Tag: Spring Gulch

The Cherry Orchards

It’s cherry time! If the cherry trees aren’t blossoming, then they are just about ready for picking! If you are planning to make some cherry delights this summer and are looking for the freshest of the fresh, check out these cherry orchards near some of our great glamping locations.

Mt. Hood, Oregon: Rent a tiny home at Mt. Hood Tiny House Village or a larger cabin for extra space and enjoy an Oregon cherry orchard (note that Oregon cherry harvest times runs approximately July 1-August 7). Draper Girls’ Country Farm, open since 1962, is an option for U-pick beginning in July. They also have a country store and cidery onsite which is open daily (Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.) For information, visit drapergirlsfarm.com. Packer Orchards and Farm Place (packerorchards.com) has all kinds of U-pick goodies available come summer and promises cherries for eating in June and pie cherries in July. They also have a bakery and farm store, plus events like Baby Animal Days. For an organic option, check out Hood River U-Pick Organic. Check the website in June (hoodriverupick.com) for details but know that cherry varieties including Bing and Rainier (for eating) and Montgomery (for pie baking) will be available. There’s also a fun petting zoo, alpacas roaming, and picnic tables with splendid views of Mount Hood while picnicking!

Yurt at Tranquil Timbers Campground
Yurt at Tranquil Timbers Campground

Door County, Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Peninsula where the fun never ends is great for cherries, too. The blossoms are in full force through May and the sight is amazing as Door County has 2500 acres of cherry orchards. So, this must be the place for cherry picking. Book a cabin at Tranquil Timbers and explore the Door’s cherry orchards. Again, July and August are picking time while the month of May promises the beautiful blossoms. Lautenbach Orchard Country Winery & Market has tart cherries for picking and sweet cherries (and all kinds of cherry goodies like cherry salsa and chocolate covered cherries) available in the indoor market. In addition to the cherries, Lautenbach offers wine and cider tastings and live music. For details, go to orchardcountry.com.

Cabin at Spring Gulch Camping Resort
Cabin at Spring Gulch Camping Resort

Pennsylvania Dutch Country, Pennsylvania: Kissell Hill Fruit Farm (kissellhillfruitfarm.com) has been around for about 100 years and is planning on a pick-your-own cherry season from mid-June to early July this year. On Saturdays, from late April to mid-November, the farm serves up a BBQ Chicken Dinner, beginning at 10 a.m., that is considered some of the best in the area. Weaver’s Orchard is another u-pick option and it’s not only cherries. While cherry picking runs from late June to early July for sweet and early July for tart, there are also strawberries (late May to late June), apricots in mid-July, red raspberries (early June through July), and apples come August (through October). There’s also a farm market, garden center, tours, and special events. Visit weaversorchard.com for details. Glamping options for these orchards include cabins at either Robin Hill or Spring Gulch.

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Fields of Flowers

Is there anything more summery than a sunflower? From the canvases full of these flowers painted by Van Gogh to the real-life sunflower fields across the U.S., a glimpse of these sunny flowers is bound to make you smile!

Tiny House Clara at Tuxbury Pond Tiny House Village in South Hampton, NH.

Coppal House Farm in Lee, New Hampshire, will host the 2021 Sunflower Festival from July 31 through August 8. Book a tiny house at Tuxbury Pond Tiny House Village and make plans to see these sunnies in bloom. The festival will not only have the fields open but will also have a daily farm stand, food vendors, and live music.

Thompson’s Strawberry Farm in Bristol, Wisconsin, does have a pick your own strawberry option (mid-June to early July), but it also has fields and fields of sunflowers where you can pick your own, too! The sunflower picking season runs from July through October. Drive on over from your cozy cabin at Plymouth Rock (about 90 miles), pick a bunch and head back to camp! 

Cozy cabin at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, WI.

