Guides

Neglect roughing it—we’re speaking luxurious tents, tricked-out trailers, and treetop treasures that may go away you questioning why you ever slept on the bottom within the first place. Luxurious tenting is exploding throughout the Northeast, so ditch the grime, embrace the high-end yurt, and prepare to raise your outdoor sport with our insider’s information to the most effective New England glamping spots.

| Massachusetts | Vermont | New Hampshire | 
| Maine | Atlantic Canada |

The place to Glamp: Massachusetts

AutoCamp Cape Cod

I’ve been a proud Cape summer season devotee since earlier than I might say “Cuffy’s.” My household has rented a home there each June for many years, so once I booked an Airstream at AutoCamp Cape Cod, I used to be barely skeptical. How might a shining metallic trailer maintain a candle to a weathered-shingle cottage flanked by hydrangeas?

It seems {that a} set-in-her-ways New Englander can get pleasure from one thing new. I’d set out for Falmouth to spend a protracted weekend by the seaside with my pal. We checked in at AutoCamp’s ultramodern clubhouse—a departure from conventional Cape model, however attractive nonetheless—taking a beat to peruse the collection of snacks, sodas, books, and different goodies on the camp retailer. Then got here the second of fact: stepping foot into our 31-foot-long dwelling for the weekend. One in all 83 trailers on the property (which additionally options suites, luxurious tents, and cabins), the place felt surprisingly spacious on the within, with a queen-size mattress, a kitchen stocked with all of the cooking necessities and serving ware, a residing space with a futon, and a rest room with a beautiful walk-in bathe.

After a great night time’s sleep, we made some wonderful pour-over coffees with the kits left for us within the trailer, then swung by the clubhouse for some grub (ham-and-cheese croissants) earlier than heading to Outdated Silver Seashore for the day. As soon as the solar set, a meal at Epic Oyster delivered on briny bliss: Oysters from up and down the Cape, miso black cod with sushi rice and pickled ginger carrots, and an oyster po’ boy despatched us again to AutoCamp with barely sufficient room to toast our s’mores kits from the camp retailer. Nonetheless, we persevered, sparking flames within the non-public hearth pit beside our trailer with wooden and a few hearth starters.

The spotlight of our keep got here the subsequent day, once we encountered the unequalled great thing about the Shining Sea Bikeway, which meanders proper previous AutoCamp. A small RideAway Adventures outpost on property, the place campers can lease bikes, gives a personal entrance to the path. The primary two hours are free for AutoCamp visitors, so my pal and I made essentially the most of our complimentary cruisers, pedaling previous scenes virtually copied from an oil portray. With the breeze in our hair, we took in Nice Sippewissett Marsh’s glowing blue inlets, bright-white dunes, and endless seagrasses.

The bike experience marked our final journey earlier than checkout. As we packed up our issues, we each marveled on the many on a regular basis luxuries AutoCamp had offered, from exceedingly snug beds and linens to little issues like paper towels and tea luggage. There was no squeaking display screen door or knotty-pine paneling on this journey, however I discovered loads of room in my traditional Cape-loving coronary heart for a novel summer season journey.

836 Palmer Ave., Falmouth, autocamp.com

See additionally: 30 Locations to Eat and Drink on the Cape and the Islands in 2024

Additionally attempt…

Backstage on the Verb Resort

Can’t tear your self away from the town? For a glamping staycation, e-book a custom-built trailer at Backstage, the luxurious city trailer park that’s a part of the Verb Resort within the Fenway. Persevering with the Verb’s rock ’n’ roll theme, every of the ten trailers symbolize a distinct artist, from Janis Joplin to Cass Elliot, and are impressed by the performers’ fancy tour buses. The suites measure simply over 300 sq. ft, providing king-size beds, rainfall showers, Victrola document gamers, and Nespresso machines. Bonus: Backstage visitors have entry to the Verb’s iconic pool and intensive vinyl library, to not point out views of Fenway Park.

1271 Boylston St., Boston, Fenway, backstagetrailers.com.

Normandy Farms

A big wood-paneled recreation lodge is a becoming central gathering place for a summer-camp-like expertise at Normandy Farms. Opened in Foxborough within the ’70s, the campground now rents out more-modern lodging, together with up to date cabins, yurts, and safari tents outfitted with water and electrical energy. Every yurt presents a hearth, full rest room, kitchenette, and a wraparound deck with a grill, whereas the safari tents include ceiling followers, charging retailers, and a eating set on the again porch. For an extended keep, think about the deluxe cabins, which make room for a queen mattress and a sleeping loft for the kiddos. And don’t miss the on-site disc golf course.

