Whispering Pines in Tyler to join up with Jellystone

Whispering Pines RV and Cabin Resort will become the fifth Texas campground to join the Jellystone Park Camp-Resort network of family focused campgrounds. The official start date is Jan. 1.

The 30-year-old park has 133 RV sites and 18 park model cabins. Don and Jan Tardy acquired it in May. “I like the concept of Jellystone Park and I want to emphasize the fact that we are a park that caters to families,” said Don Tardy.

Jellystone Parks are known for offering family activities that include crafts, games, “hey rides,” birthday parties, and daily appearances by cartoon character Yogi Bear.

The Tardys run the park with their adult children Colt and Bree Perrin. They already have a head start on the family activities and amenities, including two salt water swimming pools and a fishing pond stocked with perch, bass and brim. And they have other plans.

“We’re about to add five more cabins and we have plans for other activities, including laser tag and a zip line,” Don Tardy said. “We will also put in a beach around our pond and add paddle boats, which we hope to have done by summertime. We also hope to eventually have a train.”

Whispering Pines also has four large meeting rooms with separate kitchens to accommodate large groups. Other amenities include basketball, horseshoe, ping pong, shuffleboard and volleyball courts, a camp store and a poolside cafe.