A couple in Indiana opened a campground tucked away off 400 West in St. Paul adjacent to the Flat Rock River.
According to a report, Bert’s Hideaway Campground offers about 15 campsites monthly.
When they acquired it, Brittany Tucker and Raymond Evans intended to reopen the location as a campsite.
For us, we just opened it this year, but I guess it was a campground back in the ’50s,” Tucker said. “I don’t think it was really operational from the ’70s until now.”
The site was initially known as MacDonald’s Campground. The name change comes from a nickname that Tucker’s father had given her.
“When we came upon the property, we were sitting here playing around with ideas, and I said, ‘Hey, why don’t we call it Bert’s Hideaway?’ And we liked it, we agreed to it, so we’re sticking with it,” Evans said.
Tucker stated that all they have learned about the property’s history is from stories they’ve heard from neighbors.
According to its website, Bert’s Hideaway Campground aims to provide a safe, family-friendly getaway for campers.
The campground features a bathhouse equipped with a toilet, sink, standup shower, and two operational outhouses for those who prefer more primitive accommodations.
Campers have full access to the Flat Rock River for fishing, swimming, kayaking, and floating. They also offer free firewood to campers.
The couple still has a long way to go.
“We haven’t really gotten our hands dirty with it, but we’re going to get started this year getting into it,” Evans said.
The tasks include landscaping, laying new gravel, and adding a gazebo and a playground. In addition to the current bathhouse and original outhouses, they hope to construct an office building.
Tucker, from Waldron, and Evans, from Flat Rock, said their St. Paul campground reminds them of home.
“I grew up on the Flat Rock River just down aways, just a private dead-end drive, me, myself and the woods,” Evans said. “When she pulled up this house on the website, I said, ‘Yeah, let’s go take a look at it,’ and when we got here, I was like a kid in the candy store.”
For booking information and more, visit https://bertscampground.com.
This story originally appeared on The Shelbyville News. Featured image from Bert’s Hideaway Campground.