Under Canvas Glamping Experience in Smoky Mountains

Well if Brayden did well camping on the lake there’s no reason why he wouldn’t like glamping right? For my early birthday trip we experienced glamping in the Smoky Mountains together as a family. When I was pregnant with Brayden I wasn’t always up for doing active things cause of pregnancy sickness and well the pandemic just hit. But with this pregnancy I have all my energy and I want to spend as much time doing fun things with Brayden before his little sister comes!

My motivation to document also comes from not having enough photos being pregnant with Brayden so I definitely wanted to make sure I have plenty with this pregnancy!

How about this camp site y’all? Under Canvas is a glamping resort that has an on-site restaurant and offers safari type tents that also have bathrooms and showers. I wanted to do something relaxing for my birthday and something different. Originally I looked into Bed and Breakfasts but didn’t realize so many of them did not allow babies! So I stumbled across Under Canvas in the Smokies and we decided to try it out!

Summer is probably the more popular season to go camping/glamping but the great thing about Under Canvas is the indoor cast iron stove that provides plenty of heat. You have to tend to it regularly so unfortunately someone has to sacrifice sleep. The hubby took care of that and made sure little man and I were comfy. And speaking of comfy, the bed is so comfortable and had I not woken up excited to try their breakfast (FRENCH TOAST) I would have continued sleeping in.

Under Canvas offers complimentary coffee, hot beverages such as hot chocolate and assorted teas, cookies and s’mores for gathering around their communal bonfire. The first night we arrived we had the bonfire all to ourselves for the first hour. A trivia game was about to start but we wanted to get back to our tent and start warming up the stove. It takes about 30 minutes to warm up the tent. They’ll tell you to use a couple firewoods but we used up to four at a time and it kept the entire space warm. With only two firewood we could only stay warm within a few feet of the stove. On our second day I took a s’mores kit and we made s’mores back at the tent!

The tents do not have an actual electric outlet but there are battery operated lamps with several USB connectors so you can still charge your phone or anything else that connects that way. Some of the things we packed to make it even more homey were my hanging twinkling lights, Brayden’s California Beach Co pop up play tent (which came in so handy so we wouldn’t have to keep our eye on him the whole time while the stove was heated). We also packed tons of snack, wireless bluetooth and plenty of toys for little man. The camp sites are dog friendly and I wished we had brought Ghost and Cosmo but since I also planned to take photos during our hike explorations we didn’t bring the dogs. It would have been too much to handle with a mobile and highly active toddler and two dogs!

Brayden needed a break and his nap before we decided to explore the Smokies and go hiking. Making s’mores inside the tent was also exciting for him anyway. I mean, I was excited! I love s’mores! Mama here has always had a sweet tooth and a love for chocolate.

After settling Brayden down for a bit we made our way to Newfound Gap trail. Driving through the Smoky Mountains was such a sight and there was no way the camera could have really caught all the glory and beauty of the season. We have always wanted to do the drive but always found ourselves on the BlueRidge Expressway so seeing this magnificent fall foliage was a memorable experience. Brayden napped so well during the drive too. We did take family photos on our hike and I can’t wait to share those in the next post!

If you’re interested in learning more about Under Canvas check out their website ‘here‘.