With a swimming pool, campgrounds for tents, yurts and RVs, and themed events throughout the summer, Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Bradford West Gwillimbury is a fun place for guests — and employees.
Many of its 30 staff members are local kids who started working there in high school and who stick around for an average of four to seven years, said Melissa Mendrek, the park’s manager.
“It’s a pretty happy place, and we like it like that,” she said.
The local Yogi Bear park is one of more than 80 in North America and one of six in Canada. The only other one in Ontario is in Niagara Falls.
While many people travel from long distances to stay at the park, many of its customers are locals, Mendrek said.
“We do get a lot of locals who come for the day,” she said, noting the park has a recreation program in July and August from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The other draw, especially on hot days, is the park’s pool, and some people buy a day pass to get access, she said.
“Our business has increased a lot … because of the outdoor pool,” Mendrek said.
The facility — which has 20 furnished yurts, five rentable trailers, and space for people to bring their own overnight accommodations — also offers packages for birthday parties and bedtime stories with Yogi Bear.
The park also has hayrides, craft activities, mini-putt, nature trails, and Yogi Bear visits, as well as themed events, such as Christmas in July, with locally-made gingerbread, Sweetheart Weekend, Superhero Weekend, and Halloween on the Civic Holiday long weekend, complete with a haunted house.
For more information about Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resort at 3666 County Rd. 88 near Highway 400, or to make an online reservation, visit the park’s website.
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