Anna Baird has the perfect solution for anyone trying to decide between ritzy and rustic for a fall getaway.
Why not try glamping?
The founder of Pittsburgh-based Hideaway Co. is offering upscale camping experiences during October at the Barn at Maple Falls near Rockwood, Somerset County.
Four weekend packages are available Fridays through Sundays, beginning Oct. 9, featuring boutique safari tents on wooden platforms with all the amenities of a well-appointed hotel room, including charging packs for electronics — and a wood-burning stove for chilly nights.
Forget the hot dogs and s’mores. James Beard-nominated Chef Bethany Zozula will prepare fresh, farm-to-table meals and snacks, with accommodations available for dietary restrictions.
Activities such as massage services, apple-picking and happy hour hayrides will offered on-site, and excursions to nearby attractions such as Fallingwater, Ohiopyle and Seven Springs Mountain Resort can be arranged.
No need to splash off in a bucket of cold water, either. There will be shower facilities on-site.
This is the first glamping experience from the fledgling company, which launched in June.
“I wasn’t kidding when I said we had a shotgun start,” Baird says. “But I’ve worked in the film and television and hospitality industries, and that’s the nature of both of those beasts.”
Baird is former senior sales and marketing manager for East Liberty’s Ace Hotel. In addition to Zozula, the Hideaway team includes food and beverage director Michael Goldberg and libations curator Molly Aura.
Great outdoors
The glamping plan evolved from discussions about ways to offer a safe, curated getaway during continuing quarantine restrictions.
“I’m not a camper, though I love the idea of the great outdoors, and I have gone camping,” Baird says. “I do love day trips to various locations outside of the city.
“As quarantine dragged on and on, there was so much gloom and doom that I wanted to do something,” she says.
She first pitched the idea of a camping experience with gourmet meals to Zozula.
“People said to me, ‘This is not the best idea, Anna.’ But I said, ‘I think I’m on to something.’ There’s nothing like this in our area,” she says.
Baird says “the stars aligned” for every aspect of the project.
“I thought about camping sites at first, but those are too raw. Then I thought about farms, but that’s still too raw,” she says. “Then I thought about rustic wedding venues. I found (Maple Falls), and it’s absolutely stunning.
As a new venue, it also was available during October weekends.
Set on 300 rural acres, Maple Falls features a renovated barn and farmhouse, a Christmas tree farm, a maple syrup operation, covered bridge, waterfall and trails. It’s also a prime fall foliage viewing spot.
“It’s set among the magnificent reds of the maple trees, with an incredible adjoining rainbow of color,” Baird says.
Weekend glamping packages are $1,800 for single occupancy, or $3,000 for double, which includes a choice of a king bed or two twins.
Guests can choose their own level of social distancing, by keeping to themselves or joining group activities in a main open area.
Labor of love
“I really thought this would be more for young hipsters, but we’re making reservations for a lot of Baby Boomers who want to get out of the house and do it safely,” Baird says.
“We’re hearing from a lot of couples, a lot of women planning women’s weekends and a lot of life cycle celebrations, like birthdays and anniversaries — people who canceled their summer plans and now have a short window of good weather,” she says.
“This is a real labor of love for two reasons,” she says. “A, it gets great hospitality people back to work; and B, it offers a safe weekend for folks who would like to get out safely and enjoy the great outdoors.
“They’re saying, ‘Winter is coming, so let’s get out and enjoy nature.”
Depending on the success of fall glamping, Hideaway hopes to offer a winter version.
Details: hideawayco.com
