Camping Companions

Sitting around the campfire chatting with friends took an interesting turn when couples Bill & Laura and Jim & Marie were sitting around their seasonal site one weekend. A discussion started about what it would be like to own their own campground, and they thought they knew just the place. “We kept driving past a neglected, closed down golf course on our way to work,” Laura told me one day. Once the group had thought about it, They made a call to a realtor friend. “We went one night to look at the property using the lights from our cell phones,” Laura said, and knew right away that we wanted to do this. Plans were soon submitted to the town to convert the 94.2 acre former Brockport Country Club into a campground in mid 2021, and once that was approved, they got to work. “We installed 126 full hookup sites to date, with the intention that a lot of them would be rented seasonally.” There was already a restaurant on the property which they leased to Destination Bar & Grill, and on June 26th, 2022, the campground doors were opened.

When we learned about a new campground that opened up an hour drive from us, we decided to support a new business and booked a weekend. The price was $75. per night which includes water, 50 amp electric, and sewer, set on an extra large site of 3000 square feet. Even the picnic tables are larger than normal. Instead of the standard 6 feet, these tables are 8 feet long. They have since modified the price to $75. on weekends and $49. a night on weekdays. They had a Halloween themed weekend when we were there. Everyone was decorated and there was trick or treating for the kids. We had a great time and aired our tour on YouTube. Check the link below to see it!

When I caught up with Laura again, she started telling me about all of the improvements that were made since we were last there (10 months ago). She said that they have added 3 cabins. 1 is rustic, or a “bed in a shed” she called it. “The cabin is located near the bathrooms, has heat or air depending on the season, electricity, a picnic table, and a fire pit.” Price per night for the rustic cabin set back in the woods is $80. per night on weekdays & $90. a night on weekends. The other two cabins are luxury cabins, which are two bedrooms, with optional additional sleeping in the loft above, 1 full bath, kitchen with 2 burner stove, microwave, coffee pot, and toaster. There is even a TV in the living area! Price for weeknights is $225. and on weekends $250. per night. If that isn’t enough, they have also added a 24 X 60 swimming pool that opened in the summer of 2023. That alone made me want to go back, but like the saying goes – Wait! There’s more! They tore down the old playground and added a brand new playground. They also added a jump pillow, 18 hole disc golf course, a brand new fleet of 20 golf carts, fitness room, and laundry room with 2 washers & 2 dryers plus a new conference room… and all of this is maintained while three of the four owners have full time jobs outside from the campground! The fourth works full time on site.

When I asked what is next for Big guys, Laura said that they have been tossing around ideas such as vendor fairs, or renting out the Lodge at Sandy creek for wedding venues or showers. They have also been working with an arborist to fill in the park with trees for more privacy between sites. Theme weekends include Hawaiian, Animal Lovers, and Christmas in July, just to name a few. Buddy sites are available for those who want to camp together. 60 of the sites have been rented as seasonal sites and the restaurant on the property has gotten its liquor license. Check out nearby Holley Canal Falls while you are there.

Check out the video from the first time we went.

Check us out on youtube.com/campingcompanions to see all of our NYS campground reviews.