Camping is for everyone. From owning a million dollar RV to camping in the smallest of tents, all races and ages enjoy the great outdoors. And a small airport in central Florida decided they wanted to provide a little outdoors for their clients. A few years ago, the Friends of Arcadia Airport (FOAA) in Arcadia, Florida, had an idea. "Six or seven years ago, our group negotiated with the city to get three acres. We cleaned it up, made it a campground and gave pilots an opportunity to park their airplanes in the woods and pitch a tent," says Rickey Hilton, President of the non-profit, Friends of Arcadia Airport.
This idea was one of the ideas to help make the small town and small airport in Arcadia a destination. Another idea was to lower the fuel prices, often setting the prices at the lowest in the state. So, with the approval and encouragement of the City Council, City Mayor and Administrator, both ideas created quite a buzz in the aviation industry.
"The Friends pretty much started the whole airport campground idea and it has really taken off, so to speak," says Airport Manager Shelley Peacock. Peacock recalls a time the airport campground was in a paper in Canada. "I kept seeing all these planes come in from Canada and I really had no idea why," she says, "And then, come to find out, the pilots read about it in a Canadian news article and the word got out."
Propeller monument welcoming guests to "Aviation City" placed at the Friends of Arcadia Airport [Photo/Friends of Arcadia Airport]
For Peacock, meeting people from all over has been one of her favorite things about managing the airport. "These people with planes look for unique places to go fly to and this is certainly one of them," she tells The Buzz.
Hilton adds, "It's really unique, secluded and out of the mainstream. There are some camping airports out west, but we are the only one east of the Mississippi as far as I know." Hilton says that because Arcadia is somewhat centrally located; pilots will fly all over Florida and then use the Arcadia campground as their home base.
Arcadia is a town with a long history of flight. Jack Payne, a famous British composer in the early 20th century, wrote the song in 1919 called "Arcadia, The Aviation City of Florida," which sang praises of the town. After the United States entered World War 1, the government established several airfield training camps, one of which was in Arcadia. The airfield was in operation until after World War 2. The Arcadia Municipal Airport came into existence in the 1930s.
Arcadia itself has a lot to offer in terms of things to do, and many pilots take advantage of this. The Peace River is a great river for canoeing, kayaking and airboat rides. Peace River Charters can pick pilots up from the airport and put them in a canoe to then pick them up 8 miles downstream. They also have airboat tours, horseback riding and, of course, alligator viewing. The company has great reviews, many people commenting on the knowledgeable captains of the airboats and the opportunity to see alligators. One review says, "Our family visited in July. We had an amazing experience. From booking to the tour to after. When we went in to the shop to leave a tip there was another captain and he showed us the big alligator and let us hold an alligator. Captain Sam was our boat captain and very knowledgeable of the area. This was one of my favorite experiences in Florida and we are here 3 times a year. I can’t believe we waited this long to try it."
The airport offers a courtesy car to downtown Arcadia businesses for the pilots. The downtown was built in the 1800s and is in the National Register of Historic Places. There are dozens of antique shops, as well as several eating establishments. Of note is the Arcadia Opera House, built in 1906. The opera house is an antique store and museum rolled up into one. As one review says, "Half museum half cool antique store all packed in a historic location. Tons of everything under the sun. Household fair, albums, collectibles. Check out the antique movie projectors. Walk on the stage of a 100 year old opera house." The property is supposedly haunted. Many ghost hunters spend time looking for paranormal activities at the property, with reports of ghost children, voices and noises being heard. According to legend, the opera house was built on the site of an old orphanage that burned down, which many say explain the sightings and sounds of children.
The river and the historical downtown are just some of the reasons pilots come from all over to camp in the little town of Arcadia. Peacock says that there has been a huge pickup in stops since the opening of the campground and lowering of fuel prices. “We went from selling about 200 gallons of gas a month to having an all-time high of 12,000 gallons.” Peacock notes that some pilots come for the gas prices and then realize there is a campground on the property, too, so they stay the night or come back again. The campground has a big fire pit, where pilots gather to sit and talk at night. “It’s like these people have known each other for years,” Peacock says, “But it turns out they all just love flying. Once they find out about us, they say they don’t want to tell anyone to keep it a hidden gem. But, I say, let them come!”