Tag: Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes

Where to Glamp to Celebrate International Day of Happiness

What better way to celebrate March’s International Day of Happiness than by spending it doing the thing that makes you happiest – glamping! We’ve got some great locations where the happiness factor is super high. Check them out:

California: You’ll be happy to know that if you book a stay at Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes you’re about 15 minutes from the entrance to one of America’s most treasured national parks. More happiness can be found just taking in the sights of Yosemite, which include El Capitan, Bridalveil Falls, and Half Dome. Aside from the activities in the park, other happy things to do here include the Madera Wine Trail (themaderawinetrail.com), a scenic ride through the Sierra National Forest on the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad (ymsprr.com), or just hanging out at Yosemite Lakes and enjoying amenities like horseshoes, swimming and fishing (seasonal), or hiking the on-site trails.

Cabins at Thousand Trails Wilderness Lakes
Cabins at Thousand Trails Wilderness Lakes

If getting away from it all makes you happy, then Thousand Trails Wilderness Lakes is your California glamping destination. There’s plenty to do here but if you don’t feel like fighting tourists, check out the quieter attractions nearby which include The Southern California Railway Museum, the Motte Historical Car Museum, or Western Science Center. Take a hot air balloon ride over the valley or explore the Temecula Wine Country. You choose – whatever makes you happy!

Florida: It’s a proven fact – sunshine equates to happiness by increasing serotonin levels. Spend some happy time in Florida at Encore’s Miami Everglades or Tropical Palms. Each offers fabulous glamping accommodations and proximity to attractions and outdoor fun. Tropical Palms in Kissimmee is near all the happiness that comes with a visit to Disney’s Magic Kingdom, plus there’s Epcot, Universal Orlando, and SeaWorld Orlando. The colorful Art Deco architecture of Miami is guaranteed to make you smile and then there’s all the other fun found here from beaches to museums and nighttime fun.

Oregon: The amazing tiny house accommodations at Mt. Hood Tiny House Village are just one reason you’ll be happy you’re here. A few more things that will bring a smile to your face include the amazing views of majestic Mt. Hood, the roughly 1000 miles of trails found here, and the opportunity to spend all day outside in the mountain air fishing, biking, skiing, and taking in the beautiful, seasonal wildflower displays!

Natchez Trace Tiny House Village
Natchez Trace Tiny House Village

Tennessee: Enjoy the southern hospitality during your glamping stay at Natchez Trace Tiny House Village and up your happiness level by taking a drive into Nashville to enjoy some live music. Hearing good melodies is known to release dopamine – aka the feel-good hormone. Another activity known to increase the “feel goods” is connecting with nature. In Nashville, bike or stroll the miles of Nashville’s Greenway or take a scenic drive along the portion of the historic Natchez Trace found near Hohenwald (natcheztracetravel.com).

Washington: We guarantee once you arrive in the beautiful Bavarian-style town of Leavenworth, Washington, you are going to smile – a lot. Book a tiny home glamping accommodation at Leavenworth Tiny House Village and explore the fun of Leavenworth from the Nutcracker Museum to fishing Lake Wenatchee. Outdoor fun can include white water rafting, kayaking, hiking, biking, and river tubing, and indoor fun can be found in the plentiful breweries and distilleries found here, plus the wineries. Shopping rounds out the fun and there are plenty of festivals here every year from Maifest to a very festive Christmas season.

Forward-thinking: Keep that happiness going all year and plan a trip to visit the Tiny House Container Village at Yukon Trails this summer. Studies show that trying something new has an effect on endorphins, so why not try a glamping experience and spend a few nights in a tiny container home, which are the hottest trend of late. Don’t miss out on the beauty of this little piece of Wisconsin which is also home to Devil’s Lake State Park where you can bird, swim, fish, rock climb, and hike. There’s also the Circus World Museum with its memorabilia and exhibits devoted to all things circus – an experience that will bring you back to happy childhood days!

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Celebrate the Great Outdoors This Month

Like clockwork, Great Outdoors Month comes around every year in June and reminds us to celebrate exactly that: the Great Outdoors. You can go wild and crazy and hike the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail, climb a mountain, or deep-sea dive. Or you can just do some regular stuff outside, with a thrill or two tossed in. We’ve got some ideas. Of course, the precursor to these activities is to get out and glamp this month which in itself is celebrating the Great Outdoors.

Tropical Palms RV Resort
Cottage at Encore Tropical Palms Resort

Outdoor Activity: Just being outdoors can check the box, but there are plenty of activities that we do on a regular basis that we can do in June to celebrate Great Outdoors Month. Bike riding is one and there are plenty of bike trails around our glamping locations. If you’re glamping at Thousand Trails Verde Valley, check out the Bell Rock Pathway which is an easy 3.7-mile, hard dirt trail around the Red Rock Canyon area in Arizona. Rent a cabin at Spring Gulch and ride through the Pennsylvania countryside on the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail, a 14.5-mile trail. Plan a stay in a colorful cottage at Encore Tropical Palms in Kissimmee, Florida, and ride the Shingle Creek Regional Trail, an 8.43-mile stretch with views of cypress and gum trees and glimpses of wildlife including egrets and Great Blue herons.

