We were disappointed in our stay at this Jellystone Park in June 2008 after a wonderful experience at another Jellystone Park in Wisconsin. First of all, we rented a camping cabin which was advertised as having a full bed and a sleeping loft and the number of people it stated it would accommodate was within our family’s size. It seemed to be the economical choice though still pricey, because we could not afford the outrageous prices charged for bigger cabins.
When we got to the cabin, the first thing we saw was a sign on the wall stating that sleeping in the loft was not permitted. Hmmm, well, why was it advertised as if you could then and why were we not told about this when we booked it and where were our children going to sleep? There was no room for all of us in the bed and no room on the floor. We couldn’t afford to upgrade or to sacrifice our deposit/rental fee and leave to find other accommodations and besides, we came here to camp and stay at the campsite for the full time there. So we broke the rules which I don’t like to do and try to teach our kids not to do but we had little choice really.
Then there was the black locust trees with huge thorns growing near the cabin. Some of these thorns were 3 inches or longer. There were small thorny branches laying around the site and even more after a windstorm came through and blew more down. Very dangerous, especially considering that black locust thorns have an oil on them that if you get scratched or step on one (which could easily go through your foot) they frequently cause serious infections. These thorns could also have punctured vehicle tires.
The upstairs window of the loft area was broken on the outside… they had done a half fix by covering it with plexiglass on the inside but left the broken outside window in place. We mentioned it to the office so we would not be charged for it. The ceiling fan in the room wobbled and was very loud, made us afraid to have it on so we turned it off the whole stay. The AC was very cold and if you turned it down then it got too hot. There was a bulb out in the light fixture that was never replaced though we reported it.
During the windstorm the whole cabin swayed and shook and we were afraid it might blow over but it was no safer outside. Its foundation was a few wood planks that were showing obvious insect, mold, and just plain weather exposure damage.
The activities for children were nowhere near as nice or numerous as at the other YB park we stayed at in Wisconsin. There was no “energy” or enthusiasm by the staff like at the other park…it just seemed “dead”. Our children were the only ones that showed up for them and they were not announced over loudspeakers like at the other camp so I don’t think everyone knew about them or forgot the time and missed them. A couple times, the instructor decided not to do the advertised activity because she found it too hard for kids (shouldn’t they have tried them beforehand to see if they were kid friendly?) so they ended up just coloring pictures. There were no pool games or water games like at the other park. The kids for the most part had to find their own entertainment. The kids were playing on a trolley car sitting in the field that was not roped off and no signs posted and were told they couldn’t play on it though that was what it looked like it was for. The playground was pretty old and outdated and didn’t hold the kids’ interest long.
There was no nightly showing of yogi bear cartoons like at the other park and from what I’ve heard, other YB parks. When asked about this, the staff member said “Oh, we have the cartoons on VHS tape, maybe we should look into doing that.” At the other park, they had a very nice outdoor theatre set up for this.
After the storm that came through, trash was strewn about the park and a full trash can was blown over and blew trash all around our site and surrounding area which was not cleaned up until late the next day.
The food counter at the store was frequently out of things and some of the frozen treats looked freezer burned and old.
Overall, the camp just didn’t feel like it had any life to it and there was little to no enthusiasm of staff to keep kids busy and interested and excited. We could have camped at a regular campground and had pretty much the same experience. We also had to call them two weeks after our stay to remind them to refund our security deposit which they did but it took another week or so.
Yogi Bear only showed up in the morning for flag raising and the hayride, didn’t see him the rest of the day. At the other park, he walked the park periodically greeting children and also kids could write a letter to him and leave it in a special mailbox and “yogi” would answer their letter personally and it would be delivered to the cabin or campsite or RV. Nothing like that here.
There are far better Jellystone campsites. It wasn’t a horrible place to stay…bathrooms were clean and some were even roomy, showers were hot and everything worked. The cabin itself was clean and bed comfortable, but not worth the price for the stay overall.
I would just like people to know that this campground is under new management. The owner was working and I talked to him. He is really improving a lot of the aspects of it… they are fixing the putt putt and adding bathrooms. If you have a legitimate complaint they fix it immediately and with good results. It is a great place to stay and I bought a permanent spot there now. I will stay here for a while.
Oh wow, I can’t believe all these complaints. I have been camping at the Yogi Bear in Goodfield 2 or 3 times a year for the past 5 years. My family and friends always have a wonderful time. In the 5 years I’ve camped in Goodfield each year they seem to add something new. (like the new park or the new jumping pillow.)
