What a great experience my family had in this KOA. The workers there were very friendly, and laid back. If you have any problem, they take care without complain. My two sons enjoyed their cabin, river, playground, and pool. They say they want to go back again. They also made many friends there and all kids seems very nice and polite, too. I guess many good families visit this campgrounds. read more

Horrible place to stay. We had cabin #77 which is the deluxe at 208.00 a night and so sorry that we came here. The cabin was so dirty and small it was a joke. Air conditioner never worked. Pool was dirty and campground looked nothing like the pictures. Told office air was broken and cabin was disgusting. They sent someone down and she wiped off stovetop and maintenance turned air off and said it need defrosted. Blinds were covered with dirt and mold. Floors were filthy and sinks and floors don't look like they have ever been wiped off. Only clean thing in cabin was the small fridge. Don't waste your money to stay in this cabin. read more

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Great affordable Fun. This is a wonderful treat for Young and older folks. The quest to find the diamonds spurs excitement. When you find your first gleaming gem you will be hooked. Some items wise to bring on your own are gloves, garden trowel and chisel. It is a dirty a job banging rocks and sifting through the dirt. Be sure to wear durable closed toe shoes. There are rocks of all sizes to walk in, and they can be unstable.A few plastic bags for your dirty shoes and clothes would be good too. There are restrooms nearby but a some baby wipes also can help. We worked the mine for three hours and found about twenty small gems. They are beautiful showcased in a small plastic case with black surface. You can purchase the cases at the gift shop. Before Memorial Day the snack shop or adjacent Crystal Restaurant and KOA are closed. A few miles down the road we had lunch at RJ's. The place isn't anything special in decor but have cold softdrinks and quite good pizza. read more

Please note: we did not stay at the campground, merely visited the diamond mines for a day and stopped in the shop. Maybe I set my hopes too high when we heard there was a Diamond Mine in Herkimer. It's close enough to be a day trip for us, so we did just that. And we did find a few diamonds, so it definitely wasn't a wasted trip, but I was expecting a bit... more. Not diamonds per say, just more of an experience. Happy to have come, but probably not coming back. read more

This is one of the most amazing places i have ever stayed. The staff is very helpful and has done everything they can to accommodate. Even giving us a ride from the mines back to the site when our wagon gave way. The grounds are just beautiful and there is defiantly something for everyone here. Cant wait to come back. read more

Didn't have much luck here today but I did have a great time. Cliff was so surprised I flew all the way from San Francisco to come to dig by myself! He made it memorable for me. Thank you! I hope to see you all next year. read more

My girlfriend (Milissa), our puppy (Mason) and I stayed here over the Labor Day Weekend. What a great kampground (everything is with a "K" as it's KOA). We had tent site #95 right on the creek. It happened to rain every night (12am-6am) but didn't hinder our vacation. They have a wonderful K9 Kamp that is fenced in and has a complete agility course. The restrooms were clean, just a little walk from our site. Not a big deal except for when you gotta go at night (problem for her, but Mason and I just used a tree). The fresh water spout was two sites down, so getting water was easy. The staff was very friendly and helpful. You don't have to pack much food as there is a Hannaford Market and Super Walmart just up the road. They do sell kiln dried firewood, which was convenient, just a little pricy for the amount you get. We will definitely go back and recommend the campground to everyone! The Herkimer Diamond mine was fun too. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. It was Mason and I's first time and Milissa's third. Figured we'd try mine three as it's the newest and possibly the least picked over. If you go, I definitely recommend bringing a wagon to carry tools as it was quite a hike from the car. We didn't strike it rich, but did find some good gems. I probably won't go back to that mine as the Ace of Diamonds offers a better chance of finding gems. Thanks again to all of the KOA staff! read more

