Camping In Nebraska.
Nay! GLAMPING In Nebraska!!!
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- Sleeping on the cold, hard ground
- Bugs
- Having to share a public toilet in the middle of the night
- The Packing!
Oh….well, ok, I guess I do understand.
But honestly, I never did mind all those things. I LOVE CAMPING.
- The fresh air
- The break in monotony from daily life
- A change of pace of vacation
- Nature out your front door/ zipper
- Bonfires
What is Glamping?
Glamping In Nebarska: Turn ANY camping trip into a Glamping Trip!
Where to Go Glamping In Nebraska
Since we’ll be taking Gretel out with us to most campgrounds, I’m glad to say that we’ll be Glamping just about anywhere! Click here to see all our posts about camping in Nebraska.
However, I totally get that not everyone wants to purchase a trailer and would rather just do a fun, once a year camping trip with out all the yucky bugs, cold hard floor and less than ideal bathroom conditions. While I intend to explore and uncover some really awesome glamping sites and add them here to the site, here is a website that can help you search and find glamping spots all over the US, narrowing it down to Nebraska even.
Some top rated and often raved about Glamping Spots in Nebraska are
Slattery Vintage Estates: You had me at “wine.” I mean, c’mon even those most against camping should be able to get on board with these gorgeous tents set in a vineyard!
(Nehawka, NE Approx 40 minutes from Omaha)
Cozy Oaks: This AirBnB boasts about all the modern amenities of any comforting hotel but set pond-side and away from it all, giving you best of both worlds!
(Plattmouth, NE)
Bonus: Use this coupon code for up to $40 off your first AirBnB experience!
Nebraska State Parks: While pure Glamping enthusiasts (is this such a thing??) might argue that glamping requires everything that camping does (but with luxury!), I would argue that you can even have a glamping experience at just about any Nebraska State Park by booking a cabin and then jazzing up your food, bedding and amenities (more on how to to this below!)
Here’s 9 Reasons Why You Need To Visit a State Park This Summer. If you are heading to a State Park, you’ll need a permit, here is everything you’ll need to know about Nebraska State Park Permits.
HOW to Create the Ultimate Glamping Experience in Nebraska
Glamping Gear
There are a few “essentials” when it comes to creating that perfect glamping atmosphere, make the whole camping thing “easy” and basically just feel like you are ready to kick back and RELAX! Here is our Essentials Only Camping Gear Guide for Beginners.
Luxury Camping Tents
Finding the best glamping tent is all about finding a SUPER easy to set up tent (that preferably has all the bells and whistles you need!) I mean, we are looking for large and roomy tents that even a monkey could set up within minutes! Some of Amazon’s top rated luxury tents are:
Wenzel 8 Person Tent with screened in sunroom: I just ADORE this included screened in section! Bu-Bye Bugs!!!
CORE Instant Tent: Not only does this sleep up to NINE people (hello roomy and spacious!!!) but it sets up in 60 seconds. ONE MINUTE people!!!! #Winning!
Click Here To Compare Other Amazon Choice and top picks for tents
Bedding
- My absolute top advice is finding an easy to set up air mattress, which means a self inflating, comfortable, DURABLE air mattress that isn’t going to leak or pop after just a few night’s use, like Amazon’s best selling Active Era mattress.
- Next, you’ll want some sheets, a sleeping bag or blankets to keep you warm. Now, this will really depend on what you have and just how luxurious you want to get. Some people buy the highest thread count comforters, even for a night in a tent! But, this is honestly one of the areas where I say, use what you have!!!
- Finally, don’t forget your pillows. If you are afraid your bedroom will smell like a bonfire if you take your favorite pillow from home, it’s so easy to just get a spare for camping trips and keep with the rest of your supplies when not in use.
Cooking Utensils
We are going to go into this in much more detail in the next section, but one of the main complaints of people who hate camping is the food. One way to remedy that is by making some really awesome meals while glamping, which may require a few special cooking tools, like a dutch oven for example. (Which if you’ve never cooked in before….holy moly you are in for a delicious treat!)
