Brady and I love to try new places to stay. It has become a passion of ours, so it was about time we tried glamping. Cuyuna Cove recently started renting out safari tents. These tents come fully equipped with a queen bed, cooking equipment for cooking over a fire, electricity, fans, noise machines, and a sitting area. Bonus it is located in the Cuyuna, MN area known for its red dirt mountain biking and many lakes. This area was once a big mining area…why the red dirt.
Here are a few things I learned with my first glamping experience
- Be prepared to still have a communal bathroom. However at Cuyuna Cove the bathrooms are more modern than my own home bathroom. From heated seats to a removable showered head it feels more like an oasis that camping. Also Brady and I literally couldn’t stop commenting on how amazing the soap smelled.
- Check what cooking equipment is provided ahead. Oil or butter is a necessity if cooking on a cast iron. I also wish I had brought a mixing bowl. Speaking of cooking….cooking pancakes on an open fire is a lot harder than it appears.
- Temperature considerations. When we went the temps dropped into the 20/30s and those tents do not keep their heat. We grabbed a space heater as well as their heated blanket and it kept us nice and toasty. They provide fans for the hot days.
- Bugs- needless to say glamping or camping still brings bugs and I do not like them. Especially those pesky mosquitoes. So pack some bug spray.
- Sleep-we actually slept great. You wouldn’t of even known we were camping and not at a hotel.
- Space- I found the tents to be really big. No need to worry about standing up like in an everyday tent.
- Footwear- I highly suggest bringing slippers. You don’t want to track in the outdoor elements, or red dirt into your tent. Having some warm slippers with rough souls was a perfect addition.
- Vibe-Needless to stay glamping comes with a vibe all its own. It is a fun way to feel one with nature but still have some nice modern luxuries.
Finally a few recommendations of places to stop in Crosby blocks away from Cuyuna Cove…Cuyuna Brewing, Red Raven coffee (recommend the breakfast burrito), Raffertys pizza (the loaded potato pizza is a favorite), and Iron Range Eatery (loved the beef sandwich)
I can’t say we will be jumping on glamping again real soon as we do love our boutique hotels and airbnbs, but it was 100% worth the experience and I highly recommend Cuyuna Cove as a destination. https://cuyunacove.com/
