Asheville Glamping

Asheville Glamping’s “Baby” Airstream, (Photo by Bren Photography)

Glamping Offers Travelers Luxury & Proximity to Nature

By Frances Figart

About a year ago, Mars Hill residents Leslie and Tim Donovan started considering ways to see the country on a shoestring budget. “We wanted to camp, but we also wanted a soft bed with some climate control,” says Leslie.

RVs were too big, pop-up campers were too cumbersome, but teardrop trailers seemed to meet all their “needs”—including a bike rack and TV for watching movies and news. They picked up their trailer in September and took it across the country to Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and all the states in between.

“We had three weeks to travel and it was exciting that we had no prior reservations,” says Leslie. “We were able to travel as little or as much as we wanted until we found our place for the evening.”

About the same time, Trish and Bob Noe, of Lexington, Kentucky, started dreaming of traveling across the country after their retirement. “One thing led to another and we thought, why wait?” says Trish. Last August they bought a new teardrop clamshell 12-foot travel trailer. One of their recent adventures was a five-day stay in Asheville.

“Spending several days literally right on the French Broad River with all sorts of ducks, geese, birds, and the ever-present soothing sound of water to lull you to sleep at night was heavenly. You don’t get that in a hotel,” says Trish, who loves the vehicle’s indoor potty, gas stove, running water, and fridge.

Whether they realized it or not, these couples had become part of a growing trend: “glamping”—glamorous camping that offers all the creature comforts while allowing for adventurous downtime in nature.

Joanna Cahill and Joshua Vanheusen have created a business around the concept. They own Asheville Glamping, which provides swanky bell tents, retro-cool airstream trailers, vintage campers, and a romantic dome for visitors to rent.

“Glamping is not just for the hip or the rich,” says Joanna. “It’s for anyone who wants to enjoy the outdoors with a little extra comfort and a lot of playfulness.”

Joanna moved to Asheville from Massachusetts in 2005 to work as a wilderness field instructor for at-risk youth. She lived in her Dodge Caravan for a year, then took six months off to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail—and contemplate her dream of creating a tiny-house community. Back in Asheville, she bought two acres and began building a yurt.

Then she met Josh, who grew up in upstate New York and had a career as an army medic. Together, they rearranged Joanna’s tiny-house community dream into Asheville Glamping, and her yurt became their first rental. They soon began adding tent campsites, gradually transforming them into “glampsites” as funds allowed.

Before long, the couple bought a 1955 Spartan Trailer to live in and acquired a second property, a three-acre parcel that became home to more rentals including a tent cabin, deluxe bell tent, and campers named Silver Bettie and Rebel Belle. This year they acquired their third location, a 15-acre property with stunning mountain views just a mile off the French Broad River.

“We are passionate about sharing our love of whimsical spaces and the outdoors with our guests,” Joanna says. “And they have been incredibly supportive of our endeavor, many becoming friends or returning on multiple visits.”

Learn more at ashevilleglamping.com.