18 Places to Go Glamping and Get Bougie Outdoors in Texas

Field magazine

Combine the best parts of being inside—comfy bed, running water and real toilet, food that isn’t freeze-dried, etc—with the best parts of being outside—do we really need to elaborate?—add a luxe touch here and there and you’ll get glamping. The term is shorthand for “glamorous camping,” and its popularity has skyrocketed over the past decade, with lavish, palatial tent sites cropping up in well-known outdoor recreational areas around the world. Also referred to as “boutique camping,” think of glamping as a more elevated way to connect with nature in an open-air setting; one that doesn’t require guests to sacrifice comfort in the name of adventure. Glamping makes an ideal weekend getaway for both indoorsy folk giving the outdoors a try, and seasoned outdoors lovers looking to take a break from roughing it.

If a spacious canvas glamping tent on a wooden platform is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of glamping, you’re not wrong, but there’s so much more to it than just that. Luxurious tent sites have a surprisingly long history that dates all the way back to the 16th century when the residents weren’t weekend warriors looking to chill around a fire pit with BBQ and s’mores, but Earls and Dukes and other monarchs living in actual opulence. The trend continued on centuries later when during the 1920s it was popularized by wealthy Brits and Americans looking to experience a romanticized version of an African safari.

Modern-day glamping has fewer monarchs, is much more accessible, and boasts a much wider spectrum of associated outdoor experiences—though the classic canvas safari tent remains. Along with the addition of vintage vans and Airstream trailers rentals, bell tents, yurts, treehouses, and more. It’s become a creative way to bridge good design and the great outdoors. And for new outdoorists, a less intimidating, more comfortable way to spend time in nature (in an admittedly bougie setting) among adventure destinations, like Texas.

The Lone Star state is known for its iconic wide-open plains, deserts, and skies, but there’s more than just tumbleweeds, honky-tonk bars, horseback riding and long stretches of empty highway. Go glamping in Texas and head to the southwestern corner during spring, when you can avoid the heat and explore Big Bend National Park, where the Rio Grande river flows through hairpin turns carved into the limestone canyons. Or road trip up to 4,800 feet in the nearby high plains of Marfa, a quirky, remote town popularized by artist Donald Judd that remains rich with culture and interesting geology located in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas. The rolling grasslands of Hill Country is also a popular spot for outdoorists.

Texas glamping destinations from mid-October through November might even grant you the chance to see the fall foliage in Guadalupe National Park, which lies in North Texas near the border of New Mexico. Sensing a trend here? Shoulder seasons are the best time to go glamping in Texas, so you can experience the outdoors without the scorching heat.

Ready to pack your boots, bags, and head to glamp? The following are our top picks for the best Texas glamping options for your next weekend getaway.