by HOPE KALBACH
Park Manager/Lake Thurmond RV Park
WHEN ANGELA SELF first saw the 20-acre property located at 678 Fishing Village Rd. in Plum Branch, just 2½ miles from beautiful Lake Thurmond, she knew it had a lot of potential. Several mobile homes were already present, and her initial idea was to create a new, updated mobile home park. However, after speaking to some locals about the needs of the surrounding communities, she decided to build an RV Park instead.
RVing has become increasingly popular in recent years, and ever since the arrival of the Coronavirus, outdoor activities, including camping and RVing, have become THE thing to do. Granted, when Angela bought the property in March of 2020, and began removing the old mobile homes and barns, clearing the land to make space for RV sites, she had no way of knowing of the coming impact of the impending health crisis. A global pandemic might not be the ideal time to start most businesses, but luckily it turned out to be the perfect time to open an RV Park!
Naturally, Angela had researched RV Parks extensively before creating Lake Thurmond RV Park, so she was aware that many parks and campgrounds close during the fall and winter months. Some only allow people to stay for a couple of weeks at a time before having to move. She decided that she would model her business to fill the need left by those restrictions in other parks. Her campground would remain open year-round and would not require campers to move once they were settled. She wanted to target traveling construction workers, nurses, etc., as well as people awaiting the construction of new homes. Angela also wanted to accommodate hunters and fishermen looking for a comfortable place to keep their campers throughout the hunting seasons and best fishing times.
After an amazing amount of work, in a very short period of time, Lake Thurmond RV Park opened to the public on July 3, 2020. There were 30 sites – four 50-amp and twenty-six 30-amp. All but 4 were full hook up, meaning they had access to water, electricity, and septic. The amenities included an air-conditioned ADA-accessible laundry room and two ADA-accessible shower bathrooms. From the start, there were two individuals who wanted to bring their campers and leave them for several months. As the weeks went by, the news started to get out about the new RV Park, and business picked up. Once the park’s website was up and running with online booking, reservations for weekend, week-long, and monthly stays started coming in.
Today, the park’s amenities continue to grow. There is now a playground to entertain the kids and the beginnings of a Community Area that includes a fire-pit and a grill. Wi-Fi is also available to the campers, for anyone needing to work remotely. There will soon be an outdoor games area as well as a Recreational Field Archery Range. The future will hopefully bring a game room, dog park, and swimming pool.
Lake Thurmond RV Park is also playing host to a Farmer’s Market every Tuesday from 2pm-6pm, which will continue throughout the fall and into the holidays, if possible. New vendors are always welcome, in hopes of increasing the number of products available to the customers.
The holiday season will also see the arrival of Santa Claus! As part of Holiday on Main in McCormick, Santa will be at the campground on December 4th, 11th, and 12th from 1pm-3pm and 4pm-6pm. He will be available for photos at the MACK in McCormick from 1:30pm-3:30pm on Saturday, December 5th. At both the campground and at the MACK, a digital picture package can be purchased for $15, and the proceeds will be donated to the McCormick County Humane Society. There will be no charge for those wishing to only take pictures with their phones. Both kids and PETS are welcome to have their holiday pictures taken with Santa, so bring you dogs, cats, turtles, whatever! (The Coronavirus has been taken into consideration and safety precautions are being put in place.)
The last few months have been very exciting and very busy, as Lake Thurmond RV Park continues to grow. There are currently 43 completed sites – ten 50-amp and thirty-three 30-amp, all but 5 with full hook up. More to come down the road, including potential tent camping and glamping sites!
Angela is so grateful to the people of Plum Branch and the surrounding communities for their warm welcome, help, and support! If you have any questions or would like more information about the park, you can call 864-484-6365; send an email to info@lakethurmondrvpark.com, or visit www.lakethurmondrvpark.com.