As the stressors of life pile up, fresh air and the sounds of nature can be the best respite from busy schedules. When your local park or neighborhood walk are not enough to shake off the bad energy, sometimes you truly need to getaway to a new environment.
Very few places in the country can introduce you to untouched natural beauty like our national parks and next week is the perfect time to celebrate them.
National Park Week, kicking off with a day of free admission on April 19, is dedicated to celebrate more than 400 national parks and sites across the United States. Through fun challenges to curated playlists for relaxing walks through nature, it’s a good time to explore the outdoors.
While recreational camping is a popular outdoor activity, many national parks and outdoor spaces were often restricted to Black Americans and other people of color in the past. According to the National Park Service, racially exclusionary practices worked to impose limitations on outdoor recreation.
A 2024 survey taken by CRR Hospitality, an RV resort and campground management company, found that only 6% of people who camp identify as African Americans, with socioeconomic status and cultural attitudes likely leading the disparity.
Josh Gordy, owner of Warthen RV Park in Washington County, did not set out to create a haven for Black outdoor life when he first bought the land. The real estate investor saw 27-acres available near the area he grew up — and it was almost impossible not to jump on it.
“I thought what a great opportunity to grab some land that would connect right to my mom’s land and sort of where my granddad lives and my uncle lives,” Gordy told The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. “Sort of, expanding our footprint on the town.”
Created with his wife, Amber, Gordy’s family members first suggested he use the land as an RV park. At first, it mainly served temporary workers living in campers. However, the move toward a recreational park came unexpectedly.
“There was a social Facebook group, ‘African Americans who RV and camp,’” Gordy said. “That just got the wheels spinning.”
The group organized a meetup at the Warthen RV Park and soon word-of-mouth referrals from members of the group became a large part of their community.
“Just like four years ago, we started heavily focusing on the recreational side of it. That was another eye opening moment. You know, it’s a lifestyle,” Gordy said. “What was even more surprising is how many of us, you know, the ‘melanated’ community take part in it and find peace and refuge in doing it. That was definitely exciting and sparked another level of passion to make the park special.”
Gordy says 70% of the park visitors come from the metro Atlanta area. But as a self-described “country boy,” he says he did not grow up camping or RVing. Still, he had more than his share of time spent outdoors.
“Coonhunting with my granddad, backwood creek fishing type stuff. We would drive down dirt roads, pull over to the side, find us a creek and you know, drop a line,” Gordy explained. “Even at a young age, you can recognize that there’s something special about it.”
Gordy believes the calm of nature can have a great effect on anyone, no matter what they’re going through.
“Studies are showing, people are just burned out and going through a lot, and if we can be that place to let them come and be themselves, relax with other like-minded folk in the RV community, that’s what it’s all about,” Gordy said. “We want you to leave better than you came.”
For many people, especially first-time campers, experiencing untouched nature for the first time can be nerve-wracking. However, the sights that can only be experienced in those spaces are unlike anything else.
“You constantly hear, ‘it’s never been this quiet before in my life,’” he said.
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