Glamping — short for glamorous camping — is growing in popularity and offers a way to experience nature while also getting pampered.
Montana is known as Big Sky Country for its sprawling space and vistas for miles.
The owners of the Resort at Paws Up near Missoula had an idea 13 years ago to bring safari type accommodations to their backyard, combining nature with high-end tents — and glamping was born.
Attached bathrooms have running water and heated floors and a chandelier hangs from the tent’s ceiling. Just steps away there’s a dining pavilion with an omelet station and a butler prepares a roaring fire — all next to the Blackfoot River.
“Our glamping experience is built around not only allowing you to enjoy the natural camping but also that we have the service staff there to do highly personalized things for you,” said Paws Up Managing Director Steve Hurst.
The website glamping.com has a list of global glamping sites has grown from 20 properties to more than 700 — and now you camp in style without ever leaving the city.
Just an eight-minute ferry ride from Manhattan is the retreat Collective Governor’s Island where guests stay in fancy tents and BBQ with the Statue of Liberty in the distance.
There’s a lot to do on Governor’s Island including ice skating on a synthetic ice rink. It’s open for the entire camping season which runs from May through October.”
Lorie King says glamping trumps traditional camping, “you have your towels, and you have your lights, and a fan, so. It’s definitely not just laying on the ground. It’s definitely a better experience.”
It’s a different way to spend the night in the big city. The tents on Governor’s Island start at $150 while at Paws Up the prices start at $520.
- Wendy Gillette reporting for CBS News
