David Hamilton
November 14, 2025 Google Maps
I waited until the end of the season to write this review for two reasons:
1. To get my belongings off the property safely.
2. To avoid dealing with the Lawson’s constant threats and open-ended nonsense.
My family and I camped at Big Sandy for over three full seasons. Last year, I kept my site only so I could remove my belongings at my own pace. I say this because the Lawsons, in multiple forums and conversations, constantly reminded campers about “their rules,” “the law,” and what they’re “owed.” They even like to mention what “Nate the law dawg” was going to do if anyone didn’t like it.
All current seasonal campers were told we owed $300 for winter storage — a fee we had never paid before. Being told this fee was due before any meeting had taken place, any new rules, contracts or anything had been provided. We were to just pay $300. When we questioned it, we were called racists and were told, “If you don’t like it, be out by March 1st.” Who makes people move out in the middle of winter when it’s below 20 degrees, with decks and campers frozen in place? My wife and I said we’d pay the seasonal rate and move at our own pace. That decision led to multiple phone calls, texts, and voicemails — even on holidays (calling my wife and I on Easter Sunday, while out of town) or when I was out of the country — because they needed to be heard.
It was always something: cinder blocks were the wrong way, leaves, a shed, or some other minor issue that didn’t amount too much. Which they themselves didn't even clean up. With them, it was always their way or the highway. I’ve never met people so obsessed with control or how others react to them. Respect is a two-way street — and that was never the case here.
Many honest reviews have been deleted before and claimed to be part of a smear campaign, but this isn’t part of any “smear campaign.” We knew things were going to change under new management, but not to a point of dictatorship. It’s simply a group of people telling the truth about how they were treated and talked to, and we have a right to our voice from our side of how things happened and how this place is now being run. When 40+ families walk away because of the same treatment, that says something.
I’m sure once this is posted, I’ll be called out for one reason or another — and that’s fine. I’ve left hundreds of reviews across the country and never had an issue anywhere else. This one, however, needed to be said.
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