b'tor of the Carolinas seenajumpin Texas,accordingtoAssociationofRV Schaeffer, is the increasing demand forParksandCamp- monthly sites. grounds (CARVC). Its for all different kinds of rea-They are tired right sons, he explained. There are peoplenow, because it has that are buying or building houses andbeensuchasuc- so they need some time, a place to stay,Dee Witting cessful season. and the RV becomes that outlet. TheKathyDyer,ex- oil and gas industries are also strongecutive director of the Maine Camp- hereandthathasbeenattractinggroundOwnersAssociation workers. We are also seeing hospital(MECOA), said that its member parks workers and university students thathave noticed more midweek traffic as arelookingforplacestostay.Thatcampers look for ways to enjoy more seems to be a big driver of the markettime camping.right now, too.OurMaineparkshavebeenex- In the Carolinas, Witting said thattremelybusynotonlyonthose she is noticing a similar trend, with ex-Thursday-through- tended-stay sites hard to come by. Sundaystays,but Campersarereallystrugglingtomidweekhasbeen findextended-staysitesatthemo-fullaswell,said ment, she noted. There is a lot ofDyer,addingthat construction and other things goingtraffic on the Maine on that is attracting workers and parksTurnpikehasbeen are filled up.Kathy Dyer at an all-time high. Owners are also finding ways to ex-Campground tend their seasons, she added, withbusiness levels in Maine have been in- many staying open later into the fall. Owners reported to state association leaders that they noticed more midweek traffic in 2019.creasing along with other segments of Withthefallfoliagewehaveinthe tourism business for several years. Ohio and the Halloween activities that ers have continued to invest in accom- working out so well for them is thatOvernight summer and fall visita- arebecomingincreasinglypopular, modationunitsattheirparks,and youve got the young Millennials thattionhaveconsistentlygrownyear- many of our owners stay busy well into many of the association leaders that will come and bring their tent or theirWCM spoke with said that trend con- van conversion. Then youve got theirtinued in 2019.parents that are maybe in the RV, butWedefinitelyhaveseenanin- youve also got grandparents that nocrease in owners adding park model longer can drive an RV and they endRVs or cabins to reach a broader audi- up in a cabin, so it supports all gener-ence, noted Sheffer. They appeal to ations.people who may not have the means Everyonecanbecomfortable,to purchase an RV, or a vehicle to tow which is one of the reasons that own-it, but it still gives them an opportunity ers found they can host bigger groupsto experience camping. when theyve got more types of ac-InCalifornia,Kelleysaidthat commodations, Kelley added. glamping was exploding, with owners Smith said that Ohio campgroundcontinually adding more options for owners are always looking to invest incampers.accommodation units. Some of them are going beyond They are putting in yurts or morejust the park model RVs and looking at cabins and park model RVs, she ex-yurts, covered wagons, tipis, and other plained. They are also finding morethings like that, she explained. One ways to add amenities to RV sites asCampground owners are finding ways to stay open later into the season by offering of the reasons why they are saying it is well.WCMHalloween-themed weekends and other activities.over-yearsince2014,Dyersaid. October, said Smith. Despite the continued unfavorable At many Jellystone Parks, Hershen- Hurricane Dorian Leaves Most Parks Unscathedexchangerate,Canadianvisitation son said that many parks begin theirhasnt dropped significantly through annual Halloween celebrations early Residents were evacuated as Hurricane hitparks,asthe last five years. New England states, in September, which really helps drive Dorian approached the eastern seaboard. cleanupeffortsMid-Atlantic states and Canada are the traffic after kids return to school.were still ongoingthreelargestovernightdrawsfor Itisalmostlikeasecondmini inmid-Septem-Maine. summerforourowners,heex- berafterator-Joann DelVescio, executive director plained.Wehavemoreandmore nadocreatedbyof the New Jersey Campground Own- parks each year that are adding new Dorianrippeders Association (NJCOA), told WCM weekendsto the point that I think a through the parkthatcampground good number, maybe even a majority, overturningRVs,owners in the state nowoffersixHalloweenweekends accordingtothewere happy with the startinginSeptember.Someofthe CarteretCountynumber of Canadi- parks even started in August and it News-Times. ans that visited their drives attention and demand. Wittingnotedparks,despitethe Bill Sheffer, executive director of that she had beenunfavorableex- the Michigan Association of Recre- in contact with aJoann DelVescio changerateatthe ation Vehicles and numberofparkmoment.Ca m p g ro u n d s Making landfall in the Bahamas as owners and that everyone she spokeOur campground owners also re- (MARVAC),said a Category 5 hurricane, Dorian turned with was already back in operationported seeing strong midweek camp- owners in the state out toward the Atlantic just beforeafter evacuation orders were lifted. ing, she explained.havealottooffer impacting the shores of Florida and In Canada, officials at the PrinceIn Texas, which is gearing up for a throughoutthe hit Cape Hatteras, N.C., as a Category Edward Island National Park closedbusy snowbird season, Brian Schaef- month of October. 1 storm in early September, according Cavendish Campground for the sea-fer, executive director of the Texas As- Kidswilldress Bill Sheffer to the National Weather Service.son, according to CBC, after DoriansociationofCampgroundOwners upandtrick-or- Projectedatfirsttobeamajor uprooted dozens of trees. (TACO),saidthat treat,andthefoliageisabsolutely storm, quite a few parks dodged dam- TheNationalAssociationofRVsomeownershave beautiful this time of year as it changes age from Dorian in the Carolinas, ac- ParksandCampgrounds (ARVC)mentionedthings colors, he said. We also have a lot of cordingtoDeeWitting,executive continues to offer support to parkwere a little flat this campers that like to visit parks this director of the Carolinas Association owners impacted by Dorian throughsummer,butthat time of year because it is easier to se- ofRVParksandCampgrounds the ARVC Foundations Disaster Re-owners are still in a lect the site they want.(CARVC).lief Fund. Go to www.arvc.org if youmuchbetterplace The Boardwalk RV Park in Emer- would like to learn more about thethan five years ago. Owners Still Investing in Parks ald Isle, N.C., was one of the hardest- fund or donate. WCMBrian Schaeffer One trend that has Throughout the past few years own-28 -October 2019Woodalls Campground Management'