PORTLAND, Ore. — With Thanksgiving plans changing this year, many are taking their celebrations outdoors. They’re planning time under the stars camping or in some cases “glamping.” When you think of camping, you generally think of going on holiday weekends like Memorial Day, 4th of July or Labor Day, but usually not Thanksgiving.
Brenda Chapman is a park ranger at Champoeg State Park, she says she’s seeing more families than usual this time of year.
“I think probably half, if not more, are planning to have Thanksgiving at the park, people plan far in advance we allow booking nine months in advance and people take advantage of that and a lot of times it’s a tradition", said Chapman.
While many are camping with trailers or inside tents, paying anywhere from $30-$50 a night, there are others who pay twice as much to camp in high style, otherwise known as “glamping.”
Cassandra Prenn-Vasilakis is a spokesperson with Hip Camp, a company that works with property owners listing unique places to stay for a night or two. She says they have been seeing an increase in demand from customers looking for a place to gather with family and friends safely outdoors.
You can get that experience right here in Oregon, where you can stay in a cabin near Estacada or a treehouse near Silver Creek Falls near Salem. It used to be over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house, but with COVID redefining the holidays, the woods seem to be, for many, the sensible destination.
“This is something that is needed right now, spaces where you can get outside where you can be with loved ones where you can escape even if it's closer to home than it might have been last year,” said Prenn-Vasilakis.