Be the First to Meet the 2025 ‘Campground Revolutionaries’ 3:00 AM (4 hours ago)
Woodall’s Campground Magazine (WCM) readers are getting early access to a special series that is highlighting leaders who are shaping the outdoor hospitality industry’s future.
Campspot is thrilled to introduce its 2025 Campground Revolutionaries — seven standout individuals redefining what it means to lead in outdoor hospitality.
Nominated from among the 2025 Campspot Award-winning parks, these campground professionals are being recognized for their innovation, hands-on leadership, community impact, and unwavering commitment to the guest experience.
WCM readers can explore exclusive interviews and inspiring stories on the just-launched landing page: https://software.campspot.com/campground-revolutionaries/.
Meet the revolutionaries behind some of the industry’s leading parks — from eco-forward campground operations to 24/7 guest support, heartfelt service, and bold plans for the future.
“Thank you for being part of a community that celebrates leadership in the outdoors,” notes the Campspot team. “Get inspired. Be the first to see the future of camping.”
WCM is excited to help promote this series and share these inspiring stories.
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Ill. Campground Assoc. is Represented at Route 66 Summit 2:59 AM (4 hours ago)
Three Illinois Campground Association (ICA) board members and one staff person traveled to Albuquerque, N.M., for the Mother Road Summit, hosted on April 24 & 25 by the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission, according to a press release.
The summit was held ahead of the 100th anniversary of U.S. Route 66 – aka “The Mother Road” – occurring in 2026.
Over 160 attendees from all eight Route 66 states gathered for a full day of programming that included:
- Speakers presenting local and regional centennial planning efforts.
- Collaborative discussions across state lines to align celebration goals.
- Vendor booths with memorabilia and resources.
- Meetings with PBS filmmakers developing a Route 66 documentary.
- Participation from city officials and grassroots organizers.
The ICA representatives attending included:
- BJ Davis, ICA Past President and owner of Rustic Acres Jellystone ParkTM, New Douglas, IL.
- Jeff Bladdick, ICA Secretary and owner of I-55 RV Park, Edwardsville, IL.
- Randy Greenman II, ICA Member Liaison and owner of Double J Campground in Chatham, IL.
- Suzanne Hopkins, Director of Member Services and Communications for ICA.
“This was more than a planning session — it was a celebration of Route 66’s impact on our culture and communities,” said Jeff Bladdick. “The energy and collaboration here show just how special this road still is to so many people.”
According to Suzanne Hopkins, ICA received an invitation to participate in the summit, and board members jumped at the opportunity to learn and network.
“This could be very lucrative for the outdoor hospitality and tourism industries in Illinois,” she noted. “We anticipate the 100th anniversary of Route 66 will bring a wave of travelers from the US and abroad to our state, where the route begins, and our parks want to be ready to connect with them. Being allied with stakeholders from here to California is part of our progressive approach to marketing Illinois camping and benefiting our members.”
BJ Davis believes the route is on the verge of a historic tourism wave.
“Travelers from across the U.S. and around the world are already beginning to plan their journeys along the Mother Road — and it all begins right here in Illinois,” he explained. “Our communities, attractions, and small businesses — especially our campgrounds — are poised to benefit tremendously. Campgrounds offer an authentic, accessible, and family-friendly lodging option that aligns perfectly with the spirit of the road trip revival. With increased visitation, we anticipate a rise in revenue not just for campgrounds, but for local restaurants, gas stations, museums, festivals, and roadside attractions across the state.”
Hopkins, who assists ICA with marketing efforts, was keenly interested in the promotional efforts discussed by representatives from destination marketing organizations in other states.
“I took a lot of notes and photos for inspiration and to ensure our efforts align with branding by other states and organizations,” she said. “This was a terrific event for getting ideas and information, and sharing some of our ideas, too.”
Talk at the summit examined what’s ahead beyond 2026, and Davis is also looking toward the future.
“The centennial is not just a celebration of the past — it’s a strategic opportunity to invest in infrastructure, storytelling, and marketing that can drive sustainable tourism for years to come,” he said. “Illinois has a chance to lead the way in honoring the legacy of Route 66 while building a stronger, more connected tourism economy that uplifts our communities and showcases our state’s heritage to the world.”
Said Bladdick, “As planning ramps up for the centennial in 2026, the Albuquerque summit marked a major milestone in honoring the legacy and future of the Mother Road.”
U.S. Route 66 was established on Nov. 11, 1926, and is one of the original highways in the United States numbered highway system. It is one of the country’s most famous roadways, starting in Chicago, Illinois, and going through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and ending in Santa Monica, California. It covers a total of 2,448 miles. While it is dubbed the Mother Road, other nicknames include Will Rogers Highway and the Main Street of America.
