KOA Community Magazine – Beyond the Tent

Unique Glamping Accommodations in Horse Cave.

There’s nothing quite like waking up in one of Horse Cave KOA’s covered wagons.

Guests at the campground can spend the night snuggled up in quality linens on a king-size memory roam mattress. Each of the 185-square foot wagons also boasts two twin beds, a refrigerator, microwave, and a Keurig coffee maker. Outside is a private patio and firepit.

It’s a far cry from the Conestoga wagons of the pioneer days, but it looks just like them – on the outside, at least. Inside, guests are treated to a luxurious space that feels less like camping and more like a hotel room, but the curved wagon roof still hints at their unique accommodations. “It’s kind of like staying an the Hilton, but you’re outdoors – and that’s what glamping ins,” Jason Gedda says. “We like to use the phrase ‘Where camping meets glamping.'”

Jason and his wife, Sonya, bought the campground in 2004. They’re steadily improving and adding to the 35-acre site, incorporating more and more unique accommodations, like the covered wagons, teepees and treehouses, with even more ideas on the horizon.

‘MOST UNIQUE ACCOMMODATIONS IN AMERICA’

Campers arrive from around the world, Sonya says. Past visitors hailed from Germany, Australia and across the U.S. The campground’s proximity to Mammoth Cave National Park, the National Corvette Museum and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail makes it an attractive home base for travelers.

But while the location is certainly a plus, the accommodations make it stand out. Jason worked in hospitality for most of his career, managing and even building hotels. The campground has proven the perfect place to execute his more original ideas.

In addition to offering tent and RV camping and primitive cabins, Horse Cave KOA is home to the wagons, teepees and treehouses of varying sizes and amenities. “We have probably the most unique accommodations in America, ” Jason says. “You can’t rent these teepees that we have anywhere in America. You can rent some wagons, but that combination, nobody has it. We’re the only ones.”

While Jason constructs the unique lodging options at Horse Cave KOA, Sonya is in charge of the interiors. “We think of what the guest would want,” Sonya says. “We look at that perspective. You’ve got to have a good bed, good pillow and a good shower, water pressure, things like that. And then for the decorations, we try to make it as nice as possible.”

The teepees are Sonya’s favorite place to stay on the property. They sit in the middle of a bi-level, 30-by-52-foot deck. Inside, each structure is 550 square feet with a living room, full-sized refrigerator and microwave and a bathroom. A bedroom and sleeping loft each have queen sized beds. Thirty-foot ceilings are accentuated by tongue-and-groove knotty pine.

Jason describes the structures as “pretty spectacular” with their pointy tops. His favorite lodging on property are the treehouses. The 600-square-foot structures sit 20 feet above the ground on steel platforms designed to look like trees. The treehouses have a full bathroom, bedroom and a sleeping loft with a total of three queen-sized beds. They also have full kitchens and 12-by-24 foot decks.

ACTIVITIES, AMENITIES ABOUND

Not all accommodations include bathrooms, but Jason says Horse Cave KOA’s bathhouse is among the nicest available. With full-sized tiled showers, backlit LED mirrors and granite countertops, “I’ll put it up against anybody in the country,” he says.

The campground also offers activities like a jumping pillow, full-court basketball, volleyball, playground sets, miniature golf, a swimming pool, a small farm and a mega slide. Those activities, combined with such a unique array of accommodations, have led to many repeat guests, Jason says. One even stayed in a wagon, a treehouse and a teepee, for consecutive, two-day stays. “It becomes an attraction itself,” he says of the campground. “It’s super unique, and unique accommodations are pretty hot right now.”

Glamping – a portmanteau of “glamorous” and “camping” – is enjoying a moment. While ti’s coming off record years in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jason says, the industry continues to grow by “leaps and bounds.” Horse Cave KOA is a member of the American Glamping Association.

MEANINGFUL FUNDRAISING

Giving back is important to the Geddas. They support KOA Care Camps, which organizes medically supervised camps for children with cancer.

In fact, last year, the Geddas raised $48,000 for the organization. It marked the largest donation from a KOA campground. “Everybody has been touched in some way by cancer, ” Jason says. He lost his mother to the disease last year, but she was able to take part in Horse Cave KOA’s fundraising efforts, making it even more special.

CAVE STAY ON THE WAY

Jason and Sonya have plans for even more unique accommodations.

Construction will start on two, 150-square-foot, bourbon barrel-shaped structures this year. The accommodations will open to guests in 2025, Jason Says.

The Geddas are also working on crafting a man-made lodging that resembles a cave with bedrooms, a kitchen and bathrooms, also set to open in 2025. The cave will have stalagmites, stalactites and other special features.

Since buying the campground 20 years ago, the Geddas have raised their four children there, watching the property grow alongside their kids.

“We’ve loved every minute that we’ve been there, ” Jason says.

Story: Kathy Jamie Biesiada
This is an article from KOA Community Magazine. Thanks to KOA Community Magazine for allowing us to post this article on our website.