About Us
Our Story
Imagine fields of tobacco, corn, and pastures with surrounding irrigation ponds. That is where we began a dream. What started as family farmland has turned into an award-winning camp-resort. Joey & Rick Coleman (brothers) had a vision to take their father’s farm and turn it into something that would be timeless. Their father, Joe, was an important part of their life and worked hard in the farming and tobacco industries. Joe Coleman put in long hours to build a good reputation for the business name and to provide for his family. Joey & Rick both worked for the family business in various positions. The family and business name were well known in Tabor City and the surrounding communities.
On May 13, 1999, the brothers opened Daddy Joe’s Fishing Hole in honor of their father. This was a place for people to come and get away for guided hunting and freshwater fishing. The brothers took the 250 acres of family farmland and designed it for fishing, hiking, and biking. A Rainbow Trout stream was created on the land to provide winter fishing. The trout were brought in each fall to stock the stream. In the opening year the Colemans won the national Stewardship Award from the Progressive Farmer Magazine. This award was given to them for the unique design of the stream and lakes.
Due to the brother’s hard work and the prestigious award, business began to pick up and people wanted to not only hunt and fish but to camp overnight. Yurts and a bathhouse were added the following year to better accommodate the guests. They even built a clubhouse to sell fishing supplies and offer a gathering place for the visitors.
Things began to grow quicker and quicker and the visitors started bringing their campers to dry camp as they enjoyed the amenities of Daddy Joe’s Fishing Hole. In 2001 they decided to add 36 campsites and an office to better handle the boom. Never wanting to lose sight of the reason they started this venture; a decision was made to drop the words fishing hole from the business name. This was a game changer for the brothers. They decided to add a swimming pool and turn their focus to families. After all, family was the reason they started this. The Coleman’s wanted a place for their family to enjoy but also for other families to have a safe place to vacation.
Joining Yogi Bears’ Jellystone Camp-Resort™
Over the course of the next few years the brothers continued to grow the Camp-Resort. They added cabins, tent sites, a splash zone, camp store, and more RV sites. They never lost focus of honoring their dad by being innovative like he was. Activities and amenities evolved and became more exciting. One of the favorites was a large truck named Locomotion. This bright yellow truck loaded guests and took them on an exciting ride through the wooded trails. This ride resulted in lots of laughter as well as mud covered clothes! The truck retired after 5 years and guests still bring it up to this day. Quad RV Sites were designed and added to the campground. Four RV sites made a giant square forming a grassy courtyard in the middle. These sites provided a unique option for group camping.
Recognition came once again to the brothers but this time it was from the camping industry. In 2008 they won the Jellystone Park Camp-Resort of the Year Award. This was such a huge honor to be recognized in the system as the top Camp-Resort. They would later win this award again in 2017. Each year after the annual Jellystone Park Symposium, Tabor City Jellystone returns to North Carolina with a handful of accolades. Rick & Joey are always pushing the envelope and creating new ways to enjoy camping and have fun.
The camp-resort has grown to 211 sites composed of RV sites, Golden Getaway RV sites, tents, cabins, yurts, and a glamping yurt (coming soon!). The team has grown and is no longer a majority of family members. Each year the Colemans create unique additions to the campground. Just like their dad they are always dreaming and growing and looking outside of the box.
When Rick Coleman was asked about working in the camping industry for 25 years he said, “It is almost hard to believe we have been in business 25 years. The thought of what if, to maybe, to why not, and finally; sure, we can design and build a campground resort in Tabor City still seems a bit crazy, to say the least. Our goal from the onset was, and remains today, is quality. We set out to have a quality resort with our product, have quality employees to run the business, and have quality customers to sustain the business. We can truly say that all of these goals have been met and continue to be our focus going forward. Thank you to all who have been a part of this process, it has been a very rewarding and entertaining ride for us all. We still continue to reinvest in our resort so that our guests will have the best we can offer to come and relax with their families.”
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park™ at Daddy Joe’s is excited for what the future holds. It is important to us, and always will be, to move forward in the camping industry to provide you with the best family camping experience possible. Daddy Joe’s began as a farm diversification project now stands as a nationally known and award-winning Camp-Resort™.