The national kickoff of the Route 66 Centennial Celebration will take place on April 2026 in Springfield, Mo. The event will include a global livestream concert on April 30, commemorating the 1926 telegram that helped name Route 66.
For more information about camping in Illinois, visit www.Illinoisgocamping.com. For more information about the Illinois section of the U.S. Route 66 scenic byway, visit www.illinoisroute66.org.
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Mag: I Sold My $2M Rental Portfolio to Buy a Campground 2:58 AM (4 hours ago)
Editor’s Note: This as-told-to essay, published by Business Insider, is based on a conversation with Shannon Moore, 52, the owner of the Magical Mountain Resorts, a tiny home vacation rental village in Hayesville, N.C. Hayesville is a small town about five hours west of Raleigh and around three hours northeast of Atlanta. The conversations have been edited for length and clarity.
I lived in Florida my whole life. But after I divorced and turned 50, I just got tired of it — call it a midlife crisis.
I had been a real estate agent in Florida for 20 years and built a portfolio of three duplexes and two small homes. But over the years, the cost of insurance and maintaining the rental properties had greatly increased. I started to think, “Maybe it’s time to cash out.”
In 2021, I sold my real estate portfolio for about $2 million. I wanted to use that money to buy a campground or a property with little cabins somewhere in the mountains, like Tennessee or the Carolinas.
That’s when I found a listing on Zillow — a Hayesville, N.C., property. It was 11 and a half acres, and on the market for $290,000. It came with five tiny cabins, a larger house, a pavilion, and 20 RV slots.
All the cabins looked like they would fall. A friend who works in real estate flew to Hayesville to check out the property with me. He was like, “Do not do it.” He said, “This place just needs to be torn down. It’s a shithole.”
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Newly Opened Ore. Park Sees Early Rush Ahead of Summer 2:57 AM (4 hours ago)
Business is picking up at the new Bend RV Resort ahead of the peak summer season, according to the Central Oregon Daily News.
The resort opened in November on Murphy Road and Highway 97. It has space for 176 RVs, and the sites have full hookups. There are also five pickleball courts, a swimming pool, a hot tub, and more.
“We’ve got 75 sites that have firepits like this one. There are 26 that have paw patios. That’s a fenced patio where you can have your dog off-leash on site, you don’t share that with anybody,” general manager George Crowell said.
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20-Acre ‘Indigo Hills RV Park’ in Texas Celebrates Opening 2:56 AM (4 hours ago)
A 20-acre RV park and resort in Magnolia, Texas, is now open, owner Buster Peague confirmed, according to Community Impact.
Indigo Hills RV Park and Resort, a gated private RV park and resort, has 50-foot by 75-foot spaces with concrete pads and asphalt roads, Peague said.
Indigo Hills also has a lodge with a pool table, a poker table and a coffee bar. Peague said a pickleball court is also available for use, with a pool coming soon.
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Fla. Developer Files Plans for 15-Acre ‘Pine Barren RV Park’ 2:55 AM (4 hours ago)
Plans have been filed with Escambia County (Fla.) for a new RV park on Highway 29 just north of Cotton Lake Road, across from the Camp o’ the Pines camp, according to NorthEscambia.com.
The proposal, filed by Heather Cobb of Pensacola, states that a 22-acre plot will be subdivided to allow a single-family home while 15 acres will be zoned commercial for Pine Barren Park.
The current zoning is rural residential.
“The primary goal of the park is preservation of the current habitat and wetlands area to provide an enjoyable and nature-focused RV park. All efforts will be taken to leave the natural state of the land intact,” the proposal states. A road will be constructed around the perimeter of the park with lanes about every fifty feet while removing only a minimum number of trees.
“The RV berths, each capable of housing a 14-foot vehicle, will remain grass and not be paved,” according to the proposal. “There will also be an 800-square-foot office building. The park will be served by a water well, and a septic field will be used for sewage.”
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Campground Part of Ill. Wildlife Park’s $1.5M Expansion Plan 2:54 AM (4 hours ago)
Wildlife Prairie Park in Hanna City, Ill., is planning a $1.5 million expansion highlighted by the construction of a campground with room for 40 RVs on the west side of the park, according to 25News.
Each campsite in the area known as “Parkside” will have concrete pads and individual hook-ups for water, sewer and electrical service. A new swimming beach is part of the plan as well, according to a release.
The Parkside events venue will be renovated to include a kitchenette, bathrooms, showers, laundry, store and recreation space. The attached four-story stone silo will be preserved, the release said.
