Glamping accommodations are becoming increasingly common across the U.S., both in new and existing campgrounds, RV parks and resorts. Between 2024 and early 2026, park operators and developers are adding nearly 465 glamping accommodations to at least six new and 17 existing parks. While most of these new accommodations are park models, furnished glamping tents, glamping pods and covered wagons are also included in the mix.
Following are details involving parks that are adding glamping accommodations and related upscale amenities, based on WCM’s interviews with park operators and developers, published news reports and information gathered through park websites:
New Parks with Glamping Accommodations
Julandy’s Isle Glamping Resort in Leesville, Louisiana
— Peace River Oaks in Bowling Green: This new park, which was slated to open in December, is an RV and glamping destination located along the the tranquil banks of the Peace River near Bowling Green. The main campground consists of 43 full hookup RV sites with concrete pads, picnic tables and firepits, along with 20 riverfront glamping sites all spread across 25 acres.
Louisiana
— Julandy’s Isle Glamping Resort in Leesville: Key Dixon is developing this small glamping resort on land that has been in her family for over a century. Dixon hopes to open with six RV sites and five glamping tents sometime in 2026.
Mississippi
— Serenity RV Park in Belden: This park opened in late November with 52 rv sites, including 48 pull-through and four back-in RV sites. The park also has five cabins.
Skye Texas Hill Country Resort in Fredericksburg, Texas
Texas
— Skye Texas Hill Country Resort near Fredericksburg: This 99-site resort opened in March 2024 and complements its 51 RV sites with 12 glamping pods and 36 cabins. This resort is unique in that it has gigabit-speed WiFi and EV charging stations at every site. The resort also occupies only 30 acres of a remote 250-acre section of wilderness in the Texas Hill Country 15 miles north of Fredericksburg.
Tennessee
— Jellystone Park Camp-Resort at Watts Bar Lake in Loudon: This park was expected to open in February with 173 RV sites and 55 cabins. Amenities will include offer two pools, a large splash pad with two water slides and an outdoor movie theater. Families will enjoy interacting with the Yogi Bear characters, wagon rides, laser tag, gem mining, arts and crafts, and themed weekends. Luxury glamping cabins and premium RV sites are set among the hills and woods overlooking the lake.
— Temecula KOA at Vail Lake in Temecula: Numerous improvements are underway at this campground, including 171 new RV sites, 20 of which are KOA Patio RV Sites; 14 new deluxe cabins; and 12 luxury glamping tents with bathrooms. This park also recently remodeled 20 RV sites.
— Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Bremen: This park, which is owned and operated by Great Escapes RV Resorts, recently acquired 100 additional acres and is adding 250 additional RV sites and 71 cabins, which are expected to be available in March. A new pool, a multi-level splash park, a Wibit water obstacle course, a waterslide, and a new clubhouse and bathhouse are also being added as part of the expansion.
— Jellystone Park North Port Huron in Carsonville: This park opened 30 new cabins in 2024, boosting the resort’s total to 68 cabins. All RV sites were also upgraded to full hookups, while major improvements were made to the camp store and café.
— Cape Hatteras / Outer Banks KOA Resort in Rodanthe: This campground upgraded four rustic cabins for beach camping with a bed with linens, electricity, a mini fridge, a Keurig, plus air-conditioning and heating, a patio and outside furniture. The cabins are now marketed as “Coastal Cottages.”
— Nashville KOA Resort in Nashville: This campground added 200 RV sites, including 2 KOA RV Signature Sites; 16 deluxe cabins; and 18 tent sites, including one group tent site.
While the numbers of new and expanding parks are down compared to the early 2020s, when RV sales reached all time highs, there are still significant numbers of new and expanding campgrounds and RV parks across North America.
Woodall’s Campground Magazine has documented at least 4,146 new RV sites coming online with the construction of 31 new campgrounds, RV parks and resorts across the U.S. and Canada between 2024 and early 2026. Another 1,570 RV sites are also being added to 36 existing parks during the same time period. This makes for a grand total of at least 5,716 new campsites being added to North America’s campground inventory.
KOA Groundbreaking
Billings, Mont.-based Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA), the largest campground franchise network, expanded its network in 2024 with 15 new campgrounds across 21 states and provinces, adding 1,500 completed RV, tent, and cabin sites. Looking ahead to 2025, KOA plans to open three newly built campgrounds in three states, featuring an additional 470 RV, tent, and cabin sites, according to Chris Fairlee, KOA’s chief acquisitions officer.
“With more development and sales discussions in progress, KOA expects to grow the portfolio continually throughout 2025, creating more opportunities to welcome campers across North America,” Fairlee said.
Stacey Campbell, KOA’s director of campground design services, added that many existing KOA campgrounds have been investing capital in their parks to upgrade the quality of their RV sites, including Paw Pen sites, as well as campsite amenities, with the renovataion of bathhouses and construction of meeting and group spaces. “This past year, our Design Services team provided design plans for over 1,400 new or improved site layouts,” Campbell said. “Our plans ranged from adding infrastructure for EV charging stations, site grading to expand to pull-thru or patio sites, new registration buildings, and group pavilions. While some of these projects completed construction in 2024, many will be completed in 2025.”
Other campground and RV park projects are in the pipeline, but developers and consultants said they were not prepared to announce these projects just yet. Following are details involving new and expanding parks, based on WCM’s interviews with park operators and developers, published news reports, and information gathered through park websites:
— Encore Tranquility Lakes in Cape Coral: This is a new 200-acre development with 502 sites that is situated on two picturesque lakes, featuring 50-amp full hook-up pedestals with picnic tables. Winter activities include culinary classes, wine tasting, line dancing and yoga.
— Olde Florida Motorcoach Resort in LaBelle: This resort is expected to open in January, according to its website. RV sites will be available for sale and the resort will eventually grow to 440 sites. The park is located about 22 miles east of Fort Myers.
—Panama City Beach KOA Holiday in Panama City Beach: This is a new campground that is expected to open in mid-January. The pet-friendly park offers 102 RV sites, nine furnished cabins and tent sites. Amenities include a fenced dog park and a newly completed pavilion.
— Peace River Oaks in Bowling Green: This new park, which was slated to open in December, is an RV and glamping destination located along the the tranquil banks of the Peace River near Bowling Green. The main campground consists of 43 full hookup RV sites with concrete pads, picnic tables and firepits, along with 20 riverfront glamping sites all spread across 25 acres.
