21+ Glamping Retreat in Central Texas

We recently had the opportunity to visit the new Serana Glamping Retreat, which is a 21+ glamping experience located in Paige, TX. That’s about 30 minutes from both Bastrop and Smithville, TX, and about an hour from Austin. Here’s what went down and everything you can expect.

 

Accommodations

There’s three options for accommodations, one of three kampinas (small cabins), the Little Bluestem (luxury tent), and the Big Bluestem (bigger luxury tent).

The kampinas now have full electricity and provide heat/AC, electrical outlets, etc. The Bluestems do not have electricity, but Serana provides a portable charger for you to use during your stay, and each tent has a wood burning stove for those colder nights.

We stayed in the Little Bluestem, and it was beautiful! It felt like we were in an upscale hotel. Walking up to the tent, you first arrive at the gravel patio with 2 separate sitting areas and a gas firepit. The view from both sitting areas is a pond that was breathtaking at sunset. The front of the tent has a netted enclosure. So you can leave the tent open in the day (and night if you choose) to enjoy the views of the property while keeping a bit of privacy and stopping critters from getting in. There are also 3 windows that you can zip closed if you’d like.

 

There is a queen sized bed with a memory foam mattress (very comfortable), plush white bedding and sheets, a coat rack, just enough decor to make you feel at home, and another sitting area inside the tent, as well as the aforementioned wood burning stove. They also provide Turkish bath towels, and boy were we naïve. We thought it was an extra throw lol. Firewood is also provided for the stove, but I advise you to bring your own kindling to easier light the fire. Maybe watch a few Youtube tutorials like this one also.

 

Amenities

Since this is a true glamping retreat, several amenities are provided for your comfort, such as an outdoor kitchen and bath house. In the kitchen you’ll find  a refrigerator, a cooktop, sink, coffee and tea makers, cookware, dishes, flatware, a barbecue grill, and a Traeger grill.

The bath house has 2 bath stalls and a sink right outside them. There are also 2 outdoor showers with rain shower heads. Toiletries were also available in the showers.

Lastly in the communal section are a big firepit for lounging and a Quonset hut for dining. We loved the rustic yet modern look of the common areas. It really made you feel like you were having an elevated retreat experience.

 

Around the Property

Serana is set on a 53 acre property with 4 ponds, chickens, ducks, coming soon, an outdoor gym, and wide open spaces to roam and explore. I was literally frolicking through the fields at one point!

Serana also does something very cool. They have mobile chicken coops that they move periodically. This allows the chickens to naturally fertilize and turn the soil, resulting in beautiful, bright green grass. We unfortunately couldn’t find the ducks while we were there.

The property itself is full of photo ops, but you may get too caught up in enjoying it so much that you forget to “do it for the Gram”. All in all, this was a very enjoyable stay, and I would definitely do it again. If you’d like the best of both worlds, the great outdoors and being in town, read my previous blog post here, giving tips on things to do in downtown Bastrop.

 

 

Visit www.seranatx.com to book your stay and get away from it all for a few days. For even more pictures of our stay, click here to see my Instagram post. Thank you Serana Glamping Retreat for the awesome experience! 

Things to Do in Downtown Bastrop, TX

 

We were recently able to visit Serana, a new 21+ glamping destination in Paige, TX (blog post coming soon), which is about 30 minutes away from Bastrop. So, we decided to take a day trip to Bastrop and see what all it had to offer. Spoiler alert, the answer is EVERYTHING!

 

Where to Eat

My number 1 question when traveling is “Where are we eating?” So, of course, that was the first thing I checked when we decided to head to downtown Bastrop.

First, before we even get to the food, let me just say how beautiful it is downtown! We were in the historic district. So all the buildings are preserved from waaay back in the day! Then downtown sits on the banks of the Colorado River. So, you can take a nice stroll along the riverbanks on the way to your next destination. ( I love these kinds of things.)

 

Neighbor’s Kitchen & Yard

Now, back to the food! We were glamping Saturday night, then spent all day Sunday in Bastrop. Saturday evening, however, we also went into town for dinner at Neighbor’s Kitchen & Yard. This restaurant sits right on the Colorado River bank with a huge multi-level patio overlooking the river and a stage downstairs in “The Yard” for live performances (which, by the way, just started back).

 

For a starter, we tried the Comeback Dip, which is rightfully named because it’ll definitely have you coming back to order more! We both ordered calzones.. I had the current featured flavor, The Brooklynite. William had the Hot Li’l Honey. We traded half of our calzones with each other, and I loved them both. The Brooklynite was more traditional with red sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, mushroom, and oregano.

