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Tennessee’s state park system is first in nation to offer gift cards

A small falls and creek are seen at the newly dedicated Denny Cove addition to South Cumberland State Park on Friday, March 17, 2017, near Sequatchie, Tenn. The 685-acre addition is home to more than 150 rock climbing routes.
A small falls and creek are seen at the newly dedicated Denny Cove addition to South Cumberland State Park on Friday, March 17, 2017, near Sequatchie, Tenn. The 685-acre addition is home to more than 150 rock climbing routes. A small falls and creek are seen at the newly dedicated Denny Cove addition to South Cumberland State Park on Friday, March 17, 2017, near Sequatchie, Tenn. The 685-acre addition is home to more than 150 rock climbing routes.

By Associated Press 1 min read

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tennessee’s state park system has begun offering gift cards.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reported Monday the gift cards will range from $20 to $500 and hit online vendors and all Kroger stores in Tennessee in mid-November. The deputy commissioner for the Bureau of Parks and Conservation, Brock Hill, says the system intends on keeping admission to its 56 parks free.

The gift cards can be used toward offerings such as lodging, camping, courses and dining.

Hill says the park system will end the year with a surplus to reinvest in the parks. With cabin rental revenue up by 41 percent over the past five years and camping revenue up by 88 percent, the state park system is currently generating nearly half of its $85 million budget in revenue.