MINNESOTA, USA — The Arnold Palmer, surf and turf, peanut butter and jelly, for some people with some things, half and half is just right.
Case-in-point, glamping, which is a mashup of ‘glamorous’ and ‘camping.’ Defined by Merriam-Webster as “outdoor camping with amenities and comforts not usually used in the wilderness.
“You get to go camping but you don't have to bring any of the gear to go camping,” said Jamie Tatge, a partner with North Shore Camping Company. “All the cooking utensils, the fire pits, all the things you need to camp and really enjoy the outdoors we supply for you.”
Tatge saw the trend booming out West and recently helped open a 20-site glamping resort spanning 190-acres on the shore of Lake Superior in Beaver Bay fit with canvas tents, solar power stations, saunas, bathrooms and a central cabin for guests to lounge.
“It's actually a larger range of guests than what we assumed we'd see,” said Tatge.
He says the majority of guests fit into three categories: Young families testing the camping waters with the kiddos, golden-age couples who've moved on from the heavy work, and girls weekend getaways.
The U.S. glamping industry brought in $670 million dollars in 2022, and it’s expected to grow 12 percent annually, according to Grand View Research.
Sites are now popping up across the state, from stargazing domes near Grand Marais, to A-frame bunks near Cross Lake, to a tree house excursion in Elba, which is where the KARE-11 Saturday morning team decided to try.
Aefintyr was recently named a top ten ‘glampsite’ in the nation by camping app The Dyrt
“Aefintyr is an old Norse word that means to venture,” according to Chelsi Low, who started the camping site with her husband in 2019.
It features three, heated treehouse cabins at the base of a bluff with lounge hammocks underneath and access to a plumbed bathroom with hot water.
For a little more elevated experience, glampers can walk up the bluff over looking the valley and stay in a canvas bell tent with beds, linens and the nicest outhouse toilet you’ve ever seen.
“It's a quarter mile hike up the top. I encourage people to pack light,” said Low.
Campers can also reserve a ‘driftless bed,’ named after the Driftless Area of southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin. It’s a king sized mattress on a platform off the ground encased in bug netting and a fiberglass roof. It’s as close to sleeping outside in the woods as it gets.
The site is down the road from Whitewater State Park, which attracts hikers, campers and anglers for its scenic views and trout streams.
Prices range from $40 to $95 depending on availability and amenities.