The Hot Li’l Honey contains olive oil, mozzarella, tomato, salami, and cherry peppers. Then the calzone is drizzled with habanero infused hot honey. The sweet, spicy, and savory flavor combo was perfect!

Lastly, for drinks, I had the moonshine margarita, and William had the Geometric Rye-No by Iron Bridge Icehouse, which is located right next door to Neighbor’s! We thoroughly enjoyed our food and time at Neighbor’s and will definitely be back!

After our awesome dining experience, we headed back to our campsite to relax and rest up for the next day.

 

Paw-Paw’s Catfish House

For dinner on Sunday, we visited Paw-Paw’s Catfish House located on Main Street. This restaurant, which was started by Cheri Rice in honor of her grandparents, already pulled at our heartstrings before stepping foot inside the restaurant because it made us think of our Paw Paw (William’s grandpa). Both of my grandfathers were gone before I was born. So, I never had the chance to experience a grandfather’s love. Upon meeting William’s grandpa, lovingly called Paw Paw, he immediately took me in as one of his own. He passed away in 2019, and we love and miss him dearly.

So with that backstory, of course when we saw a catfish house with that name, we had to go! I’m happy to say they did not disappoint. William and I agreed it’s some of the best catfish we’ve had since moving to Texas in 2013.

At Paw-Paw’s, we started with a basket of onion rings, which were THE BEST onion rings I’ve ever had anywhere! That says a lot, by the way, because I consider myself an onion ring connoisseur. I also had the sweet tea, which is served in a mason jar and is refilled regularly. It was perfect, with just the right amount of sugar.

 

For our main courses, William had the fried catfish platter, which came with 6 pieces of fish, fries, pinto beans, coleslaw, hushpuppies, and tarter sauce or cocktail sauce. Then I had Paw Paw’s platter, which came 3 pieces of catfish, 3 HUGE jumbo shrimp, and all the sides from the catfish platter. I had the tarter sauce and cocktail sauce though. 

We were both stuffed and had to get to-go boxes. I wanted to try the banana pudding couldn’t bring myself to order it. So, that’s on my list next time because believe me, there will be a next time.

 

 

Things To Do

Now, you may be thinking, “She told about dinner Saturday night then skipped to dinner Sunday. What happened in between?” Don’t worry! We’re getting to that right now. So, Sunday, we got up relatively early to enjoy the campsite more before leaving. Then, we headed downtown around 11am. We were supposed to get breakfast at Maxine’s Café but ended up eating before leaving Serana. So we didn’t have an appetite quite yet. Because of this, we started our downtown adventure a bit early. 

We got there as church was letting out, but businesses weren’t open just yet. So we walked around for a while taking in the views. That’s when we were able to see the Colorado River in all its glory. It looks a lot different in the daytime. We walked up and down the riverbank, taking in the sights and seeing what we could see. William spotted a log with what we thought were 3 turtles, but upon further investigating, ended up being 7! They’re pictured below in the slide.

So now, it was noon, and downtown was open for business. So we made our way to Astro Record Store. This store was previously a saloon and is really cool to see. They also had a really good selection of records. We left with 3 new records for our collection. After Astro, we wondered around a bit more, stopping at Colorado River Winery as well as Cripple Creek Wine & Gifts. We then headed to Copper Shot Distillery. Here, we each had a flight, trying 2 of their infused moonshines and 2 whiskeys. Let me just say, those infused moonshines are DANGEROUS! They’re so good, you may forget you’re drinking alcohol. The whiskeys were smooth, but they will definitely make sure you take your time drinking them. We also discovered Copper Shot has a Bloody Mary bar on Sunday’s that are pretty popular.

After our flights, we decided to walk them off a bit. So we headed back to the river to walk the other direction. After some time, we realized we still had time to spare before our dinner reservation (due to our changed schedule). So, we ventured off to Walmart. On our way, though, we ran into a Goodwill. So we had to stop. There were some great furniture pieces for amazing prices. (I think our neighborhood Goodwill jacks up the prices some.) We found a classic movie that we needed in our lives, The Adventures of Babysitting. So, we got that. Then, we were again off to Walmart. Once that store trip was over, it was time for dinner. So, we headed back to Downtown Bastrop for our Paw-Paw’s fix.

 

 

Everywhere we visited followed COVID protocol, requiring masks, unless you were eating or drinking, and we didn’t witness anyone trying to defy the rules.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in Downtown Bastrop and are already making plans to return, this time with friends. There’s plenty to see and do, such as the museum and visitor’s center, a movie theater (not quite downtown), plenty of restaurants and bars, and a lot of history to learn. I’d highly recommend taking a day trip to visit, and next time we’ll venture out from downtown to experience even more of the city.

