Jellystone Park™ Monticello — Hotel in Monticello

If I could give a zero star I would. We booked for a whole week July 8-14 and while I must say the internet makes this place sound amazing, it is far from it! I spent $415 for 6 nights at a campground where NOTHING was included except a headache! We first get there and got sent to site that was just a mud puddle, thankfully they were willing to move us! (Trust me, we understand nature had a toll on that). We had to move our own picnic table from sites away and our fire ring! Big holes in the road so of course my tiny car did not like that. We had a tent so we had a hard time finding a level spot on the site and not in the gravel ! Plus sites are super tiny! Went to this amazing bathrooms they mention on their sites! WOW disgusting! My kids were refusing to use the restroom! It was cleaned once a day and sometimes I noticed it was cleaned every other day! Mud everywhere and sinks filled with food and half the restrooms were out of order ! Flooring coming up, likely for someone to get hurt on. After finally setting up we went to the pool. The pool was nasty! My husband noticed the filtration was not running, it was muddy and sand everywhere, even throw up in the corner, and just nasty! Sadly my mother got a bad rash from the pool! She actually didn’t swim in this for the rest of trip. We were told on the phone everything was included except the WIBIT LAKE COURSE! That was definitely a lie. They had nothing included! Crafts cost money, boats cost money( can’t do separate) and even the gel blasters, bubbles, and bingo cost money! Now I have 3 kids plus 4 adults; that adds up if we wanted to be included! I felt lied to ! This whole week was nothing but crap! The sand by the lake was nothing but rocks and glass! Nothing is kept up at this park! Went to the story time, and that was a joke! Staff could not even read the story ! Sadly it happens and while I hate to see someone struggling cuz we all have different learning abilities , it sucks when your 5 year old is very confused by the reading! That was on day 3 of being here and actually the first time we seen the characters ! On day 4 the trip really began to get worse! We had campers move in a few rows down, who were mainly teens partying and swearing and playing inappropriate songs for a family camp ground, smoking weed and the smell carried to our site, I ended up at 10:40 calling it in but the response I got was quiet time is at 11! She did go over and say something but said it was okay and understood but had people complaining! It was rude and hope to god she was not the manager! The next day we went back to the pool without my mom and step dad, and it was again dirty! It was so bad my husband kept gagging from all the hair, stag-nit water and film built up on the pool ! It was so hazy in the pool u could not see your own feet. My kids were so sad that they could not enjoy activities because I just spent a lot of money coming somewhere that was claimed to be so much fun, we honestly could have went to a hotel for the same price! We are not rich so we live on a budget! Mind you we drove 3 hours to this “amazing” place! I have heard great things about jelly stone but I will never come back to this location! I still can’t get over how nasty the bathrooms were. I held my bladder till I got to town! We made trips to town just to use the restroom and I brought Clorox wipes with me just to clean their showers! I will say towards the end of our trip we finally seen the characters ! I’m glad we at least got that! On the pool subject again, a baby had pooped in pool and the manager made the remark I didn’t have to shock it but did it ! That should have been a no brainer! People can get sick! My mom delt with that rash our whole family vacation! The campground is ran by a bunch of teens! My paid vacation from work turned into a disaster and while there Slogan is you will never be bored, you won’t be if your...