Just reloaded the Yelp app to write this. Still dumbfounded by the whole experience. We just recently stopped by on a whim this beautiful Sunday morning, my elderly mother who is a local farmer had never actually been there so we decided to go while I was visiting from out of town, initially intending to look around the shop and have a bite to eat. Before we did however, we saw the short path which led to the quarry from the parking lot and decided to take a stroll. Both of us specifically checked around for any sort of signs indicating that you might have to pay admission, but the only sign was in regard to the price of renting mining equipment (bucket, hammer, etc.), something my mother would probably not be able to do. So we walked past the archway down the path, past the cafe and the benches to where people were mining, enjoying the day. After about 10 minutes, a blonde woman on a golf cart starts yelling at us from about 100 feet away to let her see our 'wristbands'. At first we did not realize she was talking to us. Instead of coming over to my mother and I, she screamed again from her seat. Not knowing what she meant my mother responded kindly as she is, that she did not know she needed one, that we were just taking a walk and not 'mining'. The woman, already making a scene by now, continued to yell towards my mother from a distance. We were both in shock that this was happening. It was really strange, like something out of a movie. We started to walk out, my mother being devistated and embarrassed now by the whole ordeal and the woman in the golf cart ACTUALLY PACED US in her cart just a few feet behind, saying sternly that she would be following to make sure that we left! Now again, my mother is holding my arm at this point, and does not move very fast, and here there is a vehicle on our heels chasing her out as though we were criminals. Mind you that while we are doing this, there were kids, paying customers I assume, throwing rocks in the quarry and other things that perhaps the golf-cart lady should be policing, but no. The elderly lady who wanted to take a walk in her own town on a sunny day was apparently a higher priority. Now I understand that perhaps there could be some policy with insurance or some-such. I could even understand paying a small fee to go on a privately owned path such as with an amusement park or zoo, but all of those have admission fees clearly posted and I have photo after photo at every checkpoint-like signpost where the only mention of anything like that is the fee to rent a bucket and tools. If anything the café on the other side of the archway is almost encouraging for people to walk there. And even if it's supposed to be assumed that you would walk to the other side of the parking lot, go into their gift shop, know that you have to check in and pay to walk on the path that is back down the parking lot, that is not how you treat people. At the absolute least, this woman could have taken a moment to explain the situation to us, whatever it was, and we would have gladly payed. Instead, this employee decided to cause a scene and harass my mother. I've experienced nothing but kindness in this community save for this business. With other options for the same thing in the area, perhaps seek out one of those first. read more

The Campground was well kept up, the staff was friendly and the store and laundry facilities were clean and organized. I can't ask for much more from a Campground. read more

Drove 3 hours to visit here with the kids today and had a great time in the mine. The facilities were clean and staff super friendly! Prices were reasonable. We were able to find some tiny diamonds in the mine but couldn't last too long in the blazing sun with two small kids. Afterward we tried the sluicing station which the kids loved. We will definitely be back in the Fall, where the cooler temps will make it a bit easier to spend more time in the mine. read more

Not a whole lot to do here. The lots were nice and quite spacious. It was quite clean. There were not many activities in or around the campground. The staff was friendly. There appeared to be no one around to manage the place after dark. Our neighbors were up until all times of the night however no one was there to assist us in reminding them the quiet hours. read more

I took my son's scout pack here to strike it rich at the mine and we did but at the campground instead. This KOA is awesome. Even if we had nothing planned for or boys to do they had a whole itinerary planned most of which was free or low cost. The tent sites were clean, staff was very friendly and value was phenomenal. We would definitely come her again even if we did not go too the mines. read more

just came for gem collecting and wasn't disappointed. You really need a few tools to have a good chance at finding big crystals and pockets but for the kids you can just lok around the ground where others have worked and still find some good small crystals. Its actually easy to spot them on a sunny day after a rain. read more

Me and my boyfriend and his son had an awesome time !!! We found amazing diamonds !!!! I got two big ones enough to make two really large rings . His son got enough to fill up a container for a necklace . Alex the manager was fantastic . He was awesome to talk to and so welcoming . Can't wait to come back for another visit . Will be bringing my sister and her boyfriend as well . read more

I'm going to start by saying that because of our hectic schedule during our stay we did not visit the Herkimer Diamond Mine or take advantage of many of this KOA's amenities or activities other than the pool, so those are not factored in to my review. We stayed at this KOA for Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Weekend because the places closer to Cooperstown (including the Cooperstown KOA) were all booked by the time we got around to booking. We stayed in a basic 1-room cabin, which we have stayed in at many KOAs around the U.S. This was the only one to ever provide us bed linens, towels, shampoo, a refrigerator, and a TV in the cabin, which was a pleasant surprise. My main complaint is the amount of noise made by other guests on Friday and Saturday nights. Every deluxe cabin and RV site near us was occupied, and a number of them were blasting music or being loud and drunk at night. It was a lot calmer and more pleasant on Sunday and Monday nights, when all we could hear after dark was the creek. My other complaint is that the bathroom/shower building nearest to our cabin was inadequate in size, and far from the tent sites and basic cabins it is supposed to serve. I suspect that some RVs and deluxe cabins had several unregistered guests using the common facilities instead of the ones in their RV/cabin, which added to the problem. The staff was okay, but on our last day they closed the closest restrooms to our cabin for cleaning an hour before the posted cleaning times, which was inconvenient, and my wife had an awkward encounter with one employee in the store who didn't seem to know much. TLDR: If you like glamping or camping in a party atmosphere, then this is the place for you. But if you prefer camping with some peace and quiet, don't come here on the weekend during peak season. read more

