Amana RV Park & Event Center — Local services in Fairfax

Update: Update:

I want to highlight the unfortunate nature of the response to my initial review. Instead of addressing the issue with ownership or understanding, the reply was combative and dismissive. It’s disappointing to see this lack of accountability, even in how concerns are handled through communication.

It’s truly unfortunate that leadership refuses to acknowledge the situation or accept responsibility for the faulty electrical system that impacted my stay. This reinforces my concerns and further diminishes my confidence in this RV park. I hope future guests are treated with more respect and their concerns taken more seriously.

Disappointing End to an Otherwise Pleasant Stay

Our experience at Amana Colonies RV Park was positive for most of our stay, but unfortunately, the last two weeks completely soured what could have been a five-star review. We stayed for a total of nine weeks, and during the first seven, everything was as expected—peaceful, functional, and enjoyable. However, in the final two weeks, we encountered significant issues related to the electrical setup at our site, which ultimately left a lasting negative impression.

While we were away for five days, the breaker at our site tripped, cutting power to our RV. This meant that both of our AC units were off during a period of high temperatures, and more frustratingly, our refrigerator turned into what can only be described as a “microwave” for all the food stored inside. Upon returning, we found all the food spoiled, a problem we obviously couldn’t have predicted or controlled while we were away.

Initially, I thought perhaps the issue was with our RV’s fuse panel, but after inspecting the electrical panel on-site, it was clear that the breaker was the culprit. We reset the breaker, and while the power came back on briefly, it continued to trip over the following days. Given that we were using the campsite primarily for work purposes and often returned late at night, the last thing on our minds was to check the refrigerator or troubleshoot further after long workdays. When the breaker tripped again, more food was spoiled by the time we returned.

Upon departure, we spoke with a staff member who expressed that he was being overworked and juggling 4-5 tasks simultaneously due to a lack of manpower during the busy events at the park. He was very kind and helpful, but it was clear that this is a long-standing issue that has gone unresolved for years, despite his efforts.

I brought this matter to the attention of the campsite manager, who surprisingly placed the blame on us for not notifying them that the breaker had tripped. I was quite taken aback by this response, as I’m unsure how we could have predicted such a thing while away. Given that everything had worked fine for the first seven weeks, we assumed the initial breaker trip was a one-off issue. We did our due diligence by resetting it, not realizing the breaker itself was faulty.

What made this situation truly unfortunate was the manager’s lack of ownership. It was clear from our experience that the fault lay with the campsite’s electrical system, not our RV. Our 50-amp RV can run both AC units and multiple outlets simultaneously without issue. This was not a matter of overloading the system on our end—it was a problem with the breaker.

While the staff member we spoke with was understanding and sympathetic, the way management handled this situation was deeply disappointing. The lack of accountability and the dismissive attitude left us feeling frustrated and let down, especially after what had otherwise been a great stay.

I write this review not out of spite, but to share our experience in the hope that others might avoid the same issues. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend Amana Colonies RV Park, as the final weeks of our stay left my family and me with a very sour taste. I sincerely hope they address their electrical infrastructure and reconsider how they handle situations like this...

We stayed here for a week while attending an RV rally. There are 3 entrances to the park; in most cases you'll enter through Gate 2, which leads to the office building. We checked in, received a campground map as well as a book of coupons for the shops in Amana, and were guided to our site.

The campground is laid out in a grid pattern. Most of the roads are gravel. Most of the RV sites are back-to-back back-ins with no divider in-between, so if the spot behind you is empty you'll be able to pull through. The sites are also arranged in groups of four, with a large amount of space between each group. So if you're lucky enough to be in the left site of the two facing the same direction, your driver-side neighbor will be close but you'll have a sizeable front yard. All of the hookups are in the back: you have your own sewer hookup, but the power pole is shared with your next-door neighbor and all four sites attach to individual spigots at the water hookup.

All of the sites are pretty long, with gravel pads, grass yards, and picnic tables. A limited number of fire rings are available upon request, first-come, first-served. There are some trees but most sites are open to the skies. Our site (L14) was nice and level.

There are a few amenities outside of the event buildings. There is one easy to overlook swing set for kids, and one set of cans for recyclables besides one of the several dumpsters scattered throughout the park. They have a propane refill station that large rigs can easily drive up to, though refills weren't available during our stay. Bags of ice are sold at the office, and there is a small laundry room and library in the small community building. The event buildings have bathrooms accessible from the outside, and one also has showers though I didn't personally see them.

The building we used for our rally, the Pioneer building, has a large collection of collapsible chairs and tables as well as a kitchen area with a fridge.

There are no enclosed dog parks, but there is plenty of open grass space to walk dogs on-leash.

In terms of cell service, I saw speeds of 194Mbps down and 27Mbps up on my Verizon hotspot with MIMO antenna, so we had no trouble streaming video. The speed test on my 5G AT&T phone showed 96Mbps down and 8 up.

We would stay here again if we were...

What an incredible facility and staff. This was our first time visiting this park and we’ll definitely be back. First, I need to express our sincere gratitude to facility hosts, Guy and Sue. My wife and I had planned on spending 5 days at the park and then returning to Sioux Falls. We had towed our motorcycle behind the motorhome because it’s a great area to tour around on a motorcycle. Unfortunately, my wife suddenly became ill and had to be transported to the University of Iowa medical center via ambulance. Of course motorcycles are not well suited for this job. Because deer are so plentiful in the area, and the hospital was about 20 miles away, suddenly Guy and Sue show up to drive me to the hospital in their personal vehicle. How’s that for customer service ??? Not wanting to inconvenience Guy and Sue further, I took Uber back to the campground and then arranged for a rental car. My wife ended up spending 6 days at the medical center, during which time other park hosts, Maureen, Jessica, and manager Jamie, worked with me to ensure I could retain my current site in the campground, and would be able to stay as long as we needed until my wife was discharged. What a wonderful group of people, and if I forgot anyone, it was purely accidental and I sincerely apologize.

If you are every planning a visit to the Amana Colonies, be sure to look up these kind folks and spend a few days there. There’s plenty of wonderful things to see in the area, and plenty of great...