What Jellystone Park does

Jellystone Park (legal entity: Camp Jellystone, LLC) is a privately held franchise company founded in 1992 and headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, that licenses the Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts brand to a network of more than 75 independently owned and operated family camp-resorts across 30+ U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. The core product combines multi-format overnight accommodations (luxury cabins, deluxe RV sites, glamping wagons, safari tents, traditional tent sites) with resort-style amenities including water parks, splashgrounds, water slides, mini golf, jumping pillows, gem mining, and themed weekend programming, all wrapped around exclusive character experiences with Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, Cindy Bear, and Ranger Smith via a strategic licensing partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences.

Camp Jellystone monetizes primarily through franchise fees and ongoing royalties from independent campground operators who adopt the brand, character IP, booking infrastructure, and operational standards under multi-year agreements (e.g., the seven-year Cincinnati Camp Cedar conversion). Individual franchisees drive property-level revenue through overnight stays, day passes, activity bands, themed event admissions, food and beverage concessions (Ranger Station stores, snack bars), and rental/add-on services (golf carts, pavilion rentals, field trips, birthday-party character visits), with the franchisor providing the centralized booking website (campjellystone.com), a mobile app on iOS and Android, the Club Yogi Rewards loyalty program, marketing support, and an annual Symposium for franchisee enablement.

The customer base is end-consumer-led and highly diversified across families with children, glamping enthusiasts, multi-generational family groups, and youth/school/church groups, with no single named customer of material concentration. The model is fundamentally asset-light at the franchisor level (corporate headcount of 11-50 employees) and growth-leveraged on franchisee capital expenditure into new builds, conversions of existing campgrounds, and amenity upgrades such as the 2026 Bremen, Georgia water zone expansion. Franchisees reported a 4.5% YoY same-park sales increase (April 2024) and 87.4% cumulative franchise-system revenue growth since 2019, with three Jellystone Park locations placing in the top six of USA TODAY's 10Best 2026 Readers' Choice for Best RV Park.

Name

Jellystone Park

Legal name

Camp Jellystone, LLC

Website

https://campjellystone.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jellystone Park (Camp Jellystone, LLC) is a Michigan-based franchisor of 75+ family camp-resorts across the U.S. and Canada, licensing the Yogi Bear brand and Hanna-Barbera characters to independent campground operators who deliver cabin, RV, glamping, and tent accommodations with resort-style amenities, water attractions, themed events, and character experiences for families and youth groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Hospitality and Family Camp-Resorts

NAICS

RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Campgrounds (721211), RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (7212), Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), Amusement and Theme Parks (713110)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Campgrounds (Tent & Mixed-Use) (THAMAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Kid-Friendly All-Inclusive Resorts (THAGAKAA), Marina RV & Waterfront Campgrounds (THAMAJAH), Campground & Overnight Facilities Operations (Campsites, Cabins, Backcountry Huts) (THAAAGAE), Eco/Nature-Based Campgrounds (Sustainable/Off-Grid) (THAMAJAK)

Keywords

• Family camping resorts
• Outdoor hospitality
• Franchise campgrounds
• Glamping accommodations
• RV park network

Headquarters

HQ city

Southfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Overnight Accommodation Revenue: The primary revenue driver is overnight stays across multiple accommodation types: luxury/glamping cabins, deluxe RV sites (with full hookups, 50-amp, pull-through access), glamping wagons, and traditional tent sites. Individual park locations offer 81 cabins, 225 RV sites, six glamping wagons, and 10 tent sites at the Bremen, GA location, illustrating the typical mix. Rates vary by site type, season, and location. Franchisees report a 4.5% annual increase in same-park sales (per April 2024 data), with total revenues rising 87.4% since 2019.
2. Activity and Admission Fees: Day passes are sold to visitors who want to use park facilities without an overnight stay. At the Nova Scotia location, day passes are priced at $10 weekday, $12 weekend, and $15 for premium/long weekends plus tax. Additional paid activities include character birthday party visits ($30 base + $15 for cake), gem mining, wagon rides, and specialized recreation programs. Activity bands are required for visitors using facilities.
3. Food, Beverage, and Retail Concessions: On-site food and beverage operations include Ranger Station stores (supplying snacks, essentials, and souvenirs), snack bars such as the Campfire Canteen and Pic-a-Nic Basket, and concession stands offering items like poutine, ice cream, and pancake breakfasts. At the Watts Bar Lake location, a Cafe/Snack Shop provides treats between attractions. These concessions are typically operated by the franchisee at each location.
4. Rental and Add-on Services: Add-on rentals and services at individual parks include golf cart rentals (e.g., $80/day for a 4-seater, $85/day on holiday weekends at Plymouth, IN), private event venue rentals (party/rental room for birthday parties, family reunions), pavilion reservations, and field trip bookings for school groups. These services represent incremental per-transaction revenue on top of base accommodation fees.
5. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Camp Jellystone generates revenue by charging franchise fees and ongoing royalties to independent campground operators who franchise the Jellystone Park brand. New franchisees enter seven-year franchise agreements (as seen in the Cincinnati Camp Cedar conversion) and gain access to the Hanna-Barbera character licensing through the franchisor's partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Jellystone Park operates a franchise network of 75+ family camp-resorts across the United States and Canada, offering overnight accommodations (luxury cabins, deluxe RV sites, glamping wagons, and tent sites) combined with water attractions, character-based entertainment featuring Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, Cindy Bear, and Ranger Smith, themed weekend events, and on-site dining and retail concessions. The franchisor (Camp Jellystone, LLC) licenses the brand and Hanna-Barbera character assets to independent operators while providing centralized booking, a mobile app, and the Club Yogi Rewards loyalty program.