Came on a rainy Saturday afternoon, not very crowded when we got there. A few more folks showed up after the rain stopped. I think the rain kind of made it harder to find Diamonds- all the rocks looked like the same muddy color. We did manage to find a few gems each. Happy that we brought gloves and decent boots. Fairly priced, would like to come back and search again! read more

I stayed here during Boilermaker weekend and could not have asked for a better camping experience. Had a beautiful spot right on the river, everything was clean and overall it was very quiet and peaceful. I also loved the organic garden and thought it was a very nifty idea. I did not "mine" but would go back to just camp and tube down the river again! read more

My fiance and I were super excited to stay here for the first time and mine diamonds. We normally rent a house on homeaway for our yearly upstate trip, but really wanted to do the mining, and the campground was convenient for that, as well as being told we'd be offered a discount for mining if we were staying there. The first day there, we couldnt figure out how to start the stove- called the front desk- apparently you need to use a lighter to start it. The wifi was absolutely HORRIBLE- we had to go outside to use our phones- and they want you to pay for "high speed" wifi. We had a deluxe cabin, and was paying $183/night so I think its absurd to have to pay MORE to get wifi. The cabin was decent- it was clean but very small with limited supplies. We were not supplied with extra paper towels (one roll left for us), toilet paper, garbage bags or towels (I had to reuse towels because the description said "linens provided" so I didnt bring any, assuming theyd be enough to last us). Its a LOT of money to spend to not have enough supplies (we paid $549 for 3 nights). The grill for the bbq was absolutely disgusting. Now for the mines- a complete tourist trap. We only got a $1 off per ticket (yeah, great discount), and found nothing. We were there all day. Very expensive, everything is nickel and dimed. We ended up spending money on sluice bags just to go home with something. We heard about ace of diamonds down the road, and went there the next day- prices were MUCH cheaper, and we found more "diamonds" there in the first 10 mins than we found the entire day at herkimer mines. We wont be back, we had a great time because my fiance and I always manage to, but wouldnt do a 5 hour trip and spend that much money for a tiny, eh cabin. The best part was the view of the beautiful river read more

The diamond mines was fun. Some work and after 4hours our forearms and hands were tired from smashing rocks. The excitement of finding a teeny tiny quartz was catchy! The museum is archaic and extremely dusty as the shop and all items in it. We stayed at the KOA Robotic Cabin - what a massive letdown! Nothing made this a special cabin, (just especially disappointing). It went from AWE!!! to awe. in less than 3minutes. The Rube-Goldberg Machine had no power running to it. There was no robot. The little motorized tray crashed down within two minutes of using it narrowly missing my son's head and toes! The in-wall display didn't work, and the motion sensor lights didn't work either. And the motorized swing was a joke! It is so loud it is anything but relaxing combined with my bottom touching the motorized arm made it so uncomfortable we didn't use it. The pullout sleeper sofa had a leak, the bathroom had only one lightbulb, the kitchen sink faucet couldn't move from the right side to the left making washing dishes a big challenge especially when the hot water disappeared for a few minutes. Bonus was the piece of wood near the top of the stairs to the loft fell down and hit my 7yo in the head as he was walking down the stairs. After further inspection of this piece of wood, it had nails or paperclip-like sharp metal pieces sticking out of it! Unbelievable. Oh and the TV, which we don't have at home, making this vacation an even more special treat for our kids, the TV was so snowy we could barely make out a show. I cannot say how extremely disappointing this KOA stay was for us. We've stayed at our share of KOAs and have never been so disappointed. If you are in this business you should inspect every aspect of every bit of your offerings before accepting money for people to use said offerings. Won't stay here ever again. (I should add that the staff did try to 'help'. They came right away trying to fix the tray, but took it away since they deemed it broken. They brought the robot for us to look at but couldn't leave it with us since it was broken. They did offer use of a r/c helicopter, smore's kit and firewood (in the rain). They didn't have a replacement lightbulb the correct size for the bathroom, revealed that the in-wall displays never worked). A regular cabin would have saved us much disappointment and the additional cost. read more

We stayed at the KOA at the Deluxe Cabin. It was 30 by 10, but was basically a micro-home rather than a cabin. The cabin was gorgeous and clean. It had a microwave, toaster, coffee maker, and fridge; glasses, plates and silverware were provided. Also provided were: shampoos, soaps, linens, extra pillows and a light blanket, coffee (decaf and regular,) cocoa packets, and coffee filters. We had good wifi signal, cable, and the AC and heat both worked. There was a pool that was not opened yet (moot point because it was raining.) There was a nice playground for the kids. The ground was level. Outside the cabin (which was number 63,) we had a propane grill, a table with chairs and an umbrella, a swing for two, a fire pit and two reclining chairs, and a lovely view of the creek. I had a great time. We joined KOA and will be camping with them again soon. I found the Herkimer diamond mine to be nice; the staff was very helpful and friendly. They evaluated our stones for free (about $100). While they didn't have chisels available yet, we were able to get hammers, goggles, and bags for our finds. We only spent about an hour and a half there, and most of our stones were found as we were taking breaks and walking around. The cafe has a small selection of kid-type fare (onion rings, hamburgers, chicken strips,) but the food was well priced and fast. We would certainly visit again. ETA: I'm sorry, but I don't appear to have the option of adding photos. :-( read more

