A Beginner’s Guide to Glamping

Glamping is a less primitive, often luxurious version of camping. Accommodations can range from raised camping tents with beds to luxurious safari-style tents with heated floors and full bathrooms. Glamping can also include staying in a deluxe cabin, a tiny house, a yurt, an Airstream travel trailer, or even overnighting in a treehouse.

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There are so many places to go glamping that choosing where to go can feel overwhelming. But there are also a variety of price points for glamping, which means it’s a bucket-list experience that’s probably within reach. You just need to choose a destination and the level of luxury that most appeals to you, like whether or not a real bed or en-suite bathroom is necessary. You can do this by researching reputable vacation rental companies like Thousand Trails, which offers a variety of glamping accommodations throughout the U.S. Below are some examples:

Lake George Escape – Lake George, NY

Lake George Escape is a 178-acre RV resort in upstate New York, a short drive from New York City. It offers direct access to the Schroon River and is surrounded by the six million-acre Adirondack Park. The resort offers a variety of outdoor activities such as tubing, canoeing, kayaking, tennis, pickleball, mini golf, bike trails, and swimming in two pools. There is also an arcade game room, ping pong, and a clubhouse with fun activities for kids. Guests can rent canoes or kayaks for a scenic trip down the river. The resort is conveniently located near attractions like Six Flags and Saratoga Springs. The resort offers well-appointed cabins and cottages that feature cable TV, kitchens, full bathrooms, and sleep up to six guests. Be sure to bring your furry friend along, because the rentals are pet friendly.

Tropical Palms – Kissimmee, FL

Tropical Palms RV Resort is the perfect destination for your Orlando vacation getaway. Located in Kissimmee, Florida, this hidden gem is comprised of 69 beautiful sun-kissed acres packed with amenities, including a swimming pool with splash fountain, fitness center, dog park, mini golf, bocce ball, and more. The resort’s colorful cottages are a standout feature, providing guests with spacious and comfortable accommodation options. With private decks, full kitchens, flat-screen TVs, and sleeper sofas, these cottages sleep four to eight guests. And for those traveling with furry family members, many pet-friendly cottages are available. With a convenient location just four miles from Walt Disney World,® Tropical Palms is the ideal resort to enjoy all that Central Florida has to offer.

Sunshine Key Tiny House Village – Big Pine Key, FL

Sunshine Key Tiny House Village, located on a 75-acre island in the lower Florida Keys, offers a unique vacation experience for those looking to soak up the sun and enjoy the ocean. The village is part of Sunshine Key RV Resort and provides the perfect gateway for ocean activities such as fishing, snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboarding, or just relaxing at the water’s edge. Guests can choose from an array of candy-colored tiny houses that sleep three to six guests and boast spectacular ocean views. The resort also offers family-friendly amenities such as a swimming pool, tennis and pickleball courts, volleyball, basketball, and a playground. With nearby attractions like John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Key West, this is the perfect destination for an unforgettable Florida vacation.

Mt. Hood Tiny House Village – Welches, OR

Vacationers looking for an outdoor experience but who don’t want rough it can cozy up in the tiny houses at Mt. Hood Tiny House Village less than an hour outside of Portland. The campground features seven rentable tiny houses named Anderson, Atticus, Ingrid, Lincoln, Savannah, Scarlett and Zoe, ranging from just 175 square feet to a roomy 358. Inside the tiny homes guests will find glamping style sleeping accommodations, a kitchenette and full bathroom, as well as a flat screen TV, providing vacationers a perfectly tiny glamping getaway. Fun and adventure can be found within minutes of the tiny house village as guests can take in the fresh air of the Pacific Northwest and hike across 700 groomed trails or try their hand at rock climbing. Mt. Hood Campground also provides deluxe and standard cabin rentals that come fully equipped for those looking to glamp in a bit more space. 

Verde Valley RV Resort – Cottonwood, AZ

The tiny houses at Verde Valley RV & Camping Resort, located just outside of Sedona, make for a perfect tiny getaway to escape Phoenix’s summer heat. Guests can stay in their very own tiny house and are able to get a 360-degree tour of Rose and Finn before their stay. Looking over the Verde Riverbed, this 300-acre escape in the cool, high desert of Arizona is surrounded by the magnificence of Sedona’s Red Rocks to the north, the Mingus Mountains to the west, the Hackberry Mountains to the south and neighboring the charming Alcantara Vineyards. Whether vacationers check out the famous ghost town of Jerome to kayaking the Verde River to scenic drives through Sedona, and wine tasting right next-door, there is adventure and mystery at every turn. If looking for a larger type of rental this glamping season, Verde Valley also offers cabin and cottage rentals. 

Yosemite Lakes RV Resort – Groveland, CA

Yosemite Lakes RV Resort is located just outside California’s beautiful Yosemite National Park, situated just five miles from the west gate entrance. This affordable vacation destination is a 400-acre preserve with a wonderland of beauty year-round. Surrounded by towering trees, the rental accommodations at Yosemite Lakes include cabins, cottages, and yurts, all comfortable retreats containing modern conveniences like cable TV, kitchenettes and bathrooms. The yurts at Yosemite Lakes make for a particularly unique glamping getaway, comfortably sleeping four with the queen-size bed and a double-size futon. The glamping experience expands to the outdoors as the yurts come with a gas grill, a fire pit and a picnic table to enjoy the outdoor living as guests glamp their way through their Yosemite vacation. 

Pacific City RV Campground – Cloverdale, OR

At Pacific City RV Campground, glamping guests enjoy magnificent views of the Pacific Ocean as the campground is sprawled along the Central Oregon coastline amid thousands of towering spruce trees in the beautiful town of Cloverdale. A nature trail at the property connects the campground to stunning McPhillips Beach for convenient access. There is no shortage of beachside activities as guests take in the ocean breeze, go fishing, clamming, and crabbing, surf, swim, and can even whale watch right from the campground. Need a break from the water? Try a pickleball match, a round of mini golf, a game of basketball or toss some horseshoes as many amenities are right onsite at the campground. At night in the cool Oregon air, guests relax around a campfire roasting hot dogs or s’mores. There are accommodations for every type of camper at Pacific City, from tent sites to RV sites, to yurts, cabins and cottages.

Spring Gulch – New Holland, PA

Spring Gulch RV Campground offers a full-amenity outdoor lifestyle camping experience sprawled on 115 acres in Pennsylvania Dutch Country. The campground provides relaxing and inviting vacation activities for all ages, including the opportunity to participate in historic tours nearby, enjoy bicycling through scenic farmlands, and partake in fun themed weekends right at the property. The campground features two swimming pools, a stocked fishing lake, and a spring-fed lake with sandy beach that’s perfect for building sandcastles. Rental accommodations include a chalet, lodge, houses and a variety of cottages, capable of sleeping six to ten guests. Spring Gulch RV Campground is perfect for those looking for a fun-filled glamping experience in the heart of Amish Country.