Product overview

Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts is a franchise network of 75+ family camp-resorts operating across the US and Canada under partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences for Hanna-Barbera character licensing. The core product offers vacation camping experiences combining lodging (cabins, glamping, RV sites, tent sites), water attractions (pools, splashgrounds, water slides), outdoor activities (jumping pillows, mini golf, gem mining), character interactions with Yogi Bear and friends, and themed weekend events. Individual parks are independently owned franchises with common branding, shared loyalty program (Club Yogi Rewards), and a mobile app for booking and information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts (Franchise Experience)
• Cabin and Glamping Lodging
• Deluxe RV Sites
• Tent Camping Sites
• Themed Weekend Events
• Character Birthday Party Visits
• Day Passes
• Jellystone Park Franchise Licensing
• Bremen, Georgia Water Zone Expansion

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.5% year-over-year same-park sales increase for franchisees (April 2024 data)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Warner Bros. Discovery Global ExperiencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCamp Jellystone operates in strategic partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Experiences, which provides exclusive licensing rights to Hanna-Barbera characters including Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, Cindy Bear, and Ranger Smith. This partnership is the central brand differentiator, enabling Jellystone Park franchisees to offer character-based entertainment, meet-and-greets, themed events, and branded merchandise that no competing campground network can replicate. The arrangement gives Jellystone Park exclusive access to these IP assets within the outdoor hospitality/campground category.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Hipcamp: Hipcamp is an online marketplace connecting campers with private landowners offering unique stays. It competes with Jellystone for the outdoor hospitality booking dollar through an aggregator model, though it focuses on dispersed/unique stays rather than the resort-style experience Jellystone delivers.
• AutoCamp: AutoCamp is a tech-forward glamping operator offering Airstream and cabin accommodations at curated outdoor locations. Comparable to Jellystone's glamping tier (luxury cabins, glamping wagons) but targets a more design-conscious, adult-skewing demographic and competes for the high-end outdoor hospitality guest.
• Under Canvas: Under Canvas operates safari-style glamping tents near national parks, offering upscale outdoor accommodation. Comparable to Jellystone's premium cabin/tent accommodation tier and targets the experiential family glamping segment, though it operates as a corporate-owned chain rather than a franchise.
• Tentrr: Tentrr operates a network of pre-set glamping tent sites on private land, offering turnkey outdoor experiences. Comparable to Jellystone's glamping positioning but at a smaller scale and more dispersed geographic footprint, appealing to families seeking simpler outdoor experiences.

Direct peers

• Sun Outdoors: Sun Outdoors (formerly Sun Communities RV) operates a portfolio of RV resorts and campgrounds across the U.S. Comparable to Jellystone Park in offering amenity-rich outdoor accommodations, though it focuses more on long-stay RV resort guests and seasonal residents than Jellystone's short-stay family vacation model.
• Thousand Trails: Thousand Trails operates a network of RV resorts and campgrounds across the U.S., primarily through a membership model. It is comparable to Jellystone Park in the campground/RV resort space but differentiates through its membership-based pricing structure rather than per-night franchise model.
• Kampgrounds of America (KOA): KOA is the largest and most established campground franchise network in North America with 500+ locations across the U.S. and Canada. It is the most directly comparable peer to Jellystone Park, operating a similar franchise model serving RV and tent campers, though KOA skews more toward traditional RV travelers while Jellystone focuses on families with character-driven entertainment.

Broad incumbents

• Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground: Disney's Fort Wilderness is a large, established campground resort at Walt Disney World offering cabins, RV sites, and tent camping with character-based entertainment and resort amenities. While a single property rather than a franchise network, it competes for the same family outdoor vacation segment Jellystone targets and represents the upper bound of what branded family camp-resorts can offer.
• Great Wolf Lodge: Great Wolf Lodge operates a chain of indoor water park resorts designed for families with children. Comparable to Jellystone in targeting the family entertainment/vacation segment with water attractions and character-driven experiences, though operating as a single-brand resort chain rather than a franchise campground network.

Others

• Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park (individual franchise locations): Individual Jellystone Park franchise locations (e.g., Plymouth IN, Bremen GA, Watts Bar Lake TN) are economically the franchisor's customers rather than competitors, but they compete in their local markets against independent campgrounds, state/national park campgrounds, and regional RV parks — making them useful comparables for end-market dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/campjellystone
• Instagraminstagram.com/campjellystone
• TikToktiktok.com/@campjellystone
• Xx.com/campjellystone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yogi-bear-camp-resort

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jellystone Park