8 minute read
Homegrown Nostalgia at The Fields of Michigan
The Fields of Michigan describes itself as a return to life's simple pleasures. Located in South Haven, Michigan, the glamping resort is surrounded by towering pine trees and bushes full of blueberries. While for guests it may be a simplistic and relaxing experience, there is a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes that allows the resort to offer a one-of-a-kind curated experience for every single guest.
Irene Wood
As with any glamping resort, location is incredibly important, but with The Fields it was more than finding somewhere that looked nice. For Irene Wood, founder of The Fields of Michigan, it was a chance to return to her hometown and share it with guests from around the world, "I wanted The Fields to be a great reflection of me, my hometown, my style for sharing all of my favourites. So being able to bring the camp to a blueberry field (South Haven is the blueberry capital of the world) allowed me to share my love of hospitality in the sweetest corner of the world," says Irene.
It's clear to see why Irene has such fond memories of South Haven, and with its beautiful surroundings and great foraging opportunities, it makes for a perfect resort location. "We're 3 miles as a crow flies to Lake Michigan, nestled along the Black River, connected to the famous Kal-Haven bike trail, and surrounded by the fruit belt giving our guests a little bit of everything during their stay - blueberries, cherries, cranberries, apples, grape vineyards and much more over the course of the summer and as they come to harvest."
The Fields of Michigan
Now that the location had been decided, it was time for Irene to start designing the camp, "We wanted our intimate space to feel cohesive and our level of service to be equitable for all guests. To ensure this, all of our accommodations are the same – walled tents with king beds, heat, air conditioning, en-suite bathrooms, individual fire pits and dining tables. Along with tents we have a number of communal spaces that offer opportunities for guests to gather as a community around the fire – one of the many features that is a guest favorite.”
Right from the outset, The Fields of Michigan was designed to be an adult only camp, but there was another decision to be made that Irene was equally as certain about, “We have 3 dogs and we quickly learned that their favorite place to be was at The Fields – roaming, sniffing, socializing, sunning and visiting with guests. The way we see it, dogs.... ours and guests, bring a friendly, grounded atmosphere to camp which is just what we strive for.”
With a great location and inviting camp design, the team at The Fields of Michigan could have called it quits, safe in the knowledge that they had created a beautiful site and that guests to the resort would have a wonderful and relaxing time. But the idea was always far bigger than just opening a glamping resort in South Haven, for Irene, the aim was to share the magic of her hometown, for guests to experience the memories that she had of the place, and the nostalgia she felt when thinking of it.
The Fields of Michigan
And so, Irene set off to find ways to bring South Haven alive for guests, starting with the spa, “I think that the spa is such a natural extension of what our guest experience is. The 2 little cabins are tucked deep in the forest along the Black River allowing the sounds of nature to drift through the cabins during their sessions emphasizing the healing and restorative properties of nature. Forest Bathing at its best! Currently we offer massages and aromatherapy as that can be executed effortlessly for the enjoyment of guests,” says Irene.
On top of this, a large number of activities are offered to the guests from wine tastings and charcuterie to cocktail classes and sailing. Each of these activities is carefully chosen using a simple but effective method, “The way our Field Team chooses activities is really simple – if we love it – we offer it.
“Each person on our team brings such unique talents that make the execution of our activities effortless and exciting. Conner, our Beverage Manager, has a passion for wine, spirits, service – so he builds programming for the season that allows him to share what brings him the greatest joy.
“Lisa – one of our massage therapists is also a yoga instructor so she delights in the opportunity to share both crafts with guests.
“We’re always looking for creative ways to enhance our guests’ stays utilizing the talents of our team which magnifies the connectedness that they seek and one of the luxuries we offer,” says Irene.
The Fields of Michigan
With such a high level of service along with the incredible surroundings, it wasn’t long before Irene started to get inquiries about weddings, “To have a couple say they want to share their special day at The Fields with those they love most warms our team’s hearts. We are regularly consulted about wedding dates. We’d like to think we pick the wedding that fit us as much as a couple picks The Fields. We only have a handful of weddings every season, so to be sure we give it the ultimate attention, making sure it’s a good fit for everyone is important.”
Irene explains that “We love seeing the camp used for a celebration of love as it is truly the greatest compliment.” But hosting weddings means not only a lot more work, but also a lot more pressure, “Weddings are a lot of energy with many moving parts. It has been important for us to curate a team of professional vendors that are excellent compliments to our location and understand the limitations of your space but are creative geniuses in their fields. It’s challenging designing a wedding out in a field with endless possibilities but also the effect of nature at play. However, when everything is in sync the outcome is pure magic.”
The Fields of Michigan
Weddings represent a huge change in how the resort is run, introducing a period of time where the focus of service is vastly different to what is usually expected. As it turns out however, this experience has become hugely beneficial for the Family Camp Weeks that have been introduced this year, “Initially, our intention was always to have the camp be an adult camp. Most of our offerings are tailored to those seeking wine tasting, yoga, massage, etc. But with the pandemic families didn’t have the option to travel without their kids so we pivoted. But, in doing so, we learned that when the camp was co-mingled, we had kids looking for more kids and adults looking for more adults.
“To be sure that each guest gets exactly what they came for, we’ve moved to an adult-only camp, with the exception of family camp weeks. Those weeks we will shift our programming offering more family friendly experiences in a way that it enhances the stay for families and their children, think kite flying, tie-dying, pumpkin carving, apple bobbing, scavenger hunting.”
The Fields of Michigan
The Fields of Michigan
The introduction of family weeks as a result of the pandemic sums up how The Fields of Michigan reacted to the event, which was to look for ways to offer people an escape in a safe and responsible way, “The reality is that the pandemic accelerated all outdoor hospitality. We provide the ultimate social distancing, even today. We are an outdoor venue. That said, even we were on the “Glamping is the social distance activity” train. As soon as shelter in place was lifted, we welcomed guests in a safe manner, providing all levels of service with limited modifications to programming. We were one of the lucky ones,” says Irene.
What about the next steps for Irene and The Fields Team? “We’ve always said that before we looked to the future, we had to make sure that we had really perfected the present. We’ve built an incredible team and brand – we’re having a ton of fun hosting guests and sharing our space and with that being said we are very excited to dream about where our next Field of…. will be.”
The Fields of Michigan
