A campground years in the making is set to open its doors near Sister Bay, Wisconsin, fulfilling the dream of the late Pat Hockers, a longtime local entrepreneur.
Camp Door RV & Campground, developed by Hockers’ sons, Chris and Matt, will officially launch on May 23.
The project began in 2012 when Hockers proposed the idea to the Liberty Grove Town Board, envisioning a business his sons could one day run.
Despite initial concerns, the campground now features 77 sites on 47 acres, offering both transient and seasonal options.
“This was our Dad’s dream,” Matt Hockers said, as reported by The Door County Pulse on February 6, “And even though he’s gone, we’ll fulfill it.”
Years of land preparation, planning, and financial arrangements led to the project’s construction.
The sons eventually urged their father to act, prompting Pat to begin building.
The zoning approval initially allowed for over 1,000 sites, but Hockers chose to focus on creating a more manageable operation.
“I want to have something I can hand down to the boys,” Pat Hockers told the board in 2012.
At the time, Door County was still recovering from the effects of the Great Recession, and large-scale developments were seen as risky.
However, demand for campground accommodations has surged in recent years, reflecting increased travel and rising real estate prices.
Camp Door also offers full-service amenities, including power, water, Wi-Fi, and a clubhouse with heated showers, an arcade, a camp store, and beer and wine service.
“The clubhouse will be the differentiator for us,” said Chris.
The Hockers brothers plan to expand Camp Door with rentable winter cabins. Both brothers now live near the property with their families, raising their children in the same area they once considered leaving.
“People thought there was no way we’d come back here,” Matt recalled. The brothers view the project as a tribute to their father’s vision of fostering community and opportunity.
For more information about Camp Door, visit camp-door.com.