Cheyenne KOA

Both Dave and Mary Jo grew up camping. They have great camping memories from when they were kids. Naturally, their children's best vacation memories involve camping. "Now, we're excited that our grandchildren can come and experience campground activities, too," says Mary Jo.

For many years, we wanted to own a KOA Campground. We never considered owning another type of campground other than a KOA. Our dream of owning a KOA Campground became a reality when we purchased the Rice Lake/Spooner KOA in Wisconsin. After two years there, KOA recognized the Rice Lake/Spooner KOA as one of the most 'fun' campgrounds in the system, with our many themed weekends and activities.

"We had visited the Cheyenne KOA Campground in 2000 and again in 2006. Both times, we were impressed with the simple beauty of the campground. It is a clean, safe place for campers to stay overnight or for a week. Dave was impressed that all of the sites are pull-throughs," says Mary Jo.

"Every time we visited, we liked the Cheyenne community and its location. The town has almost everything someone would need or wish for. The people here are among the most courteous and friendly in the country."

When Dave and Mary Jo found out that the campground was for sale in the summer of 2008, there was no question in their minds: they were ready to own another campground. "We were ready to move west. We purchased the campground almost immediately."

As an entrepreneur who has owned several businesses, Dave's hobbies and interests revolve around planning, business building and talking to guests - all things he can do to his heart's content on this campground.

Mary Jo loves to interact with the guests too. She also knits, is a quilting novice, and plays with her grandchildren.

"Our first campground had many, many repeat customers. They were looking for memory-making weekends; we tried to accommodate their goals of having good experiences. The Cheyenne KOA has more overnight campers; these folks are tired from driving all day and they are looking for a smiling face and a good place to rest for the night. We try to accommodate these folks too.