— Preservation Point in Inverness: This new RV resort hopes to open the first 221 sites of the park’s first phase in February. Initial amenities include a lakeside pavilion and dock. The developers hope to eventually expand the park to 1,000 sites.
— The Station RV Resort in Madison: This 92-site RV resort held its grand opening in September. Amenities include a fitness center, dog park, cornhole, pickleball and bocce ball courts.
— Julandy’s Isle Glamping Resort in Leesville: Key Dixon is developing this small glamping resort on land that has been in her family for over a century. Dixon hopes to open with six RV sites and five glamping tents sometime in 2026.
— Serenity RV Park in Belden: This park opened in late November with 52 rv sites, including 48 pull-through and four back-in RV sites. The park also has five cabins.
— Jellystone Park Camp-Resort at Watts Bar Lake in Loudon: This park was expected to open in February with 173 RV sites and 55 cabins. Amenities will include offer two pools, a large splash pad with two water slides and an outdoor movie theater. Families will enjoy interacting with the Yogi Bear characters, wagon rides, laser tag, gem mining, arts and crafts, and themed weekends. Luxury glamping cabins and premium RV sites are set among the hills and woods overlooking the lake.
Texas
— A New RV Park in Caddo Mills: Open Road Resorts is planning to build a 150-site RV park in Caddo Mills, northeast of Dallas, which the company hopes to open in late 2025 or early 2026.The new park will have a retail store, an in-ground pool and hot tub, bathhouse and laundry facilities, playground, pickleball courts, a dog park, as well as a community fire pit and gazebo area where guests can relax, hang out and enjoy s’mores and campfires. The park was unnamed at presstime.
—Arch Ray on the River in Fredericksburg: This RV resort recently opened with 74 RV sites and has plans to develop another 243 RV sites as part of the Arch Ray Winery resort. On-site amenities include Arch Ray Winery, a resort-style outdoor swimming pool, a 50,000-square-foot community center, 1894 Farm-to-Table Restaurant, Paul Bee Distillery, Ogle Brewery, an espresso bar, a bakery, an event space, as well as The Living Tree Amphitheater.
— Horseshoe Ridge RV Resort in Wimberley: This is a brand-new luxury RV resort, which opened in January 2024 with 124 sites, is within 5 minutes of historic downtown Wimberley, and 45 minutes from downtown Austin. This new resort features a state-of-the-art clubhouse, a resort pool complex with 10-mile Hill Country views, luxury cottages, and modern resort amenities.
— Roaming Trails Burleson in Burleson: Provident Realty is developing this resort, which is expected to have 196 RV sites available during the third quarter of 2025. The park will feature a gated front entry, a clubhouse and swimming pool, and fiber optic Internet. Premium lots will be individually fenced.
— Roaming Trails Calaveras in San Antonio: Provident Realty is developing this resort, which is expected to have 216 RV sites ready during the fourth quarter of 2025. The park will feature a gated front entry, a clubhouse and swimming pool, and fiber optic Internet. Premium lots will be individually fenced.
— Roaming Trails Kileen in Kileen: Provident Realty is developing this resort, which is expected to have 225 RV sites ready during the fourth quarter of 2025. The park will feature a gated front entry, a clubhouse and swimming pool, and fiber optic Internet. Premium lots will be individually fenced.
— Skye Texas Hill Country Resort near Fredericksburg: This 99-site resort opened in March 2024 with 51 RV sites, 12 glamping pods and 36 cabins. This resort is unique in that it has gigabit-speed WiFi and EV charging stations at every site. The resort also occupies only 30 acres of a remote 250-acre section of wilderness in the Texas Hill Country 15 miles north of Fredericksburg.
— Temecula KOA at Vail Lake in Temecula: Numerous improvements are underway at this campground, including 171 new RV sites, 20 of which are KOA Patio RV Sites; 14 new deluxe cabins; and 12 luxury glamping tents with bathrooms. This park also recently remodeled 20 RV sites.
— Fort Collins / Lakeside KOA in Fort Collins: This campground added five premium tent sites with water and electric utlities, lakefront views, a Polywood table, chairs and glider, barbecue and fire ring.
Florida
Terra Ceia Village RV Resort in Palmetto, Florida
— Encore Terra Ceia Village in Palmetto: This resort, which opened in November 2023, has added more than 180 new RV sites and additional amenity spaces for visiting guests. The additions include a new swimming pool, deck and pavilion, a clubhouse with fitness center, extra common area gathering space and four pickleball courts.
— Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Bremen: This park, which is owned and operated by Great Escapes RV Resorts, recently acquired 100 additional acres and is adding 250 additional RV sites and 71 cabins, which are expected to be available in March. A new pool, a multi-level splash park, a Wibit water obstacle course, a waterslide, and a new clubhouse and bathhouse are also being added as part of the expansion.
Idaho
— RedRock RV Park in Island Park: This park has grown to nearly 160 sites, with 66 full-hookup RV sites added in 2024 along with a new dog park. Plans for 2025 include adding a new oversized community fire pit and gazebo where guests can relax, hang out and enjoy s’mores around the campfire.
— Goodland KOA Journey in Goodland: This campground has expanded, adding 20 full-hookup 50/30 pull-through sites; four dull hookup 50/30 back-in sites; five new patio sites, including one with an EV charging station; four new patio four new Patio Paw Pen sites; and two new super sites. The campground also upgraded five 30 amp sites to full-hookup 50/30 pull-through sites and converted eight tent sites into six deluxe tent sites.
— Jellystone Park North Port Huron in Carsonville: This park opened 30 new cabins in 2024, boosting the resort’s total to 68 cabins. All RV sites were also upgraded to full hookups, while major improvements were made to the camp store and café.
— West Omaha / NE Lincoln KOA Holiday in Gretna: Open Road Resorts acquired this park in April 2024 and immediately began making improvements to its bathrooms, cabins and store. The company plans to add nearly 80 premium full-hookup RV sites this year, along with a new bathhouse, dog park and community fire pit.
