Originally slated to be home to a state prison, the ground is now home to a thriving and growing industrial area. The first business to open was the Grayville KOA and Westwood Saloon, highlighted with a popular restaurant manned by The Smokin Pig. Joe Hillenbrand has been there since the beginning.
“March of 2018. It took us a year; I think we started building in 2017 and I think we got approval from Grayville about the build in 2016.”
The set up is a western theme. Hillenbrand explains…
“The western theme was an idea. We kinda wanted to do the [sic] theming with the campgrounds. You can say a lot of campgrounds kinda can do a western theme, but we went over the top with it. But that was something we wanted to do. The owners like traveling out west like a lot of people and it’s something that we can give people a taste of that and they can relate to.”
Camping options at the Grayville KOA have expanded over the years.
“So we have 68 sites now. We’ve added 18 since we opened originally. We have 10 cabins and 4 tent sites.”
If you’d like to learn more about the Grayville KOA, visit https://koa.com/campgrounds/grayville/. You can also find the campground on facebook or call 1-800-562-2792.
