We had the best family getaway up in New Hampshire this past weekend — we went camping! Well, let’s call it what it really was: glamping. I couldn’t wait to get home and post these pictures because it was such an amazing time, and because I got a ton of questions about the experience from my posts on instagram. I’m sharing tons of snaps from our little adventure, more about the campsite at Huttopia, and how we did it with a toddler in tow!I will start my review with a disclaimer that I’m not what you would call an outdoorsy person. I like eating outside (on a patio), I like drinking outside (on a lawn), I’m on board with being outside (if we were on a beach), and I am notorious for wearing inappropriate footwear to all outdoor activities (I only packed a pair of Keds for this camping excursion). So when I tell you that this place was awesome, and that I’m totally going camping here again, I hope you’ll understand that it really was the perfect place for non-campers to fall in love with camping.The campsite — Huttopia White Mountains — was located in New Hampshire and was about a 3-hour drive for us. It is a beautiful area of New England, and we were very lucky to have a taste of the first fall weather of the season. We stayed in one of the Trappeur tents that faced a pretty little babbling brook (Jane spent a lot of time throwing rocks and leaves into the water and waving “bye bye!” to each one). It was a great size — it technically slept 5 people — and had plenty of room for us to set up Jane’s travel crib. It also came fully stocked with kitchen items, bed linens, and it even had a small bathroom (hallelujah). The outside of the tent had a great porch, a big picnic table for us to eat at, and fire pit that we could grill on.I think the biggest perk of going to a “glampsite” like this is that we didn’t have to pack (or buy) tons of gear for the weekend. We brought clothes and food and drinks, and that was pretty much all we needed. I was excited to grill and have a campfire dinner one of the nights we were there, but we actually took advantage of the onsite food truck the first night we arrived. They had tasty pizzas and crepes that were served out on a pretty patio, and we walked back up there in the morning to get hot coffees. I was a big fan that they served everything on real plates with real silverware to cut down on waste, and they offered the same in the cabins so we didn’t end up creating tons of garbage from the weekend stay.The grounds of the property were full of activities. We brought our kayaks and did a few paddles around the lake. It was Jane’s first time in the kayak and she loved her new life jacket (phew) and was amused by the boating but only for short bursts of time. It’s hard to explain to a toddler why they can’t stand up and jump from kayak to kayak — we’ll try again next year! There was also a pool onsite, which we took a dip in both afternoons, and a playground and game room that Jane loved. Probably the best part of the campsite was that they have separate areas for car parking that are away from the actual tents and activity areas, so it was safe to let Jane explore a bit without having to be worried about traffic around our tent. They give you little carts to bring your supplies to your campsite, which was very easy and Jane loved pushing it to our tent. The whole place was incredibly kid-friendly (and dog-friendly too, which Jane loved).I was a little bit nervous about taking Jane camping, because toddlers can be real wildcards. I over-prepared with packing fun treats for her like a new storybook about camping, a new fall jacket with her favorite dinos on it, and a camp chair for her to sit around the fire in. She was obsessed with the kids binoculars I got her, they were a big hit. I didn’t need to be nervous at all though, she absolutely loved it. She learned how to say “tent” and “camp” and happily marched around the campsite making friends with our neighbors, all dogs, and a few squirrels. We’re already talking about going back again next year — I think I’m officially a camping person now (well, glamping person).
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Please note: Huttopia White Mountains hosted us for this trip. All opinions, images and content are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that help support this site!