Glamping Collective Pairs Luxury and Nature Together in Asheville and Chattanooga

The Glamping Collective Ultra Luxe Dome outside Chattanooga, Tennessee (Photo Credit: Eric Bowman)

Can camping ever be considered lavish? Do the outdoors and luxury actually mix?

The Glamping Collective aims to prove the two can work together, marketing as “the pinnacle of luxury and adventure” with their private glamping accommodations in the mountaintops outside Asheville, North Carolina and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

We recently tested out both properties to see what the experience is like, discovering each location has its own unique highlights and differences.

Glamping Collective does have a commission program in place for travel advisors. All advisors need to do is book with their IATA # and submit an invoice upon completion. 

Glamping Collective XL Dome outside Asheville, North Carolina (Photo Credit: Eric Bowman)

Asheville, North Carolina

The flagship location for the Glamping Collective, this 160-acre property is just over 20 minutes west of Asheville, North Carolina and one hour from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

The drive up is not for the faint of heart though and a sturdy vehicle is highly recommended. The roads are twisty with tight turns, and once you pull up to the gate you discover a small dirt road where parts of it are essentially one car at a time as you drive alongside the edge of a cliff. However, this shouldn’t be too surprising given you know you’re staying outdoors in the mountains.

The views here are simply stunning, and the longer we looked the more we couldn’t help but wonder how amazing it would look here in the fall season.

As for accommodations, they’re broken down into the following categories: Ultra Luxe Dome, Luxe Dome, Luxe Glass Cabin, Glass Cabin, XL Dome and XL Luxe Dome.

We stayed in the XL Luxe Dome, which can sleep up to six guests. It has two bedrooms with king-size beds and a leather couch that can convert to a bed as well. This dome featured a kitchen with all the necessary plates, utensils and cookware. It had a toaster oven and stove hot plates for cooking, along with an outdoor grill, a deck with a hot tub and a full-size table for outdoor dining.

Heated floors in the bathroom and a heated toilet seat really helped elevate the experience along with arguably the best towels I’ve had at any of the hotels I’ve stayed at this year. How many hotels out there call themselves luxury but still have scratchy towels? Thankfully that’s not the case here.

I’m a big believer in hotels needing great towels to match how they market themselves. So when I come across an exceptional towel, I take note. These Oxford towels were so soft they had me contemplating how I can find a way to purchase them for my house. The sheets also matched the luxury touch.

The property has multiple hiking trails, with one featuring some SpaceX debris that landed on property years ago, and a community fire pit where all guests have access to it. Group s’mores anyone?

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Technically the property here is located in Trenton, Georgia, but its major hub is the blossoming city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, which is about a 30-minute drive north.

Unlike the Asheville property, this one has an easy entrance off a normal road. Once the gate opens, you’ll follow the signs to your dome’s parking spot and there is only a small decline here compared to the cliff side driving in Asheville.

Located minutes away from Cloudland Canyon State Park, the views of this property all face Lookout Mountain. There is a waterfall trail on site, but it may be a challenge for those who aren’t very active. Which is fine because this property features an infinity pool located under a waterfall that makes for a gorgeous spot to relax at. It’s cliff edge and offers extraordinary views, plus it’s heated and cooled to fit the time of year.  

The Glamping Collective waterfall pool outside Chattanooga, Tennessee (Photo Credit: Eric Bowman)

The accommodations breakdown at this location are only Ultra Luxe Domes and Luxe Domes, all with private decks, hot tubs and fire tables outside, and kitchenettes inside just like Asheville. Those same amazing Oxford towels and soft, smooth sheets are also used here at the Chattanooga property as well.

The units did feel closer together here compared to the Asheville location, but our deck still felt quite private. It was also spacious enough for both my wife and I to do yoga on the deck in the morning without having to move any furniture.

Sitting on the couch in front of the fire table at night stargazing and listening to the sounds of nature really put us in that camping feel…but it sure was sweet knowing we were actually glamping with a lush mattress and air conditioning in our chic dome instead of a sleeping bag like actual campers.

Scenic Drive In Between

Map of the routes between Glamping Collective's two properties (Photo Credit: Eric Bowman)

The drive between the two locations is just over 4 hours long, with two different routes that give travelers scenic routes.

One path will have you driving through the Cherokee National Forest and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The other drive goes through the Smoky Mountains and also passes through the Nantahala National Forest and views of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest.

The Verdict

The Glamping Collective does indeed pair nature and luxury together well.

The only way to make it more luxurious would be a butler and a private chef, but one could argue at that point it just becomes a villa and no longer associated with camping and the outdoors.

For those who want to feel the power of nature and bask in its beautiful scenery but still need that resort level feel when it’s time for bed, the little touches inside each dome from The Glamping Collective help make it a true luxury experience

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