The Slow Slide From “Boutique” to “Run Down”

The Slow Slide From “Boutique” to “Run Down”

Five years ago, Joanna and I bought a rundown roadside motel in the Pocono Mountains. We lived there for a year while renovating it ourselves. Every room, every wall, every detail. When we finally opened The Rex Hotel, it worked. Today the property does around...
Winter Doesn’t Break Campgrounds. Bad Decisions Do.

Winter Doesn’t Break Campgrounds. Bad Decisions Do.

Last weekend’s blizzard dumped nearly 30 inches of snow on our campground in Promised Land. It immediately took me back to earlier this winter, when I spent a full day on the property during the first real snow of our first winter being open, with guests staying at...
A Real Campground’s Decision to Expand with Glamping

A Real Campground’s Decision to Expand with Glamping

A few months ago I flew down to Tennessee to walk a 25-acre campground Michelle and Ryan bought for $575,000. It sits against the Cherokee National Forest, near whitewater rafting, and within driving distance of Atlanta. It’s gorgeous. And they are building a...
Why Our New Camp Store Matters More Than You Think

Why Our New Camp Store Matters More Than You Think

  When people saw the prefabricated camp store show up on a truck last year, most assumed it was just a new building on the property.   This week’s YouTube video shows what actually happened behind the scenes. Not just the chaos of taking delivery on a...