Family-owned and operated campgrounds have been around to welcome them with friendly smiles and a personal touch. Many independently owned and operated campgrounds have been run by the same family for generations while others have been purchased or developed by husband and wife teams and families with children who work together to create unique experiences and memories for their guests.
Here’s a sampling of several family-owned campgrounds and RV parks located in popular vacation destinations across the South:
Family-Owned Campgrounds in the South
1. Auburn RV Park and Resort Pools in Auburn, Alabama: The Sparrow family acquired this park in 2011 and has continued to make improvements, the latest of which are the renovation of two huge swimming pools and a lazy river. The park has a deep beach-entry “Ocean Pool”, while its “Lagoon Pool" is much shallower and kid-friendly. This makes it attractive for young children as well as adults who like to sit in shallow water on Adirondack chairs and read a book.
Thomas Sparrow runs the park with the help of his parents, Tom and Emily. The 140-site park is a popular base camp for football fans who take the park’s free shuttle to watch the games at Jordan-Hare Stadium at Auburn University.
2. Boyd's Campground in Key West, Florida: This park, the southernmost campground in the U.S., was established by two Canadian immigrants, Boyd and Elsie Hamilton, in 1963. Three generations of the Boyd family have since been involved in running the campground, which offers waterfront campsites as well as a swimming pool, a tiki hut, a game room, a boat ramp, as well as kayak and paddleboard rentals.
3. Homestead RV Community in Theodore, Alabama: Ed and Monica Bridgman own and operate this park, which opened in May 2021. The park features a saltwater swimming pool, pickleball courts, and high-speed Internet service, among other amenities. Ed attributes his park’s success to his wife, Monica, who gave up her own business to work with him at the park. “She is the hardest worker and most honest person I have ever had the privilege to know, (much) less marry,” he said.
4. Fisherman's Cove RV Resort in Palmetto, Florida: Rob Smith has owned and operated this park with his daughter, Amber, and son-in-law, John Peter Winkler, since 2018. Fisherman’s Cove features RV paver super sites and an expansive array of amenities, including a waterfront pool, fire pit, tiki hut, BBQ kitchen, outdoor pavilion, a bayside putting green, and a pickleball court. A large clubhouse includes a kitchen, a well-stocked game room, a full fitness center, and a spectacular view of the Terra Ceia Bay. Complimentary kayaks and paddleboards are also available. Fisherman’s Cove is next to Terra Ceia Preserve State Park.
5. Hatch RV Park in Corpus Christi, Texas: This family-owned park celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2023, making it one of the oldest RV parks in Texas. The park was established in 1933 as Hatch Trailer Park on land that had been in Bettye McLaughlin’s family since the Civil War. By the 1950s and 60s, the property became a mobile home park and was renamed Hatch Mobile Home Park before eventually becoming Hatch MH & RV Park.
Current park owner Cheryl McLaughlin has continued to make improvements to the park. Amenities include a 36,000-gallon swimming pool and spa, pull-through RV sites, restroom and shower buildings, and a park store. The park is popular with Winter Texans. Nearby attractions include the USS Lexington Museum, Padre Island National Seashore, and the Texas State Aquarium.
6. The Pines RV & Cabin Village in Bolivia, North Carolina: Bryan Judge came up with the idea of building this campground after taking a six-month, cross-country RV trip with his wife, Jesse, and his parents, Joe and Theresa Judge. They opened the park with 30 campsites and eight cabins in the fall of 2023 and continue to run the park as a family business. Bryan Judge’s two sisters, Heather and Kelly, also help with the campground along with their spouses, Charlie and Joe. Park amenities include a swimming pool, a jumping pad, gem and fossil mining, and hiking trails. Nearby attractions for hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking include Brunswick Nature Park.
7. Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Asheboro, North Carolina: Kent Emirbayer and his wife, Jane, built this Jellystone Park from the ground up, opening the park in 2016 with 16 campsites. They have since expanded the park to more than 100 full-hookup RV sites and run the business with their four children. The park complements its organized family activities with Yogi Bear with a jumping pillow, laser tag, a bubble foam cannon, gagaball, and carpetball. The campground is only five miles from the North Carolina Zoo, which was named the best zoo in the nation in 2024 and 2025.
8. Merry Meadows Recreation Farm in Freeland, Maryland: Clyde Meadows began construction of this campground on his family’s land in 1970. However, his family has traced their ownership of their land back nine generations to 1793. The family still has the original goatskin deed to the property. The campground offers RV and tent sites and rental cabins as well as a variety of amenities and activities, including a swimming pool, miniature golf, pickleball courts, a mechanical bull, crazy bikes, a jump pad, and a giant swing. This campground is about an hour away from major attractions in Pennsylvania, including Gettysburg National Military Park, Hershey's Chocolate World, and the Pennsylvania Dutch Country.
9. Ocean Lakes Family Campground in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Mary Emily and Nelson Jackson built this beachfront campground in 1970 along with their five daughters. The park opened on July 2, 1971, with 30 campsites and one bathhouse. Today, Ocean Lakes is still owned and operated by the Jackson family, and the park has grown to become one of the largest RV resorts in the country, with 859 campsites and 2,569 annual lease sites on 310 oceanfront acres with nearly one mile of beachfront.
The resort complements its beachfront RV and tent sites with more than 300 rental accommodations, including one- and two-story beach houses on stilts that sleep up to 20 guests. Summer activities include family ceramics classes, tie dye, scavenger hunts, fishing tournaments in the surf for all ages, as well as miniature golf tournaments for adults and children. The campground also has an on-site Nature Center Discovery Lab.
10. Twin Lakes Camp Resort in DeFuniak Springs, Florida: In 2014, Pat and Heather O’Neill purchased Twin Lakes Camp Resort, a fixer-upper campground, and literally put their children in charge of transforming the park into a top-shelf RV and glamping resort. The park offers 550 acres of water and 3,500 linear feet of waterfront on King Lake and Holley Lakes with 12 docks. The park currently has 65 full-hookup RV sites, 3 of which are “Buddy Sites.” For travelers without an RV, the resort offers five luxury cabin suites, nine fully furnished glamping tents, three tiny homes, and two lake houses for larger groups. Park amenities include pontoon and kayak rentals, a solar-heated swimming pool, an activity center, and an onsite boutique store.
Final Thoughts
RVers who stay at family-owned and operated campgrounds across the South have an opportunity to support family-owned businesses. They also enjoy the continuity that comes with being welcomed by the same people year after year, who work to make their RVing adventures something they’ll always remember.
