This banjo picker and builder turned his love of the mountains into his dream job.
Photo Above: The Explore Park campground features several arch-design micro cabins. Inset: Don and Melody Harrison accept an award by Virginia Recreation and Parks Society in 2018.
Photos Courtesy of Don Harrison.
Upon meeting Don Harrison, you might consider him a relaxed retiree who manages a quiet little campground. Nothing could be further from the facts.
Harrison is the originator of the newest campground in Explore Park, at Virginia Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 115. He is an active owner-operator of Don’s Cab-Inns Campground which features unique arched mini cabins he builds himself. Far from being a retiree, he is keenly involved in every aspect of the business. Not only does he build each cabin from the ground up, he and his wife, Melody, assist Roanoke County with reservations, oversee facilities and design each dwelling to make it a guest’s home away from home. Harrison enjoys chatting with campers and those lucky enough might even catch him picking and grinning on his banjo.
Harrison moved to Virginia from North Carolina in his 20s to work in a paper mill, but with a background in electronics, he eventually found work with Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital as an equipment technician. Although he enjoyed his steady career at the hospital, he always found himself building in his spare time. He built two homes in Bath County, Virginia when he first started out, and people were impressed with his style. He recalls a friend saying back then, “Boy, if I could build something like that, I sure would find a way to do it full time.” That got Harrison thinking about pursuing his hobby more seriously.
In 2015, Harrison worked with his wife’s cousin to build a large-scale cabin in Vinton, Virginia, which they rented out. People liked the cabin so much they asked Harrison to build more. He didn’t have time then, but he kept the idea alive that one day he would. He built his first micro cabin with the arch design in 2016 and was planning to sell it.
“I don’t like to build just regular square things,” Harrison says, “I like unique structures.”
The lodging at Don’s Cab-Inns Campground is unique indeed. Harrison creates each cabin to be fun and functional although he hadn’t originally considered them for a campground. Harrison says it was all a matter of good timing that brought him to Explore Park to fulfill a life-long dream of running his own business along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
In 2017, Harrison discovered that Roanoke County, Virginia was seeking accommodation ideas for a new campground being established at Explore Park and he wondered if they would consider his concept. County officials viewed his micro cabin and asked how many more he could build. Harrison agreed to build three more and see how they worked out. The county then asked the Harrisons if they wanted to operate the campground themselves and they came to a lease agreement. At the time of signing the agreement, Harrison was still working full time but in 2018 when his department was sold to another company he saw his opening to dive into entrepreneurship. He smiles as he says, “I’ve always loved being out in the mountains so the opportunity to have my own business here—well, I was pretty happy about that.”
According to Harrison, it takes about six weeks to build one cabin. Once he had a few cabins up, he was asked if he could build yurts. Yurts are large, round dwellings with their own bathrooms. Harrison found a yurt manufacturer in Oregon, shipped them here and then constructed them to add to the campground. At the time of print, there are a total of four yurts and seven cabins all equipped with furniture and cooling and/or heating, a small fridge, coffee maker and microwave. Harrison recently added new couple’s cabins which include a dinette area and fireplace.
“We wanted to create a nice atmosphere for couples and give them something a little fancier,” he says.
Each campsite offers a picnic table and fire pit. A modern bath house is on site as well as a shared water pump and a camp store. Additionally, the campground has six RV spaces available.
In 2018 the Harrisons won the Best New Facility Bricks and Mortar award by Virginia Recreation and Parks Society and received a Distinguished Private Sector Service Award for their business.
“This first year has been good,” Harrison explains. “We didn’t really know what to expect in the beginning, but it has turned out better than I thought.”
As the campground grows in popularity there are plans to expand with even more unique spaces. Harrison says he’s grateful how things have worked out for him to live out his dream of working on his own and enjoying the mountains every day.
The story above appears in our September / October 2020 issue.
