Campground Review–Eby’s Pines

 

Dates we stayed here:  June 30 – July 6, 2011 (Thursday – Thursday)

Location:  Bristol, IN

The campground is off State Route 120, 3 miles west of State Route 13, and just a few minutes from the Michigan state line.  It’s conveniently located close to Middlebury, Elkhart and other Amish communities in northern Indiana.

Our site:  #167

This site is considered a “deluxe full hookup” site.  It was level, plenty long to park the truck in front or back, with reasonable spacing between it and the neighboring sites.  With the orientation of the site, we had full sun in the morning, and shade from the RV in the afternoon.

Looking down the main road, towards the office and entrance.

We had full hookup with 50A electric, which was stable even with a full campground and everybody running their A/C (90 degree daytime temps).  Water pressure was good, and we had a strong Verizon signal.  Wifi was available for a fee ($5/day or $25/month), but the signal was strong.  No cable TV, but our batwing antenna pulled in all the major networks.

We paid $256 for the week, which included the 7th night free and a $10 “holiday surcharge”.

Amenities:  The campground has a store with basic groceries, camping supplies, souvenirs, and ice cream.  There is a laundry facility, but I did not check it out.  There are several bath houses, but they looked old and in need of updating.  We did not use them, since we had full hookup.  They have a couple of pavilions and while we were there, there was a band playing one night, and karaoke another night.

The Little Elkhart River runs along the back of the campground, and there are a couple of ponds for fishing.

Kids fishing in the large pond.

The campground is fairly large and spread out, with seasonal areas, tent & popup areas, and the full hookup area that we were in.  There are walking paths throughout the campground, and one trail that takes you to Bonneyville Mill in Bristol.

Covered bridge on the walking path near the big pond.

One of our favorite features on the hot days were the pools.  There are (2) pools which are open 10 am – 8pm daily, with a lifeguard.  The large pool has a water fountain, 2 slides (for 12 & under), and several water spouts.

The older pool is less busy, and is reserved for adults between 6 – 8pm.

The big pool was a popular place for families on those hot July days!

The campground also has a large playground, basketball and volleyball courts, a large open field for baseball or other sports, and horseshoe courts.

Overall Impression:  We liked this campground, and it was a good location for visiting the nearby Amish communities.  Even though it doesn’t have the premium resort feel, it was still nice.  the full hookup sites were plenty long for big rigs.  Some of the seasonal sites were a little run-down, but all of the people we met we friendly and welcoming, including the staff. 

The rates were OK, but I think wifi should have been included for free.  Some of the facilities we old and in need of repair, but the pool was really nice , and for us, that more than made up for the other deficiencies.

We preferred this campground over the Shipshewana campgrounds, due to the better shade on the sites and the addition of the pool.  We would definitely stay here again.