How P3 turned Lake Louisa State Park into a destination for outdoor experiences

“Now I get to work on my business instead of in it.” - Arden Tilghman, Arden Tilghman

Arden Tilghman
Owner

When Arden Tilghman launched operations at Lake Louisa State Park in 2016, there were no visitor services available.

The park welcomed guests, but there were no structured experiences to help them explore it. No guided tours. No rentals. No curated outdoor activities.

Tilghman saw an opportunity to change that.

Today, her company, P3, operates a wide range of outdoor experiences inside Florida State Parks and has expanded to six locations across Central Florida. What started as a single concessionaire operation has grown into a multi-park business built around one core idea: helping people experience nature in ways that feel accessible, structured, and memorable.

The business: P3

P3 operates as a concessionaire inside several Florida State Parks, offering experiences that help visitors engage with the parks in meaningful ways.

At Lake Louisa State Park, guests can book a variety of activities, including:

• Horseback riding
• Segway tours
• Kayak rentals and guided paddling trips
• Glamping accommodations
• Camp store retail
• Private events

The company operates under a guiding philosophy: People, Profit, and Planet.

Each location must support conservation, education, and recreation while creating sustainable business growth.

A bit of backstory

Tilghman’s journey into state park operations started with a simple observation that many parks offered incredible natural landscapes but lacked structured experiences for visitors.

Lake Louisa State Park was one of those places.

When P3 began operating there, Tilghman and her team had to build demand from the ground up. Visitors were coming to the park, but they were not necessarily looking for guided activities or rentals because those services had never existed.

Instead of following a traditional tourism model, Tilghman approached the park as an opportunity to create a destination experience.

That meant experimenting with different offerings, observing guest behavior, and refining activities until something resonated.

The challenges

Building demand where it does not already exist comes with unique challenges.

Many tour operators launch their businesses in destinations where visitors are already actively searching for things to do. At Lake Louisa State Park, Tilghman had to introduce guests to the idea that experiences were available in the first place.

Another challenge was designing offerings that appealed to a wide range of visitors.

Not everyone who visits a state park considers themselves outdoorsy. Some guests want adventure, while others simply want a comfortable way to explore nature.

Understanding those differences became a key part of shaping the experiences offered inside the park.

The solutions

One of the most important shifts Tilghman made was to focus on the customer journey rather than on her own perspective as an operator.

As she explains in the conversation, “I constantly have to remind myself that I am not my client.”

That mindset helps the team identify where guests might feel uncertain about booking outdoor activities. By addressing those moments of hesitation, P3 can design experiences that feel welcoming and accessible.

Glamping is a great example of this.

For visitors who are curious about spending time outdoors but unsure about traditional camping, glamping provides an entry point that blends comfort with nature. Experiences like these help bridge the gap between curiosity and participation.

A website built for customers

As the business grew, Tilghman realized the company’s website needed to evolve as well.

The original site was managed internally on a basic platform that offered limited functionality. While it worked in the early stages of the business, it became harder to communicate the growing number of experiences available across locations clearly.

Switching to a FareHarbor website required a shift in mindset. Tilghman had to let go of some control and trust external expertise.

The result was a site designed around how customers actually explore and book activities. Experiences are now easier to understand, itineraries are clearer, and guests can quickly see how to plan their day inside the park.

Looking back, Tilghman says the transition to a FareHarbor site was one of the best decisions the team made.

Growth that looks different than expected

As P3 expanded across multiple parks, Tilghman’s role changed as well.

In the early years, she was deeply involved in day-to-day operations. Over time, building a trusted team and implementing systems allowed her to shift into a more strategic role.

Today, she focuses less on running daily operations and more on guiding the long-term vision.

That shift has helped the company continue expanding while maintaining the quality of the experiences it offers.

Advice for tour operators

For operators looking to grow, Tilghman’s advice is simple but powerful: persistence matters.

There is rarely a clear roadmap when building a tourism business. Not every idea will work, and growth often takes unexpected turns.

But if there is no path forward, Tilghman believes you can create one.

The results

This  operation inside one park has grown into a multi-location outdoor experience company operating all across Central Florida.

By focusing on accessibility, thoughtful experience design, and a strong understanding of customer behavior, P3 has helped transform Lake Louisa State Park into a place where visitors can do more than just visit. They can truly experience the park.

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