If you’re traveling to Mountain View, Arkansas and need a place to plug in your camper, or want something a little bit fancier than your home on wheels, then Mountain View RV Park & Guest Motel is your best bet.
The Friendly Owner
Here in Mountain View you will find a swath of friendly locals (and transplants), and one such resident is Shawna Board. Her business is one that fits all shapes and sizes. From those who are traveling RV style, or those who like the comfort of a nicer motel/hotel room – she’s got you covered. And not just a hotel room, but cabins as well.
She and her husband Greg, who are originally from Texas, grew up in the panhandle spending a majority of their time in Houston.
“I worked for many years in the oil and gas world (and later in the nuclear industry), as a project estimator and proposal writer. Greg designed and oversaw the build project of a large data center for Men’s Warehouse,” Shawna tells me as she dives into their background and how they found their way to Mountain View.
“I fell in love with Mountain View over 20 years ago during my first visit to the Ozarks. In 2014, I returned to the town and spent a girl’s weekend in a cabin on Sylamore Creek. That trip rekindled my love for this part of the Ozarks and the following month I brought Greg up here. He was hooked and soon we were making plans to buy our vacation/retirement home in the area. We found our perfect cabin in the woods in 2016.
As we both continued to work in the city, Greg was always looking for ways to move up here before we reached retirement age. When he first showed me the RV Park & Guest Motel listing, I told him he was crazy! Before Covid, I got laid off from my career that I loved and was working for a small company and was bored. Greg got laid off during Covid and we both knew it was time to leave the city and move up here full time. The RV Park was still listed and once we visited the property, we knew it was a great option.
I have a deep faith, and trusted that if things were meant to be, all of the pieces of the puzzle would fall into place. All of the pieces came together and we became owners in November of 2020. It’s been a lot of learning in so many areas, but I could not wish for a better life.”
Their story should inspire others of us who get marred into the daily grind of our 9-5 work lives. Dropping it all and moving out to the country is so much of a difference and probably a much nicer change for most people than sitting behind a desk all day. And clearly, it’s working for them.
And according to Shawna, business is soaring. In the 25 months since they’ve been open, they’ve made 2,372 reservations meeting well over 2,000 people in that time. This, is one of her favorite parts of the job she says.
Increasing their business is a hopeful prospect for them, and she says that,
“…making the park more friendly to hosting large rallies is a part of our short term plans. We will be adding a covered area in front of the large rec room. And as far as long term plans – we would like to possibly put in a band stage in the backyard. Also trying to figure out a good way to add a few more motel accommodations/cabins,” all of this is within their future scope of profitable possibilities.
What You Get
So what does Mountain View RV Park & Guest Motel offer exactly? Everything you could possibly need and more. The property boasts 25 full hook-up spaces with concrete pads for those traveling by RV, with most containing 30 and 50 amp service.
They also offer 12 additional full hook up gravel sites, and house multiple large rigs at one time – with 45 foot pads in both pull-through and back-in sites.
They have benches, picnic tables, and fire rings throughout the park (the latter of which I got to try out first hand while staying here). If all this weren’t enough, Shawna showers me with a list of other amenities available on their property.
“We offer an onsite laundry room, air conditioned bathhouse, two rec rooms, and 1.5 acre green space for dogs and guests to roam with a horseshoe pit and a disc golf goal to practice your game. All of our hotel rooms have a 50 inch smart tv with expanded cable plus Cinemax suite of movies and each motel room has a small dining area with microwave, mini fridge and coffee pot. Our two cabins both have a queen bedroom, a queen sleeper sofa and comfy Lazyboy recliner in the living room, and a stocked kitchen with most utensils needed in your home away from home.”
For those who are not staying in an RV, or some who may be traveling with the owners of an RV but there isn’t enough room for their guests to sleep inside – well, you can choose from one of their cozy cabins or spend the night in the motel room – which is really closer to the standards of a hotel room. I got to try out both, and let me tell you, they’re both fantastic!
My view from the hotel room was of the mountain. Get it? A view of the mountain in Mountain View. In all seriousness, the view was sensational. Both the moon the evening I checked into the room, and the sunrise the following morning were sights better left seen in person rather than to photos and a description.
