8 of the Most Glorious Sites for Glamping in Michigan
Camping has always been the perfect way to experience Michigan's night skies, forest breezes and perhaps even the lullaby of a Great Lake. Today, there's something perhaps even better: glamping. The trend of “glamorous camping,” or sleeping outdoors without the need to pitch a tent or sleeping on the ground, is catching on enough that you'll find a variety of ways to camp in comfort. Here are a few ways to glamp your way into Michigan's natural beauty – champagne optional.
1. RGarges Farm Vintage Airstream
You'll get farm stay and glamping in one when you book the 31-foot, circa-1973 airstream at this farm in the state's southwest corner, about 40 miles from Lake Michigan. You won't need to leave the grounds though once you learn about the chance to feed some of the farm's resident alpacas, gather eggs from the chickens or partake in activities like barnyard yoga, barn dancing and movies over the hayloft. The airstream is parked behind the farm's 1832 farmhouse, which also is available for rent.
2. Mount Bohemia Adventure Resort’s Mountain-Top Yurt
This ski resort known for its expert-only slopes in winter morphs into a 1,100-acre all-inclusive resort in and on Lake Lac La Belle come summer. Book a yurt (or log cabin, inn or hostel) on the grounds. Many packages wrap in meals, lodging, guides and all you need to kayak, fish, bike and more. Book during the summer yoga retreat, or let nature guide your choice.
3. Holland Camper Cabin with a View
Camping takes on a new meaning at Holland State Park when you book the “Whitetail,” the park's newest camper cabin. Bring family or a few friends (it sleeps six) and prepare for one of the state's best views. The cabin overlooks the Holland State Park channel and the “Big Red” lighthouse. You not only have electric heat, but also a refrigerator, microwave and coffee pot. Outside the cabin, visitors will find a picnic table, grill and fire circle. This fully accessible camper cabin has three rooms and an outside deck that extends the cabin living space into the beautiful, natural surroundings.
4. Wild Cherry Resort's Wine Country Yurts
Ask for the $50 upgrade, and wine, cheese fruit and flowers will be delivered to the table you'll find in your woodland yurt, alongside the queen bed, twin trundle and twin-sized day bed. Bedding is provided, and while you'll still need to make a short hike to your shower and facilities, your lodging is just two miles from the charming town of Suttons Bay and Lake Leelanau, both in the middle of Leelanau Peninsula's wine country.
5. Lime Island Cottages & Tent Camping at Freighters-Eye View
You need to book (or bring) a boat to take you and your supplies to Lime Island near the Canadian border, but the ride over is just part of an adventure that continues throughout your stay. The on-site hosts will pick up your supplies and take them to your cozy abode, one outfitted with binoculars and books like “Know your ships”. You won't wonder why for long. Freighters come by at eye level and so close you'll swear you could almost reach out and touch them. A bonus: The cabins are pet friendly.
6. Rocky Top Farms Treehouse
When staying in the vicinity of the world's “cherry capital,” you can't go much more authentic than a stay in an orchard treehouse. Rocky Top Farms in Ellsworth is locally famed for its preserves, butters and chutneys, but now it also rents glamping options like a cabin, yurt and treehouse.
7. A Paddler's Village on the Lake Superior Shore
Platform tents with a bed, sofa and deck or a yurt, fully outfitted with electricity, skylights, Wi-Fi and a refrigerator are all the glamour you'll need when you're situated on the shores of Lake Superior and you've booked an all-inclusive package that includes paddling to Grand Island, dinners, breakfasts and more at Uncle Ducky Outdoors/Paddlers Village. There's even a skylight dome from which you may catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
8. Tiki Huts on Lake Huron
The colorful tiki huts look straight out of a Caribbean island, but your beach is lining a Great Lake instead when you book one of the 13 pastel-painted cabins at Mai Tiki Resort in Oscoda. Here, the amenities also include use of the self-serve tiki bar on the beach, nightly bonfires on the Lake Huron shoreline, and even outdoor movie nights.