Ready to try glamping? These are the 8 brands you need to know.
Glamping is a term that elicits some strong opinions. Hardcore campers tend to dismiss it, but there’s a whole world of people (including me) who appreciate the glamping spirit of mixing close-to-nature sleeps with some of the creature comforts of luxury resorts or national park lodges. That's why I’ve been keeping a close eye on glamping brands that have been opening new resorts in spots around the country, often close to national parks or other areas of outstanding natural beauty.
Here’s a rundown of some of the big players in the glamping space and what you can expect from their properties. I’ve stayed at many and will eventually stay at all (and I’ll update as I go). There are also thousands of glamping booking sites and resorts that aren’t part of a larger brand. At the end of this story, I’ve also rounded up resources for easier ways to find and book those.
START HERE: 10 best family glamping resorts in the U.S.
Glamping brands
These glamping companies with locations around the U.S. offer all sorts of camping-adjacent experiences, including fancy canvas tents, Airstream trailers, tiny houses and cute cabins, yurts, and more.
1. AutoCamp
Locations: Asheville, N.C.; Cape Cod, Mass.; Catskills, N.Y.; Joshua Tree, Calif.; Russian River, Calif.; Sequoia, Calif.; Yosemite, Calif.; Zion, Utah
I’ve stayed at three of Autocamp’s nine locations around the country and already have a hard time choosing a favorite. This brand is best known for its classic Airstream trailers that it converts into boutique-style lodgings. Most locations also feature canvas tents with lighting, comfortable beds and luxe linens, and outside Adirondack chairs and fire pits.
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Autocamp focuses a lot on its “Clubhouses,” indoor-outdoor lobbies that are also gathering spots. Many have a camp store and a bar, and it’s here that the included daily breakfast (usually coffee, granola, and some local baked goods) is served. There are also scheduled events like yoga classes and wine tastings. In the evening, there’s usually a communal campfire to gather around for conversation, drinks, and s’mores.
2. Under Canvas
Locations: Acadia, Bryce Canyon, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountain, Lake Powell near Grand Staircase National Monument, Moab (near Canyonlands and Arches), Mount Rushmore, North Yellowstone, West Yellowstone, Zion
Under Canvas has 11 safari-camp-style locations close to national parks and monuments. It’s scheduled to open a 12th location in Yosemite next year. Intriguingly, it’s spun off the first of its luxury glamping brand, ULUM, in Moab, with a resort that takes the upscale rustic vibe up a notch.
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Accommodations here are roomy safari-inspired tents with ensuite bathrooms (hot showers!), comfy king-size beds and luxe linens, and wood-burning stoves for heat on cold nights. Communal spaces include the lobby tent, a cafe-style kitchen, and areas around the properties that host activities like yoga classes, games, and live music.
3. Field Station
Locations: Moab, Utah; Joshua Tree, Calif.
I recently got to see the now-open Joshua Tree Field Station as it was nearing completion, and it was so cool to be able to see how much thought goes into the design of this affordable brand. Sister company to the more upscale AutoCamp, Field Station takes over former motels and turns them into modern, unfussy, and good-for-a-crowd spaces at affordable prices. Though they're not tents, everything here has a glamping vibe that's especially useful if your group needs a bit more space and comfort without any of the fuss.
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There’s a big focus on community. A lot of the public spaces are designed to be areas where you can meet other travelers—almost like a hostel, but with much nicer amenities. Rooms are designed to be outdoor-travel friendly, with spaces for bikes and climbing equipment, plenty of hooks for hanging wet and dirty items after a big day on the trail, and staging areas for gear. Rooms range in size from perfect for two to able to hold four to eight people, usually with a combination of bunk beds and/or additional rooms.
4. Collective Retreats
Locations: Governors Island, NYC; Texas Hill Country; Vail, Colo.; two more properties soon to come in Sonoma, Calif., and Trojena, Saudi Arabia
Collective Retreats is a B-Corp brand geared to creating “luxury retreats in unexpected places.” What does that look like? Think tents with en-suite bathrooms, heaters, and luxury linens on king beds. The brand’s NYC location on Governors Island is an eight-minute ferry ride from Manhattan and has nice perks like breakfast-in-tent services, nightly s’mores around a bonfire, and bike rentals so you can stroll around the island.
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Collective Retreats have all-day dining options on the property along with additional activities (for instance, yoga, hiking, and spa services).
5. Huttopia
Locations: Western and Northern Europe; Quebec, Canada; the Adirondacks in New York; New Hampshire’s White Mountains; Southern Maine; Southern California’s San Gabriel Mountains; and Lake County, Calif.