First Time in Denver

I had planned on going to Denver, CO for my birthday. It was originally a couple trip for William and me, but once “you know what” hit, that counted William out because he’s considered high risk due to his asthma. So it turned into a family affair, with the addition of my friend Jennifer. Here’s the story.

How it Started

So, we planned the trip for months, as one does. For our first day, since we were all arriving at different times, I decided to hire a private chef for that evening so we could rest up and wind down from traveling. The first chef completely ghosted me. We were conversing. All she had to do was send the invoice. Then she was nowhere to be found. So, I found her on Instagram and asked her if we were still on. I didn’t hear back from her until we were back from our trip. Luckily, I went ahead and moved on. So, I found another chef, and he tried to overprice the meal for whatever reason. So, I cancelled our agreement as well.

The first day of the trip was my actual birthday, and since we were celebrating my 35th birthday, which is a milestone birthday to me, Jennifer and I flew in first class. It was my first time, and let me say, I’m in love! Click here to see how that went lol. We arrived in Denver first, but my niece, Kayla, arrived shortly after. So we waited for her so we could all drive to the Airbnb together. On the way to the house, we stopped by a dispensary. This was also a first for me, and what an experience it was! Once my sisters and other niece made it in, we had also partaken and were under the influence. So this is what happened with the food. smh

Since we were without a private chef, I just found a local restaurant that delivered and had family size dishes. Now, here’s where I messed up. I ordered the food after taking the edible! So, the evening was going on, and I knew the food shouldn’t have taken that long. Eventually, I decided to check the status, only to find that I had ordered it as pickup instead of delivery. Mind you, we didn’t have a car, and the restaurant doesn’t deliver themselves. It’s actually through Doordash. So, I’m freaking out now. I called the restaurant and let them know, and together we came up with a solution. Uber has a new service called Uber Pickup, where they literally pick things up and bring them to you. So, we finally received the food, and it was surprisingly still hot! Night saved! As far as the rest of the night, I ended up crashing around 8pm. Happy birthday to me. lol

Hitting the Town

Now, it’s Friday, day 2, and we’re starting our activities. We headed downtown to Larimer Square, but sadly it was closed. So we walked over to 16th Street to check out the 16th Street Mall. I’m not sure if Larimer Square was closed because we were too early, because of the snow, or due to the lockdown that started back the week of our trip. All during our trek, there was a slight blizzard (to us) taking place. We couldn’t wait to get to Denver and experience the snow until we got to Denver and experienced the snow. It was basically like walking in the rain. lol

 So, during our journey, we made it to Angelo’s Taverna, where we had lunch in a greenhouse. The greenhouses are part of their solution to outdoor dining due to COVID restrictions. It was a really cool experience, besides it being pretty cold inside. We started with oysters. Then I ordered a huge calzone with sausage and bell peppers. After dinner, our server brought me a cannoli for my birthday.  Everything was delicious!

We had so many plans, like visiting Miracle at Larimer Square, a Christmas themed pop up bar. There’s one in Austin during the holidays too, but we never make it. We were also supposed to go ice skating downtown. While neither of those happened, we did ride the free 16th Street shuttle to the State Capitol and stumbled upon a German Christmas market in the Civic Center Park called the Christkindl Market. Each vendor was set up in a cedar booth that resembled a log cabin. We had some delicious hot chocolate and Russian style crepes from Blinchiki, one of the food vendors on site. If you’re in Denver in December, please visit this market. It’s like you’re in another place and time.

The last details given were from Friday and Saturday. At this point, the whole trip has become one big day because Saturday evening, my niece received some news that would completely change and outweigh everything. At around 5pm, mountain time, my niece received a call that her daughter was in a terrible car accident and had to have emergency surgery, among other things. Of course, this meant we spent the rest of the trip making sure she’d be ok. It was a long night, but our baby girl pulled through. Two months later, she’s still on the road to recovery, but she’s doing so good!

I’m sorry to end the story this way, but that’s how the trip ended. Everyone else’s flights left early in the morning. So, when I got up, they were already gone. I cleaned up, took a few pics (that were all later deleted), and headed to the airport. I did treat myself to some expensive airport restaurant food since I got there early. Then I met up with Jennifer, and we came back home. I will say that I plan to return to Denver when it’s safer and warmer so I can get a better experience of the Mile High City. Have you ever been there? If so, do you have any recommendations for when I revisit?