News

National Park Service selects Explor Peaks of Otter to operate visitor services at Peaks of Otter Lodge

News Release Date: November 13, 2024 BEDFORD, VA – The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Explor Peaks of Otter, LLC, a subsidiary of ExplorUS, to operate visitor services at Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway under a 10-year concession contract. The existing lodging, food service, retail, and [...]

Reuse and Refill! ExplorUS Partners on Initiatives to Reduce Single-Use Plastics at Three National Park Sites

CONTACT: Branden Rosenthal ([email protected]) Marta Young ([email protected]) September 5, 2024 (OVERLAND PARK, KS) – Plastic pollution is a growing challenge for our planet, affecting ecosystems and wildlife. Even our scenic National Parks, meant to be havens of natural beauty, are seeing an increase in plastic waste. If we don’t change [...]

Much-Needed New Store at Lake Kachess Inside Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest

July 8, 2024 Kittitas County, Washington, JUL. 2024- A brand-new campground retail store has opened at Lake Kachess for the entire camping season. Local seasonal jobs are being offered, and the campground is expecting to reduce the traffic on the I-90 corridor now that a full range of supplies will [...]

Travel Site Top Honor for Three ExplorUS Concessions

July 2, 2024 Three concession locations managed by ExplorUS have received a high honor from Tripadvisor — the 2024 Travelers’ Choice Award. Colossal Cave Mountain Park, outside of Tucson, Arizona; Cades Cove within Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee; and Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center in New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns [...]

Camp Richardson’s Campgrounds Featured as “Best in the West”

June 20, 2024 One of North America’s top travel companies, AAA, has recognized Camp Richardson Resort, which is managed by ExplorUS, as a one the best for kids and families. AAA’s Via Magazine gives a shout-out to the South Lake Tahoe resort’s many campsites, beach access, ice cream parlor, restaurant [...]

Camp Host’s Timely Tips Featured on the News

June 18, 2024 In addition to providing excellent customer service and keeping the campgrounds clean, our Camp Hosts have a well-deserved reputation for making safety a top priority. One Camp Host on the Pike-San Isabel National Forests in Colorado recently had the opportunity to spread his knowledge of fire safety [...]

A New Era for Lake Tahoe’s Historic Camp

June 17, 2024 With its historic cabins, old-timey ice cream parlor, and generations of fiercely loyal guests, South Lake Tahoe’s beachfront Camp Richardson Resort is marking its 100th anniversary with a significant refresh. New operator ExplorUS began renovations earlier this year with the 160-acre property’s 1926 hotel, whose grand lobby and 34 [...]

Missouri Trout Season Begins With a Bang

April 15, 2024 The wait was over with the ceremonial firing of a starter pistol at 6:30 a.m. on March 1. The highly anticipated opening day of the 2024 catch-and-keep trout season in Missouri began with a flourish at Montauk State Park, in Salem, and Roaring River State Park, in [...]

Echo Bluff State Park Features “Eggs-cellent” Easter Celebration

April 10, 2024 Celebrating “Easter in the Park” at Echo Bluff State Park is a beloved tradition, and warm springtime weather marked this year’s holiday weekend festivities. The Betty Lea Lodge, the centerpiece of the Park located in Eminence, Missouri, was the perfect place to combine Easter fun with the [...]

Mammoth Renovations at The Lodge at Mammoth Cave

MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. (March 22, 2024) — With the snip of a ceremonial red ribbon, a new era was ushered in at The Lodge at Mammoth Cave, located in Mammoth Cave National Park in south-central Kentucky. An extensive two-year renovation was completed in time to welcome visitors for the busy [...]

Starved Rock Lodge Named Winner of The Knot Best of Weddings 2024

MARCH 11, 2024 18th Annual Best of Weddings Awards HonorTop Wedding Professionals Across America OGLESBY, (March 6, 2024)—Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center is pleased to announce that they have been selected as a 2024 ­­winner of The Knot Best of Weddings. This accolade represents the top local wedding professionals as [...]

Starved Rock: Where Peace and Adventure Meet

MARCH 8, 2024 (OGLESBY, Ill.) — There’s a reason Starved Rock State Park and Lodge are consistently ranked as a top Illinois destination. Many reasons, in fact. The beautiful scenery of nature trails, canyons and waterfalls intertwined with the relaxing ambience of the lodge makes a perfect getaway for anyone. [...]

ExplorUS to add Crater Lake National Park to roster

MARCH 6, 2024 Company to assume concession operations of the “Crown Jewel” of Oregon March 4, 2024 (OVERLAND PARK, Kansas) — ExplorUS, a leading national provider of concession services in national and state parks, announced today that the company has signed a definitive letter of intent to assume control of Crater Lake [...]

