USA TODAY 10Best
Conestoga Ranch named Best Glamping Spot of 2022
Best Glamping Spot (2022)
Glamping, or "glamorous camping," has received a lot of attention in recent years. This form of campground lodging combines the minimalistic nature of camping with modern amenities and creature comforts. These glamping spots offer some of the best locations and amenities in the United States.
- Inn Town Campground - Nevada City, California
- Terramor - Bar Harbor, Maine
- Flamingo Eco-tents - Everglades National Park, Florida
- Black Tree Resort - Lake George, Colorado
- The Destination - Dadeville, Alabama
- Beaver Island Retreat - Beaver Island, Michigan
- Sandy Pines Campground - Kennebunkport, Maine
- Little Arrow Outdoor Resort - Townsend, Tennessee
- Kimberly Creek Retreat - Ashland, Nebraska
- Conestoga Ranch - Garden City, Utah
Photo courtesy of Inn Town Campground
No. 10:
Inn Town Campground at Nevada City, California, offers glamping trips surrounded by pine trees and the sounds of nature. Each glamping tent is furnished with unique pieces, and includes bedside lamps, beds with fresh linens and heated mattress pads, electricity, fans, and a private deck. Other campground amenities include a camp store, laundry, WiFi, and a swimming pool.
Photo courtesy of Douglas Rissing // Getty Images
No. 9:
Glamping at Terramor on an island near Acadia National Park in Maine means one of their five tents with private bathrooms, wood floors, porches, overhead fans, outdoor showers, and bunk beds for two to five people each. Stop by the Lodge for blueberry pancakes with Maine maple syrup, grab lunch to go for your day’s sojourns, pick up the essentials for grilling dinner, or sample local microbrews and spirits to cap off the evening. Your hosts at Terramor also organize memorable experiences from lobster boils, fresh oysters, yoga and regional musical artists, and s’mores by the campfire made with local maple syrup, homemade biscuits, and blueberries.
Photo courtesy of romrodinka // Getty Images
No. 8:
10Best Travel Expert Rob Taylor of 2TravelDads tells us, “Less glamorous than other glamping spots, the Flamingo Eco Tents are a unique way to stay within Everglades National Park.” Located at the southern tip of mainland Florida, Flamingo’s safari-style eco-tents boast expansive awnings, oversized windows, and electricity on an elevated platform to enjoy the Everglades in style. They offer furnished beds and other amenities from November through April. In the off-season, you can bring your own camping gear. Nearby Flamingo Marina provides boat tours of the Everglades, or you can rent a houseboat, kayak, canoe, or bike to chart your own course.
Photo courtesy of Black Tree Resort
No. 7:
“High end meets high country” at Black Tree, a luxury camping resort in Colorado. Tents are spaced out with privacy in mind and come outfitted with queen size beds, Pendleton blankets, electricity and access to private bathrooms. Stays include three meals of Colorado cuisine, including a to-go lunch option perfect for exploring the outdoors.
Photo courtesy of Matt Sanders
No. 6:
When Skip and Rhonda planned their dream destination experience on 80 acres in Alabama, their goal was to keep the “glamourous” in glamping. Their four eclectic Safari Tents on raised wood platforms are fully furnished, air-conditioned, sleep up to six guests, and include refrigerators, microwaves, real bathrooms, hot tubs, outdoor grills, and ample deck space. With 40,000 acres, nearby Lake Martin offers excellent fishing and water recreation, and city attractions aren’t far away - they just seem like it.
Photo courtesy of CapturedGlimpses
No. 5:
Accessible only by boat or plane, this resort on remote Beaver Island in Lake Michigan offers a unique luxury experience in the heart of nature. Guests will enjoy a two- to five-person safari tent with a queen memory foam mattress with bamboo sheets, custom furniture, and a private porch. The kitchen and guest laundry area are open 24 hours a day; you can cook on the charcoal grill at your tent, visit the pavilion’s fully equipped bar, or dine in any of the island’s eight restaurants. The private bathhouses spoil you with high-quality fixtures, thick bath towels, and all-natural bath bars. 10Best Travel Expert Nicky Omohundro adds, “The resort practices green initiatives including solar power.”
Photo courtesy of Douglas Merriam
No. 4:
Elevated camping takes several forms at Sandy Pines Campground in Maine. Guests can stay in vintage trailers, Conestoga wagons, domes, huts and glamping tents, all equipped with king or queen beds, heat and air conditioning, fire pits, outdoor dining areas. The campground also has a heated saltwater pool, playground, lawn games, laundry facilities and water sports equipment for rent.
Photo courtesy of Sean Fisher - Of Tennessee
No. 3:
This camping resort in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains features RV sites, cabins and glamping tents. Luxury tents come with heating and air conditioning, plush bedding, private bathrooms, separate living spaces and a small kitchen. All guests enjoy access to a coffee lounge, swimming pool, splash pad, dog park, playground, laundry facilities, basketball court and a community fire pit.
