New Go Cart Track Gets Campers Moving At Williams/Circle Pines KOA Holiday
July 27, 2016 KOA NEWS SERVICE (July 27, 2016) – Campers visiting the Williams/Exit 167/ Circle Pines KOA Holiday just south of the Grand Canyon in Arizona have one more reason to enjoy their stay this summer: Go Carts.
The campground recently added Bear Trax Go Carts to its lists of activities available to campers, something owners Bruce and Lori Zellar have wanted to do since 2011.
“We met the owners of the Port Huron KOA Resort back in 2011 at our very first KOA Convention and they had a go cart track,” said Lori. “I told my husband, ‘we’ll be needing one of those.’”
The project began to take shape in 2013 but came to a standstill when Bruce was diagnosed with cancer. After fighting and beating the disease, Bruce is now cancer free. The Zellars resumed work and completed the installation in August of 2015.
Lori said the entire project cost about $270,000 to install with Bruce designing the rail system himself. Based on feedback from campers she said the investment was well worth it.
“The campers think it is just wonderful. It’s crazy busy every day. We had to hire additional staff. We have 31 employees and we had to bring in some local teenagers just for the go carts,” said Lori.
The Zellars researched average prices for go-cart rides and came up with a price of $8 for a driver and $3 for passengers for a five-minute ride. A ride that Lori said is much longer than most.
“Bruce went and made a lot of phone calls across the nation to find the average price and at $1.98 a lap we are one of the cheapest in the nation. We thought our time was good, five minutes is a long time on a go cart. You can get a lot of laps in.”
Lori said employees go in an hour prior to opening to check air pressure, gas levels and seat belts, making maintenance a minimal process.
“It’s been a great thing for us,” she said.
The Williams/Exit 167/Circle Pines Arizona KOA Holiday also has an indoor pool, mini golf, bike rentals, two playgrounds, Kamp K9 pet park, and the Bear Trax Café for breakfasts and dinners.
The campground is located at 1000 Circle Pines Road in Williams, Arizona. To find out more, or to make reservations, go to www.koa.com/campgrounds/williams.
Kampgrounds of America is celebrating its 54th Anniversary in 2016. KOA, the world’s largest network of family-friendly campgrounds with 485 locations in North America, was born on the banks of the Yellowstone River in Billings, Montana in 1962. For more information, go to www.KOA.com or visit the KOA Pressroom at www.koapressroom.com.