| When one of our favorite family campground | | | | - Cooking Utensils, - Eating Utensils (plates, cups, |
| started offering Yurts, I was very excited. Then I | | | | glasses, silverware, etc) |
| looked up the rates: $1,395 a week during peak | | | | - Paper Towels, - Toilet Tissue, - Kleenex |
| summer season. I was shocked. That's what I | | | | - Bar Soap, - Sponge and scrub pad, - Dish |
| pay for a Cape Cod bungalow by the water. How | | | | Detergent |
| could an outdoor camping tent cost as much to | | | | - Broom |
| rent as a Cape Cod house? | | | | - Gas Grill, - Patio Table & Chairs, |
| If you've never heard of a Yurt, it's the epitome | | | | - TV with DVD |
| of 21st century luxury camping. Yurt stands for: | | | | - Heat and A/C |
| Year-round Universal Recreation Tent. Each yurt | | | | - Complimentary bundle of firewood |
| has a wooden circular platform, and a lattice | | | | - Unit provides sleeping accommodations for 6 |
| framework and conical roof covered with a | | | | I mean, what is there left to pack? |
| heavy, wind- and weatherproof canvas. The roof | | | | Yurts are popping up like mushrooms not just in |
| has a plastic skylight through which you can see | | | | private campground resorts but also in State |
| the trees or watch snow falling or the moon | | | | Parks. Next time you check out a campground, |
| rising. | | | | ask about yurts. Or enter on Google: "Yurt |
| On this particular campground's website, along | | | | Camping (Your State)". More and more state |
| with that $1,395/week price tag, is a list of what | | | | campgrounds are offering yurt camping because it |
| comes inside your yurt (!): | | | | attracts families who would otherwise not spend |
| - Pots & Pans, - Toaster | | | | the night outdoors. |