Whistle Stop Campground — Hotel in Marshall

We stayed in one of the cabins, not an RV or tent spot, so we were expecting a motel-like accommodation. They expect you to bring your own towels, pillows, sheets, blankets, cleaning supplies, soap and other toiletries. Nothing is provided. This is unclear on the website, and the "tour" video shows a lot more in the cabin than what is actually provided.||||Few activities were actually available on the day we visited, staying overnight July 2/3. I would expect this to be a popular day being a holiday week, but I believe we were the only people staying in a cabin, and there were just a few RVs there otherwise. The store closed at 6pm, and it was impossible to rent any equipment after that point. Things like horseshoes, the "gaga pit" (dodgeball) and volleyball were supposed to be free and included with our stay, but with no way to get these things from a closed store, they were inaccessible. The jumping pillow was completely deflated the entire time we were there.||||The pond is either dyed or contaminated with some dark greenish-blue stuff that makes it difficult to see beyond about 6 inches in. As a result, it's impossible to see how deep the pond is at any given point. I was also stung by a wasp or hornet (not a bee, because I was stung twice) while in the pond. I was unable to see where or what it was, because the water is so dark and opaque. All you can see are the dead bugs and small fish that float to the surface. My son didn't want to go swimming anymore after that.||||Their site and their signs at the campground clearly stated that there was free Wi-Fi, but when I searched for a network on my phone and laptop, I couldn't find any network to connect to. I tried calling their phone number 4 times, leaving messages to call me back or text me with the Wi-Fi information, but I never received a call back. If the water or power would have gone out, or if the roof had collapsed, would anyone have returned my calls? I highly doubt it. They never even apologized later during check-out. ||||There is a TV and DVD player, but since we were on vacation we didn't have any DVDs, and since the store closed at 6pm we couldn't get any. The TV only gets one channel, something called "Decades". I guess if you're interested in old trains and planes it's something to watch.||||The pictures on their website aren't actually from Whistle Stop in Marshall. I don't know if this is another location in a chain, but this is false advertising in my opinion.||||They also give you a list of chores to do before you check out. I've paid $90 at hotels where we were given clean bedding, towels and toiletries and not be expected to wipe out the fridge or sweep and vacuum the floor when I was done. Why do they think they can get away with this at a $90 price point is beyond me.||||I would never, ever...

We booked four campsites for our group right after they opened and were able to start taking reservations. Eight adults and Five kids between the ages of 4-10. We had a great time. There was a bit of confusion at check in based on the reservation being mixed up but the staff helped remedy that quickly and get us situated to keep the four sites in a row and we had to help another trailer move to their new spot. As the rest of our group arrived we were all told we would not be receiving the wristbands for the jumping pillow as promised from the RV show but it turned out we really didn't need them since there was other things to keep the kids occupied. Looking back I would think they would just have that jumping pillow included with your campsite fee since the campground itself is so small. ||||We spent most of the 2nd day at the little Amerika amusement park next door. The train ride to and from was the highlight in my eyes as it was a few miles long and we got to see animals along the tracks. We had originally purchased the minimum wristband ($11.95) to get on the train and then upon arriving at the park we upgraded to the next color up and only had to pay the $2 difference. The kids were mostly too short for the more expensive colored bands and the 2nd color was just right. I think even if I wasn't camping at the whistle stop and planning a day trip to the amusement park that i would still go from the campground on the train based on the super long lines we saw if you came through the amusement entrance. ||||The kids had a blast as well as the adults on inflatables in the pond as well. I was glad to see they had a roped off area where the kids could reach the ground before the drop off in the middle since you can't see through the colored water to see how quickly it gets deep. my only suggestion would to have more shaded areas or additional table umbrellas around the pond as there was no hiding from the sun. ||||All in all it was a great trip. I was weary based on the previous reviews, but being a new campground there will always be some glitches to work out. We will definitely be booking...

We have gone to Whistle Stop Campground for years with a group of friends (multiple adults and kids). Things have changed at the campground.

The staff at a campground is vital to the overall camping experience. The onsite staff at Whistle Stop is horrible. They do not act like they are in the service industry. The manager on site went out of her way to harass our group multiple times and ruined our stay. We camp frequently and have never experienced anything like this. Because of that we will not return. I would caution others before they consider booking with Whistle Stop, as I would not want anyone else to ever have to experience this type of harassment/horrible service and have their trip ruined.

Pros: -Small campground -The nighttime blinky train that is run by Little America is awesome!

Cons: -Overall they have not been keeping up with the quality of the amenities at the campground. -Less floating water toys -Bikes that they promote as being available for use: There were maybe 3 that were available that were usable. The rest had broken parts, flat tires, and were retired to the “bike graveyard” in hopes that they would be fixed for the next year. If you do get to use one of the working ones the manager will be over to yell at the kids using it multiple times. -They sell items in the general store (snap/pop fireworks) that the staff then yells at you for using (they state they are not for use at the campground-you should take them home to use them). -Cannot drink in the pond. In WI mostly all campgrounds allow you to drink/hold your drink while you are in the water (no glass bottles); however, this campground does not allow you to have any drinks in your hand if you are touching the water in the pond. -They did not run the weekend activities that were listed in the activity flyer. -Little shade (the campground is set in a...