These campground owners buck the trend and do things right!

When we stopped in Waco, Nebraska, at the Double Nickel Campground and were led to our campsite, I let the owner, who was guiding us, know how happy I was with the breathing room between sites. She didn’t just stack the RVs side by side. She told me that when she and her husband bought the campground they actually reduced the number of campsites.

After an extensive search, Jeff and Amanda Stoy bought this RV park in 2014 and have made massive improvements. At that time, the campground had 103 all back-in sites. A lot of them were back-to-back. After they stopped doing monthly rates and closed the onsite bar, most long-term tenants moved on.

RVers built this park

The Stoys then took on the task of completely revamping the campground. They expanded the size of the sites, made all of them drive-through, and added 30/50 amp pedestals on each one. And they did all the manual labor themselves, including the 8-foot-deep trenches for the sewer pipes! The electrical pedestals they left for the electrician, though. The original 103 sites were pared down to 44! Unheard of in these times of cramming as many campsites in as possible. There is even a swing at every site. It is easy to see that RVers built this park!

Electronic gates

When booking online, I was asked to add our license plate numbers. I was totally impressed that the electric gate reads the license plate to open and close! Makes sense that Jeff, a former computer network engineer, would have the top technology. When I asked about all the things that they have done and which are they happiest with, Jeff said that it was installing the electronic gate and license reader. When I asked what they wished they had done, he said it was installing the gate sooner. Once the gate was up, speeding stopped, and unauthorized perusing and mass parties were halted. Now guests need to register and pay additional fees if there are more than six people at their site.

The big screens

Jeff’s computer engineering skill is evidenced in the massive screens in the office that show what is happening in the park. Another set of screens records power usage and Wi-Fi strength. When power dipped below standards and park power shut down momentarily last summer, he could contact the electric company immediately to let them know there was a problem on their end, not the campgrounds.

EPA standards

The EPA is always concerned about nitrate levels in rural areas, particularly in a big farm state like Nebraska. Jeff and Amanda took drinking water to a whole new level by adding a reverse osmosis drinking water system that goes through a softener, a filter to a UV filter and to a tank to allow RVers to fill drinking water jugs. It exceeds the EPA drinking standards and is probably better than the drinking water that RVers buy in the store! It has to be good—this is the water their family drinks, too.

Lots to do

The playground is huge with all the standard playground items and lots more. They have an enclosure for small kids to play in the sand without the watching parents having to worry. Huge truck tires dot the sand for more play and exercise. The laundry room and pool are immaculate. Inside are more activities for the kids, including some arcade machines that adults would love, too.

Family affair

The Stoys live on-site during the season, so they are always there for an emergency if needed. They shut down and travel in their fifth wheel during the winter.

It is a family affair. Everybody works and is involved in the park. Their two sons, Brody, 13 and Zander, 15, are home-schooled. As Jeff says, “They are learning a work ethic.”

If you are interested in checking out Double Nickel Campground, click here.

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