Reviews

Donna Speigle

My bf and I camped there for the first time in 2023 and loved it. We were going to make this a new vacation destination but never mind we won't be going back due to their 82% price increase. We paid $347.00 last year back in site with full hookups and this year the price is $994 for 8 nights. This is crazy! We go to Wisconsin dells to another awesome campground and pay $447 for 8 nights. Santa Claus Indiana is in the middle of NOWHERE! These prices are way too expensive for the average person to afford. Sad to say Corporate GREED is flying high! Sun Outdoor should be ashamed of themselves for these HUGE and UNJUSTIFIED price hikes. We absolutely won't be back I am a small business owner and I will definitely let my customers know about this HUGE price increase! 1k a week to camp is just insane!

Joshua Burris

This review is strictly a simple observation of what I see as a strong example of American Greed!!! I'm in no way trying to discourage anyone from doing business with this particular company, I'm only bringing information to light that I believe is factual and will hopefully help someone make an informed financial decision. With that said, I've camped here with family several times over the years. Unfortunately, we will no longer be coming back to Lake Rudolph in the future. I just checked out their website for current pricing and availability and I was completely floored with how much prices have increased ($350+ a night to rent a Christmas Cabin). Who is paying these prices? I guess with new ownership, new pricing was brought with them. This campground has been a place for families to come together(for decades) to decompress and make memories without having to make important financial decisions to do so. In my opinion, the current pricing is disgustingly inexcusable. It's blatantly obvious that they're now targeting a different wealth demographic (I guess ignorance is bliss when you have more money than common sense). In my opinion, these types of business practices will only stop if people come together and refuse to patronize any company conducting business in this manner. This campground is in Southern Indiana for goodness sake, it's not a resort in Orlando or Miami. I know that I'm ranting and they will probably just retort with a generic apology and continue business as usual. With current inflationary pressure that most middle class families(at least what used to be considered middle class) are enduring, the last thing we need is more companies trying to take advantage of the situation. Again, this was strictly my personal opinion and I hope that someone finds it to be helpful!

Ashley Lurker

The people who work there are extremely kind and keep the park/resort clean. The cabins need a little TLC and new beds in the bunk room. We go every year and stay in the same cabin each year… same bed. I recommend bringing an extremely thick mattress cover because if you don’t, you’ll be leaving with horrible back pain.

Stephanie Gustin

We rented the “legendary” cabin for the 6 of us. The pictures were very different than what it was. It is very very compact. Not even room to do family games. You can’t open the bedroom door all the way cause the bed is in the way. The bathroom has no exhaust fan. The mattress and pillows were stained. The couch was very broken in and also stained. Don’t even bother with pull out couch as the “mattress” is stuck folded in half and had a ton of dead bugs. The ceiling in the loft area was peeling and appeared to have water damage. The “pads” cause they were not mattresses were falling apart. The cabin was clearly not cleaned well before us as we found a person undergarment on the living room floor which was impossible to miss. We were given a map and list of activities on our arrival for the park and after we are told everything the person said well none of this matters to you cause it’s not open or happening today or tomorrow. While the location was great next to holiday world, it’s not easy to get too. There is nowhere to park but in this “cul-de-sac” like area where everyone having a cabin in that area also has to park, making it almost impossible to have somewhere to park. For the price we paid I expected it to be much nicer (similar to the description and photos). I am never one to complain but I’ve never been so let down with a trip ever. We found that everything at the camp ground is closed on Mondays. Which we had no clue of. We chose to leave first thing in the morning. I’d rather find something else to do then sit on top of one another in this cabin. We will not be returning. They need to do major updates. I hate leaving these reviews but people need to be ready for what they will be really staying in vs what they show you for the price they charge. Huge huge let down. Buyer be aware!

Ashton Miller

This has been my family's favorite place to camp since 2015. UNTIL new management took over and skyrocketed the prices. It went from being $50 a night to $160+ a night for a week. For the first time since 2015 we won't be spending a week camping here in 2024. For prices at $160+ a night you'd except to be somewhere like Disney World. People camp because it's something relatively affordable and low key for the entire family to enjoy, relax, and spend time together, but at prices this steep, we will be looking elsewhere to spend a week in the summer and a week celebrating Halloween as a family.

