Glamping in Michigan

A new glamping adventure is coming to Michigan. Bella Solviva is Michigan’s first glamping eco-resort, located on 229 acres in northern Michigan. Northern Michigan is a mecca for camping enthusiasts. Michigan’s state park system takes over 1 million camping reservations per year, and campers spend up to $800 million per year on camping trips just for campsites and food.

Bella Solviva owners Brad and Sandy Carlson loved to camp with their family, but didn’t love the cramped close quarters that most campgrounds offered. So they took matters into their own hands and developed a property in the beautiful Jordan River Valley. “With sweeping vistas, winding creeks, cedar and pine forests, and towering hardwoods, we knew this was home,” said Brad. “The two ponds, one which features an adventure island in the center of the pond, will be sure to stir the imagination of your children and create family memories for years to come.”

photo, courtesy Brad Carlson

The property will eventually include 100 camping sites that will offer accommodation options from tents to tree houses to vintage RVs to suites and cabins, from just $57 a night to $1,000 a night for the most luxurious experience. The site will also offer themed areas like the adventure island and an equestrian center, and a few areas will also be available in winter months to appeal to hunters. It will also include group spaces in a village-like setting with common areas designed to foster community and social events. Projects on the horizon include a clubhouse; laundry facilities; a swimming pool; tennis and multipurpose sports courts; a natural playground; an ice skating rink in the winter; a recreation hall with a variety of games; and trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.

photo, courtesy Brad Carlson

Bella Solviva also aims to be 100 percent energy independent when completed, and will install solar panels, wind turbines, hydropower, and heat generators as it’s developed. The resort intends to open this fall with a grand opening in spring 2016.

The resort also offers a number of ways you can glamp at a reduced price or even for free. “We are thrilled to partner with you in building a legacy of traditions,” says the resort’s website. “Use our referral program to share your excitement about Bella Solviva and glamp with us for free. Check out our surveys to receive a discount on your first reservation, and visit our sponsorship page to customize a glamping accommodation to your own personal specifications. We are building it so you can come! Let’s do this!”

Read more about Bella Solviva and find out how to glamp at a reduced rate at BellaSolviva.com.

 

  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Wow, how cool does this sound!! I am involve with the fabulous tent accommodations. I had really wanted to make it to your B&B before it closed because there is something very open and special about your tent set up out there in the beautiful rolling hills. The little outdoor kitchen and gathering spaces add a unique and special touch that I believe make the whole experience more engaging. One is literally living outdoors in a kind of rugged luxury!

  2. CJ Armstrong says:

    Winnie,
    My daughter, Robin, and I were able to stay at Mary Jane’s Outpost B&B in July 2011 and it was wonderful experience! Nothing like it! We were treated like royalty and the breakfast spread in the Plum Pit . . . well beyond amazing! When we finished the “first course” . . . which we thought was breakfast, we were served the next course. Beautiful linens, crystal, china . . the works. Around a blazing, fragrant campfire! We are able to, at Mary Jane and Megan’s invitation, pick veggies from the greenhouse and eggs from the chickens for meals we had to prepare.
    The soak in the outdoor tub . . AHHHH!!!! The beautifully decorated wall tent . . .OOOOOHHHH!!!
    The cushy, cozy bed . . . MMMMMMM!!!!
    We wanna come back soon!
    Thanks for the experience Mary Jane!
    CJ

  3. bonnie ellis says:

    Sounds like posh accommodations. Camping is just so fun no matter what the living conditions. Thanks for the suggestions.

  4. Diane Tate says:

    Total Scam, these people are crooks, fraudsters. They didn’t even own the land.

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    What a cool old church interior. I love the feel of the muted colors and simplicity of the room.

    • MaryJane says:

      Next time you visit (?????), we’ll have to pay it a visit. It’s in the neighborhood, “take a left at the Y instead of a right.”

      • Winnie Nielsen says:

        You betcha!! And I do want to visit again. There are more things to see like the one room school house and I need to drive to Oakdale and see the Mill. So many cool things to see. Plus , I need to spend time reading all the old magazines from your collection. I sure enjoyed my four I got on EBay!

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Owl? Hawk? I am pretty sure it is a bird of prey.

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    I am starting to see big, colorful and beautiful butterflies in our yard now. Such a treat!

  2. Nancy Coughlin says:

    Such natural beauty. Makes me sad to read about the diminishing population of butterflies, especially the Monarch! Loss of habitat with the destruction of milkweed plants. Trying to establish them in one of my flowerbeds.

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Ohhhhh, cherries are ripe! So many ways to enjoy them in the days ahead. They are one of the sights of Summer that has delighted taste buds and artists. Currently, I am enjoying my morning coffee out of a mug decorated with hand painted red cherries.

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    The colors of summer flowers just inspire cheerfulness and hope.

  2. Nancy Coughlin says:

    Lovely shades of color!!

  3. Deborah McKissic says:

    Ohh…phlox! These are pretty…mine are a pinkish/purple color and they are adorning my kitchen table right now…and, there sits my new issue…arrived yesterday, of Mary Jane’s farm mag…hmm..the sun is to come out later today…no rain like we have had in days..downpours for weeks…and the garden beckons..but, alas..so does this magazine…what’s a girl to do?? well..the garden does need to dry out a bit first….

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    A fine good morning to you !!

  2. terry steinmetz says:

    what kind of bird? Not something we get in the Great Lakes area.

  3. Nancy Coughlin says:

    Have a second round of robin eggs in a nest on my back porch. They are very accommodating and don’t scold as often as they did at the beginning of the season. Guess they have decided I can use the space too and are willing to share it with me!

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