MASON, Ohio — After a four-week delay and a missed Fourth of July weekend, Kings Island's Camp Cedar luxury campground is finally open.
Staffers at the "glamping" site felt like a great load had been lifted when the first campers arrived, according to general manager Terrie Zajo.
"It was exciting," Zajo said while giving us a first tour of the finished campground. "Our employees were out here. We were cheering for our first families to get here."
Among those first families were three generations of the Lanes of West Chester.
Evelyn Lane loved her cabin so much she didn't want to leave it.
"They are all brand new, of course, so we are spoiled right now," she said.
Managers did not want to open up until everything was ready, including the lodge, all pools and food service.
Now, everything is finally ready, and Camp Cedar is open for business.
Terrie Zajo showed us the pools, which include an adults-only pool, a large family pool and a waterfall for children to play in.
On the side are large expanses of beach chairs, cabanas and games like cornhole for families to play.
The centerpiece of it all: the grand lodge.
"This is where our guests will enjoy coming out and just spending some time together," Zajo said.
The lodge has a two-story great room, a full-service restaurant and bar, and a provisions store.
Outside is Belieze Street, with taco stands, a grill and an ice cream stand.
Further on are 75 luxury cabins and rows of RVs, with families like the Francises of Atlanta settled in for the week.
"The pool is nice, the cabins are nice," camper Paul Francis said. "We are certainly having a great time."
Managers didn't want to talk about the four-week delay that left dozens of families frustrated and forced to scramble for new places to stay.
They said that's all in the past, and they want everyone to be a happy camper now.
Interested? Camp Cedar is pretty much sold out on weekends into September, but it has openings if you are able to go midweek.
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