New Mexico
— Santa Fe KOA Journey in Santa Fe: Open Road Resorts acquired this park in September and is in the permitting process to add roughly 50 full-hookup RV sites as well as a host of new amenities, including a new bathhouse and laundry facility and a community fire pit and gazebo area. Open Road Resorts hopes to have all of the improvements completed by the end of 2025 or early 2026.
— Cape Hatteras / Outer Banks KOA Resort in Rodanthe: This campground upgraded four rustic cabins for beach camping with a bed with linens, electricity, a mini fridge, a Keurig, plus air-conditioning and heating, a patio and outside furniture. The cabins are now marketed as “Coastal Cottages.”
— Nashville KOA Resort in Nashville: This campground added 200 RV sites, including 2 KOA RV Signature Sites; 16 deluxe cabins; and 18 tent sites, including one group tent site.
— Dallas NE Campground in Caddo Mills: Open Road Resorts is planning to add roughly 25 premium full-hookup RV sites to this 115-site park, which also features 10 cabins. The company is also adding a dog park, and a new community fire pit and gazebo area where guests can relax, hang out and enjoy s’mores and campfires.
— Good Shepherd RV Park and Storage in Gunter: Open Road Resorts acquired this 160-site park in September and plans to add roughly 60 full-hookup RV sites in 2025. Several amenity improvements are also planned, including a brand new in-ground swimming pool and built-in hot tub, a new playground, pickleball courts, a fishing pond, a fully renovated retail store, and a community fire pit and gazebo area where guests can relax, hangout and enjoy s’mores and campfires.
— Great Escapes RV Resort in Bryan: This park recently added 28 cabins; an outdoor pavilion; a venue for special events, called The Den Event Hall; as well as a relaxing hot tub and adjoining resort-style splash area.
— Nueces River RV & Cabin Resort in Camp Wood: USA Camping Company owns and operates this 50-acre park, which has a quarter mile of frontage along the Nueces River, two hours from San Antonio. Recent improvements include the addition of 23 full hookup RV sites, expansion and remodeling of the camp store, a new $60,000 WiFi system, and paving the entrance road. Future plans call for glamping accommodations and a new bathhouse.
On the Beach RV Park in Port Aransas, Texas
— On The Beach RV Park in Port Aransas: USA Camping Company owns and operates this 4.3-acre beachfront park on Mustang Island, one of Texas’s premier vacation islands. Recent improvements include the addition of 18 big rig sites, completed in March, along with providing high-speed WiFi service. Future plans include transitioning to native plants, adding a clubhouse and improving park bathrooms and showers.
After Hurricane Milton ravaged central Florida last October, 55-year-old Stefan Kaschkadayev, a life-long camping enthusiast and full-time RVer, briefly considered relocating from the Tampa Bay area to Nebraska.
The Category 3 hurricane not only destroyed his 40-foot Cedar Creek Champagne fifth-wheel in Palmetto, but also the warehouse in St. Petersburg, 20-plus miles to the north across Tampa Bay, where he stored his tools and equipment to repair boats.
Even though Stefan and his wife, Wendy, are still working mostly full-time, with Stefan repairing boats and working as a private, “for hire” boat captain and Wendy working as a yoga instructor, they had been living full-time for the past three years in their fifth wheel at The Tides RV Resort in Palmetto.
“We have two RVs,” Stefan explained. “We have one we live in full-time and we have another one, a small Class C, that we travel all over the place in. We love the freedom of it.”
While Stefan and Wendy were able to escape Hurricane Milton in their 26-foot Born Free Class C motorhome, and stay out of harm’s way with friends in Richland, Ga., losing their fifth wheel home was devastating.
“For me, (Hurricane Milton) was singlehandedly the single worst experience in my life, to know that we had lost our home,” Stefan said. “To lose that was devastating. It’s real emotional. And not only did we lose our home, but we lost the warehouse I had been renting the last 12 years in St. Petersburg. So it was kind of like getting kicked twice.”
But even though they suffered the loss of both their home and warehouse, they ultimately decided to not only purchase another RV and to keep it at The Tides RV Resort, but a truck so they could move it out of harm’s way whenever they need to do so.
“Full-time RVing is really cool,” Stefan said, adding that he and Wendy love living at The Tides RV Resort and can’t imagine changing the full-time RVing lifestyle they have enjoyed in the Tampa Bay Area for the past three years.
“I may be on a project several weeks at a time and then we might take off and take a trip somewhere, go surfing or go visit friends,” Stefan said, noting that they do all of their traveling in their Class C with their two cats, Mr. William Turner and Elizabeth Swan or “Lizzie,” both named after characters in The Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
“They go everywhere with us,” Stefan said, adding, “Life is too short not to enjoy it.”
In fact, Stefan and Wendy upgraded to an even more luxurious RV to use as their home base, purchasing a barely used 2022 DRV Mobile Suite from a retired couple who were no longer able to travel due to health issues. They found the couple through an online ad they placed to sell their RV.
“They said they needed to sell it and we needed a new home. So we got a new home and new friends,” Stefan said, adding that he and Wendy enjoy their friendship with them as much as their new RV.
Stefan added that he just can’t imagine giving up camping and RVing or, for that matter, the snowbird lifestyle they enjoy at The Tides RV Resort.
“I started living the snowbird lifestyle in my 30s. You gotta take your retirement when you can take it and enjoy it,” said Stefan, who has camped and backpacked his entire life, hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail and traveling across the country in different types of RVs, working their up, as many people do, from a popup camper to a motorhome.
RVing, he added, is a way to escape what he calls “the American Nightmare.”
“The ‘American Dream’ is increasingly becoming the ‘American Nightmare.’ They have everybody conned to think that if you work hard and save, you’ll wind up in a gated community. But that’s a prison where you don’t get to see and experience what everything is about,” he said. “I’ve seen too many people in my life who have worked their whole lives and then they get into their late 60s or 70s and their life becomes a hospital bed or chemo treatments.”
RVing, however, provides people with a way to enjoy life while you can, he said. “I feel like the richest man in the world because I don’t need the latest iPad. I just need (my RV) and a good pair of hiking boots.”
Stefan added that now that he and Wendy have a Dodge Dually, they can move their DRV Mobile Suite whenever they need to dodge another hurricane. “If you want to protect your RV, you need to be able to get it out of harm’s way, whether you hire somebody (to move it) or buy a truck,” he said.
