By telling us your country of residence we are able to provide you with the most relevant travel insurance information.
Please note that not all content is translated or available to residents of all countries. Contact us for full details.
Shares
Iv'e been taking grandchildren on mini vacations for 12 years. Last year we heard of this new thing called Glamping. We immediately started our search for local glamping and found Westgate River Ranch Resort only two hours from home. The glamping vacation would include two grandsons, one experienced vacationer and one first timer, four year old Jakob. James had seen much of Florida on our prior mini vacations and I hoped he wouldn't be disappointed after four days of Disney the year before. We packed food, fishing poles and clothes and hit the road. Everything else was already there. I announced to the impatient boys in the back seat that we were here as we passed the entry sign. They got very quiet as they tried to find our tent. The resort offers many ways to stay, from lodges to railcars. We had traveled several minutes when Jakob squealed, "teepees!" A few minutes later, we we're in the center of the Welcome Lodge, Jakob is riding the free horse (the kind you used to find in the front of the store and put a dime or quarter in), and James is sitting on a huge saddle mounted on a stand for people to sit on. I get to check in with the kiddos happy and not under foot. We are given a code to access the glamping area, and a tall, slim cowboy in a golf cart shows us to our tent and makes sure our bathroom passes work. The tent is indeed glamorous. The screened front porch has two rockers on one end ans a small table and chairs on the other. The air conditioned interior has a wood floor, electrical outlets, king bed, two twin beds, waist high refrigerator, microwave, ceiling fan and wi-fi. Outside is a picnic table and gas grill, while a few feet away there is community running water and nightly bonfire. Our bathroom is across the street. It has everything a hotel bathroom has and more. It is bigger, better designed and has more towels. We unload our things and cook our first meal on the grill. After we clean up, we head to our first Resort activity, a real live rodeo! The boys had never seen anything like it. Not even on TV. The rodeo was only the first of our many Resort adventures. For starters, the free horse in the Welcome Lodge, they were everywhere. Every time I turned around, I had to wait for one of those horses to stop. They had a petting zoo for the little ones along with the biggest bounce houses I've ever seen. The older kids will enjoy an adventure park with zip lining and a rock wall as it's main features. All the kids seemed to like the air conditioned arcade. You can take air boat rides or monster truck rides. As soon as the lady you buy bait from tells you to try not to catch the little alligators, your grandsons will try to catch baby alligators. The pool is quiet and lovely, provides towels, but doesn't have a lifeguard. There is a nice general store and deli that has ice cream and just about anything else you forgot. If you have to leave the Resort, it is 30 minutes to the nearest store. Every night we gather with our glamping neighbors and make s'mores around the campfire. It's been eight months, and it's time to plan another trip. Same boys this year. Jakob still talks about glamping like it was the best thing that ever happened to him in his life. He brings it up at least twice a week. James told me it was the best vacation he ever had, and this kid has been around: NYC, Rocky Mountains, and Disney World. Hope Club Med cuts it this year, or a glamping we shall go again next year.