Jellystone Park™ Lake Monroe — Hotel in Bloomington

My family and were campers at this park from Sunday June 1st to Wednesday June 4th. We had rented a camper from the park. We were all really excited for the trip because the pictures from the website were beautiful and it appeared there was a lot of things to do in the park. This, unfortunately, was not our experience. Once we arrived at our camper, we noticed something wrapped around our sink faucet that had been used to absorb leaking water. It appeared the sink had been recently worked on. The absorbant pad had become quite full of water, so we took it off assuming the work that had been done had fixed the issues. We were wrong. For the duration of our stay our sink leaked. Outside the camper there is a hatch that if you open up it has a pull out cook top, a mini fridge and a faucet. We didn't attempt to use any of these because the mini fridge was covered in mold. We just went on about our trip and tried to make the most of it. The first evening we all explored some of the amenities the park had to offer. First the kids went to the jumping pillow and gem mining. They seemed to really enjoy them, and although we had already had a rough start, the kids seemed to be having good time. Shortly thereafter it was suggested we go to the pool. The pool itself was iceburg cold. None of us adults could even get into the pool because of how cold it was and the temps were in the mid 80s for the duration of our stay. So went to the splashground half of it didn't work. Which was kind of disappointing but again we made the best of it. That first night we grilled out, and although the website has said there grills at the campsites there were none. It was luck that we had brought our own. The real issues we encountered started on the second day. We woke up and the jump pillow was deflated. We later had found a group of older kids had come the night before and jumped on one spot and had popped the pillow. Sad, my kids moved on to another activity. That afternoon/early evening we walked the trails which were actually quite short. After the trails went back to camp to start dinner. As I started to prepare I noticed we had only had butter knives which wouldn't work for cutting potatoes, so I walked to the office to ask for a knife we could use. After a good ten minutes of waiting in the office they finally found a knife and told me it was the last one they had so I needed to bring it back to the office before we checked out. I agreed and heading back to camp. Started setting up dinner. When I went to turn on the the stove to cook not a single burner would come on. Again luckily we had brought our own grill that had a burner on it. After dinner, which took forever to cook due lack of amenities in our own camper, the kids wanted to go do some more gem mining. Unfortunately this time the gem mining has started to overflow and they then shut down the gem mining as well. My oldest had read on the brochure that they had lasar tag so we all headed towards the spot on the map where it was located. No lasar tag either. We eventually made our way back to camp and just hung out there with the fire. By our 3rd day we pretty much just sat around the camper because other than the pool, trails, and mediocre "activities" the campground offered there wasn't much we could do due to it all being out of order. Overall this was the worst experience we have had camping and we paid quite a bit for it. I was disappointed to say the least. I don't think we will be returning. At least not to...

We came here for 4th of July weekend. Checked in on July 3rd and checked out July 6th. Check in was quick and easy. Probably about 5 minutes tops. We came in a group and had 3 sites. 2 camper sites and a cabin. One of our sites had some big issues but were addressed by the GM who was very nice.

The Cabin: The cabin we stayed in was 306. It was pretty nice but pretty small. Especially for 4 people and a dog. The photos made it seem a lot bigger. So I would recommend keeping it at 4 to stay comfy.

We did not have any issues with the wifi.

Upon entering the cabin it was HOT because the AC was off which was a bit uncomfortable given that it was in the 90s outside. The bathroom vent was the only one that blew out cold air so we closed all the curtains and by the evening it was cool in the main are. We used a fan to help move cold air into the master room which was the warmest and had to sleep with the door open. The stairs to the 3 beds are VERY steep and would probably benefit to have a railing. Our dog and a family members dog both fell down the stairs from them being so steep and had some small cuts on their legs from the fall. The listing said there was a gas grill but there was not. So cooking was a bit more tricky as inside there is a small burner stove and the cookware provided are a tad small.

The "master bedroom" area is very small and the matress was like sleeping on the floor. My husband is 6ft and sleep was a bit tricky.

Where the three beds are its also very small. The mattresses provided are very firm and the ceiling is low. So it's crawling space.