DeadbeatCampers.com, which provides a searchable database of campers with a history of nonpayment, property damage and failing to follow park rules, has added links to federal and state databases of sex offenders.
“Now our subscribers have a way to identify people with a history of sex crimes, as defined by federal and state authorities,” said Don Parent, who co-founded Deadbeat Campers, LLC in Bluffton, S.C. with his business partner, Michael Kaiser.
DeadbeatCampers.com went live in July and currently has only a few dozen undesirable campers listed. However, as more parks subscribe to the database, Parent said the database of undesirable campers will grow and more parks will be able to search the database to avoid booking sites to campers with a history of breaking park rules.
Right now, DeadbeatCampers.com is a manually searchable database. However, Parent and Kaiser are meeting with representatives of online booking platforms to discuss ways to integrate their database into the booking systems commonly used by private park operators.
Deadbeat Campers currently allows subscribers to check off seven different undesirable behaviors, including inappropriate behavior, aggressive behavior, neatness issues, failing to pick up after their pets, issues with management, property damage and unpaid bills. Subscribers also can add additional comments about their troublesome guests. Additionally, subscribers can search for undesirable campers using not only their name but their email address, phone number, city, state and zip code.
Annual subscriptions cost $345 and park operators can take a month-long “test run” of the database for only $1, Parent said. DeadbeatCampers.com also gives its subscribers the ability to add their own undesirable guests to the database, thereby helping their peers in the industry.
The market for campgrounds and RV parks is softening as a result of higher interest rates and lower year-over-year occupancies involving both seasonal and transient guests, according to investors and RV park brokers across the country.
The ramifications of market softening don’t stop there, however. High interest rates and weaker occupancies are also slowing the pace of new park construction and expansion projects, brokers and investors say.
While different brokers have different assessments as to the severity of the market decline, only one broker told Woodall’s Campground Magazine, a sister publication of RVBusiness, that his firm’s business levels were as strong as they’ve ever been this year.
James Cook
“Sales of RV parks are down 80%. That’s my assessment of the industry,” said James Cook, national director of brokerage for Yale Realty & Capital Advisors in Miami, Fla. “Most RV parks are down 3% to 5% in occupancy this year. I think that’s the average. We’re just in a different market where people are not as aggressively chasing RV parks as they were.”
Cook added that he has seen cases where sellers have been forced to reduce the prices of their parks during the underwriting process as it becomes apparent to underwriters that the financial data cannot justify the sale at the original price. He cited one case two years ago when the RV park selling price was originally listed at $14 million. It was subsequently reduced to $10 million as a result of changing market conditions and weakening financials.
Richard O’Brien, CEO of Athena Real Estate in Orlando, Fla., who also owns and operates 14 private parks under theApplebrook RV Parks brand, said some investors who purchased private parks during the pandemic are now trying to sell them because these parks are not producing the returns they envisioned when they acquired these properties.
“We’re seeing a lot of developers in the market trying to sell, while there is still reasonable capital in the market to buy,” he said.
“Transaction volume has slowed down mostly due to the spread between buyers and sellers,” he said, adding, “The majority of (transient) RV parks are lower on revenue than in previous years. More supply has been added to most markets, and a chunk of COVID-era travelers have gotten back on planes.”
Sheedy added that the majority of transactions he sees are “forced sales” involving a seller who has personal or financial reasons for selling, such as health or age.
“To put into comparison, though 2024 was still similar to many years of pre-COVID RV real estate market — 2018 to 2020 — generally, the pace of selling a property was a bit slower this year, oftentimes with buyers needing extensions to close and financing contingencies common in most purchase contracts. Owners were faced with rising CAP rates — therefore, lower property values — in 2024 as the spread between interest rates and CAP rates was slim. Buyers had difficulty finding appealing returns and there was a gap between buyer and seller expectations. Values of properties could have declined this year due to overall lower income, rising CAP rates and buyers wanting higher cash on cash returns.”
Most brokers also note that rising interest rates have made it much more expensive to build new parks and expand existing ones.
“The cost to build is much higher than what it was two and a half years ago,” O’Brien said. “It is costing much more to construct sites. Consequently, there are some owners that have paused construction and are in a position where they are just tabling a project where they have entitlements.”
Falling occupancy rates are also making some investors and park developers reconsider the pace of their developments and whether it makes sense to do it now or take a wait-and-see approach.
“The return on investment capital is of concern,” O’Brien said, adding, “We have seen a number of transactions that have started development, but have not been built because of the cost to build.”
Pine has a similar perspective.
Jesse Pine
“Some development projects were delayed or halted altogether and may never break ground,” he said, adding, “High interest rates have put the brakes on some acquisitions of development land or expansion projects if the margins in their underwriting were already slim. The high cost of debt is a significant factor to the bottom line, especially in a development deal where holding costs can be several years and a new RV park may not make a profit ’til year two after it is stabilized with high occupancy.
“Generally high construction costs and lengthy and expensive entitlement processes are other major reasons developers cite as not wanting to begin a project, Pine continued. “Now the market is not as hot as 2021 or 2022, but those were very much peak years and the top of the market. The market is still good when you compare it to the last 20 years of averages. Today, buyers and developers are becoming a bit more cautious and very disciplined in their valuations and pro forma assumptions. They are building in higher reserves and not always counting on consistent year-over-year growth, but perhaps flat income growth for next year. With the election behind us and a new political direction, real estate markets tend to benefit from these shifts and look forward to consistency over the next four years.”
Not every brokerage firm shares the same perspective, however.
Mark Whitworth, president and associate broker with Parks and Places, which has offices in Tallahassee, Fla. and Grand Rapids, Mich., told WCM his firm has not seen any slowdown in market activity.
“I don’t think the market has slowed down much at all,” he said. “We have had 21 sales so far in 2024 with at least nine more scheduled to close before the end of the year. Thirty sales would be another good year for Parks and Places. We also have several parks scheduled to close in early 2025. On the values park owners are getting, our average for the 21 parks sold this year is a 9.3% cap rate with an average time on the market of 8.8 months. That was 8.2 months in 2023. It was just over 10 months in 2022 and 2021. That tells us there is still an increasing number of buyers willing to pay for a park that makes good financial sense for both the buyer and seller.”
On the topic of new park construction and park expansion, Whitworth said the same factors have always been at play.