Won’t the sunflowers you harvest at Oregon’s Lee Farms Sunflower Festival look great in your tiny house accommodation at Mt. Hood Tiny House Village? The festival begins August 6 and runs through the month. Learn about the sunflower, enjoy a hayride through the sunflower maze, listen to some live music and frolic among the fields of 30 varieties of sunflowers. For more information, visit oregonsunflowerfestival.com.

Book a cabin at Spring Gulch in New Holland, Pennsylvania, and make plans to attend Maple Lawn Farms Sunflower Festival 2021. Less than 45 miles from your cabin, you’ll find roughly eight football fields’ worth of blooming sunflowers. Variety is the spice of the sunflower festival here because in addition to the classic sunflower, the farm also has 40 different types of sunflowers planted. There’s the Red Sea section where the blooms are a beautiful velvety red. There’s the Land of the Giants where the sunflowers tower over the visitor walkways. Plus, there’s food, music, and a bajillion great photo ops! Visit sunflowerfestivalpa.com for all the details.

Some of Vincent Van Gogh’s most famous paintings were those of the sunflowers he painted in the south of France. An interesting way to immerse yourself in these fields of flowers is to visit the unique Immersive Van Gogh, a digital experience of Van Gogh’s most famous works, including those sunflowers, at various locations across the U.S. The experience is currently at several locations including Dallas (through October 3, 2021); Orlando (opens October 7, 2021); San Francisco (through September 6, 2021) and Nashville (opens November 4, 2021.) Visit petiteretreats.com to reserve a unique accommodation near these cities. 

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Not your Average Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day has been traditionally celebrated in the United States on the second Sunday of May since 1914 but the tradition to honor Mothers dates to Ancient Greece. Here are a few things to think about when considering what to gift Mom with this year – Mother’s Day is the busiest day for restaurants; it’s the third highest selling holiday for plants and flowers; and more phone calls are made on this day than any other in the year. So, if you want your celebration to be like everyone else, by all means buy the flowers, book the restaurant, and give Mom a call. But, if you think your honoree is extra special and want the celebration to be unique, just like her, check out these options. And remember, whether you celebrate on May 9, or choose another day – these are all still good ideas!

Cabin at Spring Gulch in New Holland, PA.

Take in a Farmer’s Market: Plan a stay in an oh, so tranquil yurt at Tall Chief and head into Seattle to explore the iconic, and always entertaining, Pike Place Market. If you’re there during Mother’s Day Weekend, check out the Market’s 13th Annual Flower Festival that runs May 8-9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Whether you book a cabin at Pennsylvania’s Appalachian or Spring Gulch, you’re about an hour’s drive from Philadelphia’s Headhouse Farmer’s Market which is open on Sundays and features 50 rotating vendors. Taking in Santa Barbara for a Mother’s Day holiday? Book your stay at Rancho Oso and then consider a Sunday drive down the sunny California coast to Santa Monica to explore the city’s Downtown Farmer’s Market that runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Waterfall in Portland Japanese Garden.

Walk Through a Garden: Reserve a charming tiny house at Oregon’s Mt. Hood Tiny House Village and then spend the day in nearby Portland taking in the views at the city’s Japanese Garden. Spread over 5.5 acres, the garden is serene and tranquil with several different gardens including the Tea Garden and the Natural Garden. For information and reservations for timed visits, go to japanesegarden.org. The Wild Gardens of Acadia can be found in Maine’s Acadia National Park and feature over 400 species of flowers, shrubs, trees and other plants native to the area. For more details visit acadiamagic.com. For the perfect accommodation when visiting Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, book a colorful cottage at Narrows Too in nearby Trenton.

Botanical gardens of Acadia National Park in Maine.

