Jellystone Parks is reporting how locations in the Yogi Bear-themed campground network are the camping destination of choice for multiple generations of the same families.
There’s a campground a half mile away from Niki Rider’s house in Ohio, but when it comes to family camping, she’d rather drive two hours to the Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park at Barton Lake in Fremont, Ind., according to the company.
“I’ve been to other campgrounds,” said Rider, noting that she passes half a dozen campgrounds on her way to the Jellystone Park location. “It’s very family oriented and the owners really care about the people who camp there.”
That’s one reason the Rider family has been camping there for 35 years.
“Some of our best memories are there,” said Janet Ebert, whose family has been camping at the first Jellystone Park location, the Door County Jellystone Park in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., since the late 1970s.
“My husband and I started camping there with a pop-up and we eventually got a travel trailer,” said Ebert. “We raised my son and daughter camping there. My daughter even met her future husband there. They have been married for 26 years and their kids camp there, too.”
Ebert’s daughter, Tammy, remembers the day she met her future husband, Dave Tlachac. She was 15 and he was 16.
“He squirted me with a water gun,” she said. “Then we danced at the Saturday evening dance, and we’ve kept in touch ever since.”
Indeed, the Tlachacs now have 26 years of marriage and two children, ages 21 and 15, and they continue to camp at that location.
“We come for the family environment,” she said. “They have activities for every generation. We feel safe there. My children bring their friends with them, so it accommodates all of us.”
Families who just recently discovered the magic of camping at a Jellystone Park include Megan Johnson, who started camping at the Jellystone Park in Tabor City, N.C., soon after her family purchased a camper in December 2017.
“Our first trip was in March to Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park in Tabor City. We actually ended up going back the next weekend,” Johnson said, adding that six out of the seven camping trips her family has taken have all been to the same Jellystone Park location. “Every time we’ve been there, they have amazing activities for the kids.”
Erika Cline and her family have had a similar experience at the Jellystone Park in Luray, Va., which has been their preferred place to camp for the past three years.
“Now that we’ve found it, that’s our ‘go-to’ place,” said Cline. “Honestly, the reason we enjoy going to Luray all the time is the cleanliness of the park and the staff. The staff is fantastic. It’s clean and well maintained, and they give you all the information about activities that are going on during the week. My oldest loves the water slide. My youngest is wheelchair bound, but she can do the hay ride, so she’s not left out. My kids also enjoy the crafts with the tie dye t-shirts.”