John Sheedy
“From our perspective,” he said, “funding to build a new park has always been slow. There are numerous factors to consider, like the cost to purchase land, the cost of engineering plans, building material and labor costs, the extended time to build before the first camper arrives… etc. Then the a high likelihood that it may be several years before the park turns a profit. Those things have not changed much and building a new park is still considered to be a high-risk venture by most lending entities. If a park is already up, running, and turning a profit with an obvious need to expand, lenders will be much more likely to be on board to help with those costs.”
For her part, Jayne Cohen, president of theCampground Consulting Group, said it’s important to keep overall market trends in perspective, given the unprecedented industry boom that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“RV park sales and expansions have slowed down post-COVID, but only when compared to pre-COVID and COVID times,” she said, noting, “We are not at a reasonable pace. Remember going into COVID there were record occupancies and double-digit increases in early 2020 before the COVID shutdown. The economic and financial climates as well as the overall slowdown and decrease in occupancy have eliminated the craziness. In addition, it took a moment for sellers to get back to reality and realize the hay days were over. There are still plenty of buyers for RV parks if the seller is reasonable and the numbers make sense. Interest rates are starting to fall, but the effect has not yet been truly realized. Seller financing or taking back a second mortgage has become a necessity in making some deals happen.”
Jayne Cohen
Cohen also said campground and RV park development will continue.
“Developers develop regardless of the times – they simply shift their focus,” she said, adding, “We have a lot of projects in the planning and soft-cost stage, as I call it. These developments want to be ready to go when the economic climate and consumer demand shift. The election was holding folks back as many were concerned a Harris/Waltz leadership would be bad for the economy and inflation. Regardless of your personal political beliefs, there is excitement for a better economy and future with the Trump presidency.”
Indeed, real estate brokers are cautiously optimistic about 2025, particularly now that the election is behind us.
Randy Hendrickson, a broker with The Intrepid Group in Houston, Texas, said his business has picked up since the election.
“The market slowed down considerably in 2024, and many investors were sitting on the sidelines waiting, among other things, to see what the outcome of the election would be,” he noted. “Since the election, our phones have been extremely active and, in conjunction with the recent drop in interest rates, that’s adding more fuel. It does not mean that valuations of parks on the market have changed, however. Rather, investors are still underwriting conservatively. We are seeing an increased volume of calls from owners who are looking to sell now, so the drought (in sales) may be correcting.”
On another positive note, Cook said the private park industry continues to attract new investors from other industries.
“A lot of folks see the potential to consolidate and still see it as an inefficient industry with room to improve,” he said. “But they’re being very cautious and they’re not rushing in.”
Jayne Cohen
O’Brien, for his part, said caution is a good thing in today’s market environment.
“One must tread cautiously forward on a project-by-project basis,” he said. “Demand continues to be strong and rental rates have increased. But we’re coming off a highly inflationary period. We have to be cautious as to future rental rate growth, and especially cautious in developing in light of higher inflationary costs, higher interest rates, higher cap rates, and putting the slow button on rental rate increases.”
Pine also expects the transaction volume to pick up in 2025 compared to 2024.
“Sunbelt states continue to be popular for investors and campers alike,” he said, adding, “Increased financing options for buyers, along with stabilized interest rates, will help more buyers to transact next year,” he explained. “Private equity-backed buyers will also represent a larger contingent of the overall marketplace. There will be a portion of owners who want to exit for some of the same reasons as always — age, need to move, lifestyle changes, investment sales — but there will likely also be an increase of sales due to strained financial pressures. Some parks will also need to be refinanced this year which may make continued ownership implausible.”
Sheedy, for his part, doesn’t anticipate any significant improvement in the market anytime soon.
“I don’t expect transaction volume or pricing to improve until there’s more stability with treasuries, which drive borrowing rates. Pricing, I don’t think, will be dramatically different for at least four to five more years than it is today.,” he said, adding, “There’s basically no bid for parks or campgrounds that are in soft markets.”
Russell Baehre
Russell Baehre, of Baehre Real Estate in Kerrville, Texas, has his own sobering assessment of market conditions as he looks into the future.
“The market is 2008 slow,” he said, “(first in) anticipation of the election, and now (in) anticipation of what is to come in 2025. Plus, (having) about 9% commercial interest rates has most buyers and builders stalled. Also, sellers of good parks know when rates go down their park will be worth more. I was looking and, just in Texas, I counted over 200 parks for sale. Some have been on the market for 365 to 600 days. Most we would never list.”
Baehre also complained that inexperienced brokers “new to the outdoor hospitality industry have listed parks and overpriced them.
“I think the economy is worse than the Fed thinks,” he said. “We already know employment numbers are tainted. So, one way or another, rates will come down in 2025.”
BRANSON, Mo. – More than 500 people representing nearly 200 campgrounds in close to 40 states and Canada attended the fourth annual Campground Owners Expo (COE) Dec. 4-7 in Branson, Mo., making it the largest and best attended COE event yet.
“I think this year, especially, the positive vibe was so strong, and powerful. That’s something you cannot get from every association, group or club you belong to. It’s a feeling that can’t be measured with a success stick,” said COE organizer Lori Severson, who also serves as executive director of the Wisconsin Association of Campground Owners (WACO)
While Larry Helms of the Missouri Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (MOARC) and Bud Styer of WACO provided the initial inspiration for having COE in Branson, Severson said the convention has gained momentum and support over the years from other state campground association executives who see value in providing education and support for parks across the country, including parks in states that do not have their own campground associations.
Held annually at the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, this year’s COE included more than 50 educational seminars and cracker barrel discussions. The RV Women’s Alliance and the RV Technical Institute also partnered with COE to provide Level 1 RV technician training for women. The convention also included a tradeshow with 150 booths and nearly 120 vendors, as well as numerous networking and social activities.
Several first-time COE attendees said they were pleased not only with the educational content, but the contacts they made and the overall vibe of the event, including Jeff and Amanda Stoy of Double Nickel Campground in Waco, Neb., who sent Woodall’s Campground Magazine an email with their perspectives on the convention.