72 West St., Foxborough, normandyfarms.com.

The place to Glamp: Vermont

Highwood Retreat

Ninety acres. That’s how a lot land Katharine Mangold and Sam Parsons discovered themselves with after abandoning their Hollywood careers in the course of the pandemic for a slower tempo of life in central Vermont. What to do with all of that vast open house? The couple determined to make use of it to ask vacationers like me to sleep of their yard. Properly, form of.

That includes rolling inexperienced fields crisscrossed by trails, Highwood Retreat—the glamping spot they opened in 2022—was actually made with coronary heart and soul. To create the 2 tents at present on the property (building on a 3rd is ready to start this 12 months), Parsons expanded his budding information of carpentry, whereas Mangold scoured property gross sales and antiques shops to dream up one-of-a-kind interiors. The objective, they are saying, was to set the scene for an extra-cozy getaway.

And comfy my journey was: The tent my pal and I stayed in showcased an vintage writing desk, an opulent cover mattress, a classic trunk turned espresso desk, a bookshelf lined with classics, and several other oil work that recalled a bygone period. However it was the candelabras diffusing a heat gentle over the tent at night time and the {custom} Highwood Retreat playlist—that includes the dulcet tones of Billie Vacation and Etta James—that made us really feel like we’d stepped again in time. Even the outhouse was lovely, with a Persian rug and copper sink basin on the within.

Throughout our journey, we relished the vital work of unplugging, enjoying cribbage—plans that the glampers within the different tent had additionally made, we realized—and flipping by means of magazines by candlelight. We ordered two flask cocktails from Highwood’s sturdy tent-service menu, which arrived in small wicker baskets, in addition to a stunning cheese board that includes sharp cheddar, cured salami, contemporary berries, prosciutto, beet hummus, and an overflowing cup of veggies. Glampers also can order breakfast to their tents; we opted for bagels and croissants with our espresso. If you happen to’re fortunate, your tent service drop-off could embrace a cameo from Sally, Parsons and Mangold’s candy two-year-old daughter.

Throughout the day, we learn, grazed, and hiked—and at night time, we checked out the world’s burgeoning eating scene. One night, we sampled the superb cocktails and mussels on the Copper Fox in Springfield; on one other, we drove west for French delicacies on the Left Financial institution in Weston. It’s a part of the newly opened lodge the Weston, owned by the household that after operated New York Metropolis’s Carlyle and Gramercy Park motels. Rooster-liver mousse and pistachio mille-feuille made for a shocking (and scrumptious) solution to finish the journey.

Trying again, our lengthy weekend at Highwood Retreat was a singular expertise. Heat and attentiveness from the homeowners and a welcome lack of expertise made us really feel tens of millions of miles away from the actual world whereas we had been there. Fortunately, that was the purpose.

237 Randall Hill Rd., Springfield, VT, highwoodretreat.com.

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Parker Hill Farm

The safari tents listed here are air-conditioned and WiFi-equipped, which means you possibly can WFW (work from the woods) with a country new Zoom background. Extra trendy comforts, like en-suite loos, a each day espresso bar, and a gasoline grill, make enjoyable a breeze. Then there are the alpacas—the glampsite is a part of a working fiber farm, with every animal producing between 5 and 10 kilos of fleece annually. Wave hi there to the fluffy guys (or pet one in the event that they saddle as much as you) earlier than toasting some marshmallows underneath the celebs.

481 Parker Hill Rd., Springfield, Vermont, parkerhillfarm.com.

The Treehouse at Moose Meadow

Resting your head underneath the bushes is one factor, however sleeping above the treeline is one other expertise totally. Moose Meadow Lodge presents a captivating log-cabin expertise in each season, however from Might by means of October, you’ll need to e-book the lodge’s on-site treehouse for a glamping weekend. Supported by two sturdy pine bushes, the two-level floating cabin appears to be like out on a small pond, with a residing and eating space on the primary flooring, to not point out a wraparound deck for listening to chirping hermit thrush. Stroll up the spiral staircase that wraps round a tree trunk to the second-floor bed room and its balcony, or just glimpse views of the forest from the treehouse’s 31 home windows.

