Glamping Comes to Williamsburg

Nov 18, 2023

WILLIAMSBURG — The brainchild of Megan and Ken Sanders, Williamsburg is now home to a glamping site, located right on the Chickahominy River.

Megan first tried her hand at creating her own glamping small business, with little success, but after visiting a timberline franchise, the couple knew they were all-in following an interest call with the president of the company.

“We started a glamping business under a different name in 2020 before we got involved with timberline. We were setting up at state parks near us and it really didn’t do well. We would get a few people but not enough to really do anything with,” Sanders said.

Once on board with timberline, and loving the idea of having a glamping site in Williamsburg, she searched until she found the perfect place at Chickahominy Riverfront Park.

“When you sign up to franchise, timberline is supposed to send scouts out to find the location for you. It was a super busy time for them and I’m a super antsy person, so I started looking at campgrounds around the area. I had wanted to be at First Landing State Park, but in the meantime found Chickahominy Riverfront Park and thought it was just gorgeous,” Sanders said.

Glamping, a relatively new term, is glamorous camping. Not everyone is made for pitching a tent and surviving in the wilderness, which is what really drew the Sanders’ to the glamping idea.

“Glamping is like camping but with the luxuries of a hotel room. When we went into the design portion of it, we wanted it to look like and feel like what a hotel room would be,” Sanders said.

timberlinewilliamsburg offers a glamorous camping experience with all the comforts of home. A stay at timberlinewilliamsburg offers real mattresses, electrical outlets, a mini fridge, ceiling fans, Keurig coffee maker, climate control, and Wi-Fi.

“Basically, you take a hotel room and you put it in a beautiful safari tent, and there you have glamping,” Sanders said. “I wanted other people to be able to experience the outdoors in a way that they would be more comfortable with.”

Stepping right outside the tent still brings visitors close to nature as most sites are set right on the riverfront. timberlinewilliamsburg offers six total tents, either a deluxe safari tent or a double safari tent.

While at timberline, there are many add-ons that can make a visit more fun. Cornhole is available for $15, giant Jenga is available for $10, a s’mores kit is available for $18, and a lil’ glamper box is available for $12 a box.

Each glampsite boasts charcoal cooking grates, a wood fire ring, two hammocks, string lights, camp chairs, and a picnic table.

“Being together outside, whether it’s a family or a significant other or a girls trip, it’s a really fun way to connect with people. Nature seems to connect people in a way that can’t be explained,” Sanders said.

Add-ons coming soon include black stones for grilling and charcuterie grazing boxes.

Sanders reminds her guests that sunscreen, bath towels and bug spray are among the common items that visitors often forget.

Glamping at timberlinewilliamsburg isn’t just for visitors to the area, the Sanders family hopes that even people from the Williamsburg and surrounding area will come for a night or two.

“To this area, glamping is new. Anything new is going to get a lot of attention. People want a new experience. Glamping, there is something magical about it. You can see pictures online and kind of prepare yourself, but until you pull up and get out of the car and into the tent, it’s an experience you don’t forget. The pictures don’t do it justice,” Sanders said.

For the Sanders family, they have high hopes for their glamping site at Chickahominy Riverfront Park.

“In all of our tents, we have little guests books that visitors can leave messages in. Reading messages like ‘this is first time camping as a family ever and we’ve made memories that we will never forget’. When I get messages like that, that’s when I realize this is why we do what we do. We want people to be able to create memories that are going to last forever. We want them to have an experience that when they think back on it, it’s something really special. When you read those messages in those guest books, that’s the most rewarding,” Sanders said.

For more information or to book a stay, visit timberlinewilliamsburg online.

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