“This was our first time going to COE. We have been to other conferences and sometimes feel like they are geared towards new park owners or towards larger parks. This was not the case at all with COE,” the Stoys wrote, adding, “We feel like we have gotten a lot of new ideas for our park. We are a family business and it was so great that we were able to bring our two boys and have them participate and learn more about the industry. Everyone at COE was so down to earth, welcoming, and helpful. We are so glad to be part of this community now!”
Jon Thatcher, who recently acquired Shady Oaks Family Campground in Newmanstown, N.Y., near Plattsburgh, said the conference was worthwhile on multiple levels. “The sessions gave me invaluable insights into different aspects of the business and industry, and I learned a ton from other campground owners,” he said, adding, “I will definitely be back in the future and will be bringing other members of our team.”
“Last year when we attended, we were not park owners,” she said. “We closed our first park two weeks later. I can tell you the information and relationships we make attending COE are invaluable. We learn so much in each session that we try to bring a team to hit every class. And the information and knowledge you learn from fellow campground owners has helped us so much in installing and implementing systems, increasing business and streamlining each of our parks, making them give us higher returns and happier employees. We cannot express how much this event helps us and our team, from new ideas to helping us clear the smog of a busy year and giving us a refreshed outlook for the new year!”
Steve Saint, who co-owns and operates Fort Welikeit Campground in Custer, S.D., said this was his third time attending COE, and he continues to gain insights and connections each time he attends. “The networking is phenomenal,” he said. “Over the past three years, I have made contacts and friends who have shown how outstanding the industry is. I know I can reach out to anyone for advice, and I know I will get it. What other industry does this happen in? To me, this is worth it alone. COE Is the best conference going on.”
COE’s educational sessions covered a variety of topics, including:
— Adapting to Market Shifts: How You Can Attract New Generations of Travelers with Sustainable 3d Printed Tiny Homes, by Gene Eidelman of Azure Printed Homes in Gardena, Calif.
— Complaints Are Gifts: Turning Feedback into Loyalty, by Mark Maynard of Maynard Consulting.
— Recovering from Disaster, by Danielle Lee of Holiday Hills Resort in Eddyville, Ky., who talked about how her park was damaged by a tornado in 2021 and how she recovered.
COE also included cracker barrel discussions on a variety of topics, including issues affecting small parks, moderated by Mary Arlington, a former Kansas park owner who is currently executive director of Rivers and Rockies Outdoor Lodging Coalition (RROLC), which represents campgrounds in several Midwestern states. Kelly Jones, vice president of operations for Houston-based Great Escapes RV Resorts, moderated a cracker barrel discussion involving large parks, while Sarah Krause, a WACO board member who manages several Wisconsin campgrounds, moderated a discussion on park activities and events. COE entertainment included a delicious all-you-can-eat buffet lunch at Grand Country Buffet followed by a Christmas-themed comedy show at Grand Country Music Hall. The show was immediately followed by an exclusive question and answer session for COE attendees with several Music Hall managers, who talked about their demanding show schedules and the difficulties of recruiting, hiring and retaining good employees — all of which resonated with park owners who struggle to recruit and retain talented people to help run their businesses.
COE also encouraged attendees to participate in its annual charity auction and donated proceeds from the event to a relief fund for Ben Quiggle, WCM’s managing editor, whose home was destroyed by a fire over Thanksgiving weekend. “This was the largest charity auction yet, at $9,040,” Severson said, adding, “We donated the rest to make it an even 10K! COE donated all the fee’s and expenses, so everyone who donated was able to give that money directly to Ben’s family.”
Betsy Allen-Manning, the keynote speaker at Camp Jellystone’s annual Symposium, challenged Jellystone Park operators on Wednesday (Nov. 13) to take a close look at the work “culture” they create at their parks because it has a direct impact on their ability to attract and retain talented employees.
“Care about everyone and everything. A leader’s character is contagious,” she said, adding that it’s important for the leaders of each park to “invest in yourself to be the best you can be. … Develop yourself so that you can develop others.”
Allen-Manning is an internationally known leadership speaker, best-selling author, and company culture expert. Her specialty is helping leaders attract, engage and retain the best talent in a hyper-competitive marketplace. Her company, Destination Workplace, is one of the top leadership training companies in the Dallas area. Camp Jellystone invited her to be its keynote speaker because of the challenges park operators always face in attracting and retaining talented employees.
Often it is managers themselves who need training, Allen-Manning said, noting that most people could stand to improve their communication skills, their coaching skills, their time management skills and even their ability to delegate tasks effectively or simply manage change.
Allen-Manning cited Jellystone Park’s “core values” of committing to be the best in the industry, employee empowerment and team accountability as being noteworthy. But turning these values into reality requires more than writing them down.
“Ask (your employees), ‘What does it look like to share these core values in your role?’” she said.
In other words, in what specific ways can each employee apply a park’s core values to the work they do each day?
Equally important, Allen-Manning said, is recognizing the efforts employees are making to do good work.
‘Make appreciation part of your culture,” she said.
Allen-Manning even suggested having employees fill out an employee recognition questionnaire, which asks them about their favorite retail store, favorite coffee or tea, party spot and other favorite things because this information can help guide park operators when it comes time to reward their employees with gifts that recognize their efforts in a personal, meaningful way.
It’s not enough and may not even be appropriate, she added, to simply give out Starbucks gifts as small tokens for jobs well done, particularly when another type of gift could be a much more effective way to get the employee’s attention in a positive way.
Such efforts to recognize employees for jobs well done are important, Allen-Manning said, because “people will repeat what they are recognized for.”
Today’s younger employees also have different objectives when it comes to deciding where they want to work.
“People are no longer seeking to work ‘just’ for a paycheck,” she said.”They work to work at a ‘destination workplace.’”
A “destination workplace,” she added, is a place where employees feel valued, engaged and eager to contribute to the company’s long-term success. Jellystone Park locations that do a good job of attracting and retaining employees should market their efforts by sharing their employee reviews online because this is valuable information that can help with recruitment efforts, she said.
Allen-Manning also held a second keynote address later in the day that focused on how to resolve conflicts by understanding different personality types.
Camp Jellystone’s three-day Symposium concluded Wednesday night with the annual awards banquet, music and dancing.
The event took place at the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, Tenn.
Damage from Hurricane Helene has forced the closure of 16 campgrounds – numbers are changing daily as parks reopen – in the mountains of western North Carolina, according to Dee Witting, executive director of the Carolinas Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (CARVC).
