Nice and quiet. Was a woman traveling alone and felt safe. Read some mixed reviews and was…read morewondering how it would be. I forgot to take pictures because I just FaceTimed my hubby. I left a pair of earrings and they were nice enough to call me about it.

I showed up around 8pm to stay one night while traveling for work. I would be gone by 9am the next…read moremorning. As I was filling out the night registration the site manager or whatever he is came rolling up and his first words were "what are you doing". I replied that I was filling out registration. He then proceeded to tell me I can't stay there. That it's not an RV. I use a truck with an Harker overlander rooftop. I told him it had a bed in it because I know some states you cannot sleep in a truck. He was a total A**H*** the whole time. I left. Went down the street and instead of paying the $69 dollars at his place. I went 10 miles away and was treated great at Indian Mounds Campground. DO NOT GIVE THIS GUY YOUR MONEY. If he would have approached nicely and been respectful, I would be writing this.

Beautifully maintained lake and recreation areas. Picnic tables, camping with electric hook up,…read morebeach for swimming, boat ramp, covered shelters, restrooms, disc golf, and hiking trails. Day use fee area and campers only after 9 pm. Variety of flora and fauna. There is poison ivy and MS does have 9 venomous snakes, I would guess there are cottonmouth a here. Heard lots of birds in the canopy. Terrain is hilly and thickly forested...after all....it is Tombigbee National Forest!

Review of Indian Mounds Campground--by a former longterm resident. Lived here from 2017-2024…read more I came to the Indian Mounds Campground in 2017 after acceptance into a graduate program at Mississippi State. At that time, the campground was run by a different landlord than currently resides and administers the site. Then, a year later, the current landlords, Shelia and her husband, moved into the campground and took over. The change was immediate, and I think it is worth mentioning these past events as a witness to how well they do their job. Firstly, they went to work fixing the dilapidated aesthetic of the park. Gone were the piles of leaves accumulating at each campsite. Repaired were the doors and plumbing and interiors of the onsite bathrooms and showers. Replaced were the shower fixtures, toilets, and sinks. In addition each bathroom and shower was given a space heater for the winter. They dug ditches for drainage along the backside of the campground, and they cleaned up the tent camping site. New gravel was brought in, and they often scraped and re-leveled the roadway. The mail system was rationalized and ordered sensibly. Perhaps most importantly and impressively, they completely revitalized the pond--which was an eyesore when I initially arrived. They got rid of the slime and the algae, built a little dock, and added a gazebo. They have kept the pond clean with a nice little fountain feature and a family of ducks. As an aside, the ducks are hilarious--they waddle around like kings and queens and generally have a grand time. All of these things vastly improved the quality of life at this campsite, and the improvements stand as proof of their care. But they are not all. Indeed, they are constantly present during the year, helping residents deal with freeze warnings and immediately communicating about issues that arise--such as tornado warnings, freeze warnings, losses of power, and losses of internet. Oh, did I mention that they provide you internet, water and power as inclusive in their monthly bill? And that the prices are just unbeatable? At least in my opinion. If you have a camper, and you are contemplating having to move to live and work near Starkville/Mississippi State, then this is the place to go. They do a good job making sure the park is peopled with stolid and reliable residents--mostly students. Things are quiet and safe--even during football weeks when the tailgaters come in. It was just a great place to live. I really can't recommend it enough. Some downsides. The internet is not super fast. Its enough to load webpages and use Youtube, but streaming can be choppy at times. 4G cell service, however, is quite good. I was able to combine their internet with a 4G hotspot on my own service, and I found this perfectly acceptable. Also, the entrance can at times develop a bump--there is a crack in the cement roadway that they have to occasionally refill with gravel. The ducks sometimes sleep in the road, and one will have to get out of the car to shoo them away. They are also very serious about the 5-mph speed limit. (I personally find this a bonus, because it keeps cars from kicking up gravel, but they are serious about it) In summation, Shelia and her husband have created homey environment to park your rig. They keep things in good order always. They are always on site, and communication about issues is prompt. Living at Indian Mounds Campground provides peace of mind in my opinion. I had school and work to worry about--it was a great blessing to never have to worry about my home.

