This weekend surprised me a little bit. I was excited to experience another California beach town, but was very apprehensive to camp. I have always really disliked camping. I camped every summer for 5 years with my church youth group and absolutely dreaded the week long trip. However, that is why I think I hated it so bad. It was far too long to be sleeping in the Big Bear mountains with 30+ teenage girls. The food was mass produced and my time was based on what was planned by the counselors.

B loves camping. He loves having an excuse to get dirty and enjoy the great outdoors. He loves sleeping in a tent and hearing the whistling of the wind. He loves spotting deer and trying to catch lizards. So when B told me he would like to go camping for the 4th of July holiday I had to go along with it.

I started scouring the internet for campsites in the Big Sur / Pismo Beach area because if I am going to camp I am going to have it by a beach (also note the research process started happening in the end of May). There appeared to be some great state parks but all were filled to the brim. I even looked up north and south of Pismo. Everything was completely booked. I thought, well maybe this is my sign. Maybe we are not supposed to go camping and B could curse fate. Still, in the back of my mind I felt terrible that I was not going to make B’s dream of camping a reality. I searched many hours without any success. After no hope in the horizon I started to look at other travel destinations for our holiday weekend. I guess people plan their 4th 6 months in advance because I was not liking the variety and price of options. I turned to Airbnb in the 11th hour (2 weeks before July 4th) since we previously had such a great experience renting.

And then I found it. The best of both worlds! A post was listed on Airbnb highlighting “glamping” in the Pismo Beach area. It was perfect.

This weekend’s camping (or “glamping”) at Laura and Ben’s farm was such a treat. Their farm is situated in the rural part of Arroyo Grande, which is less than 5 miles from Pismo Beach.
We arrived a little after 7pm. Laura greeted us and took us on the tour of her 4 acre property. There we learned that Laura and Ben also offer lodging in their re purposed water tower and tepee (I would love to have a night in either the next time we are in town).
Their property is so charming and whimsical. Ben mentioned that he designed the property so every corner you turn there is something new and exciting. He said this was the perfect place to let your inner child run wild. And run wild we did.
There was even an adult size teeter totter and swing set! 

Bonus points if you know where the inspiration of this circular door came from!

Laura and Ben start a campfire in the evenings for all their guests to enjoy.

The first night we stayed in their “glamping” tent that housed a double mattress with bench. There is a community bathroom located on their property that provides both an indoor and outdoor shower (and towels! ). The second night, all of their designated lodging areas were completely booked but Laura was nice enough to offer their meadow where we were able to set up a tent (so see I did get a camping and a glamping experience all rolled into one).

I can’t say enough good things about the experience we had. Laura and Ben are so friendly and welcoming. The attention they put into the little details of their farm make it magical and picturesque. It really made B want a place like theirs to call home someday. We will see!

B is already talking about our next camping adventure but I am taking it one experience at a time…

Where is your favorite place to camp?