607 Crossett Hill, Waterbury, Vermont, moosemeadowlodge.internet.

The place to Glamp: New Hampshire

Lumen Nature Retreat

My thought of a great camp meal has at all times been sizzling canines and beer—however at a modern new glamping vacation spot, would such a traditional combo really feel surprisingly misplaced?

That’s precisely what my pal and I meant to search out out on the primary night time of our weekend getaway at Lumen Nature Retreat, which rents out these trendy little huts you see on Instagram—the type featured on @cabinporn underneath the hashtag #hygge. There are 20 of them right here, along with 15 safari and A-frame tents to lease. The “Hygge” cabins, particularly, appealed to me for just a few causes: They provide an indoor hearth, a small cooktop and fridge, a loveseat, a bistro desk and chairs, and enormous home windows framing views of the bushes. Heat, Scandinavian-inspired design was the cherry on prime.

However again to that old-school dinner. As my pal sipped her beer across the smokeless hearth pit in a trendy black Adirondack chair, I unfold a red-and-white checkered tablecloth over the close by picnic desk (I do love to stay to a theme) and started working cooking up the recent canines, which we devoured with a facet of chips and pickles to the soundtrack of the close by dashing brook. Questioning appears to be like: zero. Mission: achieved.

That stated, I did respect the creature comforts obtainable once I went to show in for the night. Although there aren’t non-public loos at Lumen, the massive bathhouse is simply as modern. I didn’t should pack a lot in my toiletry case, as every bathe stall shares shampoo, conditioner, physique wash, and lotion from Public Items. I used to be delighted to find the vanities supplied hair dryers, make-up wipes, earplugs, and different considerate touches. Even the widespread sink for dishwashing was trendy, in addition to the filtered water bottle refill station, which was good for filling up earlier than a hike.

General, the White Mountains proved to be a spectacular backdrop to our luxe outside journey: Glowing Echo Lake and the falls at Flume Gorge had been amongst our favourite stops the subsequent day, although Schilling Beer Co. in close by Littleton, with its Bavarian wheat ale, was a runner-up.

Finally, totally worn out from fresh-aired actions, we returned to our cabin to unwind on our final night time. I learn a e-book on the surprisingly cozy leather-based loveseat whereas my pal used the offered hurricane lamp to make her solution to a nighttime sauna reserving, which she’d reserved from her telephone. Lumen has two to select from—a barrel sauna overlooking a pond and a boxier mannequin adorned with string lights on the principle garden. She luxuriated within the latter earlier than we each retired to our comfortable beds.

My keep at Lumen allowed me to reside out a number of the traditional tenting situations I really like, akin to cooking over a campfire and slipping on sandals to pad over to the bathhouse, with none of the additional psychological labor, like worrying concerning the ice melting within the cooler or forgetting my travel-size shampoo. It’s a fragile stability that the property upholds gracefully. Simply don’t neglect to BYOCT: convey your personal cutesy tablecloth.

11 Sugar Plum Ln., North Woodstock, New Hampshire, stayatlumen.com.

Getaway Blake Brook

Must actually get away from all of it? The driving pressure behind glamping with Harvard-born Getaway is detoxing from expertise. Actually, there’s even a “cell-phone lockbox” to drop your telephone into upon arrival, with the concept that you gained’t pry it open once more till you’re prepared to take a look at. Happily, the modern, sub-200-square-foot cabins—every full with a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the forest—make unplugging in nature fairly straightforward. They’re outfitted with trendy kitchenettes and cookware, non-public loos and showers, and hearth pits. You’ll additionally discover a booklet that can assist you respect your environment, with sections on meditating, constructing campfires, and figuring out native birds and crops.

76 Mountain Rd., Epsom, New Hampshire, getaway.home.

Huttopia White Mountains

Neglect path combine—this glampsite is aware of that the good outdoor is greatest when paired with a flaky croissant. For a contact of European magnificence throughout your wilderness journey, decamp to Huttopia White Mountains, the place journey (and buttery nourishment) awaits. Since 1999, Lyon, France–based Huttopia has been increasing its community of out of doors getaways, opening its New Hampshire outpost in 2017. With canvas tents and wooden cabins, the place combines mountain tenting with consolation and comfort. One such comfort is its on-site meals truck, which serves up croissants, crêpes, and cappuccinos. Elsewhere on the glampsite, you’ll discover a heated pool, a personal seaside, a central lodge with video games and actions, and canoe and paddleboard leases.

