IL City Park Burrell City Park, Carmi, Il

During our travels last year we stayed at the campground at Burrell City Park in Carmi, IL (Carmi is located south of I-64 near the Wabash River). At that time, camping was $15 per night with full hookups and all the would you can burn at no extra charge. It was one of our favorites last year, as we passed through in the fall and appreciated the hot showers and the chance to have a rip roaring fire for free. There probably isn't a lot here of interest to most folks. It is the county seat for White County (I come here for family history research), and agriculture dominates the local economy. But it isn't too far off the freeway if you aren't in a huge hurry. It is fairly close to New Harmony, IN, which has an incredibly interesting history, especially a brief attempt at creating a Utopian society (that took place around the 1820s or so). There is an Indiana State Park just to the south of New Harmony, but in addition to paying for camping you need to pay a one time $9 park entrance fee (we avoid Indiana State Parks like the plague for this reason).

So we are back in Carmi. The rates have been raised, to $20 per night, but still all the wood you can burn. The campsites are mostly nestled under a canopy of mature hardwood trees, though a few are nearly completely exposed to the sun. This year there is no camp host, and the maintenance of the bath/shower house is not quite what it was last year. And while we loved the hot showers in the fall, there is no way to adjust the temperature, so they aren't much fun in the current heat and humidity.

There is a fishing pond near the park entrance, though it is unclear to me whether a fishing license is required to fish there (I'm not a fisherman). There is a newer playground for anyone traveling with kids, and it appears that most of the water hookups have recently been updated.