How to Spend a Weekend in Hot Springs, Arkansas

JANUARY 29, 2024 StyleBluePrint Article By Melonee Hurt Many are called to visit Hot Springs, AR, for its healing mineral waters, but there’s so much more to see, do, and taste in this historic Southern town! These are our favorite ways to soak up a weekend in Hot Springs. Located only [...]

New company to manage concessions at Roaring River State Park

JANUARY 25, 2024 CASSVILLE, MO, JAN. 2024 – Roaring River Adventures LLC, a division of ExplorUS, a hospitality management company operating in parks across the country, will manage the lodging, dining, retail and meeting facilities at Roaring River State Park beginning this year. Located in the southwest Ozark hills, Roaring [...]

Tasty Tradition Becomes a “Pop”-ular New Treat

JANUARY 22, 2024 Freshly baked popovers and afternoon tea on the lawn of Jordan Pond House is a longtime tradition, dating back to 1895. Today, more than 2,000 visitors dine on the lawn daily during peak season at this restaurant within Acadia National Park in Maine, run by ExplorUS under [...]

Historic Camp Richardson Resort Begins a New Era With ExplorUS

DECEMBER 18, 2023 Generations of families have enjoyed spending their downtime at the historic Camp Richardson Resort on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe in California. The resort is a popular travel destination that has served guests for more than a century. Beginning in January 2024, premier hospitality company ExplorUS [...]

A Hole-in-One for ExplorUS

DECEMBER 8, 2023 Visitors at two of Utah’s premier golf courses will have a new dining experience beginning in spring 2024. Longtime national hospitality company ExplorUS will manage the food and beverage operations at Soldier Hollow Golf Course and Wasatch Mountain Golf Course south of Park City. Soldier Hollow and [...]

Improving Visitor Services at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

DECEMBER 1, 2023 Visitors to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park in Florida will soon be able to enjoy enhanced amenities, including an improved restaurant, updated event space, more options for recreational equipment rentals, and a new dock. Hospitality provider ExplorUS plans to improve the Park’s current concessions when its contract [...]

Colossal Accolades for Our Cave Guides

NOVEMBER 22, 2023 Descending six stories into the Earth, winding through narrow passageways and across rock bridges, seeing stalagmites and stalactites up close … it’s all part of the cave tour experience at our concessions operation at Colossal Cave Mountain Park in Arizona. To add to the excitement of exploring [...]

Thanksgiving Traditions Celebrated at Starved Rock Lodge

November 16, 2023 Renowned for its fabulous food, banquets, and more than 500 special events and activities each year, Starved Rock Lodge and Conference Center is THE place to be for the holidays. Located two hours from Chicago, the operation has a full calendar of fun year-round, and especially in [...]

ExplorUS makes quite a catch at Roaring River State Park

NOVEMBER 10, 2023 ExplorUS will deliver its signature high-quality hospitality services at Roaring River State Park in southwest Missouri beginning in January 2024. Roaring River State Park is one of four trout parks in Missouri and is a premier destination for anglers. In addition to cold-stream fishing, the park also [...]

The Lincoln Cafe Is Now Open

OCTOBER 16, 2023 Visitors to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, will now have the opportunity to grab a convenient bite to eat on-site. ExplorUS has opened the Lincoln Café, a quick-service restaurant, open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., inside the museum building. Patrons can [...]

Serving Up Delicious Food and Drinks in a Tropical Paradise

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 Raise your hand if you would like to work on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world! It’s a daydream for many, and in a few short months, the ExplorUS staff can say they actually DO work on one of the most beautiful beaches in [...]

Summer Camps: Portraits of campground hosts in the Custer-Gallatin National Forest

SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 Before Gloria and Danny Hinton became campground hosts, they already knew what made a good one. It was on a three-month road trip in a Class B motorhome last summer that they realized they, too, could do the job — and do it well. “It just makes [...]

Good Friends: Befrienders bring generations together

AUGUST 22, 2023 Befrienders is an organization that matches Bozeman seniors with volunteers from the area, helping the Gallatin Valley’s older population combat loneliness since 1993. It has created dozens of friendships between generations that last for years. Anne Kenney, 82, has been with Befrienders for the last two years [...]

A Grand Re-Opening for a Grand Gift Shop

JULY 13, 2023 Contact: Rosie Breheny, Marketing Manager [email protected] Springfield, IL – ExplorUS, a hospitality management company specializing in America’s most beautiful parks, is excited to announce their grand re-opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum gift shop. First opened to the public in 2005, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential [...]

A Thousand Reasons for ExplorUS to Celebrate

JUNE 19, 2023 Hospitality company ExplorUS has been awarded a 10-year contract to operate concessions at Thousand Hills State Park in northeast Missouri beginning in January 2024. Thousand Hills State Parks surrounds Forest Lake, where ExplorUS will offer visitors the rentals of boat slips, kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, pontoons, fishing boats [...]

