Kankakee South KOA Holiday Blog
Your home base for exploring Chicago and Route 66. Now booking for 2026!
Whether you’re exploring the local area or hanging out at the campground, KOA Holidays are an ideal place to relax and play. There’s plenty to do, with amenities and services to make your stay memorable. Plus, you’ll enjoy the outdoor experience with upgraded RV Sites with KOA Patio® and Deluxe Cabins with full baths for camping in comfort. Bring your family, bring your friends, or bring the whole group – there’s plenty of ways to stay and explore.
Whether you’re exploring the local area or hanging out at the campground, KOA Holidays are an ideal place to relax and play. There’s plenty to do, with amenities and services to make your stay memorable. Plus, you’ll enjoy the outdoor experience with upgraded RV Sites with KOA Patio® and Deluxe Cabins with full baths for camping in comfort. Bring your family, bring your friends, or bring the whole group – there’s plenty of ways to stay and explore.
Plan ahead to avoid major headaches later. GPS is great, but often sends drivers on routes not equipped for tow vehicles. To avoid gravel roads and rural areas not suited for trailers, see below.
From Champaign, Chicago, and Illinois points North or South:
- Stay on I-57 until Exit 308.
- Turn South onto US 45/52.
- Follow US 45/52 South for 3 miles to 6000S Rd.
- You will see our sign on the Left. Turn Left onto 6000S Rd for 1 mile.
From Michigan, Elkhart, and points Northeast:
- Stay on I-80 until Exit 12.
- Take the exit onto I-65 South.
- Stay on I-65 until Exit 230.
- Turn West onto IN-10. This will become IL-114 then merge with IL-17. Stay on IL-17 to I-57.
- Take I-57 South until Exit 308.
- Follow US 45/52 South for 3 miles to 6000S Rd.
- You will see our sign on the Left. Turn Left onto 6000S Rd for 1 mile.
From I-55, West I-80 and Iowa points West:
- Stay on I-80 until Exit 112.
- Turn South onto IL-47.
- From IL-47, turn East onto IL-113.
- Take I-57 South until Exit 308.
- Follow US 45/52 South for 3 miles to 6000S Rd.
- You will see our sign on the Left. Turn Left onto 6000S Rd for 1 mile.
From the Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and points Southeast:
- Stay on I-65 North until Exit 201 (NOT EXIT 220). (Depending on where you are coming from, you may be approaching from US-41. If so, skip to the next step.)
- Turn West onto US-24. This will merge with US-45/52. Stay on US-45/52.
- Turn Right onto 6000S Rd for 1 mile. You will see our large entrance sign on the Left.
As any seasoned traveler knows, spectacular Midwestern summer sunsets sometimes come hand-in-hand with quick-moving summer storms. Following the recent severe weather in our local area, we want to make sure all of our guests—especially those visiting the Midwest for the first time—feel safe, informed, and completely prepared during their stay with us.
When a storm rolls in, the biggest challenge for travelers is often knowing where they are on a map when local meteorologists start broadcasting county-specific alerts.
Here is everything you need to know to stay weather-aware and secure at Kankakee South KOA Holiday.
If you are streaming TV, listening to the radio, or looking at your smartphone alerts, you will need to know our specific geographic location to determine if a warning applies to you.
State: Illinois
County: Kankakee County (Southern region)
Surrounding Counties: Iroquois, Ford, Livingston, Grundy, and Lasalle (if you hear warnings for these areas, the storm is close to us!)
Township: Chebanse / Otto Township
Our Physical Address: 425 East 6000 South Road, Chebanse, IL 60922
National Weather Service Office: NWS Chicago (LOT)
Tip: Save our address into your phone's weather app (like Weatherbug, RadarScope, or the NOAA app) so you receive localized push notifications for our exact GPS coordinates.
It’s easy to get these terms confused, but there is a simple way to remember the difference using a classic cooking analogy:
Severe Thunderstorm / Tornado WATCH (We Have the Ingredients): This means the atmospheric ingredients are on the counter. A storm is possible. You do not need to take shelter yet, but you should keep your phone charged, secure your awning, and keep an eye on the sky.
Severe Thunderstorm / Tornado WARNING (The Cake is Baked): This means a storm or tornado has been spotted on radar or by a trained spotter. Action is required immediately.
TORNADO EMERGENCY (Extreme, Catastrophic Danger): This is the rarest, most severe alert issued by the National Weather Service. It is only declared when a large, violent, and highly destructive tornado has been confirmed on the ground and is moving into a populated area. This is an extreme threat to human life. Seek secure shelter immediately—do not wait.
Your RV or tent is a wonderful home-on-wheels, but it is not a safe place to remain during high wind events, tornado warnings, or tornado emergencies.
If a Tornado Warning or Tornado Emergency is issued for our area:
Head to the Storm Shelters: Go directly to our main campground bathhouse or the bathrooms located in the Game Room. Both are sturdy, masonry-reinforced structures built to provide secure shelter.
Gender Assignments Do Not Apply: Please note that all bathroom gender designations are temporarily suspended during emergency sheltering events. Please utilize any and all available space to get everyone safely indoors.
Leave the Rig Behind: Do not attempt to hook up your trailer or drive your motorhome out of the park during a warning. Your safety is the absolute priority; vehicles can be replaced, you cannot!
Bring Your Pets: Please bring your dogs and cats on a leash or in a secure carrier. (Don't worry—the Trash Panda values our furry campers' safety just as much as yours!).
Don't rely solely on cell towers, which can occasionally lose power during severe weather. We recommend keeping these resources handy:
On Your Phone & Social Media:
Follow NWS Chicago on social media or bookmark weather.gov/chicago.
Illinois Storm Chasers (Facebook): Outstanding for hyper-local, county-by-county updates, live radar analysis, and real-time storm reporting across the state.
Live Video Streams:
Ryan Hall Y'all (YouTube): Highly recommended for interactive, live radar coverage, direct storm-chaser feeds, and nationwide severe weather tracking during major outbreaks.
Local Radio: Tune your vehicle or weather radio to WKAN 1320 AM, 94.1 WGFA FM, or 95.1 WVLI FM for localized storm tracking and emergency updates.
Local Television: If you are watching TV in your rig or streaming local broadcasts, tune in to Chicago-based stations WGN, ABC7, or NBC5 for continuous radar tracking.
Campground Alerts: Our camp staff monitors NOAA weather frequencies 24/7.
We pride ourselves on providing a beautiful, peaceful retreat under our mature oak trees. By staying weather-aware, we can ensure that every road trip through Kankakee County remains a safe and happy adventure!
That doesn't mean this area has to always be empty. When you start reviewing camping options, your history will display here to help compare sites and find the best stay. You will be able to share your stay information with friends or family and save it for a later time if you have a KOA Account.
Make checkout easy by booking all your reservations at once. Add your sites from different campgrounds into your shopping cart* and then choose checkout.