Pine Knoll Rd., Albany, New Hampshire, huttopia.com.

The place to Glamp: Maine

Terramor Out of doors Resort

I’ll say it: Acadia Nationwide Park is tiring. From the hours spent driving there to the heart-pumping hikes you (hopefully) accomplish, there are quite a lot of methods to get tuckered out. So it is sensible that I virtually collapsed onto the king-size mattress upon unzipping my tent at Terramor Out of doors Resort. As if on cue, the skies opened up, raindrops gently tapping the highest of the tent’s canvas. That, paired with gentle, heat gentle emanating from just a few Edison bulbs, lulled me right into a much-needed nap.

Consolation is clearly prime of thoughts for the parents behind Terramor, who got down to create a refined outside expertise within the coronary heart of Mount Desert Island’s wilderness. Working example? The on-property wellness tent, which presents massages, physique therapies, and facials. It’s a stone’s throw from Terramor’s beautiful lodge, full with a camp store, a restaurant, and a screened-in patio with a hearth.

My tent, in the meantime, was outfitted with every thing I wanted after a protracted day spent exploring. Among the many comforts: a walk-in bathe, double sinks, two beds, a pour-over espresso station, a clothes rack with Frette robes, electrical energy, WiFi, a transportable cooler, ceiling followers, an area heater, and gentle wool blankets. As soon as I used to be recharged from my nap, I used to be grateful to not should furiously Google the most effective lobster spots in Bar Harbor for dinner for the reason that lodge was internet hosting a lobster boil of its personal. My brother and I fortunately traipsed over, having fun with dinner, just a few beers, and a few card video games by the hearth. We popped over to the heated pool, too, the place LED lights saved the recent tub beside it aglow.

The resort additionally takes the guesswork out of maximize your time within the park itself. From the entrance desk within the lodge, you possibly can e-book a variety of experiences, together with guided hikes from an in-house clothing store, supplied in two- to four-hour increments on average trails or 4 to 6 hours for a more difficult afternoon. Hikers are saved fed with complimentary snacks and obtain a Terramor water bottle as well. There’s additionally a cold-plunge tour for the courageous souls who need a completely different sort of post-hike restoration. A information whisks you to both the ocean or pure swimming pools, the place you plunge into the therapeutic salt waters of Acadia after which heat again up with sizzling tea.

As for my brother and I, we reserved sufficient vitality to cruise the park loop in his convertible. With the highest down, we drove as much as the summit of Cadillac Mountain, then circled the remainder of the park, watching harbor porpoises pop out and in of the water alongside the way in which. A cease on the tiny reward store close to Thunder Gap rewarded us with a bottle of Outdated Soaker Blueberry Soda, a Maine must-try for anybody visiting the park.

On our final morning, with a full itinerary of adventures behind us, we awakened feeling refreshed. It seems {that a} luxuriously good night time’s sleep within the nice outdoor is extraordinarily restorative—one thing a standard tenting expertise can’t fairly supply.

State Rt. 102, Bar Harbor, Maine, terramoroutdoorresort.com.

Underneath Canvas

For an Acadia journey that prioritizes water views, head to Underneath Canvas in Surry, Maine, about 20 miles outdoors of the park. Right here, 63 canvas safari tents focus on a grand essential tent, dwelling to a restaurant, lounge, reward store, “Journey Concierge” desk, and, past it, hearth pits galore. All of it backs as much as a swath of untouched Maine shoreline overlooking Union River Bay, the place you could glimpse seals and different wildlife if you happen to’re fortunate. The tents, in the meantime, supply king-size beds, non-public loos with pull-chain showers, wooden stoves, and USB battery packs to energy lanterns and telephone chargers.

702 Surry Rd., Surry, Maine, undercanvas.com.

Fortland

One in all Maine’s latest glamping locations is Fortland, a 16-acre property on Home Island in Casco Bay. The lodgings are set amongst historic Fort Scammel, simply off the coast of Portland, providing entry to 3 non-public seashores. You’ll must convey your personal meals and cooler to your tent or yurt—the 4 tents are nearer to the water, whereas the three fashionable yurts supply a bit extra room to unfold out. There’s a central space with composting bogs for visitors, plus moveable photo voltaic showers you need to use in outside bathe stalls or at your website. Renting right here contains parking on the mainland, in addition to a ship experience out to the island.