“We’ve done a lot of research to try to build the best RV campground in the state with features and amenities that will attract more people to our area,” said Roberta English, who is the park’s CEO. “On top of that, we already have a fantastic park with 60 different species of animals, six other lakes for fishing or kayaking, trails to walk, disc golf, mountain biking, bird watching, and educational and fitness classes. We are already a destination.”
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Tariff Turmoil Prompts Cloudy Forecasts for the Year Ahead 2:53 AM (4 hours ago)
Uncertainty continues to hang over the latest round of financial results and forecasts for companies both big and small as they try to navigate a global trade system severely shaken by a shift in U.S. policy, according to an Associated Press report.
Tariffs and the stark shift in policy has also shaken consumer and business confidence. The U.S. economy shrank during the first quarter of the year, its first drop in three years. Consumer spending ramped up in March, likely an effort to get ahead of tariffs, but fell for the entire quarter. Meanwhile, companies have been pulling back on hiring.
Roughly half of the companies in the S&P 500 have reported their latest quarterly financial results, but the focus has been on how they will adjust to tariffs and any change in consumers’ behavior. The focus remains blurry for both companies and investors because of the on-again-off-again nature of President Donald Trump’s policy.
Trump has implemented a range of tariffs on goods from some of the biggest U.S. trading partners and many of those countries have hit back with retaliatory tariffs. At the same time, Trump has pulled back or postponed some tariffs. The situation remains unpredictable and that is problematic for companies trying to plan ahead and investors looking for stability.
Here’s what companies (Caterpillar, Stanley Black & Decker, Newell Brands, Barclays, GSK, Sysco and First Solar) are saying about tariffs and the potential impact …
Click here to read the full Associated Press report.
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AAA: Quiet Week at Pump as Gas Prices Fluctuate Slightly 2:52 AM (4 hours ago)
The national average for a gallon of regular saw few changes over the past week, going up slightly to $3.18, according to a report by the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Even though this is the time of year when we typically see seasonal increases and rising demand, the price of crude oil has been plunging. A couple of factors are at play: economic concerns and the decision by OPEC+ (the group of oil-producing countries) to increase output and add more oil to the market, despite tepid demand. The lower the price of oil, the less drivers pay at the pump. The national average is almost 50 cents less than it was this time last year.
Today’s National Average: $3.186
One Week Ago: $3.171
One Month Ago: $3.201
One Year Ago: $3.662
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased from 9.41 b/d last week to 9.09. Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 229.5 million barrels to 225.5. Gasoline production decreased last week, averaging 9.5 million barrels per day.
Oil Market Dynamics
At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, WTI fell $2.21 to settle at $58.21 a barrel. The EIA reports that crude oil inventories decreased by 2.7 million barrels from the previous week. At 440.4 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 6% below the five-year average for this time of year.
EV Charging
The national average per kilowatt hour of electricity at a public EV charging station stayed the same this past week at 34 cents.
State Stats
Gas
The nation’s top 10 most expensive gasoline markets are California ($4.77), Hawaii ($4.50), Washington ($4.26), Oregon ($3.90), Nevada ($3.84), Alaska ($3.62), Illinois ($3.40), Pennsylvania ($3.35), Idaho ($3.31), and Utah ($3.31).
The nation’s top 10 least expensive gasoline markets are Mississippi ($2.66), Louisiana ($2.73), Tennessee ($2.74), Alabama ($2.76), Texas ($2.76), Arkansas ($2.78), Oklahoma ($2.80), South Carolina ($2.82), Kansas ($2.85), and Missouri ($2.85).
Electric
The nation’s top 10 most expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Hawaii (55 cents), Alaska (47 cents), West Virginia (47 cents), Montana (44 cents), South Carolina (43 cents), Louisiana (43 cents), Tennessee (43 cents), Kentucky (42 cents), Idaho (42 cents), and Georgia (40 cents).
The nation’s top 10 least expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Kansas (22 cents), Missouri (25 cents), Iowa (27 cents), Delaware (27 cents), Nebraska (29 cents), Utah (29 cents), Texas (30 cents), Maryland (30 cents), Vermont (30 cents), and North Carolina (31 cents).
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Matt Whitermore on Passion for the Industry & New Ventures 2:51 AM (4 hours ago)
WCM’s Park Update catches up with Matt Whitermore, managing partner of Soma Hospitality, to learn more about his philosophy and approach when it comes to operating in the outdoor hospitality space.
With a background in acquiring and operating hospitality locations, Whitermore offers a unique perspective on the industry at large and why right now is a great time to invest in the outdoors.
To learn more about Soma Hospitality, click here.
The show is hosted by Ben Quiggle, editor of Woodall’s Campground Magazine, and Mike Gast, president of the `Imi Ola Group.
To catch up on previous episodes, click here.
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