Glamping in Russian River

In early April, my husband and I tried out glamping for the first time in the Russian River Area. We were a little nervous, as Guerneville suffered a terrible flood only a month or so before. However, we had made the reservations months in advance and got the go ahead from our accommodations that they were indeed re-opened post-flood. Even though I live in Norcal, I feel like I’m always discovering new and beautiful places to visit. I can’t believe it took me this long to visit the Russian River area, only about a two hour drive from the San Francisco area, and the drive isn’t scary like the twisty turn-y road to Mendocino.

One thing I noticed about Guerneville, when we went in April is that the area is still recovering. Many restaurants and shops were still closed either permanently or in the rebuilding process, and as we walked around the “downtown” area (which is one small street) we noticed that every store had papers on the window saying the property had been inspected post flood and had either been deemed safe to re-open, or closed for renovations. All that being said, I absolutely loved Guerneville. You can walk the whole “downtown” in 5 minutes from end to end, their food is tasty, and there are a lot of adorable boutiques to visit. Although it’s not too far of a drive, it really felt like an escape. Also, every store we went into, the owners expressed to us how happy they were to have us and to tell our friends that Russian River is still there and ready for visitors. Here’s a few things we really enjoyed about our glamping experience in Russian River…

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Autocamp Russian River. They are a luxury glamp-site with airstreams and tents with sites in Russian River, Yosemite, and Santa Barbara. We opted for the slightly more affordable luxury tent option and really enjoyed our stay. We were a little worried as we had some heavy rain and it was still chilly, however, the tents had a rain fly and electric blankets that kept us nice and toasty. In true glamping style, the tents have outlets, a hot water pot, a small bag of fire wood, a fan, a rack to hang your clothes, and a cooler to store any food you might have brought. Each tent has a small fire pit out front and you can even purchase s’mores kits from the lobby. I have to admit, I was a little worried about the shared bathroom situation, however, they were super nice. There were Malin and Goetz skincare products, ample towels, a heater, etc.

Where We Ate

Downtown Guerneville is only a 2 minute drive from Autocamp. You can even technically walk, however the road is narrow and curvy so we opted to drive instead. We got biscuits at Big Bottom Market.  We enjoyed Boon Eat + Drink Restaurant so much that we ate there twice!  And of course we had to grab ice cream at the cutest place, Nimble and Finn, which is inside an old bank.

What We Did

To be honest, we did a lot of relaxing in our tent, we made s’mores, and watched netflix. I would highly recommend hiking in Armstrong Redwood State Natural Reserve. It’s an easy hike through redwoods along rushing rivers. We did about a three mile or so hike.

Shop and explore the little boutiques in Downtown Guerneville. A few of my favorites: Sonoma Nesting Company has a cute outdoor garden section. Snag a hand pie at Chile Pies, Ice Cream and Nimble and Finn’s, and get some locally made earrings at Jam Jar- All inside the Guerneville Bank Club.