Photo courtesy of Chris H Petersen
No. 2:
Locally owned and operated, Kimberly Creek offers 22 acres of glamping accommodations midway between Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. Their variety of cabins, pods, and geodomes designed for two to eight guests are equipped with heating and air conditioning, propane grills and fire pits, a kitchenette, and en suite bathrooms with private showers. Enjoy a winter snowfall from the comfort of a 20- or 24-foot geodesic dome, or spend some summertime with family in a 1,000 square foot cabin with a full-length deck, outdoor hot tub, and gazebo.
Photo courtesy of Dirk Collins / Conestoga Ranch
No. 1:
At Utah’s Conestoga Ranch, glampers stay in luxury tents or pioneer wagons, all outfitted with electricity, heaters, private patios and Adirondack chairs. Guests enjoy campfire valet service, complimentary access to cruiser bikes, BBQ tents with charcoal grills and dishwashing stations, resort-wide wifi and a host of outdoor activities.
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to pick the initial nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote.
Congratulations to all these winning glamping spots!
About 10Best Readers' Choice Awards
Nominees are submitted by a panel of experts. 10Best editors narrow the field to select the final set of nominees for the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers can vote once per category, per day. For any questions or comments, please read the FAQ or email USA TODAY 10Best.
The Experts
Chez Chesak
‘Chez’ Chesak is Executive Director of the Outdoor... Read More
‘Chez’ Chesak is Executive Director of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, an adventure travel writer, board member of the Society of American Travel Writers and 22-year veteran of the outdoor and travel industries. While he’s lived all over the U.S. and traveled to more than 30 countries, he has the most fun when he’s exploring with his wife Sally and two daughters. An avid outdoors person, he’s happiest on a trail, on skis, or nestled into a sleeping bag. Learn more about him and his work at www.chezconnects.com.
Chez Chesak
‘Chez’ Chesak is Executive Director of the Outdoor Writers Association of America, an adventure travel writer, board member of the Society of American Travel Writers and 22-year veteran of the outdoor and travel industries. While he’s lived all over the U.S. and traveled to more than 30 countries, he has the most fun when he’s exploring with his wife Sally and two daughters. An avid outdoors person, he’s happiest on a trail, on skis, or nestled into a sleeping bag. Learn more about him and his work at www.chezconnects.com.
Nicky Omohundro
Nicky Omohundro is the founder and editor of Read More
Nicky Omohundro is the founder and editor of LittleFamilyAdventure.com, the popular family travel & lifestyle website that inspires families to leave no child left inside. Since 2013 LFA has been providing inspiration to get families outdoors, eat well, and travel everywhere from their own backyard to around the world. Always up for a family adventure, she has traveled to 37 states and 6 countries to zip-line through a Costa Rican rainforest, see Finland’s Northern Lights, and go camping throughout the US. Nicky is the co-founder of Tourism WorX a travel consultancy group. Connect with her Twitter and Instagram.
Nicky Omohundro
Nicky Omohundro is the founder and editor of LittleFamilyAdventure.com, the popular family travel & lifestyle website that inspires families to leave no child left inside. Since 2013 LFA has been providing inspiration to get families outdoors, eat well, and travel everywhere from their own backyard to around the world. Always up for a family adventure, she has traveled to 37 states and 6 countries to zip-line through a Costa Rican rainforest, see Finland’s Northern Lights, and go camping throughout the US. Nicky is the co-founder of Tourism WorX a travel consultancy group. Connect with her Twitter and Instagram.
Rob Taylor
Rob Taylor is the author of The Road Trip Survival... Read More
Rob Taylor is the author of The Road Trip Survival Guide (being released May 25, 2021) and the founder of 2TravelDads, the original LGBT Family Travel blog. Focusing on ecotourism and education, 2TravelDads inspires LGBT families (and traditional families also) to go beyond their usual getaways and use travel to learn about and be part of a bigger world. 2TravelDads blazes the way for other two-dad and two-mom families to travel to previously overlooked destinations or places we as gay people would normally avoid. We share the struggles we've faced and the surprising gems and welcomes we've had along the way. Traveling as a family is one thing, traveling as an LGBT family is completely something else.
Rob Taylor
Rob Taylor is the author of The Road Trip Survival Guide (being released May 25, 2021) and the founder of 2TravelDads, the original LGBT Family Travel blog. Focusing on ecotourism and education, 2TravelDads inspires LGBT families (and traditional families also) to go beyond their usual getaways and use travel to learn about and be part of a bigger world. 2TravelDads blazes the way for other two-dad and two-mom families to travel to previously overlooked destinations or places we as gay people would normally avoid. We share the struggles we've faced and the surprising gems and welcomes we've had along the way. Traveling as a family is one thing, traveling as an LGBT family is completely something else.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards... Read More
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith, Readers' Choice Awards Production Manager and Social Media Director for USA TODAY 10Best, has a special interest in unique culinary experiences and off-the-beaten-path adventures. Catherine is the founder of Her Bags Were Packed where she focuses on helping women release emotional baggage through solo travel and self-discovery.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original,... Read More
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
10Best Editors
USA TODAY 10Best provides users with original, unbiased and experiential travel coverage of top attractions, things to see and do, and restaurants for top destinations in the U.S. and around the world.
