During spring break, we had the opportunity to stay in a yurt at Shenandoah Crossing in Virginia (you can read all about our trip here). ‘Glamping’ was one of the best family vacations we’ve ever had!
Glamping = glamour + camping.
According to Wikipedia, glamping “describes a style of camping with amenities and, in some cases, resort-style services not usually associated with ‘traditional’ camping.”
What’s not to love about that?
We stayed in a two-bedroom yurt at Shenandoah Crossing and absolutely LOVED it! It had bedrooms, a bathroom with a walk-in shower, and a full kitchen. Fancy, huh?
While I was excited to finally experience glamping, I didn’t know what to expect or how to pack for it. So here is the advice I would give to first-time glampers.
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Glamping Do’s:
Bring Food and Drinks
If you are glamping at Shenandoah Crossing, I suggest bringing some food and drinks.
Each yurt has a full kitchen: sink, stove with an oven, dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave, dishes (including pots and pans), and even a toaster. Bringing food with you will save money, even if it’s just a few snacks and drinks.
And the best part is, you don’t have to worry about loading up a cooler and getting ice.
Bring Games and Books
Our glamping trip only lasted for 3 days and we stayed really busy. However, in our downtime before bed, the kids were antsy for something to do; besides watch TV. (Our yurt had 2 TVs and a DVD player!)
We brought a card game with us and we’re so glad we did. If games aren’t your thing, bring a book or your computer/tablet (that’s right – your yurt has Wi-Fi!).
Bring Ear Plugs
If you’re a light sleeper, make sure you bring earplugs, headphones, a fan, or whatever you use to help you get to sleep in a noisy place.
The yurt seems like a ‘real house’, but it’s practically a tent. The ‘walls’ are made out of canvas, which means that you can hear every little noise outside – i.e. animals, cars, people in neighboring yurts, etc.
Thankfully, the noises didn’t bother us, but saw several reviews of people complaining about their fellow campers being too loud at night.
Plan Your Stay During the Summer
Our glamping trip was scheduled for early April, which was still cold and a little snowy. This meant that we couldn’t do all of the outdoor activities that we had planned.
Shenandoah Crossing has so many things to do outside. Honestly, we could have been completely entertained just staying at the resort if the weather had allowed us to hike, fish, or take a boat out on the lake. Plus, the outdoor pools and splash pad looked like so much fun, but it was too cold. Hopefully, we can take another glamping trip in the summer!
Go See Some of the Historical Sites in the Area
I know that I said that we didn’t need to leave the resort to have a good time and that’s true. But you should plan to see some of the historical sites in the area. Shenandoah Valley is steeped in Colonial American history.
We visited Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, during our trip, (this is what I wish we would have known before we went there) but there was so much more that we wanted to see. James Madison’s estate, Montpelier is nearby and there is a Civil War Medical Museum in Gordonsville.
We don’t consider ourselves big history buffs, but we still found these places interesting.
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Glamping Don’ts
Don’t Wait to Get Last Minute Things at the Resort
One thing I wish we had done before arriving at Shenandoah Crossing was buy milk. We brought some food and drinks with us from home. However, I knew there was a small general store at the resort, and decided to get milk there.
However, the store at Shenandoah closes early and they only sell small cartons of (overpriced) milk. Don’t wait to pick up last-minute items at the resort’s store. Instead, stop at a ‘real’ grocery store before you get there.
Don’t Pack Beach Towels
I knew that we would be visiting the indoor pool, so I brought along plenty of thick fluffy beach towels. However, that was a waste of packing space, since pool towels were provided.
Inside one of the closets at the yurt was a stack of blue-and-white-striped pool towels in addition to the regular white towels in the bathroom. Don’t waste your time and trunk space bringing extra towels, because there are plenty there for you.
Don’t Be Too Loud
Earlier I mentioned packing earplugs, in case you’re a light sleeper. Along those same lines, you might want to watch your own volume while you’re glamping.
The yurt we stayed in technically had 2 bedrooms separated by walls, but these walls didn’t reach to the ceiling. So noise traveled easily throughout the structure. When we lay down at night, we could hear the girls whispering in their bed in the next room.
I saw several complaints online about noisy ‘neighbors’ that kept people up all night. Be a good neighbor and keep the noise to a minimum, especially late at night.
Glamping was an awesome experience to mark off of our Fort Liberty bucket list. I hope that these tips help make your trip to Shenandoah Crossing the best that it can be.
Happy glamping!
