Virginia parks saw more visitors in 2011

[jason]

More residents and tourists stayed overnight in in Virginia state parks than ever before last year. Two area sites were among those to see more guests stay for the night or multiple evenings.
Overnight attendance in the state parks’ cabins, lodges and campgrounds grew 3 percent last year. The attendance in the 35 parks overall, including day use was 7.8 million — the second highest ever in the state system’s 75-year history and slightly less than the 2010 mark of 8 million.
Holliday Lake State Park, a 555-acre park located partially in Appomattox County, saw 12,695 overnight stays in 2011, up 17 percent from the previous year.
Sarah Lankford, the park’s office manager, attributes the rise in part to seven new campsites that were added to host larger camper vehicles.
“We were kind of limited before in what we could accommodate,” Lankford said.
The park, about six miles from Virginia 24, also put in a group camping area that accommodates up to 30 people, she said, and is well-used among Cub Scout and church functions.


more Virginia parks saw more visitors in 2011 | The News & Advance