The Garcia family, owners of Jellystone Park campground in Marion, North Carolina, have been recognized with the Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Jellystone Park franchise system. The award recognizes Camp-Resorts that show a strong growth in business over the prior year. It was presented in Cincinnati at the annual meeting of the Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort group.
The Garcia family purchased the park in 2007 – the culmination of a longstanding dream. “My parents both enjoyed successful hotel careers with prominent brands, including Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis. Even with free nights at these swanky hotels, we camped everywhere we went,” said owner Alex Garcia Jr., who manages the park with his dad, Alex Sr., mom Lisa and brother Chris. “It was my parents’ goal to get our family to embrace and appreciate Mother Nature. Our family dream was to open our own campground. When we grew up and moved away, we became wrapped up in our own lives and missed our great memories together, so we started talking and decided to purchase the campground to help other families establish memories of their own.”
Garcia continued, “We made so many memories through camping and we still cherish those memories today. We work to make Jellystone Park Marion a place where families create lifetime memories of their own.”
This North Carolina campground, visited by more than 40,000 guests in 2012, is nestled at the base of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The 64-acre park boasts 80 full hook-up RV sites; pop-up and tent sites; and cozy North Carolina cabins overlooking a five-acre lake. In warm weather, guests can enjoy paddleboats, canoes and kayaks on the water, and then relax with 18 holes of miniature golf onsite. A 300-foot waterslide, junior Olympic pool and kiddie pool help beat the summer heat, while fishing, crafts, bag toss, dances, swimming, s’more roasts, volleyball, bingo, and movies under the stars at the amphitheater ensure the entire family enjoys their stay. The park is also a great home base for exploring the North Carolina mountains, with an easy drive to Chimney Rock, Grandfather Mountain and Linville Caverns.
Themed weekends for the 2013 season begin March 15-17 with Wake Up the Bears with a Lucky Twist weekend, a combination welcome back to Yogi Bear™ and St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Through the spring, summer and fall, there will be themed activities every weekend. Examples include Junior Ranger Weekend, when kids can learn about conservation and preserving our environment; Surfin’ Safari Week; and Hollywood Superstar Week.
The Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Marion, NC is located at 1210 Deacon Drive Marion, NC and opens March 15 for the 2013 camping season. Check them out if you are camping in North Carolina!
