The view from the firepit area outside the Lobby Tent at Under Canvas Acadia in Maine Photo Credit: Sarah J.F. Braley
Sleeping under the stars at a campground didn't used to be an option for an incentive trip, but then came glamping resorts — luxury properties with all the comforts of a hotel and all the beauty of the wilderness.
According to Fortune Business Insights, the glamping market is a major growth area in the outdoor hospitality and travel sectors, valued at $3.71 billion globally in 2025 and projected to grow from $4.07 billion in 2026 to $9.15 billion by 2034. One company, Under Canvas, is starting to add event structures to its properties, further courting incentive and corporate groups.
How glamorous is glamping? We needed to investigate. Heading up to Maine to visit one of Under Canvas' resorts, we found that the beautiful tents that make up the 100-acre Under Canvas Acadia are secluded enough that they don't appear until quite a ways down the long approach from the turnoff. Eventually they appear along the shoreline, just a bit more than half an hour from Acadia National Park's Cadillac Mountain trailhead.
Inside the Lobby Tent at Under Canvas Acadia Credit: Sarah J.F. BraleyWeaving past the accommodations tucked in meadows against the woods, at the height of leaf-peeping season in northern Maine, we arrived at the lobby tent that looks out over Union Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. We got acclimated for a bit before taking a guided shore walk and returning for dinner and a little reading time in the lobby's comfortable gathering area.
After dark, fairy lights lit the path through the camp, helping us find our way up the hill, around a corner and down to our tent on the edge of the woods.
Our Stargazer Tent came with a teepee where kids can sleep. Credit: Sarah J.F. Braley"Roughing" it
Under Canvas resorts have several tent options, from two-person structures with king-size beds, shared bathroom facilities and wood-burning stoves with complimentary firewood, to the suites that sleep four with a separate bedroom wing for the king-size bed, a lounge area with a queen-size sofa bed, a private deck with lounge chairs, a private bathroom and those necessary wood-burning stoves with stocked firewood.
We slept in a Stargazer Tent, a generous room with a sitting area, full private bathroom, a small deck, and a king-size bed whose head is tucked under a night-sky viewing window. (Eye masks are provided in case, as happened when we visited, the sky clears and a full moon makes its journey across your pillows.) A fire crackling in the wood stove warmed the night.
Even though the accommodations feel rather hotel-like, dark descends in campground quiet, disturbed only by the sounds of woodland footfalls and the wind.
Construction on the Bass Harbor Head Light began in 1858 and the light has been guiding sailors ever since. Credit: Sarah J.F. BraleyDaytime activities and excursions
As luxurious as our tent was, we spent our days exploring Mount Desert Island, strolling Bar Harbor, and venturing into Acadia National Park. During our wanderings, we visited Thunder Hole, where the waves crash hard into a carved-out inlet — although the sea was rather calm, so there was not much thunder that day. We also drove the "quiet" side of the island, visiting the Bass Harbor Head Light and the nearby fishing village of Bass Harbor.
While we orchestrated our own path for our days, the glamping resort offers numerous adventures. Hike up Cadillac Mountain, one of the first places on the Continental United States to see the sun each day; take a sunset boat cruise, a sunset kayak tour or a bioluminescent kayak tour; head out for private hiking and biking outings in the national park; or jump on an e-bike to explore the Carriage Roads, 45 miles of rustic pathways built from 1913 to 1940 and gifted to the park by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and family.
More to explore
Under Canvas Acadia is open spring through fall; its 2027 dates are May 6th to Oct. 20. The property has a waterside stretch perfect for an event tent, and has hosted up to 100 people.
The company's 17 glamping resorts are scattered throughout the U.S. wilderness, including two near Yellowstone National Park, one 10 minutes from Yosemite National Park, and a 182-acre spot near Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The 18th property opens in 2027; Under Canvas Santa Fe, on 640 acres in New Mexico, will have the resorts' first permanent event tent, which will accommodate 80 people seated or 130 for a reception. For meeting in the wilderness, that might be all the additional incentive you need.