People Go Wild for Glamping

Glamorous camping.

For many, those two words are an oxymoron. However, for people who are not into becoming one with Mother Nature and braving the elements, “glamping” is an elegant alternative. Between down comforters on four-poster beds to hairdryers and heated bathrooms floors, people who want to get out and be part of nature can still have their comfort and luxury.

There is much truth to the saying that everything is bigger in Texas, and glamping is no exception. The Fossil Rim Wildlife Ranch in Glen Rose gives “glampers” the option of experiencing camping in a luxury tent overlooking Fossil Rim’s most popular wildlife watering holes. Each tent is equipped with two twin beds, fresh linens, ceiling fans, a private bath, and a central heating and cooling system. Beside each tent is a small patio and the social pavilion is located within walking distance of all of the tents. The only items the “glamper” will need to bring are themselves and a flashlight. 

During spring and summer, a tent at Fossil Rim Wildlife Ranch is $125 per night Saturday through Thursday and $225 per night Friday and Saturday.

Texas also boasts of Sinya on Lone Man Creek in Wimberly. Couples looking for a romantic getaway can relax and enjoy pleasant weather in the Texan countryside. Each lodge has a canvas top and includes a king-size bed with goose-down pillows, fresh linens, a claw-foot bathtub, a kitchenette and a living room facing a wall of windows. During the spring and summer months, Lone Man Creek is full and offers a place to cool down and search for Native American artifacts. Sinya has a state-of-the art heating and cooling system and complementary wi-fi. The rental rate includes soft bathrobes, coffee, fresh flowers, s’more necessities, firewood, propane and a cleaning fee. 

Rates to stay in Sinya are $245 a night Sunday through Thursday and $275 a night Friday and Saturday.

El Cosmico located in Marfa, Texas, gives a rustic view of desert life. “Glampers” will be more drawn to the trailers that El Cosmico offers, especially the largest trailer, known as the Imperial Mansion. It is 45 feet in length with a king bed in the bow and a twin bed in the back. The Imperial Mansion also has an indoor toilet and shower/tub, and a cedar deck attached. The Vagabond is 35 feet in length and features a queen bed. The Royal Mansion is also 35 feet long and has a full bed. The Kozy Coach is 27 feet in length and has a full bed. The smallest trailer, the Branstrator, is also 27 feet and has a full bed. 

All trailers feature a stove, refrigerator, fans, floor heating and hot water. Fresh linens, pots, pans, cutlery and dishes are also included. El Cosmico has a communal bathhouse, wireless Internet in the campground lounge, a unique hammock grove that has hammocks hanging together and a shared outdoor kitchen with a grill. Rates are $110 to $130 per night December through February and $125 to $150 per night March through November.

Texas isn’t the only state with a taste for glamping. The glamping-oriented Martyn House in Ellijay, Ga., is an adult-only bed and breakfast. The gypsy-inspired tents are heated and equipped with fans, come with a full shower and toilet, and has a large covered front porch with chairs and a table overlooking the woods. The beds in these tents can be separated into twin beds or put together for a king bed. 

All four tents can be rented by a large group, which also gives the group access to 18 acres of land, a pond and trails. A large breakfast is served every morning on the veranda and visitors have the opportunity to go kayaking, fly fishing, biking or white water rafting. Each tent is $180 Sunday through Thursday and is $220 Friday and Saturday.

The small town of Lula, Ga., located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is also home to the glamping campground with North Georgia Canopy Tours. Started in 2011, each tepee is brand new and has electricity, heating and air conditioning. The tepees has at least one queen bed and is painted with authentic Cherokee symbols. All campers share separate men and women’s bathhouses. Sunday through Thursday tents range from $90 to $179 and $110 to $199 on Friday and Saturday.

Pine Mountain, Ga., hosts a campground of yurts. A type of glamping, a yurt is a circular hut-like structure with wooden floors, windows, soft beds with fresh linens, and central air conditioning and heating. Visitors also experience a view of the night sky with a skylight in the peak of the roof of each yurt. Each yurt is rated on a two-person occupancy and additional people over 12 are $2 a night. Visitors need to bring their own bath towels while enjoying time in their yurt. Yurts rate from $57.95 to $74.95 a night.

North Carolina’s Chestnut Grove is nestled by the Moravian Falls in Wilkes County. The canvas tents are built on a wooden deck with screened-in windows and doors and have hand-crafted queen-sized beds and furniture. Each tent has fresh linens, towels and lighting. A complementary s’mores kit will be provided at each check-in. Guests will need to provide their own cook wear if they are planning on making food. Each tent comes with a gas grill, hammock and private fire pit. Tents range from $60 to $75 each night. While children under 18 are free, there is a $10 additional charge per adult.

Wildwater Chattooga is snuggled in Long Creek, S.C. Overlooking Academy Lake, 34 people can fit within five yurts. Each yurt has a heater, lamp and electricity and a few steps from the yurts is the Wildwater Chattooga Adventure Center, which has private showers, toilets and sinks. The building also has a full indoor kitchen that includes a refrigerator, stove, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, cooking utensils, pots, pans and silverware. The facilities do not have dishes or linens, so visitors will need to bring their own to enjoy their stay. The rates of the yurts are $48 to $120 a night and they are open from March to November.

