Just off Exit 49 of Interstate 75, Athens I-75 Campground lies along the banks of Mouse Creek, 3.6 miles west-northwest of downtown Athens. Within walking distance of the year-round campground is Athens Regional Park, a 160-acre municipal park that has multipurpose trails, softball and soccer fields, a picnic area and the Southeast Tennessee Trade & Conference Center. Open to both RVs and tents, the campground has 42 campsites, most with full hookups. Facilities and services include a seasonal outdoor swimming pool, playground, horseshoe pits, Wi-Fi, restrooms and showers.
Just over 4 miles north of downtown Athens, Over-Niter RV Park is open year round and caters primarily to RVs. A few tent sites are available, however. Nearby attractions include the Lost Sea Adventure at Craighead Caverns and McMinn County Living Heritage Museum. All of the campground’s 16 sites have full hookups and picnic tables. Other facilities include a centrally located bathhouse with restrooms and showers, a coin laundry, exercise equipment, a game room and Wi-Fi.
Recreational activities abound at Sweetwater/I-75/Exit 62 KOA, roughly 17 miles north-northeast of Athens. On-site recreational facilities include a seasonal outdoor swimming pool, recreation field, sports courts, a catch-and-release fishing pond, playground with a climbing wall and tire swing, pedal carts, walking trails and horseshoe pits. Open year round, the campground has roughly 60 campsites: RV sites have full hookups, and tent sites have water and electricity. Also available are both rustic and luxury rental cabins. Other amenities include restrooms, showers, cable TV, Wi-Fi, a camp kitchen, picnic area, game room and propane service.
The steep wooded slopes of Cherokee National Forest provide a scenic backdrop to Black Bear Cove Resort, which lies along the banks of the Hiwassee River near the town of Benton. Both the Hiwassee and nearby Ocoee River are popular with white-water rafting enthusiasts. Not just a campground, the resort also offers guest rooms in its main lodge. The resort’s RV park has 41 sites, all with full hookups, including cable TV. Each site has its own picnic table and fire ring. Among its other facilities are bathhouses with restrooms and showers, a beach volleyball court, horseshoe pits, a seasonal outdoor swimming pool, playground, coin laundry and a pavilion that can be reserved for meetings or parties.
Quinn Springs Campground is just off U.S. Highway 30 in Cherokee National Forest, nearly 19 miles south-southeast of Athens. Only steps from the banks of the Hiwassee River, the campground has two camping loops: Loop A open from early April to late October and Loop B, which is open year round with limited facilities. Together, the two camping loops have roughly two dozen campsites. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, but no utilities. Accessible to campers are vault and flush toilets, showers and drinking water. Hardy hikers can hike the 3.8-mile Oswald Dome Trail, which begins at the campground and climbs to the fire tower atop Oswald Dome. If you prefer to fish, Fisherman’s Trail leads from the campground to secluded fishing spots along the banks of the Hiwassee.