A lot of glamping brands go all in on the luxe angle, but Huttopia takes the summer-camp-for-all approach, while dialing up the comfort factor for non-campers. Branding itself “vacation resorts,” the seven locations mix canvas sleeps with outdoor fun.
Huttopia started as a French brand and has nearly 60 resorts in Europe—mostly in France but also in the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal. In the U.S., there are five summer resorts plus one winter chalet, and there’s also a summer location in Quebec, Canada. Even in the U.S., though, you’ll still find French touches like breakfast offerings like espresso along with crepes and good wine on offer.
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Swimming pools, on-site cafes, and camp stores make it easy to chill on property, and activities like magic shows and story tellers for kids, and yoga and fitness classes for adults really does add to the summer camp vibe. Huttopia resorts feel almost like tiny towns, with between 70 and 120 sites that hold different sizes of permanent tents along with tiny houses and two-bedroom chalets.
6. Getaway House
Locations: Within two hours of Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, D.C., Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Cleveland, St. Louis, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, L.A., Portland, Seattle
There are a lot of Getaway House locations—more than two dozen “Outposts” are located within two hours of a major city all over the U.S. Accommodations are tiny cabins, most between 140 and 200 square feet. They’re clean, minimalist, and artfully arranged and include queen-size beds, air conditioning and heat, small kitchens (stocked with essentials like plates, cutting boards, pans, and oil), and bathrooms stocked with towels and toiletries.
A few locations offer cabins with “outdoor suites” that include heated soaking tubs, fire pits, and hammocks.
7. RVC Outdoor Destinations
Locations: Yosemite, CA; Garden of the Gods, CO; Texas Hill Country; Hot Springs, AR; Gulf Shores, AL; Destin, FL; Pine Mountain; GA; Asheville, NC; Pigeon Forge, TN; Sandusky, OH; Raystown Lake, PA
RVC Outdoor Destinations has 10 locations around the U.S., and at each, you can choose among a variety of outdoors-focused accommodations. There are RV sites and camping sites, along with more glamping-oriented options like yurts and rustic cabins. Of particular note for glampers are the yurts—circular house-tents with wood floors, a skylight, and windows—which come with climate control and real beds.
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RVC resorts have campground offerings like swimming pools, fitness centers, off-leash dog areas, free WiFi, and spots to rent items like bikes, kayaks, and canoes. The properties are all pet friendly as well, though there are limitations on which breeds are allowed (it has a “no aggressive breeds” policy).
8. Wildhaven
Locations: Mariposa near Yosemite and Sonoma, CA
Wildhaven has glamping resorts in two of the prettiest spots in Northern California: Sonoma County and a spot near Yosemite. This mini-brand has some clear goals, including offering a comfy spot in nature where people can disconnect from technology while reconnecting with nature, friends, and family.
The Sonoma location sits along the Russian River near the swanky wine-country town of Healdsburg. There’s a real balance between comfort and sustainability here, so you get, for instance, heated mattress pads to make the comfy beds even cozier but fewer tech-forward amenities. In-tent electrical devices are pretty minimal, faucets are low flow, and the resort relies on local businesses for many of its supplies. The Mariposa location near Yosemite has a similar focus but swaps river views for some pretty spectacular vistas of the surrounding oak-studded hills and valleys.
Glamping booking sites
Most glamping resorts and sites aren't part of a larger brand. But there are some easy ways to find your just-right fit:
HipCamp: I’ve been a HipCamp fan since its early days. I love the way it makes it incredibly easy to find a variety of camping-style spots beyond the traditional national and state parks. Use the filters to narrow down your search (if you want to glamp, you need to filter out the more traditional camping and RV campsite listings). From there, you can find your perfect spot by choosing amenities that speak to you–for instance, “near hot springs.” HipCamp also has a newish feature called Collections, curated searches like “glamping pod,” “swimming holes,” and “farmstays” that help you find very specific experiences.
Glamping Hub: Where HipCamp blends camping and glamping listings, Glamping Hub mixes glamping resorts with eco-friendly and boutique hotels. Glamping Hub has a smaller inventory of listings than HipCamp, but it's worth a look for its broad scope of options in more than 100 countries and also bundles in accommodations like boats, caves, and cabooses.
Ready to try glamping? These are the 8 brands you need to know originally appeared on FamilyVacationist.com.
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The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. FamilyVacationist.com and TourScoop.com are owned and operated by Vacationist Media LLC. Using the FamilyVacationist travel recommendation methodology, we review and select family vacation ideas, family vacation spots, all-inclusive family resorts, and classic family vacations for all ages. TourScoop covers guided group tours and tour operators, tour operator reviews, tour itinerary reviews and travel gear recommendations.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 8 glamping companies with locations around the US