I called & they fit us in last minute in a nice pull through site at the front of the park for the…read morenight. The price was great! The park was decorated really cute for Fall. The bathrooms & showers were really clean & also decorated cute. They had some beautiful ducks in a small pond with a fountain. The park is close to Mississippi State University, gas, & shopping.

Great campground. Well maintained and close to amenities. Sites are large and level. Nice beach…read morearea, playground and lakeside sites. We stayed in January so it was very quiet as in we were one camp of three in the entire park. Not a lot of easily identifiable hiking trails. I was told they exist but never did find them. Host campers and volunteer staff were great people. Only complaint was the cold temperatures..... but that one is even beyond the Federal government ability to control. Will stay again.

The flora, fauna, and typography of this canyon are not very different from any other hiking area I…read morehave hiked in Alabama. It's very similar to Bankhead National Forest. The size of the sheer bluffs (and many of the rocks) at Dismals is fairly unique, though. We visited this past weekend and I thought the whole experience was okay. It's not a National Park, or a National Forest, Dismals is a "National Natural Landmark" that is privately owned. The cost in my humble opinion to hike (without a guide) the Dismals *and* take the night tour with a guide is expensive! It was approximately $28.00 per adult. The trail is around 1.5 miles - at least the trail we explored in the daytime before taking the night tour. The creek running through the base was deep enough that there needed to be ways to cross it that were navigable, preferably with handrails. In photos, I've seen concrete blocks, which would have been okay (note, not handrails) but there were no concrete block crossing at areas we needed/wanted to get across the water. There were random pieces of wood, even fallen trees and my husband, who is both a "daredevil" and in great shape, managed to traverse the waters to see the other side, but he did land in the water (on his feet) and absolutely soaked his shoes and socks. The three of us opted to backtrack and not deal with the water. To me, this is very poor planning on the part of the Dismals owners. The trail map we got from the "General Store" had landmarks which were just "cute" names for the features, like "The Pulpit" and "Witches Den" - to me, they were fairly unremarkable "landmarks." Fast forward to the night tour which was scheduled for 9:00 PM. We were told to arrive at 8:30 and if everyone was early, we could start early. I did not note the time we started, however, it was about a 45 minute hike. Parts of this hike were in total, 100 percent darkness to ensure we had the utmost opportunity to view the "Dismalites." That's fine, except, I'm not a fan of walking in uneven/unfamiliar terrain in the pitch dark, with my husband dragging me forward in a group of 13 people counting the guide. This was unnerving and I moved at a snail's pace, and held up those who were stuck behind me. Also, I was hanging onto the rail with one hand and couldn't physically rubberneck around to try to catch a view of a glowworm. I think I saw a total of twelve glow worms. After exiting the night tour trails, we saw firefly larvae that glowed in the shallow water at the entrance to the trail. To me, this was the highlight of the glowing visuals. Another con is the numerous wooden staircases at the Dismals trail's entrance/exit. There is absolutely no way these are constructed to code! These stairs are so narrow in depth that my size 8 ladies shoes, (which is an average women's shoe size) hung off the edge about 2 inches, forcing me to "duck walk" down the stairs. Even if they are built to code, the stair treads are completely worn off, providing absolutely no traction whatsoever. The guide told us due to the "drought" the Dismalite glowworms were not out in abundance. If you keep your expectations low, and really enjoy a sandstone gorge/canyon, and are not risk averse, you will have a nice time here. Our tour guide did a good job providing information that was geared towards the audience which included age ranges from children to senior citizens. I can't comment on the "General Store" food options because we didn't eat anything there, or the campsites (note, the on-site cabins are closed and unavailable). The sole restroom which is a little walk from the General Store and is clean with a barely working hand dryer and no paper towels. The parking lot is ridiculously small with each space being beyond small. The owners of the Dismals need to invest in their property to make it worthwhile, easy to traverse, and safe for their visitors.

Parents Beware Before Approving School Field Trips Here…read more I want to share my recent experience as a concerned parent. Our children's school scheduled a field trip to Dismals Canyon and collected payment for the students. Parents were originally told that we could attend for a $20 fee -- but at the very last minute, the site informed the school that parents would no longer be allowed to go. When I contacted the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce (who were kind and helpful), they reached out to Dismals Canyon for clarification. The canyon's staff claimed the decision was due to parking limitations, parents distracting the kids from learning, and tight spaces. However, this change was communicated only after money had already been collected and plans were finalized. Parents deserve transparency, especially when it involves children's safety at a location with cliffs, caves, and water features. I strongly urge other parents and schools to ask clear written confirmation of parent policies before sending children on field trips here. Families should not be excluded or misled after payments and plans have been made.

