Tourism Has Been Their “Cash Crop” For 57 Years
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“My parents started this business on our farm in 1962 and it has been running continuously ever since,” says Mike Millar, who, along with his siblings, operates Hither Hills Campground just outside Ottawa, Ontario. Millar’s mother passed away in 2020 at age 101 and kept tabs on the business right up to her death.
Millar says when his parents bought the property in 1948, it was an old limestone farm with poor crop land and decent pasture. “Early on they had a few cattle and horses, then they decided to start a campground because it was close to Ottawa,” Millar says. “There weren’t any facilities like this around then, and I think we’re still the oldest campground in the area.”
Millar says the business was successful from the start because “my parents kept the camp clean and modern and treated every guest like family friends. My siblings and I learned those lessons from helping them and we’re running the business like that today.”
Millar says that approach pays off with outstanding word-of-mouth advertising and many return visitors. The business, which has had customers from around the world, also receives top marks from Good Sam, the world’s largest organization for RV owners. They were recently honored with a 35-year outstanding member plaque.
“In the early 60’s camping was just getting started around here, so our location close to the capital city was excellent,” Millar says. “People camped in tents and small pop-up trailers that they pulled behind cars. These days they arrive in RV’s behind pickups and large motorhomes. We had one rig here that I’m sure was worth more than a million dollars because it was 45 feet long and pulled an enclosed double deck trailer.
“Many people visit Ottawa, the capital of the country, because it’s a scenic and historic town, and our location on Bank Street is ideal,” Millar says. “We’re just 12 miles from Parliament Hill and close to other attractions. We have 80 sites on semi-wooded land with 30 and 50-amp power. Each fully-serviced site has a picnic table and a hard surface patio. We maintain a really nice pool, clean restrooms, shower facilities and have a dog park.”
Hither Hills is open from May through October and typically booked almost solid. Millar and his siblings are fluent in French and English and about 25 percent of their customers speak only French. “Our customers typically stay for a few days up to a week, although a few stay the full 6 months. This year has been slower, because Europeans can’t travel here and Americans can’t drive across the border, so we hope that changes in 2021,” Millar adds.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Camp Hither Hills, 5227 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario Canada K1X 1H2 (ph 613-882-0509; info@camphitherhills.com).
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Tourism Has Been Their “Cash Crop” For 57 Years SNOWBLOWERS “My parents started this business on our farm in 1962 and it has been running continuously ever since ” says Mike Millar who along with his siblings operates Hither Hills Campground just outside Ottawa Ontario Millar’s mother passed away in 2020 at age 101 and kept tabs on the business right up to her death Millar says when his parents bought the property in 1948 it was an old limestone farm with poor crop land and decent pasture “Early on they had a few cattle and horses then they decided to start a campground because it was close to Ottawa ” Millar says “There weren’t any facilities like this around then and I think we’re still the oldest campground in the area ” Millar says the business was successful from the start because “my parents kept the camp clean and modern and treated every guest like family friends My siblings and I learned those lessons from helping them and we’re running the business like that today ” Millar says that approach pays off with outstanding word-of-mouth advertising and many return visitors The business which has had customers from around the world also receives top marks from Good Sam the world’s largest organization for RV owners They were recently honored with a 35-year outstanding member plaque “In the early 60’s camping was just getting started around here so our location close to the capital city was excellent ” Millar says “People camped in tents and small pop-up trailers that they pulled behind cars These days they arrive in RV’s behind pickups and large motorhomes We had one rig here that I’m sure was worth more than a million dollars because it was 45 feet long and pulled an enclosed double deck trailer “Many people visit Ottawa the capital of the country because it’s a scenic and historic town and our location on Bank Street is ideal ” Millar says “We’re just 12 miles from Parliament Hill and close to other attractions We have 80 sites on semi-wooded land with 30 and 50-amp power Each fully-serviced site has a picnic table and a hard surface patio We maintain a really nice pool clean restrooms shower facilities and have a dog park ” Hither Hills is open from May through October and typically booked almost solid Millar and his siblings are fluent in French and English and about 25 percent of their customers speak only French “Our customers typically stay for a few days up to a week although a few stay the full 6 months This year has been slower because Europeans can’t travel here and Americans can’t drive across the border so we hope that changes in 2021 ” Millar adds Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Camp Hither Hills 5227 Bank Street Ottawa Ontario Canada K1X 1H2 ph 613-882-0509; info@camphitherhills com
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