On Saturday, May 4, 2019, Dale and Mary Kitts, along with their family, officially opened the Sunset Cove Adventure Park and Campground. The ribbon cutting was scheduled for 1:00 pm with lunch being served soon after. Thankfully, the rain held off long enough for Dale and Mary’s son, Daniel Kitts, to start the ceremony with prayer and for Dale to cut the red ribbon with the giant scissors.
The adventure park is a dream come true for the Kitts’ family. They have often thought about doing something in the county but had not settled on anything. They have watched and wanted this land for five years and then according to Dale, “They were offered a deal they couldn’t turn down and an easy way to pay for it.” And after buying an RV for themselves, they decided to open the Sunset Cove Adventure Park and Campground.
The park is a family owned and operated business. The five owners include Dale Kitts, Mary Kitts, Daniel Kitts, Carrie Kitts and Jessica Waggoner and they each have a hand in the operation of the business. Mary jokingly said, “We all kind of have to be a jack of all trades right now.” But now that the park is open for business, Jessica will be running the office and Carrie and Mary will run the deli and the store. Dale and Daniel will take care of maintenance and new projects. As for the six grandchildren: Dane Kitts, Dean Kitts, Daylen Kitts, Deacon Kitts, Dalton Waggoner and Kylie Waggoner, they have the most important job of all- to have fun! After all, that is why the park was started.
“Our vision is we want our kids to grow up making memories here. We want the communities’ kids to grow up making memories here. We want this to be a place for generation after generation,” said Mary.
Dale and Mary emphasized the park will be a Christian based, family-oriented environment. Dale stated, “We want to prove to the county that kids and families can have fun without drugs and alcohol.” That is exactly what you will find at this 101-acre campground and adventure park.
At opening, the park has 20 full-hookup RV sites, a 100’ x 200’ swimming pond, a paylake stocked with over 1,200 fish, miniature donkeys, miniature horses, fainting goats, beautiful mountain views and is just 10 minutes from the lake access. And this is just the beginning.
The family has plans to expand the park to offer the citizens of Union County and surrounding counties a family friendly adventure. In the future, they are wanting to add cabins, maybe some tiny houses and more campsites, including some tent sites with a bathhouse. They are also looking into a petting zoo and they hope to have the low risk, moderate and extreme hiking trails completed soon.
The campground is open for reservations and they welcome church youth trips, Boy and Girl Scout Groups, tent revivals, and families looking for a fun and relaxing time.
Located at 345 Hickory Valley Rd, Maynardville, TN, the park is open from February 15th through November 15th with office hours from 8:00am to 5:00pm. For more information you can reach Sunset Cove at 865-679-2055 or 865-924-9266.