The cabins were terribly cozy and comfortable, and I loved the feeling of being in the outdoors, with the peace and quiet outside, but also with the knowledge that the owners were just a phone call away if I needed anything.
Their hotel rooms consist of 3 queen suites, with 2 queen beds in each, one full suite, with 2 full beds, and 4 king suites each having one king bed. While their cabins which hold a queen bedroom in each unit, also offer a full kitchen and queen sleeper sofa.
The property also holds 2 large rec rooms for group activities. The “Rally Room” for example, has a full kitchen with a buffet line set up, and can seat up to 36 guests with additional space on their new covered patio. The “Gathering Place” also has a full kitchen but is a little smaller and will seat approximately 20 people, with additional outdoor seating on the two decks and a gas firepit.
You May Not Want to Leave
Because Mountain View is a popular destination among tourists in the sunnier months, their demographics are changing all the time. The RV Park sees guests who are older and attend the folk music and bluegrass events, while younger crowds come in for all the outdoor activities.
Primarily, they host guests who are in town on vacation, but they also do have many people that stay with them either short or long term while they are in the area for work. Shawna also tells me,
“We also meet many people who are either searching for their forever home, or staying with us until they close on their property.” In fact, the day I left, she pointed out a U-Haul on property, stating those guests were moving to Mountain View.
And it seemed a common theme in the town that if you visit Mountain View, you’re almost bound to move there someday. The expression in town goes something to the effect of, the first two times you come to Mountain View you bring your luggage, the third time you bring your furniture.
So, just be careful that if you go to Mountain View for a visit, you may fall in love with it and never want to leave. Even when I ask Shawna what the most unique thing about Mountain View is, she has a hard time pinpointing just one aspect that makes it so special.
“We love our little “Mayberry” town and limiting it to one thing is impossible. The area is beautiful and offers so many outdoor activities which is what attracted me in the first place. But after spending so much more time here, we fell in love with the people and the quiet way of life. Having lived so many years in the city, it is wonderful to not have to worry about all of the crime and stress of that busy life.
Mountain View has so much to offer, and I love playing tour guide to our guests. Stone County has countless miles of creeks and rivers for kayaking or boating. Hiking enthusiasts will find both easy and difficult trails to spend days exploring the beautiful Ozarks. Motorcyclists love our twisting roads, and we are a great hub to do many different rides. Blanchard Springs Caverns is a must visit and it is the prettiest cave I have ever been to. We are known as the Folk Music capital, and music is the core of much of the town entertainment. You will find pickers in the Pickin’ Park and different places around town. We also have live music from different genres on the Courthouse square on Friday and Saturday nights during the season. And, we have a variety of different festivals throughout the year.
One of the many reasons you may end up loving the town is of course because of the people. And Shawna is definitely one of those people.
Why You Should Come
She tells me that something that sets her apart from other places in Mountain View is her accommodation.
“Each RV park and motel accommodation has its own feel and benefits. Mountain View RV Park & Guest Motel is located within the city limits close to everything but still has the best view in the area. Since purchasing the property, we have upgraded most of the hotel furnishings and equipment. We have put in countless hours of sweat by improving the entire property. Our RV park is the only one in the area that has concrete pads which is a huge benefit to the RV crowd. And of course, we are 100% family owned and operated and customer satisfaction is our top priority.”
It sounds as though Shawna’s top priority with her business is keeping her guests happy. She tells me that making a personal connection with her guests in the hopes that they will feel like they are staying with family is what she wants most. And personally, I definitely felt that while I was there and as I was leaving.
All in all, my stay at Mountain View RV Park & Guest Motel went by far too quickly, and I sincerely can’t wait to be back. In Shawna’s last e-mail to me, she signs off with,
“Know that you will always have a place to stay when you come back to Arkansas.” And if that doesn’t sum up the feeling to be made a part of something special, I don’t know what would be.
So what are you waiting for? You know you want to stay at Mountain View RV Park & Guest Motel! Just make sure that when you do, you let them know that Lisa sent you!