Lake James Camping Resort & Marina

I have been waiting a full calendar year to write this review. My experience with Lake James Camping Resort & Marina has been absolutely miserable! Prior to the opening of the Mountain View side, I was on a waiting list for 2 years extremely excited about the opportunity to become a seasonal/annual camper. I was one of the first campers to secure a spot on the Mountain View side and was the very first member to build a “permanent” (floating) deck. I signed a seasonal contract and put up with TONS of issues without complaining. The pool not opening for months after we were promised, no wifi constantly, no water, no bathrooms or shower facilities on the Mountain View side because they are only open when the pool is open, etc. All of this and I never complained. I signed an annual lease for the 2024 year thinking things would get better as they were working out the growing pains. Unfortunately, in late December 2023, I had extremely rare health complications that lead to me needing open heart surgery and being unable to travel to the campground. We made the manger and the owners aware of our situation hoping we could switch back to a seasonal contract. We even had my cardiologist write a personal letter stating I would be unable to travel for several months after the surgery. The cold hearted owners not only refused to respond to us directly, they had the manager respond that they absolutely would not switch our contract because “nowhere in the contract does it say you have to use the site.” We ended up only being able to use the site for maybe 2-3 months and it went to waste the remainder of the time. I had my attorney review the annual contract thoroughly and I would caution you that there is no possible way to get out of it. There is also no guideline for why they can kick you out. They can literally kick you out at any time for any reason. Even writing this review before my lease was up was grounds for termination because it’s “not acting in a family fun way.” Don’t be like me and RUN from this campground.

The owner of this establishment is an investment firm with numerous properties and does not reside in the area. They appointed a manager who seems to have the qualifications to be exceptionally unpleasant, quickly turning rude and exacerbating situations. We requested to prorate our contract due to ongoing repairs, yet they expect payment for a slip that is nonexistent. Rather than showing compassion to those who have also endured Hurricane Helene and are managing home repairs, they opted to threaten us with collections. I do not recommend them for a slip. We were simply looking to start the contract when the slip was available but I guess they were instructed by the owner to threaten people. I would trust the one-star reviews of this place and its management over any five-star ratings. Notably, nearly every negative review highlights the poor management at Lake James Camping Resort & Marina, which speaks volumes. Management, feel free to respond; however, anyone reading this should be aware that it may be filled with gaslighting and untruths, as has been the case with previous negative reviews. An additional update: We went by the marina and as of January 10th, 2025 the damaged old slip is still there so they have not starting working on the slips and are threatening to take recurring customers to collections instead of prorating contracts to when they have the slips. How can you expect people to pay for something that cannot be used because it's not rebuilt is insane to me.

Our family had a beautiful experience here at Lake James , staff was super friendly and offered a thank you to the veterans which we appreciated. The views speak for itself. When leaving in the am the stars were just beautiful from this place. Our only critique would be to add a year round pool/hot tub and a park for the kids!

After Hurricane Helene I did some clean up work in the Morganton area. Meet a man that had lost everything. He did have a camper but needed a place to stay. My wife and I made arrangements with the campground for him to stay for a month and was told he could come anytime, no restrictions Ona time table for him to arrive. The man has some serious health issues and was unable to move his camper to the site. Now my wife and I are out $1200 because of their cancelation policy. I understood you have to have policies in place but some times you have to make exceptions to these rules. Park manager tells me they held that spot for a month when I know in the park was not full. It's a shame we were trying to do something for someone that didn't work out but yet they got $1200 for nothing!!

My granddaughters and I had the best time ever at The Lake James Resort. We had a very easy drive there from Virginia. Everything was easy from booking, checking in and unfortunately leaving. Our cabin was beautiful. Myra helped me check in and she was very patient with me and answered all my questions. Bridget was great and very accomidating for all of us. We had the privacy we wanted but everyone we came across was so nice. We hope to go back ASAP!! I think we started a new family tradition for us with our crazy busy life. Absolutely beautiful at Lake James. Thanks to all who made this possible for us!!

The gal at the front office was extremely helpful and nice. We booked our stay on 1/26 for a 3/14 stay. We rented a golf cart at the time of reservation. Upon going to pick up the cart I was told it would be an additional $250…that they didn’t charge me, bringing the total rental near $500 for three days. It is INCREDIBLY frustrating to have booked a cart in January only to be told it would cost even more. My wife and I travel quite a bit with our camper…rest assured we will NEVER be back to Lake James Camping and Marina