We've been longtime campers here, and this was our first visit back since the renovations. All we…read morecan say is wow -- what a transformation! The park has gone from feeling like a 1950s campground to a true 21st-century RV destination, complete with all the conveniences you'd expect from a modern RV resort. The improvements are impressive: completely repaved roads, paved and mostly level sites, full hookups with 20/30/50 amp service, water, and sewer at every site. There are also plenty of spacious pull-thru sites that can easily accommodate large RVs and fifth wheels. The upgrades don't stop there. The park now features. WiFi, beautiful new restroom, and bathhouse facilities, along with new picnic tables and pavilions for day use. If you visited in the past and weren't impressed, it's definitely time to come back -- you'll be absolutely blown away by what they've done.

This state park is beautiful. Has a hiking path. A fishing spot. A picnic area. And 2 sand beach…read moreareas. The scenery is gorgeous. Nice and relaxing.

+ Very impressive earthworks. + Expansive archaeological…read moresite. + Well maintained. + Nice gift shop with cafe and outdoor patio. + Informative museum displays. + Highlight was opportunity to speak with Dr Cameron Lacquement and the dig team. They were welcoming, friendly, and took the time to describe the progress and findings of the dig. Such a memorable experience talking with them. Thank you!

I visited here several times as a child and hadn't been back in decades. Well at least some things…read moredon't change over the centuries and this place still is exactly the same as it was way back when I first visited it. This is great spot to see some of the pre-Columbian history in mound high glory. You can actually climb on a mound and then inside the museum you can learn a great deal more of the history and what was found inside some of the mounds... hint dead things and treasure. This site also clearly provides evidence of the pre-Columbian trade network that existed between Central America, South America and North America. Tip: Quick and easy tour that is well worth a diversion for the experience to learn and actually see some history that lots of folks today just don't seem to know about. Disclaimer: I might have an advanced degree in Anthropology and even though I have actually met Giorgio A. Tsoukalos of Ancient Aliens fame I can make a pretty strong argument that here in Moundville there definitely were NOT any aliens involved in the construction unless they were highly intoxicated aliens with only stone age tech.

Best campground we have stayed at!! Would recommend to anyone coming through Columbus! We loved the…read morefact that we could bring our fur baby and he had plenty of room to run also! Owner is very friendly & very easy to communicate with! The river views and peaceful environment had us feeling like we were at home!

On July 2, 2025, the campground owner was cutting down trees and one landed on our 5th wheel…read morecausing extensive damage to the front cap, roof, and two slides. He claimed he didn't have insurance, but that it would be fixed and he'd take care of it. We filed with our insurance company and damages are estimated at $32,000+. It is the end of January 2026 and our rig is still in the shop with no completion date given. When I contact Dennis Gartman, the owner about reimbursing us for our incidental expenses, he becomes hostile, argumentative, and hanges up on me. We've had to get the State Attorney General's office involved. Mr. Gartman ignored their letters and states he will see us in court. I would have never stayed in a campground if I'd known the owner didn't have insurance, was knocking down trees, and was such a dishonest man. With all we've already been through, this could have happened to you!

Okatibbee Lake is a large, beautiful recreational lake with many different parks all around the…read morelake. Its an recreational hot-spot with a range of different activities such as camping, hiking, boating, water skiing, BBQ-ing, fishing, hunting and has its own marina at one of its campgrounds and a few cabins are available as well. The day-use parks have picnic tables and basic facilities and some of them also have sandy beaches for swimming access. This is where I would go when wanting to grill in the backwoods and do some out door activities and relax with a few brews at hand. The lake is a great place to relax and reflect and simply enjoy the country. Enjoy!

Okatibbee is definitely a Titus fav in Meridian. Equipped with campgrounds, marked running trails,…read moregreat fishing, boating, waterpark, and cabins. Great playground area for kids and daily picnic areas as well as pavilions. Perfect for hanging out around the fire with friends and/or family, drinking a few brews and grillin' up the day's catch!