Daren and Lorraine Carlson plan to celebrate the Grand Opening of the Hocking Hills Jellystone Park location in Ohio from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 18.
“We’re inviting the community to come check us out and to meet Yogi Bear,” said Lorraine Carlson, adding that the day’s activities will include face painting, kayaking, fishing and swimming in the park’s man-made lake. The event will also include food catered by Kaiser’s BBQ. “We’ll have day pass giveaways and overnight camping giveaways throughout the day, which are good for both campsites and cabins.”
The Carlsons have owned and operated the Happy Hills Campground for 14 years, but have been making improvements in recent years in preparation to join the Jellystone Park franchise network.
“Last year, we added a gem mine and a gaga ball pit and water features, all in preparation for becoming a Jellystone Park location,” Carlson said.
This was in addition to renovating the park’s bathhouse, adding laundry facilities and expanding the camp store. This was after the Carlsons had spent the past decade improving and expanding their campground.
“This campground had 63 sites when we took over. Now, we’re up to 105,” Carlson said. “We started with one cabin, then we added three more, and we have plans to add more.”
The Carlsons also cleaned up their three-and-a-half-acre man-made lake and made it a focal point of the campground for swimming. Boats and kayaks are also provided for guest use.
The Hocking Hills Jellystone Park is the fifth Jellystone Park location in Ohio, with others being located in Big Prairie, Mt. Gilead, Nova and Uniontown.
