GLOCESTER – A rural retreat that offers overnight stays in campers and tents in the woods of Glocester has expanded with the acquisition of a nearly 12 acre vacant lot at the border of the current facilities.
Oakleaf Properties LLC purchased a 11.97 acre lot on Oak Leaf Way for $20,000 from Roy and Dorothy Shippee, according to a deed filed this week with the Glocester Town Clerk’s office.
According to Kim Michalik, who owns and runs the campground with husband Joe Michalik, the new land will be used to add hiking trails to the existing business, which offers short and long term rentals of sites to visitors. Established in 1971, the campground was originally run by three families before the Michaliks purchased it in 2013.
In the years since, the couple has made improvements, adding a new playground, basketball court, cornhole pits and horseshoe pits. The business also features a swimming pool, a country store and a recreation hall with an arcade.
The campground has long had access to nearby lakes for fishing, as well as hiking trails, but none on the premises.
The new property doubles the facility’s size, but Kim noted the family intends to keep things small, while offering campers more amenities. The campground currently has 60 sites, including 45 seasonal spaces, three spots featuring stationary RVs available for rent and one cabin.
“All others are short term rv/ tent sites,” Kim said. “We are strict that we don’t allow people to live at the campground and do not want to consider year round.”
“I have a great camping community that is respectful and generous,” she said. “We hand select our seasonals to keep this for our local neighbors.”
She notes that the recent acquisition was, at least in part, done by necessity.
“It was land locked woods that we meet at the back corner,” she said of the new lot. “If anyone else bought it and decided to build they would have pushed to get a right a way through the campground.”
“We currently have another neighbor in the lots behind that has a right of way through the campground,” Kim added. “We work great with them but you don’t know what future guests will bring if there was other houses added back there.”
Town residents themselves, the family owns a home on Olney Keach Road, which is now occupied by their daughter and her family. Kim and Joe, meanwhile live at the campground, where they often run charity events for various causes, including events and raffles this year that raised $1,500 for Special Olympics RI and more than $5,000 for scholarships for local students.
“We feel it is important to give back,” Kim said.
It seems life slows down at the quiet local retreat, where even through growth, things stay largely the same.
“We are grateful that Roy and Dorothy generously offered us to purchase this land,” Kim said.
I have stayed there a few times in past five years and everyone was so nice and helpful.Owners Joe and Kim and Family were super nice I highly recommend this campground and plan on going again this year
It was a trashy campground when we were there 5 years ago. Electric was out of date, bathrooms were out of date, there were seasonals there with a full functioning bar that wouldn’t follow quiet hours, turns out half of those people were the campgrounds “staff”. Loud music, speeding golf carts and aggressive owners sent us down the road to a better spot.
Again this was 5 years ago so maybe things have changed, but if you’re a local you know it hasn’t.