Campground revamp under way at Linger Lodge

Austrian businessman Franz Hartl and his family knew Linger Lodge Restaurant & RV Campground would be a fixer-upper.

“I don’t think we can even call it an RV park at this point,” said Franz Hartl’s son, Philipp Hartl. 

When Hartl’s real estate group, River Loft LLC, bought Linger Lodge in Sept. 2016, it was a gamble on the park’s potential.

“We saw it as an opportunity to do something beautiful,” Philipp Hartl said. “It’s a unique location. You feel like you’re in the middle of the jungle, but in reality, you’re in the middle of Lakewood Ranch.”

Renovations to Linger Lodge began in March, which means the Hartls’ vision is one step closer to reality. Philipp Hartl, who is the project manager for the renovations, said Linger Lodge hopes to reopen its restaurant in January and its RV campground in February or March. Plans were approved by Manatee County the week of March 29. A company called Stellar is performing the bulk of the construction, which estimates the construction will be more than $5 million.

A Forristall Enterprises excavator tears out concrete at Linger Lodge to make way for renovations. The concrete will be recycled for road use.

One of the biggest changes to the park will be an increase in the number of RV spaces from about 100 to about 140. The functional capacity will increase even more sharply, according to Philipp Hartl, since some of those 100 RV spaces were unusable because of faulty utilities, such as water and electricity. The additional 40 spaces will come from an adjacent property Linger Lodge bought to expand its park.

Another major change will be the addition of a clubhouse and a screened-in pool on land overlooking the Braden River where three old houses used to stand. The clubhouse will be built in the Old Florida architectural style to match the surrounding foliage. It will use solar energy and contain a prep kitchen, gym, showers, restrooms and conference room, which could be used for activities when RV clubs stop at Linger Lodge.

Philipp Hartl said Linger Lodge will also place a nature trail where the old maintenance shed used to be next to the river, which will make better use of the space and trees in the area. A new maintenance building will be constructed close to the campground entrance.

Linger Lodge will build a clubhouse and pool on this piece of land, which overlooks the Braden River.

Linger Lodge's restaurant closed in August, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Florida. Philipp Hartl said the restaurant could not retain its employees, all of whom were part-time, though they were given notice of the closure a month in advance and offered interest-free loans. Renovations near the restaurant will keep it closed for a while, as Philipp Hartl said January is the goal for reopening.

Linger Lodge Asset Manager Ruth Hofer said many people have contacted Linger Lodge concerned that the restaurant could change as part of the renovations. She said it will not. The only change related to the restaurant will be adding lights to the parking lot and paving it. The current parking lot, which consists of a compressed rock or shell surface, washes out easily when it rains.

The river deck area behind the Linger Lodge restaurant will remain largely unchanged, with only some updates to the docks and possibly a new storage area for kayak rentals.

The river deck will also remain the same, except for the replacement of the outdated docks and possibly a new storage area for kayak rentals, although Philipp Hartl said a new storage area is a low priority. Maintaining the foliage-lined view of the Braden River from the back of the restaurant over the river deck is one example of the way Linger Lodge is shaping its renovations around the campground’s natural beauty.

“What’s very important is to keep the charm of the place, to keep the old Florida, to keep the nature and what makes this place special,” Hofer said. “Everybody was scared if this would be staying. We know about the value of that. We know that this makes us different than everybody else.”

Forristall Enterprises construction worker Jim Holloway uses an excavator to tear out concrete at Linger Lodge to make way for renovations. The concrete will be recycled for road use.

A final improvement will be the addition of an exit road to provide a circuitous route in and out of the park, thus preventing two-way traffic.

“(These improvements) will give guests the opportunity to experience a side of Florida that you're not used to,” Philipp Hartl said. “Go for a walk around the river, probably see a gator or two. You'll definitely see some turtles around. Get the kayaks, go around. And then if you want to go to the beach, it's a 20-minute drive to the beach. It’s for guests that are looking for somewhere unique to stay. And they're going to have all the comforts there of the clubhouse and high-end amenities.”