But even though two thirds of CARVC’s mountain campgrounds remain open, tourists have been avoiding the area, dealing North Carolina’s entire mountain region a devastating economic blow during the peak of the fall foliage season.
“This is the height of the fall foliage season and people are not traveling anywhere to the western North Carolina mountains,” Witting said, noting that the mountains are famed not only for their striking fall colors, but their popular fall festivals and fun family activities, such as apple picking.
“We were fully booked for October. It was going to be a great October,” said Marla Snead, who co-owns and operates Linville Falls Campground with her husband, Kenny. Situated at an elevation of 3,500 feet, their park is just one quarter mile away from Mile Marker 317 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is famous for its fall foliage.
But Helene toppled somewhere “between 88 and 100 trees” across the campground, including pines, oaks, tulip trees, hickories and maples, Snead said. The fallen trees not only blocked roadways and campsites, but damaged some of the park’s cabins, the park office and bathhouse. The park’s pavilion was also destroyed during the storm.
“The ground was so soaked that it loosened the roots. In some of the fallen trees, the root ball came up, while others broke with the wind,” Snead said, noting that many trees that are now leaning into other trees will have to be taken down for safety reasons.
When WCM caught up with the Sneads on Monday, their power had just been restored. “We went 17 days without electricity,” Snead said. “We got our Internet back with the (restoration of power). But we still don’t have landline phone service.”
The Sneads survived the preceding 17 days by relying on their 7,500-watt generator, which provided enough power to run their refrigerator and TV. But because the Sneads rely on well water, the loss of power also shut down their well pump. “The worst thing was having to carry water to flush the toilet,” Snead said.
While Linville Falls Campground had planned to remain open until Nov. 11, the Sneads decided to keep their park closed after Helene because they didn’t know how long it would take to find tree trimmers and other crews to help them clean up and reopen. They had tree trimmers working at their campground when WCM caught up with them on Monday.
Despite the damage, the Sneads consider themselves fortunate. “Yes, we’ve had all this damage, but our house isn’t damaged,” Snead said. “We can rebuild from this and we will reopen as usual in April.”
Many other people across the mountains of western North Carolina suffered far greater losses. “One of my good friends lost her house and her car. So many homes are gone,” Snead said, citing the unprecedented floods that submerged entire communities in the mountain areas of western North Carolina.
“This wasn’t a part of the country where you thought about flood insurance,” Snead said, let alone hurricanes.
Witting said campgrounds in mountain communities in South Carolina also suffered damage as a result of Helene, but their damage was generally light compared to what happened in North Carolina.
“They didn’t have damage (in South Carolina) to the extent that they can’t reopen,” Witting said. “They are pretty much fully operational.”
Several campgrounds that are owned and operated by Spacious Skies Campgrounds, LLC were initially affected by Helene, but all but one have since resumed near-normal operations, according to Ali Rasmussen, the company’s CEO. These include:
• Spacious Skies Bear Den in Spruce Pine, N.C.: This park remains closed as a result of Helene, but restoration efforts are underway. “On all fronts, we feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude that no Cosmic Crew or campers were injured, and that most of the property damage that occurred was ours,” Rasmussen said. “Our small but mighty team has already begun the hard work to restore the campground. Everyone in the area is taking it day by day, but the swift response from relief efforts from the federal and local levels has been very encouraging.”
• Spacious Skies Hidden Creek in Marion, N.C.: Operations at this park are almost back to normal. “Our team has been hosting both relief workers, displaced campers, and our usual October guest population in harmony,” Rasmussen said, adding, “On their off time, many team members have been generously donating their time and efforts to aiding the community.”
• Spacious Skies Peach Haven in Gaffney, S.C.: Operations are almost back to normal at this park. “Several campers have assisted with clean up on their own campsites, which was not necessary but much very much appreciated, and it showcases the warmth and caring of the camping community,” Rasmussen said. “Otherwise, we are welcoming our October campers, as well as actively selling our new winter and summer seasonal packages.”
Meanwhile, Toby O’Rourke, president and CEO of Billings, Mont.-based Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA), the Asheville East KOA Holiday and Jonesborough / Cherokee NF KOA Journey will remain closed for the foreseeable future. “We are working closely with our campground owners, managers, and local emergency service agencies to provide support and resources as they navigate the recovery process during this time,” O’Rourke said.
Witting said CARVC is monitoring relief efforts across the Carolinas and is working with its lobbyists and OHI to identify funding sources that can help private parks that suffered damage as a result of Helene.
Pat O’Neill, left, and his wife, Heather, center, with their children on a recent camping trip. (Courtesy photos)
While the Southeast has been battered by a succession of hurricanes in recent weeks, RV parks across the region have been taking in evacuees and, in some cases, serving them hot meals.
“Where we are are located in northwest Florida, we experienced no damages whatsoever. We became a haven like many other parks outside the target areas,” O’Neill said. “We filled up for a few days each time and (my wife), Heather, made pots of homemade soups, including Conecuh sausage and bean and bacon/potato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, for the evacuees.”
O’Neill said evacuees have been very appreciative of his park’s hospitality. “It was well received and guests were very grateful to have a safe and friendly place to (seek safe) haven and make new friends. We even saw old friends rekindle to meet up here for a respite.”
Camp Delta RV Park in Stockton, Ala. offered free campsites to hurricane evacuees, according to a report by WKRG, a CBS affiliate in Mobile, Ala. “If they don’t have a place we will fill up the cabins and then if we run out then we’ll go get a bunch of tents. We’ll find somewhere for them. We are not going to leave them where they don’t have a place to stay,” said park owner Luke Carruth.
Maynor Creek Water Park in Wayne County, Miss. and seven other parks managed by Pat Harrison Waterway District were also said to be welcoming Hurricane Milton evacuees from Florida. “Any of those campsites will allow anyone evacuating because of Hurricane Milton with an RV or tent to stay free,” WDAM, the Channel 7 television station in Moselle, Miss., stated in an Oct. 9 report.
“Pat Harrison (Waterway District) wants to do what they can do, and this is what they can do,” Maynor Creek manager Michael Tarver said. “Just like everybody would like to be able to do more, but most people can’t. They’re in trouble down there. They’re heading out, getting away from this monster. And they come all, they come this way, too. Everybody needs help.”