New Retail Space Serves Campers at Lake Wappapello

MAY 18, 2023 We’ve all been there: You’re enjoying a camping trip and realize you forgot bug spray. Or maybe you want a T-shirt to commemorate your fishing excursion when you reeled in “the big one.” The new camp store at Lake Wappapello State Park in southeast Missouri has just [...]

New Concession at Tahquamenon Falls State Park

MARCH 28, 2023 Paradise, MI – A hospitality management company, ExplorUS, formerly known as Ortega National Parks, will manage the newly built café and gift shop in the lower falls of Tahquamenon Falls State Park located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Operating in parks across the country, ExplorUS has extensive experience [...]

Hot Springs Mountain Tower

MARCH 16, 2023 Imagine seeing Hot Springs National Park from 1,256 feet above sea level! That is exactly the view you can enjoy from the Hot Springs Mountain Tower. This is one of our favorite things to do in Hot Springs National Park! You can enjoy an amazing view over [...]

Picture Worthy and Vacation Ready Starved Rock Lodge and State Park

JANUARY 19, 2023 “We’ve always assumed that Starved Rock State Park was one of the most beautiful places in America, but now that Travel Lens has completed a study ranking it the seventh most-instagrammed state park in the country we can brag about it.” Said Frank Pikus, CEO of ExplorUS. Starved Rock [...]

Illinois Beach Hotel Welcomes New Manager

JANUARY 18, 2023 Zion, IL,  – The Illinois Beach Hotel is pleased to welcome Donald Hamilton as the new General Manager for the hotel located in the Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park.    Originally from Sonoma County California, Don earned a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the Tisch [...]

New Company to Manage Echo Bluff Lodge Concessions

JANUARY 11, 2023 EMINENCE, MO, JAN. 11, 2023 – ExplorUS, formally Ortega National Parks, a hospitality management company operating in parks across the country, will manage the lodging, dining, retail and banquet facilities at the Echo Bluff State Park beginning this year. Echo Bluff started out as a summer youth [...]

Hawaii Volcano House | Halema’uma’u Crater

JANUARY 6, 2023 Hawaii Volcano House Hotel in Hawaii is a historical retreat with 33 guest rooms, 10 cabins and 16 campsites located in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Halema’uma’u crater continues to erupt here in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Our incredible staff at Hawaii Volcano House snapped the photo [...]

Ringing in the New Year at Echo Bluff State Park

JANUARY 1, 2023 The ExplorUS staff loves a good challenge, when we can roll up our sleeves and get to work, and we did just that in the wee hours of New Year’s Day at Echo Bluff State Park in southern Missouri. The State of Missouri awarded the company a [...]

Tourism Management Company Redefines Service

DECEMBER 14, 2022 Overland Park, KS – During the holiday season, customer service isn’t just about providing great service at hotels, restaurants, and marinas. At least not for ExplorUS, an Overland Park company that manages several tourism related businesses in national and state parks across the country.   Last week 38 members [...]

Kansas Based Company Manages Interesting and Diverse Sites

OCTOBER 1, 2022 When you’re featured in People Magazine, it must be a thing, right?  Have you ever thought about sledding, without snow?  Or how about sledding in shorts, with no shoes or mittens? People Magazine recently featured the White Sands National Park in New Mexico as #5 out of 25 Things to Do, [...]

New Restaurant, Nolan’s, Open Inside Illinois Beach State Park

JULY 26, 2022 Nolan’s Restaurant at the Illinois Beach Hotel officially opened on July 5th, 2022, and is already getting great reviews. Open to the public, Nolan’s offers a full menu for lunch and dinner. The dinner menu features some locally sourced products and includes items such as: Wisconsin White [...]

Hottest Place on Earth Managed by Overland Park Company

JULY 26, 2022 All the news for the past few weeks has been about the heat.  The Economist published “Heat is causing problems across the world”.   China reported that a bridge was buckling because of the heat. There are triple digits across the United States causing fires and a city park in [...]

ExplorUS will operate Lake Wappapello State Park concessions

JULY 6, 2022 JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JULY 6, 2022 —  ExplorUS, formally Ortega National Parks, a hospitality management company operating in parks across the country, will manage lodging and limited retail operations in Lake Wappapello State Park for Missouri State Parks beginning this year.  Covering more than 1,800 acres in southeastern [...]

Illinois Beach Hotel Ready for Reservations

JUNE 23, 2022 Zion, IL – Reservations are now being accepted at the Illinois Beach Hotel in Zion, IL.The property which features 92 hotel rooms and a restaurant will be open to the public this summer after an almost year long hiatus. Guestroom reservations will be available for arrival on [...]

Allegany Concessions Under New Management

JUNE 25, 2022 Salamanca, NY – — Allegany Hospitality, part of a hospitality management company operating in parks across the country, has been awarded the concessions for the Red House and Quaker areas inside the largest state park in New York, Allegany State Park.   Allegany State Park is a 65,000-acre primitive [...]