The bathroom was pretty small but the shower was amazing. Great water pressure and allowed 4 people to all take hot showers back to back with out losing pressure or hot water

Overall takeaway on the cabin: Visually pleasing and very clean Pretty small. Luggage storage and changing is very tricky If youre tall like us can be a squeeze in sleeping quarters. 4 people is pushing it on being comfortable in the small cabin especially if youre planning on staying inside.

Activities: There were a lot of texts going out about activity changes and cancelations. They had a dunk tank which they allowed for people to actually be inside the dunk tank rather than just trying to dunk which was fun.

The Bounce Pad: The bounce pad is still out of order and has been since memorial day weekend but they have a bounce house set up behind the activities area in the trees and its very big.

The pool: The "big pool" is not that big. A bit on the small side and only about 4ft deep so best for like kids still not so much adults

Kiddie area is decent

Splash Pad: is a big splash pad but a lot of the ammentities were down such as the water guns and dumping bucket. We sat in the sprinkler area which helped keep us cool and was relaxing.

The Cabana: Not worth the price this time around. The privacy curtain, fans and fridges are all gone so you are essentially just paying for shade at the pool and cushioned chairs.

There was not a firework show but thats OK. They do not promote one and people complaining about there not being one need to remember this is a family park. Most of the visitors have very small children,babies, and family pets who are startled by fireworks or asleep by the time there would be a show. Take the quick 10 minute drive to watch at monroe lake.

The staff were all very very nice and accommodating when asked anything.

We rented a gold cart for the entirety of our stay which I would...

Update: We just camped here June 21-23 2024. I will say I noticed a lot of differences/positives that I want to highlight from my last review. There were printed schedules upon arrival (which is awesome), the fence around the air pillow was taken down (which was kinda nice), I like how they redid the ice cream cafe, Bruce Mitchell was amazing, the snake show was AWESOME, the activities were better carried out this time, and I liked the text notifications on said activities.

Some negativities -The pool this time was over-chlorinated which resulted in many of our children having chemical burns/rashes on their extremities, some bathing suits were ruined which was a bummer, breakfast was eliminated from the food truck, no doggy bags at the dog station by the trail entrance, and we were denied a "Hey, Hey, Hey Ride" on the tractor which was kind of a bummer that not all kids got a turn.

Overall, though, our stay was much better and I can tell management/the owner is really trying, so kudos. Your efforts are not going unnoticed! The biggest bummer was just the chemical burn from the pool, which I know was attempted to be remedied. Giving Jellystone Lake Monroe an extra star this review bc I see the strides they're making to do better and I appreciate that!

Camped here in October for their Halloween weekend and had an amazing time; so much so that we invited friends to join us with their kids this past weekend. The kids had a blast but we spent several hundred dollars on a site, cabana for a day, food, activities, firewood, extras, etc. over the weekend and we just expect more for the price you pay. Weeds everywhere, trash everywhere, bathrooms were smelly/unkept, pools/splash pad was run down, and the activities were poorly managed and executed.

When we camped here previously, the owner had a huge presence - even had an old fire truck to drive the kids around the campground at night. It was such a nice touch! We felt the love for his campground and it showed in all the energy he put into it. This time, I only saw an adult once in the 4 days we were there. The remainder were teenagers/young kids, who I believe did a great job, but definitely could have used some guidance. It was the "Holiday Mix Up" weekend at the park and all activities lasted minutes and were disappointing - not enough Easter eggs for the kids for the easter egg hunt, one stop for the "trick or treating" and were told to bring a bag for candy, and activities with a bear lasted minutes. It was dreadfully hot but if you are going to make an event around a bear, it should at minimum last 10-30 minutes and/or be moved to a different location to combat the heat.

We wished we could have seen the schedule a week in advance so that we could have planned better for activities vs. a days notice. Posting the schedule on the FB page would have been great also.

I'm not certain we will come back. I hope the new ownership takes notes and listens to the resounding feedback they're receiving. I would hate for this gem of a place to fall by...