LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Two Louisville families turned their love for camping into a glamping experience and event space.

Progress Park Airstream Resort and Event Center is nestled behind a grove of trees around the corner from GE Appliance Park.

Nick McDowell and Mike Pifer got the idea rolling in 2016 when they purchased the 12-acre property on Progress Boulevard. Both of their families cleaned up part of the property and camped on it themselves.

"We spent a lot of time over here really just kind of cleaning up the property and seeing our kids engage in nature and just being together and outside," McDowell said. "And just at that time, it was like 'wow, this could be something pretty cool.'"

As the idea of clearing out more of the land and possibly renting it became more clear, it was time to get their wives on board — Karey McDowell and Valerie Pifer. 

"It was nothing until the wives, Valerie and Karey, stepped in to say, 'if this is going to be something real, we really need to put our touches to it,'" Nick McDowell said.

Nick McDowell said the four of them are a dynamic business group for a startup, and each one of them smoothly stepped into their role of running the park.

After three years of a landscaping makeover, including a man-made pond, the airstream park opened to its first guests in 2019.

“It's neat to see you take a place from a rundown, just kind of property. And then now, to see people bring their families out here," Mike Pifer said.

Now, there’s seven different airstreams, each named after one of their family members, like the first airstream: Dotti.

Dotti airstream

Airstream 'Dotti' at Progress Park is the property's smallest option and first belonged to one of the owners, The Pifers, prior opening the airstream resort.

"This is a family-oriented place. So in any way that we can bring our family more into the whole design aspect of it. We're enjoying that," Nick said.

There’s also three houses on the property, as well as a tented event space. The owners said they typically only allow 10 weddings a year to make sure the property has space for its nightly renters.

Overall, the owners say the real appeal is the outdoor experiences available, like canoeing, firepits and lawn games. 

"It's very gratifying watching the place like this, bring people together, get them outdoors," Mike Pifer said.

McDowell said they wanted to make camping accessible for those who might like the outdoors, but want some of the other conveniences, like a flushing toilet.

"A lot of people were looking for an experience, more so than a place to go stay. So we try to add the nicest place to stay, with the experience of all the outdoor activities and everything else, together," McDowell said.

Campfire

At Progress Park in Louisville, the owners of the property wanted to provide the things people love about camping, like sitting around a campfire, without all the hassle.

There's also touches of quintessential campgrounds like communal laundry and a larger outdoor meeting space in the middle of the grounds.

"We fell in love with the people we met camping and really wanted to be able to provide that experience to other people," McDowell said.

The group of owners isn't done yet. The next addition to the airstream fleet is expected by the end of June.

And they're meeting now to decide what to do with the property's remaining  three acres of undeveloped land. Right now, it's mostly used for a hiking trail.

"There is a lot to come and that's what we're trying to fine tune," McDowell said.

As for pricing, it varies based on which accommodation is selected. Each overnight stay can be booked on Airbnb and event pricing can be found on the Progress Park Facebook page.

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