The Outdoor Hospitality Conference and Expo (OHCE2023), under the organization of OHwI (formerly National ARVC), celebrated the champions of the industry by announcing the winners of the prestigious 2023 Awards of Excellence recently.

Two area campgrounds received top awards for the Park of the Year.

Broad River Campground, a new 90-acre park, adjacent to the Broad River Greenway near Boiling Springs, took the award for Small Park of the Year.

In a statement upon the recognition, Tyler Watts, of Student Rental Investments, said, "OHI hosts an annual national conference where park owners/operators across the nation gather to network and gain inside knowledge. Being crowned Small Park of the Year is a prestigious honor. To even be selected as Park of the Year in our first full year of operation is monumental, winning it was a dream come true."

Tying for the Large Park of the Year was Jellystone Park Golden Valley in Bostic.

Tying with Jellystone Park Golden Valley was Jellystone Park at Larkspur (Larkspur, Colo.) OHI noted that judges tied on these two parks, so both were honored.

In the Medium Park category, the award was clinched by Jellystone Park Kozy Rest in Harrisville, PA.

For the Mega Park category, the winner was Sun Outdoors Frontier Town in Berlin, MD.

The Awards of Excellence, a peer-reviewed and judged accolade, honors the "best of the best" in the outdoor hospitality industry by recognizing those who have demonstrated innovative and forward-thinking practices.

The Park of the Year award was segmented based on park sizes: Small, Medium, Large, and Mega.

Several other awards were presented to individuals and organizations that have made noteworthy contributions to the outdoor hospitality industry.