America’s Camping Report Card
Tennessee
#19 of 43 for camping
Better than 57% of graded states · overall grade B+ — campers like it.
Graded on 16,731 written reviews from Tennessee - no star ratings, just what people wrote.
The breakdown
Letter grades reflect how campers actually felt about each topic - A means they loved it, not that it beat other states.
What campers praised
- beautiful campground221
- beautiful place150
- beautiful park147
- beautiful scenery128
- beautiful area101
What campers warned about
- no shade4
- rainy weather4
- lack of shade2
- lake looked nasty2
- lake views blocked2
- Praised by
- 44.6%
- Warned by
- 0.9%
- Rank
- Better than 45% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.437 (±0.008, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- spacious sites155
- large sites69
- nice sites61
- great campsite43
- great sites41
What campers warned about
- sites close together22
- sites very close together22
- sites too close together20
- sites not level7
- site not level5
- Praised by
- 37.4%
- Warned by
- 9.2%
- Rank
- Better than 57% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.282 (±0.009, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- very clean288
- well maintained268
- clean241
- clean bathrooms218
- clean restrooms119
What campers warned about
- bathrooms not cleaned8
- grass not mowed6
- bathrooms not the cleanest5
- bathroom not cleaned4
- bathrooms need upkeep4
- Praised by
- 35.3%
- Warned by
- 7.4%
- Rank
- Better than 69% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.279 (±0.009, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- hiking trails43
- great hiking trails25
- great trails25
- hiking trails nearby19
- nearby hiking trails17
What campers warned about
- not much to do5
- few things to do nearby2
- limited for non-boaters2
- more trails desired2
- no fishing2
- Praised by
- 28.9%
- Warned by
- 1.5%
- Rank
- Better than 57% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.274 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- friendly staff225
- friendly and helpful staff60
- friendly and helpful hosts56
- friendly hosts54
- very friendly staff53
What campers warned about
- no campground host6
- no camp host4
- no rangers present4
- no camp host present3
- no host present3
- Praised by
- 28.0%
- Warned by
- 3.9%
- Rank
- Better than 69% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.241 (±0.008, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- bathrooms and showers52
- bathrooms45
- restrooms and showers41
- hot showers38
- restrooms36
What campers warned about
- no showers69
- no cell service26
- no wifi17
- no sewer hookups16
- no sewer hookup15
- Praised by
- 23.9%
- Warned by
- 13.8%
- Rank
- Better than 52% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.101 (±0.009, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- quiet292
- quiet campground152
- very quiet152
- quiet atmosphere112
- quiet and peaceful93
What campers warned about
- sites close together19
- sites very close together9
- generator noise8
- road noise8
- very crowded6
- Praised by
- 16.4%
- Warned by
- 7.7%
- Rank
- Better than 62% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.088 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- family friendly27
- friendly people22
- friendly campers17
- dog friendly8
- family oriented8
What campers warned about
- felt unwelcome2
- hard to stay with friends2
- ada accommodation issues1
- ada/disability access issue1
- couldn't meet others from site layout1
- Praised by
- 3.4%
- Warned by
- 0.4%
- Rank
- Better than 76% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.030 (±0.003, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- free camping21
- great price20
- free campground19
- affordable11
- good price9
What campers warned about
- no refund4
- expensive firewood3
- save your money3
- $30 per night2
- $5 day-use parking fee2
- Praised by
- 3.3%
- Warned by
- 1.6%
- Rank
- Better than 71% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.016 (±0.003, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- felt safe19
- safe17
- felt very safe10
- secure4
- feels safe3
What campers warned about
- no cell service7
- 911 phone no dial tone2
- dead tree hazard2
- fall risk at camper door2
- felt unsafe2
- Praised by
- 2.1%
- Warned by
- 2.9%
- Rank
- Better than 57% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.009 (±0.003, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- close to nashville33
- close to home24
- convenient location22
- easy access21
- close to gatlinburg10
What campers warned about
- no cell service28
- no phone service6
- poor cell service5
- hard to find4
- limited cell service4
- Praised by
- 7.3%
- Warned by
- 8.3%
- Rank
- Better than 10% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.010 (±0.006, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- easy check-in10
- booked again3
- booked another stay3
- easy booking3
- easy check-in process3
What campers warned about
- hard to get reservations11
- hard to get a spot8
- hard to get a site6
- hard to get a reservation5
- always booked up3
- Praised by
- 1.9%
- Warned by
- 3.4%
- Rank
- Better than 60% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.015 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- pet friendly23
- dog-friendliness6
- dog friendly5
- dog-friendly3
- bear rules followed2
What campers warned about
- quiet hours not enforced18
- rules not enforced7
- hammock restriction6
- parking pass required4
- season too short4
- Praised by
- 1.0%
- Warned by
- 4.0%
- Rank
- Better than 64% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.029 (±0.003, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- bear-proof trash bins2
- bugs not bad2
- few insects2
- few mosquitoes2
- no mosquitoes2
What campers warned about
- rainy weather10
- poison ivy everywhere6
- poison ivy4
- bugs in bathrooms3
- poison ivy present3
- Praised by
- 0.5%
- Warned by
- 3.7%
- Rank
- Better than 93% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.032 (±0.003, 95% CI) from 16,731 written reviews, 72% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
We read every written review of a campground in Tennessee and used AI to label what each camper praised or complained about, across 14 topics. A topic’s score is the share who praised it minus the share who complained, and the letter is absolute: A means campers loved it, F means they were frustrated — on a fixed scale, not a curve. So a topic isn’t marked down just because another state scored higher. Switch to Raw numbers to see the share who praised vs. warned behind every grade.
The rank (Tennessee vs. other states) is shown separately, because most states are genuinely good overall — the ranking is what tells them apart. The overall grade is the average of the topic grades, weighted by how often campers raise each one.
Only states with at least 2,000 reviews are graded, and every topic carries a 95% confidence interval from its sample size.
Topic weights
- Scenery15%
- Campsites15%
- Cleanliness13%
- Facilities12%
- Staff & hosts10%
- Things to do9%
- Crowds & noise8%
- Getting there6%
- Bugs & weather3%
- Booking2%
- Value2%
- Rules & policies2%
- Safety2%
- Welcoming1%
Methodology v3-absolute-grade-plus-rank | 43 states graded | updated June 2026.