Starting this summer, you will be able to go "glamping" on New York City's Governors Island. The Trust for Governors Island announced this week that it's working with Collective Retreats, a company which specializes in glamorous camping excursions, to create an "environmentally friendly overnight lodging retreat."
The camp, known as Collective Governors Island, will be open this year starting May 1 and will remain open through Halloween. As part of the company's three-year license of the six-acre space, they'll create a public lawn for live music, food options, and recreation places open to all visitors during the day.
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"It's a retreat for all New Yorkers," said Collective Retreats CEO and founder Peter Mack to The Daily News. "Governor's Island is a beautiful place where our guests can feel connected to the space while experiencing a sense of escape from the city." From the looks of Collective Retreats' tents, it's camping dialed up to 11.
Mack said that "a full concierge team will work directly with guests from out of town to customize an itinerary." The latest of six Collective Retreat locations, which include Sonoma, CA; Hudson Valley, NY; and Vail, CO, this one will be the largest serving about 100 guests in total.
The island is a former military and U.S. Coast Guard base which has gone largely unused since the 1990s. Since then, it has been transformed into a public recreation space and used to be the site of the Governors Ball music festival, which is now on Randall's Island. This is the first time camping has been allowed on the island, and is one of the few opportunities to camp within New York City limits.
There will be two options for campers, and both sound like a far cry from the tent camping we did growing up. The first is a luxury tent that comes with a private, en-suite bathroom, an outdoor deck, electricity, and a wood burning stove. The second option, called the "premium bell tent," also has electricity and beds, but no connected bathroom. Camping here will run you about $150-500 per night depending on which option you choose.
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To make sure you get to camp how you wish, you'll want to act soon. Collective Retreats opened booking earlier this week and is already sold out for the month of May.