Camping Lakeview RV Park in East Tennessee
Camp Tennessee: I’m talking with Worley today. He’s the Owner at Lakeview RV Park in Tennessee. Worley, why don’t you get us started by giving us a little bit of background on Lakeview RV Park?
Worley: All right. People ask, “How long have you had the Park?” We opened in March of 2007. That’s when we developed the Park, but my great, great grandfather built the property in 1839, so the property has been in the family quite a while. We’ve just converted it from a farm and eventually a farm that wasn’t being a farm, to an RV Park.
Camp Tennessee: Sure.
Worley: And we are the premiere RV park/campground in the tri-cities, which is Bristol, Cane Ford, and Dustin City. We’re right in the upper pit of Northeast Tennessee.
Camp Tennessee: All right.
Worley: About ten miles from Virginia.
Camp Tennessee: Okay. And what types of camping do you offer there? Is it tent camping all the way to RV as well?
Worley: We really don’t offer tent camping, but any level of RV camping. We have anything from pop-ups to a million plus coaches. But for a new campground, we do have wide sites, which are good for the biggest coach, but we also accommodate your smaller campers with your fifth wheels, travel trailers, and pop-ups as well.
Camp Tennessee: Okay. And what would you say are the most popular activities for the guests there?
Worley: Well, one popular activity twice a week is the Nascar Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It’s one of the most popular races on the Nascar circuit. For the spring race in March, and then the obvious race – the fall race in August -, we tend to be full for that activity, and most people in August will come and tent a week or more when they come to that race. So, that’s probably the best-known activity. Of course Bristol also has an NHRA National Drag Race, which is quite well known too. So, this is a big activity in June and Father’s Day weekend. But beyond that, we have a wide variety. We have people who are traveling up and down Interstate-91, heading north or south for Gulf Snowbirds.
And they’ll come off to camp with us because we have really good accommodations for larger campers that just need to come off the road for a day or more, but we also have a lot of folks just from the surrounding area within a hundred miles that come to camp with us on the weekends throughout the summer. And we have some seasonal campers that tent all summer with us and have some campers that come to the area so they can build a house or buy a house, or whatever it may be, or work, that will camp with us on a monthly basis. So, we have a wide variety of campers really.
Camp Tennessee: Yeah. You know, I’m looking through some of the photos on your website, and the grounds there look just gorgeous. And you’re on the water as well. Now, do you offer any boat rental there?
Worley: We sure do. We rent pontoon boats, and we have canoes and kayaks and paddleboats as well, but our pontoon boat rental is very popular in the summer and people really enjoy to take those out for an hour or two, or half day or full day. And we also happen to be in an area that’s a very good fishing area, both for river fishing on the Holston River or the Watauga River. They’re both healthy trout streams, and Boone Lake is a very good river for bass fishermen or all kinds of fish really. Crappie. Catfish. Bluegill. So, we have quite a few people that come just for that activity. Just to be here in this area and enjoy fishing.
Camp Tennessee: All right.
Worley: Yeah, we can help set people up with professional fishing guides of course that’ll take them down to Holston and Watauga. People really enjoy that.
Camp Tennessee: Fantastic. The property looks just great down there. I have just two more questions for you, Worley. If you were going to spend just one hour at Lakeview RV Park, how would you spend your time there?
Worley: I would probably just get – we’re piered. You know, we have leveled, so every site has a nice view of Boone Lake. But I would come in the late spring or summer and just get one of the sites overlooking the lake, and probably sit out on the lawn chair and take it easy and maybe roast a hotdog with one of the hotdog flippers we sell here in the office over the fire. And just enjoy that. Just enjoy the scenery and the area because it is a beautiful area. We get the backdrop of the whole mountains as well as being at the Boone Lake, so it’s really just a very eye-pleasing, relaxing atmosphere. So, I’d just get here and take it easy.
Camp Tennessee: Man, Worley, you’re making me really want to get away from this cold weather in Minnesota with all this talk.
Worley: Yeah. Well, of course will have to warm up a little bit here too. We’re going to warm up 24 today, which for us is pretty chilly.
Camp Tennessee:A little bit too chilly to sit outside and make a hotdog, huh?
Worley: Yeah. Well, another people like to do – we have a saltwater pool that people really enjoy. Of course that doesn’t happen until the summer. We always have it open in May, but if you’re bringing the kids, there’s nothing kids love more than to get back there in the pool and go to town. They love that, or play on the playground that we have available here.
Camp Tennessee: Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Sounds like a wonderful place. Well, Worley, thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to tell us a little bit more about Lakeview RV Park in Tennessee.
Worley: Well, thank you so much. So good to talk with you.
