Ichetucknee Springs Campground — Attraction in Lake City

What started as a great trip ended adruptly when our 12 person tent was destroyed by a large fallen limb. Nature is unpredictable at times so we were obviously upset by this happening however what was really upsetting was the way the camp staff responded to the damage. Instead of offering any reconciliations or help with payment for the over $400 worth of damages, we were treated with hostility when asked what could be done about the situation. My partner was yelled and cursed at and ultimately told to leave the premises. So as a warning to other campers, know that if your property is damaged by unkempt limbs and fallen debris - you will not be met with anything but obvious annoyance by the owners. Good thing no one was in the tent when it happened or it would have been an entirely different scenario. It wasn't until after a heated conversation that the possibility of being comped our fee for the visit was mentioned (only for one night) - they refused to refund the money for all 3 days and instead told us to leave. Stay safe and keep an eye on the treetops. If you notice anything that may cause damage, alert whoever owns the campground - that goes for anywhere you're staying. But a valuable lesson was surely learned. As repeating customers of this particular campground, we will never return due to our treatment from that staff member/owner. Best of luck to all who decide to stay there.

*Edited to add reply to the business owner: We were not rude at the beginning of our interactions. It wasn't until my partner and our friend went to the office to talk with the man again that things got heated. And that only happened because of the man's attitude. It wasn't until it was apparent that no compensation would be given for our damage and that he didn't even know how many nights we had left to stay/paid to stay for. We were booked for another night on your grounds and paid for it. The man (unfortunately do not remember his name) who did most of the talking, approached the campsite initially with an attitude. We never had any issues with the lady that accompanied him. Were we sad about the situation? Sure. But we didn't take it out on you guys, just disappointed with the damage/situation as it was our first trip in a while and saved up for it. What I should have done was start recording once you guys met us at the site after the limb fell because he even mentioned that there was a limb that looked suspicious and like it was about to fall. That was my mistake. You can claim whatever you want but that was not originally going to be the last day of our stay. We paid for two nights and only stayed the one for obvious reasons. Ultimately it's okay though, tents can be replaced. Do better at managing your property before someone actually gets hurt though. Also should probably hold off on letting that guy handle customer service situations. He doesn't have the...

I will admit that booking this campground gave me anxiety. It was several hours from home, and a reservation guaranteed a site, not a specific site. Having a family of five and two in laws in tow, it is usually more reassuring to pick out your site. I had found this site simply from Kym (manager) responding to a post in a local Facebook camping group. I thought she seemed nice, and the campground seemed rustic and welcoming. I decided to book us in for two nights over the Veteran's weekend (Sunday/Monday). ||||The booking process was very simple and old school. I emailed what we wanted, and they replied that they had availability and sent a link for the $20 secure site fee (we had electric/water, so this is required). It can be paid via Venmo or Paypal. They are old school and work via cash, so do not plan on using a card. Hit the ATM before you get close. We arrived a little later than we wanted (around 6:30). It was pretty dark. We followed the sign in the office to the host camp, right behind the rec hall. It was simple. The check in process took all of five minutes and we were sent to our site, which was 17 and right next to the rec hall and bonfire pit. We also ordered up two piles of firewood to start. They charge $5 (cash) and deliver right to your site. ||||We couldn't see the site well since it was dark, but it was clearly huge. We had no issue setting up our 12 man and 4 man tents with plenty of space to spare. When we woke up in the morning, we realized that we could have easily slept 50 people or more at our site. The site was private (cars provide a nice wall from the single opening) and wooded. They provided two tables (not crappy ones) and a big fire ring. The site had several trees that were good for hammocks or clothes lines. The water and electric were in a pretty logical spot and could easily reach anywhere in the site with a long enough hose or cord. ||||The campground itself is really no frills. They have a rec hall with OLD arcade games (this is a good thing), pool, foosball and air hockey. They have a jukebox with some country and rock choices to get your bones moving. The bathrooms are single person, one for each sex. They are kept immaculate. I ran into the grounds woman, and noted to her that I had never seen a place kept so clean. She told me that she is a retired nurse, so it makes sense. They also have two single showers. This is camping, not the Ritz. It is exactly what is needed. ||||We did not run into any wildlife issues. We did have a lot of bees, but they were not too bad. Ants were abundant, but again, this is Florida. The hosts were very nice and humble, and provided local recommendations for tubing and canoeing. The roads are well maintained and the place shows an overall sense of love. They are located just a minute down the road from the North entrance of the State Park. We look forward to coming back here...

Absolutely LOVED this campground. My family and I spent the week of Thanksgiving here with some friends. At one point we had two camp sites one with an RV and another with 4 tents.

The sites are so spacious: Even with 2 minivans with small utility trailers on them and one pickup truck we still had plenty of room for our tents to be spread out nicely so we were not on top of each other. We had room for our cooking area, 2 fold out tables and one large (4' x 8') camping table that I built as well as the picnic table they provided (one on every site).

Complaints??? That really weren't that big of a deal: Our picnic table was somewhat lack luster for 2 reasons it was a smaller table on a larger site (which could just be from someone swapping them out, which we did when our RV friend left) and also because the seats, only one board wide, were a little flimsy. It was most likely just an older table for the property and we just made it the kids table and we sat in our camp chairs, so no big deal. The fire rings that they provided were (we thought) a little small, but even in the when it got down into the 40s one night we were never really cold while sitting next to the fire. Also it kinda prevented us from building a HUGE fire which made the wood we had last longer.

Amenities: -Speaking of firewood they do sell firewood there. $5 a bundle for an ~average sized bundle of wood. -They have 10lb bags of ice for sell for $3 which is perfect. -Also worth mentioning THEY DELIVER. When Kim (one of the camp hosts) would drive by in her gold cart to see how you were doing, you could ask her deliver you ice or wood. How freaking cool is that. They have showers... 2 of them, but Most of the campers were I guess showing in there RVs. because i never had to wait on the shower. There are also Restrooms for you to use while the game room is open, again only 2 of them but we had a bucket with a trashbag in it for our campers who needed a place to not stand and pee, as well the little campers who couldn't "hold it" to make the walk. We only had to make the trip for that unspeakable bathroom use. Again even with there only being 2 restroom I only had to wait to use it once, and that was because the guy sitting next to me at our fire ran to beat me to it.

Just Awesome things: -You are SUPER close to the springs which or absolutely amazing. The canoeing is some of the best I've seen in Florida. On Holidays much like Thanksgiving they have a bon Fire and Karaoke. Which was easily one of the funnest things I've done while camping in a while. the leaves were changing color and falling.... in Florida it was Amazing!

Listen its beautiful, my family and I had a blast and you will too.

Also thy have pinball machines and pool in the game room so bring quarters.... you've...