FAMILIES CITY IN SPOTLIGHT BUSINESS
All in the Family
Since 1915, Buddy Vines Fish Camp gives families a place to reconnect along the Black Warrior River
It’s hard to beat a sunset on the Black Warrior River.
BY STEPHANIE GIBSON LEPORE With more than 100 years in business—106 to be precise—sixth-generation owner John C. “Buddy” Vines says, “It’s our turn to take care of the property, and we are humbled by the responsibility.” “Our” is Buddy and his wife, Maria, who run Buddy Vines Fish Camp with occasional help from their daughters, Chelsea Lee and Tila. Buddy took over the family business more than 15 years ago. Here, about 25 minutes west of downtown Birmingham, the Vines family tends to an idyllic spread of riverfront punctuated with charming cottages, spaces for campers, and a 1,200-square-foot Camp House that’s perfect for gatherings large and small. If the scene sounds Mayberry-like, that’s because it is. Since 1915, people have traveled to Buddy Vines Fish Camp for peaceful time on the water—swimming, fishing, boating—and relaxing with family and friends who, over the years, became family. That’s fitting for one of the oldest 24 Bham Family August 2021
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOHN C. “BUDDY” VINES
family businesses in the state, because guests have become family to the Vineses, too. “This business is our passion,” says Buddy. “We were raised right here along the river bank and maintain the property to a standard rarely seen today. Because our business is also our home, the integrity of our camp is never compromised, and the wholesome environment we’ve created for our children is the one we share with yours.” The camp was founded by Buddy’s grandfather, John Aaron “Buddy” Vines, in 1915. According to the camp’s history, that same year the creation of Bankhead Lock and Dam made the Locust Fork branch of the Warrior River into the waterway it is today. Buddy’s grandfather, Papa Buddy, “thought a fishing camp would prosper on the new Bankhead Lake, and he was right,” says Buddy. His father, Charles Chelsea “Charlie,” was born later that year, “and so began our camp’s family legacy.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 25
