Looking for a getaway less than three hours from Pittsburgh? Consider glamping at Airydale Retreat near Mill Creek, PA.
After coming across Airydale Retreat on Instagram, my boyfriend and I decided to schedule a little getaway for our anniversary. He loves camping, and I don’t love sleeping on the ground … so it felt like the perfect compromise.
Let’s just say it exceed expectations. Here’s what you need to know.
We stayed in Towhee 1, the original glampsite built in 2019. It’s similar to a yurt — the canvas tent is on a platform.
The covered porch area has two chairs and a small outdoor kitchen with operating sink, camping cook stove and percolator for cofffee. They even provided some local grounds!
Inside the tent, there is a queen size memory foam bed with fresh linens and an electric blanket (weather depending). This thing kept us SO warm even when it went down to 38 degrees the first night. Airydale also provides a small propane heater, AC unit and cooling fan. There are two electrical outlets in the tent for charging and other devices.
In addition to the tent itself, each campsite has a dedicated outdoor shower with hot water. There were towels, washcloths and a bar of soap waiting for us! The view above the shower in the middle of the woods was gorgeous.
Plus, there is a private bathroom less than 75ft from your site with a toilet, sink and mirror. So clean and convenient.
Finally, we cannot forget our firepit. Each campsite has its own, with wooden chairs made by the son of the owner! We (aka my boyfriend) cooked over the fire for every single meal.
Seriously … we barely left Airydale for two full days. The exception: donuts on the way to a hike.
Airydale has a great guide to the area on their website, and also left us a little binder with key information of restaurants, breweries, wineries and outdoor excursions.
Pro Tip: Allensville Donuts are a MUST, but they’re only open on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. We got there on Saturday around 10:30am and they were already almost sold out.
Favorite gestures:
- Firewood is pre-cut and available for a $5 donation
- They also provide a bucket of fire starters at your campsite!
- Ethel stopped by with locally made whoopie pies to greet us and see if we had any questions.
- They offer a handicap accessible campsite, Towhee 2.
- Cardinal campsites are multi-story with slides – great for families. The Domes are completely climate controlled and open all year long!
