​By Leah S. Betha

Originally published in the Sandersville Scene, Volume 15 No. 3

 

It's only fitting that the entrance of SanWar RV Park & Resort on Ga. Highway 15 is adorned with American flags.

After all, the story behind the place is proof that the American dream is still alive and well. It's a tale of how faith, combined with hard work and the support of a community, helped bring a grand idea to life.

The story begins with a father and son team Mel and Will Daniel.

In February 2023, the two decided to attend a conference in Myrtle Beach to learn about campers since they had recently purchased a mobile home park that had a few RVs on it. As part of that conference, they spent a long day on a bus touring RV parks.

"At the end of the day, we were ready to get off the bus," Will says. "We were tired of seeing RV parks. We hadn't thought about doing anything here."
 

But the tour guide convinced them to stay for one last stop. "She said, 'Don't get off the bus. You'll like this last place,"" Will remembers.

And so, they traveled nearly an hour and a half inland toward the North Carolina-South Carolina border.

"We go there, and it's literally in the middle of nowhere," Will remembers. "There's no fast food, no grocery store. And we pull up to this campground, and you've got cow fields left and right, pastures as far as you can see, and you've got 250 camping spots. The owner's got a little miniature water park, he's got probably 300 campers in storage, he's got his own grocery store there onsite, I mean everything."
 

And in that moment, a dream for Washington County began.

At the time, the Daniels owned two parcels of land on what is now SanWar. Just a couple of months later, they broke ground on the spot where their dream now sits spread out along 13 parcels of land. Ninety percent of all the work was completed by the owners and their employees.

"We would work and work, and then in the evenings we'd get done working and we'd dream up new stuff to add," Will says.

Fast forward to today, and SanWar has more than 100 RV spots with plans to grow to around 200, one large 200-year-old cabin with its own bunkhouse and RV spot, three tiny cabins, two ponds, a playground, a spacious lodge with a fully operational bar, multiple outdoor kitchens and four pools including a lazy river and a splash pad. Visitors can enjoy delicious food onsite, as well as entertainment and fun for the whole family. A youth center includes arcade games and a basketball court among other fun activities. In addition, there are multiple bathhouses on-site.

"A lot of your parks have one centrally located bathhouse, maybe at the most two," Mel says. "We've already got four... and we'll be adding another. That way you don't have to walk so far from your camper to go get a bath."

Owners take pride in the character of the place. While their research showed them ways that other resorts made money in rural areas, there was an aspect about it that they didn't
like.

They'd go in and cut down every tree and have this big, beautiful park that's got all this stuff but no shade or character," Will says. "Even though we did it in what I feel like was a pretty quick timeframe, we went the extra mile to save trees."

They wanted the place to resemble local Hamburg State Park and other similar areas, and Mel had an idea to add a more nostalgic piece to the theme. While some corporate-owned parks may opt for Yogi Bear or other recognizable characters, Daniel was confident that SanWar could build its own brand.

"I grew up taking vacation every year in Cherokee, North Carolina and I loved Cherokee in the '80s," Mel explains of the once popular vacation spot. "That was probably my favorite place as a kid."

And so, SanWar — with its name offering a nod to both Sandersville and Warthen - is themed like the Cherokee that many will remember having visited in the '8os and '9os.

Campers may enjoy the homage paid to Native Americans and cowboys or even a visit from the resort's mascot, Buff. Plans are to have Old West weekends, and campers can also unwind at the Ghost Town Saloon.
Along the way, there's plenty of local history to enjoy inside the large lodge as well. Mel, a history buff, has always dreamed of building a museum in Washington County. "But until then, it's in here," he says of the lodge.

SanWar officially opened for business July Fourth weekend, and Mel spent the entire time talking with every camper there.

"We're a small business, and I appreciate every dollar they spend here," he says. That very first weekend, lodgers visited from Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee.

"And a lot of those campers that were here  July 4th went ahead and booked for Labor Day when they were here," Mel says.

So, why Washington County? And why SanWar?

It's simple, Will says.

"There's stuff here for families to do, adults to do, for kids to do," he says And soon, every weekend will be planned for the year with activities in place for every age group. Campers can rent golf carts, and with football season now here, they cater to folks making their way to Athens as well. The two say they will also look at adding a local membership in the future.

Today, as the two enjoy hearing the praise from others about their experience at the park, they can't help but think of the journey they took to get here.

"I could get in the pulpit at any church in any denomination, and if I gave the testimony of what this park was, I’d have them in tears," Mel says. "It's unbelievable. There would be many times that us three partners may meet on Fridays, and we’d say what are we gonna do?' It may be financially, it may be the parts for the lazy river weren't here... The Good Lord might let us worry a couple of days, not much more than that, and the door would just open…. and I could just give one story after another." And while it was a leap of faith indeed, their story is also filled with a lot of good people.

"I say we took a chance," Mel says.

"We did take the chance, but we met some people along the way that believed in us, that really believed in us, and they helped us along."

 

"Some of the best guys you can imagine work with us," Will adds.

Along the way, it's been a lot of fun too.

"It's been super stressful and super crazy at times trying to get it done, but it is very fun..," Will says. "You literally come to work every day trying to be creative. Obviously, you've got to be fast, you've got to get it done, you've got to be as cost-effective as you can, but you get to be creative in everything that you do."

 

When campers leave, the two say their hope is that they walk away with a family-fun, safe, clean, nostalgic experience.

"We have our own character, and it's just some good ole guys who ain't ever made it trying to make it, not some rich investors," Will says.

And perhaps the best part?

"We ain't done," he says. "There's gonna be a lot more to come."

For more information, visit sanwarrvresort.com