Many people have always wanted to experience camping without the heat, bugs and lumpy ground. With glamorous camping, people can experience nature without the inconvenience it can cause. Style and luxury can now go hand-in-hand.

**Written for Southern Hospitality in March of 2012. 

St. Regis Set to Honor Sinking of Titanic

An evening of elegance and fine cocktails. A celebration in honor of the most infamous shipwreck. The St. Regis Hotel in Atlanta plans on putting on such a gala on April 10 in reverence to the sinking of the Titanic 100 years ago.

The hotel, founded by Titanic passenger John Jacob Astor IV, will begin activities at 6 p.m. in the St. Regis Astor Ballroom when Sommelier and wine director Harry Constantinescu will saber 100 bottles of Heidsieck champagne, which was served aboard the ship. The 100 bottles are in honor of the 100 years that have passed since the sinking of the Titanic.

The St. Regis will be serving a signature cocktail in honor of the ship throughout the month of April. Dubbed the Centennial Cocktail, it includes 1912 Madeira Verdelho Reserva, Domaine de Canton ginger liquor, Krug Rosé Champagne, and Breckenridge Bourbon. It is served with an edible orchid, which was the favorite flower of Astor’s mother, Caroline. The price of the cocktail is $100 and includes a St. Regis champagne flute.

Alongside the Centennial Cocktail, the St. Regis will be catering hors d’oeuvres, which are inspired by the last meal served aboard the Titanic. The food inspiration will continue to swanky restaurant Paces 88, where the food will be served a la carte.

The celebration continues throughout the month of April with an Empire Suite Hotel Package and an afternoon tea special. The package is $3,300, the same price of a luxury parlor aboard the Titanic. It includes a bottle of Heidsieck champagne, valet parking and breakfast for two at Astor Court. The tea special includes an afternoon of petit fours, petite sandwiches, fresh scones and savory teas. The tea tradition is in honor of Astor’s mother, Caroline. For adults, the cost is $44 and $22 for children under 12.

A century ago, many boarded the Titanic and had their lives filled with grandeur and beauty for four days. The St. Regis Hotel offers a modern twist to the luxury the Titanic stood for.

**Written for Southern Hospitality in March 2012.

Centennial Anniversary of Ship Sinking Celebrated at Titanic Museum

While the majority of the population had not been born during the sinking of the Titanic, the disaster certainly is an event that haunts history today. The Titanic Museum is located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and in Branson, Mo., and are the largest museums dedicated to the Titanic in the world.

Throughout the duration of the year, visitors to the Pigeon Forge location will be able to see a behind-the-scenes look at the set of James’ Cameron’s award-winning movie Titanic. Even though the museum is mostly factual based, the museum felt that the movie has impacted the story of the Titanic greatly and that it stands as a tribute to the actual sinking of the ship. 

With the 3-D version of the film premiering April 6, the exhibit will allow those to see how the cast and crew had to embody fictional and actual characters who were affected by the Titanic’s sinking.

Among the items on display will be a $250,000 replica of the heart-shaped blue diamond that the older Rose tossed in the water at the end of the movie and the pink coat that actress Kate Winslet wore during the sinking of the ship.

The exhibit also will feature replicas of some of the corridors, parlors and cabins that were filmed. The Grand Staircase also is duplicated and is built up to the grandeur that the film shows it to be. Visitors will feel like passengers during the Titanic’s maiden and final voyage.

The museum itself is shown as a half-scale replica of the ship with three decks. Visitors are able to see the world of 1912 as maids and officers work and other passengers go about their business aboard the ship.

Guests can experience the sensations of standing on sloping decks, placing their hands in 28-degree water and touching a real iceberg. Reenactments of these events occur with the actors aboard the ship. It simulates what people aboard the Titanic felt as the ship sank into the icy waters that April night.

April 14 will be an extremely special day at both museums. On the actual day the Titanic sank 100 years ago, “A Night to Remember: An Original Musical Tribute to Titanic” will use choirs, orchestras, and musical theater performances to demonstrate the tragedy that plagued the Titanic.

Only the Titanic Museum Attractions is hosting a formal gala to honor the loss of the ship. The musical pieces will be especially sentimental since the orchestra aboard the ship went down into the water playing their instruments.

Music lovers of all generations will love the range of classical music to today’s pop hits and ballads. Those with a flare for the theatrics can see a reenactment of the crew sending up the distress flares the night the ship sunk. The guests will be able to feel the sorrow and tragedy of the sinking of the Titanic through the music that will be played.

Descendents of those aboard the Titanic will be at the event to orate the tales that their ancestors went through that fateful night. Through them, visitors will have a personal look into the lives of the families that endured the downfall of the ship. The audience then has the chance to become apart of the show by going to the bow of the ship in the museum to light a memorial flame for the 2,208 passengers.

Passengers may purchase tickets to either event online at www.titanicattraction.com or by phone at (800) 381-7670.