Get Active (sort of): Try an e-bike (pedal-assisted) and enjoy the scenery of Leavenworth, Washington. The Leavenworth Mountain Tour explores downtown Leavenworth as well as Icicle Creek Canyon and the historic Leavenworth Ski Hill. Visit bavarianebiketours.com for more details. Book one of the five tiny houses at Leavenworth Tiny House Village for your stay. Or try something a bit out of the ordinary, but very trendy, and take a goat yoga class. Check out Legacy Lane Farm in Stratham, New Hampshire, which offers goat yoga classes every Sunday, and also has a Country Home Store onsite that sells handmade lotions and soaps made from goat’s milk. To continue your Namaste kind of day, book a tiny house accommodation at Tuxbury Tiny House Village and relax after a day at the farm.

Tiny House Emerson at Tuxbury Tiny House Village in South Hampton, NH.

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5 Things to Do in… Lancaster County and Pennsylvania Dutch Country

Cool weather walks and hikes, delicious apple and pumpkin treats, wildlife, different cultures and simple fall adventures can be found in and around Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Here are just five ideas for exploring this pretty part of Pennsylvania.

The Pinetown Covered Bridge spans Conestoga Creek in Lancaster County, PA.
  1. Explore Covered Bridges: A perfect way to enjoy the fall colors and stay socially distanced is to explore the more than 25 covered bridges in Lancaster County. There are so many to see from the oldest (Neff’s Mill Bridge, built in 1824 and reconstructed in 1875) to the newest (Willow Hill Covered Bridge built in 1962). Most photogenic? We’ll let you decide. Visit discoverlancaster.com/things-to-do/covered-bridges to download a list of the bridges and driving tour routes.
The Columbia-Wrightsville Bridge over the Susquehanna River in Lancaster, PA.
  1. Fall Foliage Views: There are plenty of ways to experience the fall foliage in Lancaster County from hiking to biking and even aboard a train. The Strasburg Rail Road (strasburgrailroad.com), America’s oldest operating railroad, will take you on a 45-minute trip through the beautiful rolling countryside (Note: advance reservations and masks are required). Hikers and bikers should check out the Conewago Recreation Trail which has a 5-mile trail ideal for hiking and biking that runs along the old Cornwall-Lebanon railroad corridor. Another great outdoor experience is the Garden of Five Senses in Lancaster County’s Central Park. Designed to appeal to all five senses, you can smell the flowers, hear the birds, and see the beauty of autumn and this lovely garden.
  1. Visit a Wolf Sanctuary: Learn about The Wolves of Speedwell at the Wolf Sanctuary of PA in Lititz, an 80-plus acre refuge for gray wolves and wolf-dogs. The wolves can be viewed in the natural wooded habitat during an outside tour on walking trails. During COVID-19, tours are available by reservation only so please visit the Sanctuary’s website to make reservations (wolfsanctuarypa.org).
  1. Experience the Amish Culture: The Amish settlement in Lancaster County is the second largest in the U.S. While the Amish are “plain” (so named because they choose a modest lifestyle) and private people, their lifestyle can be glimpsed in many ways here. Take an Amish Buggy Ride through the countryside (amishbuggyrides.com), enjoy an Amish meal in the home of an Amish family (there are several but since they don’t have websites, google “Amish family meal in Lancaster” and you’ll get plenty of hits), or visit The Amish Village (amishvillage.com) for an up close look at the Amish culture.
Pumpkin wagon in Lancaster, PA.
  1. Pumpkins, Mazes, and Haunted Happenings: Another great outdoor activity is to visit the many pumpkin patches and corn mazes in the area. Country Barn Farm hosts Fall Harvest Days through October with plenty of pumpkin fun including pig races and a pumpkin patch. Explore the corn maze at Oregon Dairy in Lititz along with other fall fun like tractor rides, a corn launcher and all kinds of food. How about a Haunted Hayride? Check out Jason’s Woods (jasonswoods.com) for some spooky fun.
Cabins and yurts at Circle M in Lancaster, PA.

To be in perfect proximity to all this autumn fun, book a reservation with us at the Circle M, Hershey, PA Dutch, or Spring Gulch resorts, and choose between a cozy cabin, cottage, or yurt. Visit petiteretreats.com for more details on the resorts or to make reservations.

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