Hoover Met RV Park in Hoover, Ala. also hosted Florida evacuees fleeing Hurricane Milton, according to an Oct. 9 report by WBRC Channel 6 in Birmingham, Ala.
Campground operators and industry officials are still trying to assess the full impact of Hurricane Helene on Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.
Mountain Stream RV Park in Marion, N.C.
What was known as of late Monday was that several campgrounds were destroyed and many others suffered varying levels of damage, including flooding and fallen trees. At least one campground death was reported. Scores of campgrounds in the storm’s path were without power and it was unknown when electricity would be restored or when they could reopen.
“This is the third time in 13 months that the Big Bend of Florida, specifically the Steinhatchee and Cedar Key areas, have received a direct impact, or were on the bad side of the storm,” Bobby Cornwell, executive director and CEO of the Florida RV Park and Campground Association stated in an email to association members on Monday.
“The storm surge and flooding was severe for coastal communities from Sarasota to Panacea. Tampa and Clearwater received bad flooding, and some parks are still under water in certain areas, including Nature’s Resort in Homosassa, which had significant flooding. Power outages are sporadic, but power is being restored quickly in most areas.”
What was particularly unusual about Hurricane Helene was the amount of damage the storm inflicted after it hit the Florida coast and headed northward across Georgia and into the Carolinas.
“It’s devastating,” said Dee Witting, executive director of the Carolinas Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, noting that search and rescue teams were still scouring mountain communities across the region late Monday.
Unlike typical hurricanes, which unleash their most significant damage when they first hit the coast, the remnants of Hurricane Helene brought as much as 30 inches of rain to the mountains of Carolinas after rampaging across northern Florida and Georgia, creating levels of flooding that had never been experienced so far inland before. Witting said many campground operators in mountain areas remain cut off from civilization late Monday, unable to travel roadways that have been blocked by landslides, fallen trees, floodwaters or other damage from the storm.
Mountain Stream RV Park in Marion, N.C. announced on its Facebook page that the park had been totally destroyed. Witting said many parks have been affected by falling trees which blocked roads, damaged cabins and created other property damage.
“Most campgrounds are still without power. Many are without water,” Witting said, adding that she was working with CARVC’s lobbyists to ensure that state officials are aware of the damage suffered by campground and RV park operators and include them in emergency funding requests for recovery efforts.
Witting said she was aware of at least half a dozen campgrounds across the Carolinas that had suffered severe damage and that one person had died as a result of the storm at a campground in South Carolina.
Toby O’Rourke, president and CEO of Billings, Mont.-based Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA), said its franchisees were still assessing the full extent of damage to their parks across Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia late Monday.
“With more than 50 campgrounds in the storm’s path, the effects have varied,” O’Rourke said, adding, “We expect to have a clearer understanding of the overall damage in the coming days. However, we do know that our Asheville East KOA Holiday and Jonesborough / Cherokee NF KOA Journey were among those severely impacted.”
O’Rourke said KOA’s priority is to support its campground owners, operators, staff, and their guests. “As many of our campgrounds in these states continue to assess the full impact of this devastating storm, our thoughts are with everyone affected,” she said. “We are committed to supporting our community and working closely with our campground owners and managers to aid their recovery during this challenging time.” KOA campgrounds that sustained minimal damage—or were unaffected—will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, O’Rourke continued, noting that campers can visit KOA.com for more updates on specific campgrounds.
While many campgrounds suffered significant damage, others got through the storms with relatively minimal impacts, even in Florida. Cornwell noted that most of the affected parks near the storm’s path in Florida will reopen soon.
“The areas of Perry and Madison, north of where the storm made impact, were hit hard by strong winds, but most of the parks in Madison came out ok. The Madison RV and Golf Resort is open, the Station RV Resort is open, and Ragan’s Family Campground is expected to re-open on October 6,” Cornwell said.
Some companies with campgrounds or RV parks near the storm’s path said their parks were recovering quickly.
Five campgrounds in the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee that belong to Spacious Skies Campgrounds, LLC were affected by the storm, but all of them were expected to reopen soon, according to Ali Rasmussen, the company’s CEO.
Affected campgrounds include:— Spacious Skies Bear Den in Spruce Pine, N.C.: The park is currently closed while area and property clean up continues.— Spacious Skies Hidden Creek in Marion, N.C.: This park is currently without power and water, but expects utilities to be back up within a week to 10 days. However, this park is accepting campers on a boondocking basis who have been displaced by the storm or are working in relief efforts.
— Spacious Skies Peach Haven in Gaffney, S.C.: This park is currently without power and water, but expects those services to be back up within a week to 10 days. This park is also accepting campers on a boondocking basis who have been displaced by the storm or are working in relief efforts.
Spacious Skies Savannah Oaks in Savannah, Ga. and Spacious Skies Belle Ridge in Monterey, Tenn. had minor impacts, but both campgrounds are open and welcoming guests as clean-up continues, Rasmussen said. “Our priority continues to be the safety of our staff and guests. We are also doing whatever we can to support local clean-up efforts. We will likely have more to report in the coming days,” she said.
Parks that were an hour’s drive or more away from the storm’s path still experienced significant storm impacts, but they were much better able to bounce back after the storm.
Ho-Hum RV park in Carabelle, Fla. was about 60 miles west of Hurricane Helene when it made landfall. While the park sustained minor flooding, there was no lasting damage to the infrastructure at the park, which was able to reopen Sunday, Sept. 29, according to Scott Cleveland, marketing and market research manager for USA Camping Company, which owns and operates a dozen parks in 11 states. “The area was hit and lost power and cable, but overall the area is looking good,” Cleveland said, adding, “All beaches, restaurants, and local businesses are all open within a two-hour radius, including Apalachicola and Saint George Island.”
Advanced Outdoor Management (AOM), which manages RV parks across 23 states, also had a park affected by the storm. “Our South Carolina park, Lake Hartwell, got hit. They were out of power and WiFI for seven hours. They have trees down, but no major flooding, thankfully,” said Rachel Godbout, AOM’s chief operating officer.
Woodall’s Campground Magazine reached out to several other companies that have campgrounds and/or RV parks in the Southeast, including Equity LifeStyle Properties, Sun Communications and Camp Jellystone, but none had information they were ready to share as of late Monday.
