Friends Creek Campground

Camped at Friends Creek as a child in 1970's And camp here now with my family and Grandchildren.
Camp host Pete is the best! Nice friendly campground.

Many improvements over the past year associated with new lights for walkers and camp site electrical upgrades to 30 and 50 amp service. Unfortunately, the electrical upgrade to the campground was delayed until March/April of this year instead of being done in the fall of last year. Now the camping sites are in the process of trying to grow new grass as the sites are being used.

While the electrical upgrades were needed and appreciated, the need for a previously discussed lighting upgrade within the campground has not been completed and poses an additional Safety Hazard to occupants of each upgraded site beyond that which already existed.

Finally, Daily rates were increased from $17.00/site last year to $25.00 (30 amp) or $30.00 (50 amp) for the 2022 camping season. Longtime and dedicated Friends Creek campers feel that such a drastic cost increase is not justified and in fact, will have A negative impact to the 2022 season. Many of the dedicated campers have already started using other local campgrounds that provide better lighting, larger wash facilities, numerous playgrounds and local restaurants, and for a substantial decrease in daily rates.

Girlfriend wanted to go camping, but did not want to go too far. She chose this place because of the Yelp reviews. It was a solid choice.

This place is in the middle of farm country with plenty of really old trees, a creek, and a few lakes near by. On a trip into town you pass over a bridge that cuts across a lake. Lots of fishing boats. May need to go back and check that out.

The campground is small and attached to a small public park with grill sites, pavilion and permanent toilet huts. You drive though the public part and back to the campground area in the back. Very short and pleasant drive.

We arrived early on Friday afternoon and picked our campsite. Some sites were tucked up next to woods and some grassy and open. All were generous on space. All sites had a fire ring with an adjustable grill grate, a short compacted gravel driveway for your car, plenty of flat area's for your tent(s), and a sturdy picnic table. Some sites had electric hook-up, but you had to pay a little more for those. Short walk to the dumpster, fresh water pumps, and bathrooms. Behind the bathrooms there was a slop sink with a hot water hose specifically designated for doing dishes. All amenities were not too close and not too far. Dumpsters were a little farther walk and away from campers which was appreciated.

Campsites were 50/50 mixed between RV campers and tent campers. While it was a fairly quiet campground, there was a constant bike parade of kids pedaling around. Streets were all one way to keep the car traffic predictable and at a minimum.

Pete and his son Brandon, are the property caretakers. They stopped by and asked if we needed anything about twice a day. Once Pete noticed that I was getting low on firewood and offered to go and get some for me in his Gator ATV. Never had that happen before. Seriously nice people.

Here is the gem of it all - the campground and facilities are IMMACULATE!! I can't stress enough just how clean this place was. You could not find a cigarette butt, food wrapper, pop can, or anything like that anywhere! Even better, the bathroom/shower-house was unbelievably clean. Toilets never had waste in them, there was no toilet paper or waste on the floor, no old toothpaste in the sinks, or no graffiti carved into the mirrors or walls. The exhaust fans were running and quiet, the bathroom smelled clean, and was really well lit and safe. With a 9 and 11 year old daughters, this is very important to me. I've been camping quite a bit and I have NEVER seen a campground so well cared for.

On Sunday we were packing up and sure enough Pete stopped by to thank us for our stay and recommended a few points-of-interest to see on our way out of town. Again, I've never had better accommodations and hospitality outside of a brick and mortar hotel.

On your way out of town, if your passing near Lexington, IL (a few miles up the road), stop at the "Shake Shack" for a chocolate malt. WOW was that good stuff!

Well, that's all I've got. I hope you find yourself in this campsite and in Pete's wonderful care. You and your family won't regret it. Happy camping!

We plan on camping here soon. I visited the campground last in early March. It's a hidden Jewel.

Great place in a great location. Good rates. Very well maintained by Macon County Conservation District.