Glamping at The Retreat RV & Camping Resort

I hear it all the time - go on vacations with your kids. Take them on trips. Travel. You’ll see wonderful places and make memories to last a lifetime. I wholeheartedly agree with this; I want my kids to see the world. I want them to experience cultures, languages, people, traditions, history, art, nature, and so much more. However, my kids are 4 and 6 and taking them anywhere farther than an hour and a half in the car is daunting. We just aren’t there yet as a family. Maybe in another year or two … or three, or ten. We’ll see!

In the meantime, I have found a love of exploring the areas around the city we call home. We live in Houston, Texas, and one thing to note about Texas is that it is LARGE. Fun note: it takes around 12 hours to drive across Texas (west to east) along I-10. We have so much to explore in our very large backyard.

To celebrate the end of the rascals’ first year in elementary school, we took our kids GLAMPING. The glorious and easy way to camp, explore nature, and not have to pack an entire house into a small SUV. I mean, I really did go for easy when I booked our trip at The Retreat. (We didn’t even roast the marshmallows for the s’mores; we just ate them as deconstructed pieces.)

The Retreat RV and Camping Resort is located about an hour from Houston in Huffman, Texas, right on Lake Houston. It offers a variety of lodging options, swimming in the lake or the pool, kayak rentals, boat docks, daily offerings for kids and adults alike, yard games and activities, walking trails through the wooded areas, and, of course, relaxation.

To begin any nature trip, we first secure a map of the area. We cannot go anywhere without two copies, one for each kid, as they like to make markings of what they’ve seen and where they’ve been. (Note the hand drawn black circle around C3 - that was our cottage for the weekend. My 6 year old said he had to remember which one we stayed in so he can compare it to our next cottage. Clearly, we will be returning for another glamping adventure!) Late Friday afternoon, we explored the grounds of The Retreat - beautifully tall trees, a boardwalk along the lake, and a close up of a lily pad (thanks to my 6 year old amateur photographer).

Lodging at The Retreat can be as “camping” or as “glamping” as you’d like. You can book tent sites where you bring your own tent and sleeping supplies to cozy up with family and friends. Or, you can book one of the Glamping Tents that include AC because Texas temperatures can be HOT (or at least you can do so in the very near future, as they were in the final phases of construction when we were there).

You can also bring your own RV, or you can try one of their permanently on-site Vintage RV rentals. How cute are these?!

If you want to feel a little bit more in touch with nature (and the wild, wild west), you can book your stay in the AC equipped Covered Wagons handcrafted especially for The Retreat.

I told you we went for ease, so I booked a cottage! AC, bathroom (toilet, shower, and sink), full kitchen stocked with pots, pans, silverware, plates, bowls, grilling utensils, and beds. Actual beds! My husband said this was NOT glamping, or even camping; this was a step towards a hotel resort stay!

We had a wonderful weekend of putt putt golf, gaga ball, corn hole, jumping on the inflatable air mat, swimming, playing bingo, taking nature walks, besting each other in foosball, grilling burgers and hot dogs, eating deconstructed s’mores, cooking breakfast, and making memories.

Written by Brandi Stanton, mom of two rascals ages 4 and 6.