Heather Parsons-Phillips

Overall, it was okay. They had some neat activities for kids for Halloween. The staff were friendly upon check-in and the porch was nice. But, that’s about where the greatness ends. The cabin was way overpriced and there were things that were broken or didn’t work. Some things to note, for light sleepers, don’t flush at night, it’s so loud. The fire alarm is right next to the oven/range, so anything sets it off.

Ashton Magnus

Christmas cabin was expensive to stay in. Was hoping for it to be clean. The toilet was not cleaned. The floors were black. Found mice droppings and dead bugs inside cabin. The dishes under the sink all had mouse poop droppings on them as well. All of the dishes had to be washed prior to use. When I looked under the couch it was full of dust and trash. There were cobwebs on light fixtures and under furniture, burned out light bulbs, broken pieces of trim on the shelving that kept coming loose and the kitchen trash can was caked with filth. I regret not bringing this to management attention while we were there. I had to buy my own cleaning supplies to clean my cabin the day we checked in. Not worth the money if you have to clean everything and buy cleaning supplies. Maintenance did bring me a light bulb after I fell outside down the stairs because it was so dark. Really hoping to come back next year but not so sure after this experience.

Shawn Robertson

Stayed at the cabins at Lake Rudolph. They were tidy and modern. Not huge but you aren't really there for the cabins, you're there for the park. They were clean, and worked perfectly for a little private room in the woods. It also has shuttles going through and golf carts you can pick up and rent. Absolutely worth saving on driving and time to get to the holiday world park

Kristi Leuthauser

Beautiful property, filthy cabin. Sun Outdoors needs to do better for future campers! We stayed in Christmas Cabin 379D for 5 days and 4 nights. This was a great location within the park. We had a ton of yard space for the kids to play, plenty of room around the campfire, and the deck was spacious enough for our crew to share meals with the other families in our travel group that were staying in nearby cabins. The layout of the cabin worked well for our family and thankfully even in the hot July heat, the cabin temperature remained cool. We had plenty of hot water for showers each evening. We rented a golf cart, and this is a must have! It made trips to the pool, campground store, mini golf, etc. much easier. However, there are a few things that I wish that I had known and a few things that were completely disappointing. First, there were only two dishwasher pods provided, one roll of paper towels, two rolls of toilet paper and no trash bags provided. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a little bit more of each of these types of amenities based on the length of your stay in a family sized cabin. Otherwise, Sun Outdoors should simply be specific on their website as to what is included and what isn't. They clearly stated for us to bring towels, top sheets and blankets. So we did. It could be very helpful for future campers to know what other basics to bring along. If I were in a tent or RV, I wouldn't expect those things to be provided, but for a $1600+ (before our Military discount, see below) cabin stay, I don't think that is unreasonable. The campground store and very nearby Dollar General made up for these shortfalls. Not a deal breaker, but frustrating, nonetheless. Who wants to leave the fun for a toilet paper run? Cabin cleanliness was a big failure!!! Where to begin? The floors were filthy the moment we walked in. Hair, dust and other debris was scattered on not only the hard surface floors (especially the bathroom) but the carpet on the steps to the loft and in the loft had not been vacuumed at least since the last renters were there. Clumps of dark lint?, hair? was all over the floor in the loft. At least two of the beds had mouse poop droppings on the fitted sheets that were provided. The dishes under the sink all had mouse poop droppings on them as well. Because of this, all of the dishes had to be washed prior to use (there went my two provided dishwasher detergent pods). When I looked under the couch to pick up a dropped toy, it was full of dust and trash. There were cobwebs on light fixtures, burned out light bulbs, broken pieces of trim on the shelving that kept coming loose and the kitchen trash can was caked with filth. I regret not bringing this to management attention while we were there. The invoicing/billing was a separate nightmare. The day after we got home, a big part of the day was spent on the phone with them to correct the multiple billing errors and overcharges. Apparently, there is a third-party company that handles this for Sun Outdoors, and they do not do a very good job. Ultimately, I think this issue has been resolved, but not without great effort on our part. For the most part I kept reminding myself that we were "camping" so I should be reasonable with my expectations. Then I remembered that we were paying a premium rate for our accommodations and cleanliness it not an unreasonable expectation to have.