This campground was amazing! Very clean, nice playground, good showers, beautiful creek next to our camp site. No one was camped near us so that was a plus. Staff was incredibly nice. If I ever visit the area again, I'll most definitely camp at this KOA:) read more

Our family looked forward to staying here as we prepared for a funeral. We thought it would give us family time and the ability to be together...what we found at the KOA was the worst customer service EVER and we observed people who did not know how to handle situations, issues and a staff that could not COMMUNICATE without being JERKS. Tori was the worst, but we were treated poorly and we especially thought so since our family spent over 1200.00 to stay in this campground for 7 nights. Never again. read more

Camped here Memorial Day weekend, bathrooms dirty all the time. NO WATER presure on Saturday morning for showers, I mean NO WATER PRESURE, they were filling the pool !!!!!!! which should of been done BEFORE the holiday rush. I have contacted KOA headquarters which they are really no help either and the campground has not responded to me either. At $50.00 / night for the holiday weekend it was ALOT of money, and this campground was KOA campground of the year for 2010 !!!!! who got paid for that one ????? I do NOT recommend this campground. Your also on top of each other too when camping. read more

Great place, very clean, staff was great, reasonable prices, stayed in the cabins little noisy from the road behind you, not much privacy, but for a one night stay it was great! Definitely would go back! read more

So we called literally last hour and got a cabin. Staff on the phone was helpful in getting us there in a rain storm. Every koa is open for late arrivals which is nice because you can travel some distance before you have to stop. We stayed in a cabin and they gave us a set of sheets and pillows. The sites were cleaned and organized. They even had a wedding there which was interesting. cabin was clean a d a reasonable cost. Prefer koa over most motels. This place would be awesome to kayak from if you had a chance truck. The diamond mine is an open pit you can dig in but we didn't go. It looked impressive. All around great experience. If you are into covered bridges, there is one in Salisbury New York and it is decently marked so once in town you'll find it. read more

After visiting the Ace of Diamonds mine and being exhausted from the work, we opted to give this mine a shot. Once we got there it began to rain, though, so we entertained ourselves in the nice gift shop . Not being in the mood to get off and get soaked again, we decided to let the boys do a couple of the gem and fossil bags that they offer. This proved to be a delight! After hours of beating rocks (and ourselves) at the Ace of Diamonds, the boys actually had some finds. The most fun, though, was searching the ground around the flume where people dumped their"waste". We actually found several emeralds, rubies, sapphires and fossils due to the fact that people didn't really know what they were searching for. My husband had to "drag" me away. My vote is skip the mines and get the bags!! read more

We got a back in deluxe site on the creek. Very relaxing and peaceful. The restaurant across the street has the best veal ever. It rained practically the whole week we were here in September 2012 but we still enjoyed the campground. Didn't do any mining due to the rainy weather but the shop is nice. We camped in a 34' fifth wheel. read more

they jumped the shark. sites are now crazy tight creek side. worst Wifi ever. it's so bad I've seen places with no Wi-Fi have better wifi..lol its a tad dirty. freezing pool, bathrooms in disarray and dated. I know several spots creek side will struggle to grow grass.. but it's horrible...they need to tell you that your site is a dirt site. creek is fun, for sure. the kids love going up and down and we have come back for that. feel safe letting kids go and explore the campground. activities are welcomed but they are basically pay for them activities. bring back the t shirts tye dye. more crafts please...free crafts. ice cream social is nice.. $1 a scoop and a self help topping bar.. . they only scratch the surface on the potential of that pole barn. it's huge, and nice. they really need to promote activities more... the new playground is ok, no jump pad like many KIA. gravel roads. tip.. mine at creeks edge, not the mine itself where you pay..more fun, and our kids have gotten the best rewards there too. we won't return to a "dirt" site. too bad the best sites are tent sites at the east end of the canpground.. lose those, invest in power, and charge more. they squeezed in more sites in the "dirt" section, when they should have expanded power, and sewer perhaps on the east side. the tent sites still have an area, keep cleaning that up and planting trees... forgot.. majority of employees have been trained well and are nice..never had a bad experience with any. oh yeah.. the "public" gardens are nice.. jalapenos were excellent!. I am sorry no time to check spelling, typos...etc... read more