Merry Knoll Campground NY
Camp New York: I’m talking with Jim today. He’s the Owner from Merry Knoll Campground in New York. Jim, why don’t you get us started by telling us about how long Merry Knoll Campground has been there and how you guys got started?
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Jim: Well, my mom, my dad, and my family moved up from New Jersey, Central New Jersey, probably back in the ’50s, and my dad was getting of age. Dad could no longer do it. My sisters and one brother took off. They didn’t want it, so I bought it about 30 years ago.
CNY: So, the campground has been in the family for a pretty long time.
Jim: Yeah, long time. Late ’50s, early ’60s.
CNY: Wow, and so you’ve been doing it for you said how long?
Jim: 30 years.
CNY: Wow. So, it must be going pretty well. You must be enjoying it if you’re sticking with it.
Jim: Yeah. Well, the problem is it’s just a short season.
CNY: Sure. Sure.
Jim: We have a short season up there, but I like it. I love the people. I love what I do. I’m outside all the time.
CNY: Absolutely. What types of camping do you offer there?
Jim: What type of what?
CNY: What types of camping do you offer there?
Jim: Well, we’ve got about 50 seasonals. People stay there all summer, and then the rest are transient sites. People come in with motor homes, fifth wheels, and travel trailers. We’ve got a couple cabins. Some tent sites. We used to rent boats, but I got out of that. It got to be too much.
CNY: Sure. Sure. What are the most popular activities for your guests there?
Jim: Well, mostly people come up to our area, which is the Thousand Islands. Arguably so, I think that’s the best part of New York State. Although, like I say, there’s people that will argue that fact, but most of them will come up and the Boat Tour is the biggest attraction in our area, and then of course boating and fishing are very big.
CNY: Okay. What types of fishing?
Jim: The claim of fame up there is the bass, largemouth and smallmouth.
CNY: Nice.
Jim: Some walleye, rock bass, sunfish.
CNY: Absolutely. Two more questions for you, Jim. If you were just going to spend one hour hanging out at Merry Knoll Campground, how would you spend your time there?
Jim: I’d be working. A lot of our people intermingle with other campers.
CNY: Cool.
Jim: For the most part. A lot of people sit out front. We get a nice view of the river down there.
CNY: Absolutely.
Jim: Yeah.
CNY: And last question. If you were going to spend just one night at Merry Knoll Campground, which specific campsite would you stay at and why?
Jim: I could probably think of four or five. Well, probably ten campsites that I would. It’s more open. The campfire is right out front of the campsite. You get a nice view of the river.
CNY: Sure. Sure. Well, hey, thank you so much, Jim, for taking a little bit of time out of your day to give us a little bit of more information about Merry Knoll Campground in New York.
Jim: Okay.
