We just did this on a whim," said Andy Dize. Dize and his partner, Lisa Bevenour, are the new owners of Bumble Bee RV Park and Campground in Accident, Maryland. Bumble Bee RV Park and Campground officially opened for the season on April 26th. The 6 1/2-acre property has 17 seasonal and eight short-term RV sites in the upper part of the grounds. Each have full hookups, fire pits, and picnic tables. On the lower part of the property, there are 13 tent sites with fire pits and picnic tables.
"This area is a place to get away from everything so we keep it as natural as possible," Dize said. "The previous owners really took care of this place and kept everything updated. We are adding better Wi-Fi service, building a pavilion, and adding some personal character the campground."
Dize and Bevenour both have had limited experience with camping and RVing. "Lisa has camped before and went RVing in her previous lives," Dize recalled, "I am just going along with the idea and everything is falling into place nicely." Being from Baltimore, they were looking for a property for about 4 years. "We were looking for a vacation home and our realtor was great and patient with us," Dize recalled. "He told us about a campground in our price range and we thought, 'why not take a look at it?' We went up in the summer of last year and made an offer sometime in August, the owner accepted and we were able to call the property ours by November.”
Bumble Bee RV Park & Campground welcome sign in Accident, Maryland [Photo by Bumble Bee RV Park & Campground]
Both Dize and Bevenour work as civilians at the U.S. Coast Guard Surface Forces Logistics Center in Baltimore. Dize has a lot of experience as a naval architect, so the logistics of setting up and maintaining a campground does not intimidate him. "My friend owns a marina and it is very similar," Dize explained, "However instead of boats it's RVs that need hookups. I know how to run electrical lines and plumbing systems, so that stuff did not scare me at all." Besides adding Wi-Fi and building a pavilion for family gatherings, they upgraded the office welcome center and they plan to upgrade the playground for families. There is a house on the property that they have gutted and plan to refinish this summer as their summer home.
The tent sites which previously were just for adults, have been made available for families, too. "We were actually a little concerned about having the tent sites," Dize said, "However people have started to reserve sites." Dize explained that they are the only campground in the area, besides Deep Creek Lake State Park, that has tent sites available.
Accident, Maryland is a convenient getaway to three major cities - 3 hours away from Baltimore and Washington D.C. and 2 hours away from Pittsburg. A few interesting fun facts- it is the only town in the United States named Accident, and a person from Accident is called an Accidental. The name is said to come from a mistake in land surveys from 1786, according to Mary Strauss’ Flowery Vale: A History of Accident, Maryland. The name aside, the area has plenty to do all year round. "There's white water rafting, horseback riding, kayaking, fishing, hiking, and more around here," Dize explained.
The premier destinations are the state parks. Deep Creek Lake State Park is about 15 minutes away from the campground. At the park, there are plenty of hiking trails, boating, a beach for swimming, and fishing. The Discovery Center at the state park is said to be one of the best in the state. It has plenty of science-centered activities, as well as a section called The Aviary which houses 9 birds of prey that are injured and not able to survive in the wild. There is also the Thayerville Fire Tower, which was built in 1921 and the only fire tower in Maryland that is still in working order. Once a week, it is open for visitors to climb to the top and get an excellent view of the lake.
Another state park, Swallow Falls State Park, is about 30 minutes away from the campground. It has the highest free-falling waterfall in Maryland, Muddy Creek Falls, at 53 feet. It has 300 year old hemlock trees, accessible by relatively easy hikes. It also was visited and written about by some very famous people of old including Thomas Edison. On viewing the falls, Edison said, “Every man in his heart revolts at civilization and will revert back to nature if given half a chance.”
Dize and Bevenour have found a way to revert back to nature at the campground. The couple gets excited to meet campers throughout the summer. “The seasonal RVers came in early April, along with our camp hosts, and it is very exciting,” Dize said. He is hoping the campground will be a great jumping-off to explore all the Deep Creek Lake area has to offer.