We have stayed at this JellyStone Campground in Monticello, IA many times throughout the last five years and loved it. However, THIS was the WORST experience we have ever had here! First of all, the calendar which is supposed to have the activities/themes for the weekend were not functional on the website and so we didn’t know if there would be any activities at all. I received a welcome email one week before our visit listing the rules, check in/out times and amenities that are included with our stay. In the email we were told all crafts, pool, and the beach are included for free during your stay. It did not indicate that there were new owners (which we later found out) or any issues. When we arrived and checked in to the office we were informed that their pool was CLOSED due to no inspection on it for permits and that to use the water inflatables on the pond it would be an additional $15 per person. I feel the $15 is a high price to pay; even so, a discount should’ve been offered to paying campers who were expecting the pool to be open. In the VERY LEAST, communication should have been sent to patrons in advance about the pool being closed so families aren’t telling their children that they would get to go swimming at the pool to be devastated. In addition to the lack of communication and the disappointment of the pool being closed and the high price for the additional amenity, the safety of the facility in MANY ways has been compromised. The normal rules were not enforced at all making it very unsafe for children and adults. The trike bikes which do not have reflectors/lights were still being rode all over the park after dark and golf carts without headlights or brake lights were still being driven. Saturday and Sunday from about 10:00am – dinner time, there were bulldozers and backhoes tearing up the “sports field” behind our campsites. This is where many children typically play ball and frisbee and cross to access the playground. It was so loud, we couldn’t sit by the fire pit and talk. We had to shout to hear anyone. Why would this facility wait to do construction when people are paying to stay and there are children everywhere? Other disappointments included the snack shack not being open. Monticello Jelly Stone’s specialties was the Bosco Cheese Sticks and the ice creams but it was all closed up. The bathroom showers weren’t very clean in the ONLY woman’s rooms available. There are 2 other “comfort stations” throughout the park. Both of the other restroom/comfort stations were closed with only portable toilets to use. When we arrived we were excited, at first, to see that June 4th – 6th was the Chocolate Lover’s Weekend. We have booked this weekend in the past but, unfortunately, we were disappointed again. The famous chocolate pudding slide (chocolate slip & slide) was a bust. The slide used to be about 50 ft long and all the staff were there to be a part of the fun. Staff members, kids of ALL ages (toddlers to teens) and adults would use this slide and have a blast. The “new” slide was a huge disappointment. It was only about 15 feet of plastic and only little kids were there. There was supposed to be chocolate sponge tag on Sunday at the Sports field but my kids couldn’t find it as the sports field was all torn up by bulldozers and backhoes with no forwarding info. I was highly disappointed and we have considered NOT returning to this favorite spot of ours. I’m hoping the new owners can see and hear the constructive criticism and make some corrections. We have a sight booked there in a few months and I don’t know that we will return. I’m so saddened by...

It is far more expensive than a typical campground. It is in line with other campgrounds with lots of amenities, but if they are not maintained or open, it is greatly over priced.

We arrived on Friday, found out the campground had changed hands a week prior. The pool was not open because the owners did not know it required an inspection. I booked here because it is hot and there was a pool. No apology or anything, just played as our dumb luck. Maybe they should have researched prior to purchase to be ready.

The playgrounds were in horrible disrepair to the point that they were dangerous for my 3 year old to play on normally. With a giant broken section creating a cutting hazard, and a falling hazard all at once (see picture) . The ground under the playgrounds was sand, and filled with sharp rocks, and worn and eroded away so much that it was as tall as a 3 year old to get off the bottom of the slides.

The roads in the campground were crawling with children in peddle cars, and worse, driving golf carts. Many of the gold cart and side by side drivers were too young to even be permitted drivers, and payed no attention to basic driver safety and courtesy. None of them paying any attention to the cars that were driving.

The noise level during the day was loud, but understandable. At night, however, they did not enforce quiet hours, which start relatively late at 10:30. It was well after 11 before things just naturally quiet down.

The "beaches" were a joke. The one on the lake is about 10 feet wide and very poorly maintained. The one on the river was hardly a beach, it was a big sand bar that had been cut off from the river, all but about a 20 foot opening, by the vegitation. The Sandbar was dirty and very poorly maintained.

They decided to do a huge project right behind my camper in an open field. My guess is adding more sites, but still, mid day on a Saturday they decided to use bulldozers and excavators while there are kids running everywhere, with no blocking off the area for safety. Then after that was done, they still did not block off the area, and created a giant dirt and mud pit that had kids running and playing in it until very late at night. Not safe at all.

Now for the bathrooms. Most were closed with outhouses in front. The open one on the main building had horribly wet floors from people in the lake. Understandable, but you mop it once in a while. The other open one had no locks on the men's room stalls at all. It was horribly dirty, and in disrepair, like everything else. It smelled like urine and feces, as though it has not been cleaned in some time.

As for normal camping things, ignoring the high price for poorly maintained amenities, there is not a lot of shade, the fire pits are very small, and the water pressure was horrible. Their dumping station was functioning, but the ground was not graded properly, meaning it was hard to get waste to flow through the sewer tube to drain.

I get that the poor maintenance and such is a sign of why it changed hands, but maybe they should have taken a couple weeks, fixed it up and gotten things squared away before opening up, or provide campers a bit of a refund for all the amenities that are in horrible disrepair.

I would not recommend this location unless the owners do a lot of work to make it right. As it sits right now, it is a mediocre, at best, place, and you are far better off paying far less for a campground with no amenities beyond a...