Family-owned and multi-generational campgrounds continue to play a significant role in the U.S. outdoor hospitality landscape, particularly in Wisconsin, despite a broader national trend toward corporate acquisitions.
From first-generation owners to families operating parks for over 50 years, many campground businesses remain rooted in partnerships between spouses and extended family members.
In Wisconsin, family-operated campgrounds are especially prominent. Kara and Rob Traxler, owners of Dell Pines Campground in Baraboo, left their prior careers seven years ago to take on the business full time.
They now manage the campground alongside their four daughters. In Mountain, Wisconsin, Spur of the Moment Ranch was founded by a mother-daughter team focused on equestrian camping.
Similarly, the Geitner family runs The Geitner Homestead Equine Campground in Sturgeon Bay.
Lake Arrowhead Campground in Montello, now in its third generation of family ownership, is a notable example.
Originally built by Bea and Arnold Malsack in 1971, the property began as a modest campground with only a dozen sites and a small store.
Their son Phil and his wife Linda purchased the business in 1975, and today, Phil’s children—Jessica, Adam, and Emily—help operate the campground and its expanded sister property, Lakeside Campground.
According to Forbes, the park offers themed weekends and scheduled family activities throughout the camping season.
The Jellystone Park in Wisconsin Dells marks another long-running family enterprise.
The Gasser family built and opened the site in 1971 and has now been running it longer than any other Jellystone Park franchisee. Current owner Brent Gasser manages the park alongside his children, Brennan, Katrina, Cate, Brent, Natalie, and Chris.
Lori Severson, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of Campground Owners (WACO), notes that many of the association’s 200+ members are similarly structured.
“Couples and families continue to purchase campgrounds because they love the campground business,” Severson said.
“And they love working together as a family.” Severson herself has personal experience, having acquired Champions Riverside Resort in Galesville 15 years ago. She runs the property with help from her husband, daughter, siblings, and close friends.
The trend isn’t limited to Wisconsin. In Florida, Pat and Heather O’Neill bought Twin Lakes Camp Resort near DeFuniak Springs when their five children were entering their teenage years.
The O’Neills tasked the family with redesigning and upgrading the property. “We spent the first year planning and designing what we thought would be an attractive resort,” Pat said. “After that, the kids went to work.”
The resulting facility now spans 3,500 feet of waterfront along King Lake and Holley Lakes and includes 65 full-hookup RV sites, 12 docks, five luxury cabin suites, nine glamping tents, three tiny homes, and two lake houses. Amenities include a solar-heated swimming pool, an activity center, and an on-site boutique store.
For business owners in the outdoor hospitality industry, these stories underscore a key takeaway: family involvement can be both a sustainable business model and a succession strategy.
At a time when consolidation by corporate entities is reshaping parts of the sector, family-run operations may offer a flexible, values-driven alternative that continues to appeal to guests seeking personalized and locally rooted experiences.