In the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, record numbers of people “stayed home” in tents, campers and RVs they took with them to Tennessee’s state parks.
Camping in the last two months of 2020 reached historic highs in state-run parks, according to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation that oversees them. Four of the top 10 camping months ever in state parks happened in 2020, most likely driven by visitors seeking the outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, TDEC Commissioner Jim Bryson attributed the surge to the search for well-being.
“The impact of COVID-19 simply underscores a