Glamping Food
When I go camping, it’s not a true camping experience if I don’t have a bonfire with hot dogs and smores!
- Bring OJ and Champagne for breakfast for Mimosas as you watch the sunrise
- My husband makes a MEAN dutch oven lasagna!!! Pair it with a store bought bag of Ceasar Salad and a quality red wine and you’ve got yourself a feast!!!
- Stop at a local farmer’s market or roadside stand on your way to the campsite and then roast up some fresh, seasonal veggies over the roaring fire.
- Say goodbye to disgusting instant coffee while camping. I LOOOVE my Aeropress, which is basically like a small, pack-able, (and totally affordable) french press without all the yucky grounds at the bottom. Pack along a cheapie hand held milk frother and whip up some seriously incredibly easy cappuccinos and the whole campsite will think you’ve started up a coffee shop!!! Add them to your cart here before you forget for your next glamping trip.
And Now You Are Ready To Go
All that is lacking is a few good friends, maybe a few drinks, a deck of cards or some fun yard games and you’ve got yourself the most luxurious, fun, stress-free, (mostly) bug-free camping experience!
And now, for those of you who were sticking around because you want to be a fellow Pop Up Glamper
Why a Pop Up Is Perfect for Glamping
When we bought Gretel, we actually only had one car. And a Prius at that (yeah yeah…we are THOSE hippies!) so we knew we were going to have to get a towing vehicle. While we only had one tot in tow at the time, we knew we’d be adding to our traveling circus soon enough, so we went full Mom Mode. That’s right, we bought Hansel, our new Honda Mini Van! (We go all in!) But in the search for a towing vehicle, I loved that we had a ton of options like a bigger SUV, a small truck and shoot, even some cars with a big enough engine could tug Gretel along!
2) It can hold a SURPRISING amount of people (ours can sleep up to 8 people, well, comfortably, 6 adults)
There are so many different models of campers and we looked at them all. Ours has an extra “U” shaped seating sectional that turns into a bed. I hated that layout at first because who wants to climb over someone sleeping to get into bed? But the more and more layouts that I looked at, the more it grew on me. It meant more seating and sleeping space (and more floor space in general) and shoot, you can always throw the kids on that side of the camper!
3) It’s Affordable (more cost analysis posts of future trips to come!)
The cost of Gretel was less than a long ski weekend in Colorado! Sure, I stalked Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace like crazy to find one that was not only in good shape but a phenomenal price, but what I did anyone can do! We now have a permanent lodging option for any of our Nebraska trips if we so choose!
4) It has all the essentials for comfort available.
So we might be going a bit overboard on the “luxury glamping” part of redoing our camper, but even if you don’t re-do a darn thing inside, Pop Ups can be surprisingly comfortable! As long as it has good bones, all you need to do is add a mattress topper to the beds, exchange the sleeping bag for a plush comfy comforter and put up some black out blinds and you’ve got yourself a decent night’s sleep! Then of course you have a “kitchen” if you so choose as well as running water, a sink and yes….some even have toilets!!!
5) Easier Learning Curve
Driving and maneuvering any towing vehicle can be a challenge, but a Pop Up is small enough that it’s not deathly terrifying driving on small, windy roads down the side of a mountain, unlike a huge rig!
While some of the fancy pants luxury RVs just take the press of a button to get the slides out and they are done setting up, our Pop Up is honestly no more work than setting up a traditional tent. Plus, I love that I can keep all the essentials (plastic plates, bedding, etc) in the camper at all times so it makes “setting up camp” a breeze!
I absolutely can’t wait to go camping in Nebraska with Gretel (and the rest of my real family!) this year and for so many years to come. I want my kiddos to learn to love and appreciate the outdoors. I want to see all that Nebraska camping has to offer and I want to make lifelong memories without the cost and hassle of huge, big vacations!
Nebraska Glamping….Here We Come!!!