Memorial Day weekend tends to bring in a lot of extra visitors to local businesses, especially in those areas of the county around lakes and campgrounds.

A number of businesses in Covington County saw visitors spike over the weekend.

“We had a lot more business, about a 12-percent increase on a daily basis,” McDonalds of Andalusia assistant manager Whitney Johnson said. “We were much busier this year compared to last year.”

Point A Recreation Area Park Manager Eric Johnson also saw a spike in park visitors.

“We had a really good weekend,” Johnson said. “I’d say it was maybe a 30-percent increase from last year. A lot of people came out and took advantage of the new free camping and day use area as well.”

While there was a number of local parks and businesses that had a hefty bump in visitors, not everyone saw this increase.

“We were real slow,” Tropical Smoothie manager Teadra Jones said. “I think a lot of people thought we were closed because a lot of the stores around us were closed for the holiday.”

Florala’s Lake Jackson Park also saw an increase of visitors in the park’s first year under the care of the city.

“We were pretty busy,” the park’s manager said. “This was our first year after taking over from the state. We were booked months in advance.”

Gantt Lake RV Park also saw an upswing in visitors.

“We’re real busy year round, but we definitely had a bigger turnout than normal this weekend,” Gantt Lake RV Park co-owner Elaine Scofield said. “We absolutely had a great year, we had a big cookout with Boston Butt and chicken and every vegetable you could imagine. It was just fabulous and everyone had a great time.”

Opp’s Frank Jackson State Park enjoyed a similar bump in attendance.

“We were booked full up in all of our cabins and all 32 campsites,” Park Manager Chris Jones said. “We had a great weekend with family reunions and everybody enjoying themselves.”