There is a particular kind of magic in falling asleep to birdsong and waking to dappled light on canvas — and Firelight Camps has turned that feeling into an art form. Set on 15 wooded acres in Ithaca, New York, this Finger Lakes glampground trades roughing it for safari tents with real hardwood floors, plush beds, and porches made for slow mornings. If your idea of a perfect weekend is a hike to a waterfall in the morning and a glass of local Riesling by a communal fire at night, this is the splurge pick that still feels wonderfully unplugged.
We are always hunting for places that make glamping feel effortless rather than fussy, and Firelight lands squarely in that sweet spot. It is comfortable enough to bring a reluctant camper and wild enough that you never forget you are sleeping in the woods.
The Setting: A Finger Lakes Forest Minutes From Ithaca
Firelight Camps sits in Ithaca, near the southern end of Cayuga Lake in New York’s Finger Lakes region — a landscape of deep gorges, waterfalls, and vineyard-dotted hills. The camp is pitched in the backyard of the historic La Tourelle Inn & Spa on Danby Road, tucked into a mature forest rather than an open field, which is exactly why the tents feel so private.
The location is the real draw. Upper Buttermilk Falls hiking trails start right at camp, so you can walk from your tent to a gorge trail without ever getting in the car. Downtown Ithaca and its pedestrian Commons are about 3.5 miles away (a 5–7 minute drive), Ithaca College is roughly a mile south, and Cornell University is about 4 miles out. That means you get the best of both worlds: a quiet, leafy base camp with easy access to restaurants, coffee, and the region’s famous wine trail.
For waterfall chasers, this is prime territory. Buttermilk Falls State Park is quite literally next door, and the wider Ithaca area is packed with gorge hikes and state parks. We think the smartest move is to plan one big hike per day and leave the rest of your time for doing gloriously little.
The Stay: Safari Tents With Hardwood Floors and Real Beds
This is glamping in the truest sense. Firelight Camps offers two styles of luxury safari tents — King Tents and Double Queen Bed Tents — and each comes outfitted with hardwood floors, a plush king or queen bed, safari-inspired furniture, battery-powered lanterns, and a private tented porch with rocking chairs. There is even a writer’s desk and chair, a detail we love for anyone who wants to journal the morning away.
Occupancy is straightforward: King Tents sleep up to 3 people and Double Queen Tents up to 4, and cots can be added to fine-tune the bedding. Four tents (numbers 16, 17, 18, and 19) are “electric” and include heaters, fans, floor lamps, and outlets; they cost a little more and are the ones we would book for early-spring or late-fall trips, when Upstate New York nights turn genuinely chilly. The rest of the tents stay warm with generous bedding, and in the colder months the camp provides complimentary hot water bottles and hand warmers.
Bathrooms are handled properly. A renovated bathhouse about 400 feet from the tents (a 2–5 minute walk) has hot showers, flushing toilets, changing rooms with full-length mirrors, and eco-friendly shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion, plus laundered towels. Most stalls are unisex, with a couple of fully private bathrooms for anyone who prefers more privacy.
The lobby tent is the social heart of camp. A camp host greets you at a front desk, and the space holds a beverage station with freshly brewed local coffee, a water dispenser, and a phone-charging station, plus a game and book library, bocce ball, and corn hole. Communal campfires are lit at sundown in the lounge areas — a nice reminder that you do not need your own fire ring to enjoy the evening. (The camp actually cannot put fire rings at individual tents under New York fire code, so everyone gathers together, which honestly makes for better conversation.)
Breakfast is included and served daily in the lobby tent: locally sourced pastries, bagels, fresh seasonal fruit, yogurt, house granola, and hard-boiled eggs, with gluten-free and vegan options. Coffee and tea flow around the clock. In the afternoon and evening the bar pours Finger Lakes wines, beers, ciders, and spirits, plus seasonal treats like hot chocolate or mulled cider. Note that outside alcohol is not permitted in the lobby or communal areas — so plan to enjoy the local pours on site, or bring your own picnic and use the complimentary propane and charcoal grills outside the lobby tent.
What Guests Love
Guests consistently rave about two things: how genuinely comfortable the tents are, and how much the setting makes them slow down. The sentiment we hear again and again is that it feels like “fancy camping” done right — real beds, real showers, but still the smell of pine and the sound of the woods. The nightly campfire and homemade s’mores (the camp store sells s’more kits) are a recurring highlight, and the complimentary evening tasting at the bar earns frequent shout-outs.
Our advice, based on what people report: book an electric tent if you are visiting in the shoulder season, and claim a seat near the fire early for the best sunset view. Bring layers — Upstate evenings cool off fast even in summer — and take advantage of the trail access before breakfast, when the gorges are quiet and the light is soft. Coffee on your tent porch while the mist lifts off the trees is the moment most guests say they will remember.
It is also worth noting the camp is dog-friendly, which is rarer than it should be at this comfort level. Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the non-electric tents for an additional fee (dogs need to sleep on the floor, stay leashed in communal areas, and never be left unattended).
Practical Notes
Firelight Camps runs a seasonal calendar, generally open from mid-May into early November, so summer and fall are your windows — and fall, with the foliage, is arguably the star. Check-in is at 3 PM and check-out at 11 AM, with late checkout possible for a fee. There are 21 accommodations in total, which keeps the place intimate; booking early pays off for weekends and peak foliage dates.
Rates start around $189 per night for two-person occupancy at the standard weekday rate, with weekends and busier dates running higher and electric tents priced above standard. Taxes and gratuity are not included. Extra adults, children, and dogs incur additional fees, so confirm the details for your group when you book.
Who is it best for? Couples looking for a romantic, low-fuss escape; families with kids who want adventure without the tent-assembly drama; and anyone traveling to Ithaca for a college visit, a wedding, or a wine-country weekend. If you need RV hookups or want to pitch your own tent, this is not the place — but for a comfortable, design-forward night in the woods, it is hard to beat.
For more ideas in the same neck of the woods, our guide to glamping in Upstate New York covers plenty of nearby options, and if you love the safari-tent style, compare it with Terramor Outdoor Resort in Maine. Prefer a different New England flavor? glamping in Vermont is a short detour away.
Firelight Camps is the rare spot that delivers on the promise of glamping without overdoing it — waterfalls by day, a fire and a glass of local wine by night, and a real bed waiting when the stars come out. Pack a good book, leave the tent stakes at home, and let the Finger Lakes do the rest. Happy glamping.