Cabin at Lake George Escape Campground
Cabin at Lake George Escape Campground

Outdoor Adventure: Do something adventurous this month and get out of your comfort zone. One activity that falls under the thrilling headline includes whitewater rafting. Plan a stay at Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes and whitewater raft the Truckee River (gowhitewater.com) or through Yosemite National Park which offers rafting just outside the park on the Tuolumne and Merced rivers. Book a tiny house at Leavenworth Tiny House Village in Washington and check out the rafting adventures offered through Blue Sky Outfitters (blueskyoutfitters.com). New York’s Adirondack region is great for whitewater rafting. A stay at Lake George Escape and a trip booked through wildwaters.net is an option for whitewater thrills this month.

Cabin at Thousand Trails Bay Landing
Cabin at Thousand Trails Bay Landing

Outdoor Entertainment: From iconic drive-in movies to outdoor theater, there are several ways to enjoy entertainment in the great outdoors this month. Sit back and enjoy a good old drive-in movie at one of these operating drive-ins near our glamping locations: Westwind Las Vegas 6 (near Thousand Trails Las Vegas); Coyote Drive-In in Fort Worth, Texas (near Thousand Trails Bay Landing); and Highway 18 Outdoor Theater in Jefferson, Wisconsin (near Blackhawk Campground). Outdoor theater can be enjoyed at The Old Globe in San Diego, California (near Thousand Trails Pio Pico); Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Fest in Lake Tahoe, California (near Tahoe Valley Campground); and Northern Sky Theater in Fish Creek, Wisconsin (near Tranquil Timbers).

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Hug A Tree

Did you know that hugging a tree is good for you and brings about feelings of wellbeing and calm? Studies have shown that hugging a tree actually increases levels of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for many feelings including empathy and it also helps with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Just five minutes of a good tree hug is all that’s needed!

Aside from the health benefits, hugging, and just generally enjoying, trees in the month we celebrate not only Earth Day, but also Arbor Day, is good idea. Trees are an important part of Earth Day (celebrated on April 22) because they aid in climate change by removing carbon dioxide from the air as well as releasing oxygen into the air. To ensure we continue to have plenty of trees, Arbor Day efforts encourage the planting of trees by individuals and groups on the day, which falls this year on April 28. So, get camping, get planting, and get hugging our beautiful trees.

Did you know that a Joshua tree is not actually a tree, but a succulent? No matter, the trees in California’s Joshua Tree National Park would love for you to come and hug them. In addition to the aforementioned benefits of hugging a tree, Joshua Tree National Park is said to have healing vibes, so this tree-hugging expedition is a two-fer when it comes to doing the body good. Rent a colorful glamping cottage at Thousand Trails Palm Springs to be near Joshua Tree National Park.

While you might not be able to wrap your arms completely around the towering trees found on the Big Trees Loop (a flat, easy trail) in Yosemite National Park, you can certainly appreciate their beauty while taking in the benefits of being close to these ancient trees. Try a stay in one of the yurts at nearby Thousand Trails Yosemite Lakes and reap the benefits from a hike among the trees in this beautiful California national park.

Back in 2014, a group of tree huggers got together to ensure Portland, Oregon’s place in the Guinness Book of World Records when 936 people simultaneously hugged trees in one minute. The tree hugging took place in the city’s Washington Park. Book a tiny house stay at Mt. Hood Tiny House Village and take a drive along scenic Highway 35 to hug your own tree in Washington Park, which is also home to a beautiful Japanese Garden and a forestry museum.

Cabin at Thousand Trails Carolina Landing
Cabin at Thousand Trails Carolina Landing

Congaree National Park in South Carolina is a great place for tree appreciation as it is home to some of the biggest trees east of the Mississippi River. Take the Boardwalk Loop Trail and see if you can hug a few along the way. FYI, there is a loblolly pine tree that requires at least four people to hug the circumference! Reserve a cabin at Thousand Trails Carolina Landing and glamp with us while visiting Congaree.

Book a cozy glamping cabin at Encore Miami Everglades and visit the Miami Beach Botanical Garden to roam three acres of beautiful gardens that include mangrove trees.

Family Trip at Thousand Trails Lake Conroe Campground
Family Trip at Thousand Trails Lake Conroe Campground

Glamp with us at Thousand Trails Lake Conroe and head to Sam Houston National Forest to hike among the trees. The 128-mile Lone Star Hiking Trail winds through the forest and is a great way to enjoy the woodlands here.

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