Get away from it all (or most of it!) just north of the city

Some folks want to get away from it all. Some folks like to get away from some of it, but not all. And some folks want to get away, but not very far away.

That's why Danny Lawler created God's Country Resort to the east, off Highway 1, north of Shreveport.

"I always though this would make a beautiful campground," he said of the property. "The view is unheard of in Louisiana."

That view from the top of the hill is an expanse of willow, cottonwood, ash, hackberry and overcup oak trees that makes up the Soda Lake Wildlife Management Area, which is owned by the Caddo Levee District and operated by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Twelve Mile Bayou runs along the western edge of the WMA.

The campground offers guests a variety of lodging options. A limited number of "upscale" tent pads feature tie-downs and electricity outlets.

Stepping up from the tent pads, guests can choose a tepee furnished with kingsized beds, twin bunk beds, refrigerators and fire pits on the patios.

But the most unique "glamping" experience at God's Country Resort is the Conestoga wagons. They offer the same amenities as the tepees, including a bedside USM charging port and heat and air.

"These have been really popular," Lawler said. "On the weekends, people love them." Lawyer said the wagons had attracted a different type of guest than he initially anticipated.

"When I bought these, I really thought we would get the husband and wife who wanted to bring their kids and have a camping experience," he said. "I felt like that would be the bulk of our business. We've had just as many couples who want a romantic getaway who rent these. That surprised me."

For those who prefer a little more "civilized" options, the campground has stone or log cabins available that vary in size from one to five bedrooms.

Regardless of the accommodations they choose, no guest has to rough it when it comes to freshening up. The shared bathrooms feature tile floors, private showers and plenty of room and privacy.

"They're kind of over the top," he said. "People who come from the city, they expect modern facilities."

Knowing that some people don't want to get too far away, Lawler offers wi-fi service that allows guests to check email, stream audio and video and more.

"We have towers strategically placed," he said. "We had an expert come in and design it. So we have extremely good wi-fi. People brag about it."

Some short-term guests bring their own accommodations and rent the extra-wide concrete pads for their campers or RVs.

"They're pretty popular," Lawler said. "They're easy to get in and out of for overnight stays."

Lawler said the resort has attracted several longer-term residents, from retirees to travel nurses and oil-field workers looking for a safe, unique place to stay.

"We have a lot of permanent RV people," he said. "Some of them live here in the winter and go up north in the summer. Snowbirds."

Running a campground is not new for Lawler. He has owned and operated the Gavel Falls Campground on the west side of Highway 1 since 2016.

That campground includes RV pads, small cabins and the Grand Lodge – which sleeps up to 12 people and has a private pool, pool house, outdoor kitchen, bar and fireplace.

"The Grand Lodge rents out a lot," Lawler said. "People want that because it's a great big log house, and you can house a ton of people."

Lawler now operates the two campuses as one entity, with many shared amenities.

The grounds have four catch-and-release fishing ponds and two nine-hole disc golf courses. There are jumping pads and playground equipment for kids, a community swimming pool and a washateria.

There is a camp store on the west campus where guests can buy fishing supplies, a limited number of RV parts, food, charcoal for the grills on the campground and more. Guests also can rent paddle boats for the ponds and paddle carts to ride around the campground.

Danny's father, Joe Lawler, and brother, Ken, bought the land along the Soda Lake Wildlife Management Area in the 1980s. The family built a camp house there they called "The Lawler Lodge." Danny said that Joe would have lived there for the view, but he couldn't persuade his wife to go along with that.

"He had always tried to get her to move up here," Danny said of his father. "He loved it up here. Just absolutely loved it. He never was able to talk my mom into moving up here."

When Joe's wife died in 2009, he moved to the lodge and lived there until about a year before his death in 2019. Danny and his wife, Jackelyn, bought the property from Danny's brothers, Ken and David, in 2020. It came at a good time for Danny, as he was running out of options to grow the campground on the west side of Highway 1.

"I would add on a little bit at a time over there," he said. "We were full over there and needed room to expand. So I bought it."

Lawler began clearing trees and exposed even more of the view in the heavily wooded area. He brought bulldozers to move dirt, leveled out the top of the hill, and began planning to merge the properties into an upscale campground unique to north Louisiana.

"People are looking for ways to get out to the great outdoors," he said. "This is just such a unique atmosphere. That's why we wanted to develop like this. Something that Shreveport can be proud of. Something that nobody else has around this area they can come and enjoy."

Lawler believes in being a good neighbor with the campground, whether with the subdivision's residents outside the west campus, the wildlife management area or The Barn at Coyote Creek, a wedding and event venue adjacent to the east campus.

"We get a lot of his business," Lawler said. "We help each other out." Lawler said running the campground fulfills his dream, even if he didn't know everything he was getting into when he started.

"We had a camper, and we would like to go different places," he said. "I always thought it would be kind of cool to have a campground. I didn't realize how much work was involved in it. Just the grass cutting alone. You get through at one end and its ready at the other end to start back again. It's constant."

For more information, visit www.godscountryresort.com.