Ali Wallner

We arrived after 3 pm on 7/20/2023, we were told our cabin was not ready and we also paid the 40.00 lock in fee, to be next to our friends, we were not next to them, we were 5 cabins away. We were credited the 40.00, but did not solve the problem and we had made reservations a year ago. When we got into the cabin it had not been cleaned at all, the floor was filthy and did not look like it had been swept or mopped ever. Their was mold in the bathroom, there was no hand soap or body wash, both completely empty. The shower handle was broken and water did not come out of the faucet, only the shower head, making is difficult to bathe children. No stopper to fill the tub. Our toilet seat was total broken, every time you sat down you flew across the toilet. The pictures are very deceiving, adults can sleep in the loft, plus the mattresses all need to be replaced. It should not be advertised as fully stocked kitchen, it was not. Our stay was for five days, we were left one dishwasher pod, one small bottle of dish soap, one roll of paper towels and two rolls of toilet paper that did not even last two days. There were no pot holders, how are to cook and take things out of the oven without them or even any kind of dish cloths. It is time for these cabins to be deep cleaned and updated, the windows were dirty and the blinds are disgusting. We were afraid to sit on the couch it was so dirty. It is nice campground, the golf cart parade is fun and the pool are was nice. I will say the lady at the front desk was helpful, and she did give us some discount for all the problems with the reservations. I wish we would have read the reviews before booking, because it looks like many have had the same problems. Our family and friends made memories, but will not be back.

Lori Nagel

For the most part, this is an excellent family campground. Lots of activities and amenities for kids and families, plus free shuttle service to and from Holiday World all day. The downside, and this was huge in our case, were the bathhouses. No ventilation or air conditioning. In July this made for such a steamy, sweaty mess that showering was almost pointless. The bathhouse at the activity center had a bench and several hooks in each shower stall. The unisex showers just down the road had no benches or hooks at all. One shower was unusable because of a broken door. One shower had a modicum of cooler air coming in through a vent, but overall, every place we tried was humid and swampy. At $300 for the week, the shower situation made the "resort" part of the campground name a bit of a joke. You kind of expect a decent shower house for that amount of money.

alma cima

My family and I decided to book a stay here due to how close it was to Holiday World. We stayed in the Family Cabin 218-D. Upon arrival, it was clear this cabin had not been cleaned in quite a while. The pull out bed was extremely dirty and had what appeared to be a blood stain. There were spider webs and dust everywhere. The mattress in the main bedroom was sunken in and extremely uncomfortable. We wanted to look past all these issues, but unfortunately we ended up sleeping on the floor and are extremely dissatisfied considering the price we paid to stay here.

Janet Longenecker

Location was great and the amenities were fun for the kids. The cabin was in need of some repairs and not adequately cleaned. The screen door had a nail sticking out that one child hurt her finger on. Called for maintenance to come and fix it but no one ever came. We have stayed at other cabins in the area and found them to be much better equipped for families and cleaner. A step above camping, but not as nice as we had hoped from the website.

Kacey VanCleave

My family has been going to Lake Rudolph every summer for years. We absolutely love it there! They have so many activities for families and kids of all ages. They offer a different activity for the kids every morning with only a small cost for the supplies (ex: tie dye, sand art, stuffed animal.) Every other night is a Glow Parade for all the decorated golf carts. We go all out and bring our lights and themed decorations to try to make our golf cart look the best. Lake Rudolph has a nice pool and water slides. They have a putt-putt golf course, a couple big playground areas, basketball courts, a snack shack with pizza, ice cream, etc, and so much more. They offer a shuttle bus service to Holiday World with multiple bus stops throughout the campground to ensure that one is within walking distance from your cabin. Tips for your stay: ALWAYS book a golf cart, bring lights and decorations for your golf cart, and bring towels and blankets. We love Holiday World, but Lake Rudolph is what keeps us coming back to Santa Claus every year!

Mindy Lambert

Had an awesome, short trip to Lake Rudolph to celebrate my 8 yr olds birthday. We had a blast. The kids loved every second of the trip and already asking when we will.go back! Next time we will definitely decorate our golf cart! The golf cart parade was fun to watch! My husband Jose and I will be planning our next family trip to lake Rudolph campground for more family fun!!!