The National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (ARVC) recently recognized the “best of the best” in the outdoor hospitality industry at its annual Awards of Excellence, held on November 9 at the 2022 Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo (OHCE) in Orlando, Florida. The afternoon began with recognition of the Plan-It Green Parks of the Year, an award given to National ARVC member-parks that exemplify environmentally-friendly practices across all areas of park operations. 

"Over 785 Acres of Peace and Relaxation” is exactly what this Lakeland, Fla. campground offers its guests. Containing more than 500 full hookup sites, this pet-friendly resort offers easy access to the Central Florida’s top attractions as well as the award-winning beaches of the Gulf Coast, but guests don’t ever have to leave the campground to find plenty to do.

Built on the site of a former bird sanctuary in Kissimmee, Fla., Johnston Springs RV Campground is set on over 50 acres that include two large, stocked ponds for catch and release fishing, fire pits ideal for sharing ghost stories and a new BBQ pavilion. The campground offers a choice of full-service sites, partial service sites and primitive camping sites.

We get it. You're busy. You don’t have time to track every new policy, regulation, or potential law that could affect your outdoor hospitality business—but we do. National ARVC’s public affairs team is the gatekeeper, monitoring and protecting the outdoor hospitality industry. We work every day to eliminate burdensome regulations and help drive legislative outcomes that are in your business's best interest. 

After sifting through so many fantastic and deserving nominations, we're proud to announce finalists for the 2022 Awards of Excellence, recognizing the “best of the best” in the outdoor hospitality industry. Winners will be announced at a special luncheon on November 9 at the 2022 Outdoor Hospitality Conference & Expo (OHCE) in Orlando, Florida.

Campers are constantly looking for the next adventure to embark on, and as an outdoor property owner, you want to be their next destination. Getting campers to come back the next time they're in the area is extremely important, hence why customer retention strategies are a significant part of good campground marketing. 

When I think about home, I think about fires in the fireplace. I have incredible memories of time around the fireplace with my family. I am pretty sure that if the climate and family rituals permitted, my dad would have had a fire burning in the fireplace every day of the year.

George Spigener, owner of Stage Stop Campground and the host of an upcoming Takeaway Tour at OHCE2022, enthusiastically promotes what a great location his campground has, but he’s first to admit that he can’t take credit for choosing the site. His parents selected the location when they built the campground 49 years ago and the park has been in the family ever since.

You probably have a lot of avid football fans among your guests, whether they’re college or NFL fans (or both), so the last thing you want to do is to have them make the tough decision: Do we stay home this weekend to watch the game or go camping? The best way to avoid that dilemma is to turn your park into a tailgating heaven. Here are a few ways to do that:

Judy Miller, a campground industry pioneer who was co-executive director of California’s campground industry trade association for more than two decades with her husband, Alvah “Tug” Miller, died on July 9, at home, surrounded by family. She was 84.

Miller died of myelodysplastic syndrome, three years after Tug Miller’s death at the age of 83 on July 23, 2019.