showers were cleaned on any regular basis. Despite quiet hours being at 10 pm, loud music and barking dogs continued until the early morning each night. This could be a great place. However, without substantial improvements, I would not recommend this campground to anyone. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 10 / 10 ]
2004
$30
Very nice park. Plenty to keep the kids entertained. Several nice playground areas, 2 small lakes with swimming in one, nice pool, animals to feed (goats, horses, llamas, emu, peacock, ducks, turkey) The staff goes the extra mile to be helpful and welcoming. Would stay there again if close to the area. Not too far from Chicago. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.