Yes, it is true that other yogi bear campgrounds have a lot more stuff to do, but it is at a much higher price.
My family camped over memorial day weekend this year too and it is a complete lie that the pool was closed the whole time! Yes it was closed when the weather turned bad, but as soon as it cleared up we were back to swimming.
While my family camps in a pop up, my friend’s family rents a cabin. While I have only been inside one for a short time, it seemed lovely. I havn’t ever herd them complain about their stay at all. In fact every time we check out the children always complain and want to stay longer.
As far as activities go… They are for the most part FREE and FUN. The band on memorial day weekend was wonderful, the staff handed out party favors and the whole family danced/ sang along. I can agree tho that sometimes it is hard to hear the announcements over the loud speaker, but I don’t know if the staff is aware of it. They always give us an activity list when we check in, it usually gets lost but we just go grab another from the office.
I LOVE THIS CAMPGROUND!! I can not suggest it enough. The above comments don’t make any sence to me because everyone I have talked to about the campground loves it. The staff has always been really nice, the bathrooms are always clean, and even when the weather is bad we have something to do.
I wish more happy campers would write reviews because all of these bad ones seem a bit far fetched.
We also experienced all of the same issues mentioned above… lack luster (if any) activities for the kids. What activities they had were not announced over a loud speaker or if they were we certainly didn’t hear it and we we outside the entire time. Play ground is old, outdated and did not hold the kids interest. The pool was closed for the entire Memorial Day Weekend. The campground decided that it was too cold to swim… shouldn’t we be able to determine what is too cold and what’s not? By the way, it was in the low 70’s.
We have stayed at a number of other Yogi Bear campgrounds in the past on Memorial Day weekend and the kids favorite part of the weekend is getting to wake Yogi up from hibernating. Unfortunately this was not done at this particular campground and the kids were very disappointed.
Do not rent the golf carts they have available. This was a nightmare from start to finish. They are in terrible condition, overpriced, and unsafe. We rented two golf carts. One of the carts couldn’t make it up the slight inclines in the campground. So much so that we had to push it a couple times. The other was worse. While driving with 1 adult and 3 kids, the battery actually exploded and shot off the back of the golf cart. Thankfully no one was hurt but it scared everyone. When we reported this to the campground owners they refunded us for the golf cart with the battery issue, and replaced the other with their personal cart. Over the course of the weekend, we were stopped a couple times with both carts and yelled at that we need to slow down and not go over 4 mph. When I asked how are we supposed to know how fast was too fast, I was told that I should just know. We have rented golf carts from a number of other campgrounds in the past, and all of them have had governors on them that prohibit the cart from exceeding a certain speed. To top it off, they (the owner) withheld our $100 deposit check and was refusing to give it back to us. In the end, we finally got it back but it was a huge hassle.
I have been camping my entire life and been to many campgrounds and this one would be at the very bottom of my list. The facility left a lot to be desired and the staff was either friendly and incompetent or just plain rude. No friendly smiles or help was to be found at Jellystone Park in Goodfield!
I also thought it was a bad yogi, others are great. The cabin was very uncomfortable, the TV didn’t work, nothing there but a small pool. The screen was broke n they wanted to charge us. Worst of all we rented paddle boats and they began to sink in the lake. Which scared me being out there with 4 kids. Wouldnt recomend it.
We experienced a lot of the same. Plus there was ants, bugs and wild cats living in/under our cabin. If something was wrong, they would not take care of it. They do not want to refund your deposit at this place. They seem to hold on to it hoping you will forget it. No one should have to wait that long.
Yes, the people are not fun. Yes, everything is old and outdated. The bathrooms are clean, but they are not great. The playgrounds are boring. The activities are lame. The reason you pay more for a Yogi park is for the added attractions they offer. This one missed the point with an outdated t.v. for watching outdated vhs tapes on outdated sofas on outdated area rugs. No outdoor theater with projection screen here. there were old dirty broken toys and arcade games that did not work. How much fun is that?
You can not have a level campsite and have full hook ups. It is not easy to pull in and set up here unless you go to the country meadows area where there is no sewer hook up. At least you can pull in and park and be level enough for 1 night without having to unhook, chock-block and lock. All the other sites are unlevel from front to back and side to side making it hard for anyone other then motorhomes to deal with.
1 or 2 visits to this park will have you finding a better park someplace else.