Portland, Maine, fortlandmaine.com.

The place to Glamp: Atlantic Canada

Tidal Retreat Glamping

It’s not every single day you get to look at the best tides on the planet move out and in—from the consolation of a hammock, no much less. However that’s exactly what I discovered myself doing inside my geodesic dome tent at Tidal Retreat Glamping.

The dome itself is atop a hillside platform going through New Brunswick’s Waweig River, a tidal inlet that lets out into the famed Bay of Fundy. After I first arrived, strolling down the trail towards my glamping lodging for the night time, I couldn’t assist however discover that this curved white blob within the woods resembled an oversize marshmallow. Upon nearer inspection, the dome was certainly a tent and never a confection, although my keep was simply as candy.

Opening the marshmallow’s door prompted an involuntary “wow.” Mild streamed in by means of a large clear plastic window, creating sun-dappled shadows on the tent’s wooden flooring. On one facet of the house, there was a beneficiant kitchenette with a kettle, toaster oven, fridge, and freezer. Climbing a small set of stairs behind the kitchen led to a lofted bed room. On the opposite facet of the tent, a residing space and a eating desk with chairs allowed for max enjoyment of the river views, whereas a brief hallway led to a full rest room.

One of the best spot in the home, although, was absolutely the hammock, which hung from picket beams that created an alcove for the dome’s second mattress. My brother, who joined me on this Canadian glamping journey, acknowledged the prevalence of the hammock instantly. He spent most of his time lounging in it and looking to the river by means of the bushes, finally concluding, “I’ve acquired to get considered one of these.”

It’s doable to see the river up shut, too, by mountain climbing a steep path all the way down to its banks. Kayaking was initially on our agenda, however we’d did not learn the tide chart in our tent earlier than heading out. Alas, the tide was very far out (they weren’t kidding concerning the highest tides on the planet), so as an alternative of dragging the kayaks all that method, we resolved to admire the rocks and glowing waters for some time as an alternative.

We made the robust determination to forgo a camp dinner on the grill for an evening out. It was a simple drive over to St. Andrew’s, a sleepy seaside village and considered one of Canada’s nationwide historic districts, and through our June journey, we handed wide-open fields of purple lupines alongside the way in which. On the town, colourful buildings lined Water Avenue, housing retailers, cafés, and charming inns. We devoured burgers at Char & Chowder, an open-air restaurant with reside music, earlier than strolling Market Wharf to soak up the sundown—and see Pendlebury Lighthouse from afar.

A dip within the deck’s sizzling tub concluded a dreamy keep. Subsequent time, I’ll spend just a few hours floating within the river, fairly than merely above it.

2870 Route 127, St. Andrews, New Brunswick, tidalretreatglamping.ca.

PEBs by the Sea

Get up to beautiful views of the Atlantic out of your digs at PEBs by the Sea, a pair of coastal geodesic glamping domes up north. Perched on Cape Sable Island within the southernmost a part of Nova Scotia, the solar-powered domes share a standard kitchen and bathhouse, plus a number of decks and hearth pits. There’s birdwatching and wildlife-viewing aplenty, in addition to the choice to buy native lobsters to be cooked for you on-site. You’ll be able to enterprise out onto the water, too, with a kayak and three standup paddleboards obtainable to make use of once you please. Professional tip: Exit at dawn for a spectacular present.

23 Church Hill, The Hawk, Cape Sable Island, Nova Scotia, pebsbythesea.com.

Ridgeback Lodge

Searching for a comfy getaway in any season? The Dream Domes at Ridgeback Lodge in New Brunswick include their very own non-public wood-fired sizzling tubs. Sit back and gaze on the stars from the consolation of your tub, or scan the sky from the round home windows in your tent’s ceiling. Every dome is outfitted with a king-size mattress, working water, electrical energy, air con, pellet or propane stoves, and a kitchenette—plus a grill and picnic desk outdoors the tent. Elsewhere at Ridgeback, you possibly can lease rustic log cabins or a dome with out electrical energy hookups if you happen to actually need to commune with nature.

86 Outdated Attain Rd., Kingston, New Brunswick, ridgebacklodge.com.