The Heany family set off for a weekend away at the bay, glamping. First order of business upon arrival: Craft our flamingo lantern and hang hot pink battery-powered string lights. (Oh and set up the tent.)
Location. Location. Location.
If you’re gonna glamp, might as well set up at one of our area’s most elegant nearby excursions…the Chesapeake Bay. Glistening water flecked with triangle sails, lapped at the shoreline below the bluff where we sat enjoying morning coffee and evening happy hour. Bald eagles and osprey hung out above in the high tree tops. The perfect balance of nature and convenience in a trip.
North East, MD is just an hour and a half drive from Lancaster and home to Elk Neck State Park, a regional and national treasure. The destination offers something for everyone – from an easy hike to the historic Turkey Point Lighthouse and harder hikes to white cliffs, a beaver damn and several other trails, to shallow-water swimming at the beach, boat launch areas and of course, the cute town to explore.
With its quaint main street, Queen Street, the charming town of North East boasts several antique shops, a small mall of Queen Street Shops, coffee shops and restaurants.
Take it from experience:
You never know when a summer thunderstorm will rain on your plans – make a reservation early at Woody’s or another nearby restaurant if you see a storm rolling in. Woody’s opens at 11 making it the perfect place to stop by for a bite of local seafood on the way out of town too. Definitely worth a stop for slice of local life – and pickin’ crabs of course.
If you go:
Plan to visit the lighthouse before 10 am. An easy 1.5 mile hike leads to a beautiful bluff overlooking the bay and the historic lighthouse built in 1833. Interesting fact: The Turkey Point Lighthouse had more female keepers than any other lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay.
What to take & make
For me, glamping is as much about the accessories as the gourmet grub. The key to making the trip special is in the details, and with a little planning ahead, really aren’t that much extra effort. (It takes the same amount of time to pack stylish paper goods.) I collect them all year round and store them in my travelling tote, ready to accessorize any occasion on the go.
Camping by the bay, we had to have seafood, and a clambake was the easiest one-pot meal to plan. We stopped by Mr. Bill’s in Lancaster on our way out of town and grabbed some fresh corn and potatoes from a farm stand on the way. All we had to pack was a stockpot, butter and Old Bay.
Campfire Clambake
(Serves 2-4)
Ingredients:
50 clams 3-4 ears of corn, shucked and halved 3-4 Russet potatoes (quartered) or 1 pint small red potatoes (whole) 1 stick butter Old Bay (optional)
Instructions:
- Fill a large stockpot 1/3 with water and bring to a boil over the campfire or propane cook top. (I like to use my All-Clad strainer insert to easily steam and remove contents.)
- Add potatoes and cook 5 minutes.
- Add corn and cook 5 minutes.
- Add clams and cook until they open, about 5 more minutes. (Discard any clams that don’t open.)
- Melt butter in a small saucepan, pour into ramekins for individual serving (and sprinkle with Old Bay, if desired).
Classy Classics
No camping trip is complete without campfire hot dogs and s’mores, so go ahead and do that the first night (it’s the easiest thing after setting up next to stopping and picking up a pizza – which we’ve totally done too). Make an easy DIY gourmet s’mores bar by packing toppings like Nutella, peanut butter, dark chocolate covered pretzels, coconut cookies to sandwich marshmallows and of course traditional graham crackers. Find more inspiration for gourmet s’mores and hot dog toppings here.
Of course, coffee is a must, and French press is the way to go whether camping or glamping. And in the summer, nothing is more refreshing than an afternoon iced coffee (well except an ice cold beer for happy hour). But since we went berry picking, I had a bunch of blueberries to use up and made Sweet Paul’s blueberry simple syrup with cardamom and rosemary for our iced coffees – a sweet treat for sure. Find the recipe here.
Find even more glamping ideas and accessories here.
Happy glamping!
