Building A Glampground

“If you build it, they will come…” – Kevin Costner A Field Of Dreams. Well, we got the quote wrong. According to a Google search Kevin Costner’s character actually heard a voice say “If you build it, he will come.” I’m not sure we would have embarked on a 4 year long (at times grueling) venture to build a glampground from the ground up had we heard the quote correctly. We’ll need alot more than a single guest to fill these sites and bring our dream family business to life! Nonetheless, we started just like Costner did – with a raw field and a dream.

From there it took permits, consultants, more consultants, architects, contractors, biologists, surveyors, geologists, anthropologists, SWPPP inspectors, more permits, county officials, state officials, ag boards, commissioners, health departments, Cal Fire, road signs, excavators, truckloads of road base and decomposed granite, graders, truck loads of trees, vintage trailer purchases, vintage trailer remodels, loans, alpacas, two baby aplacas, two baby humans, upholstorers, electricians, solar experts, tractors, huge tractors, labor, tow trucks, painters, a Government auction, friends with bigger trucks, advertising – and the unwavering support of your spouse and family members.

We were inspired by the pandemic to move to Paso Robles full time, leave our jobs, and transform a ranch into a one of a kind vineyard farm stay. In many ways a far crazier decision than building a baseball diamond in a corn field – especially in Calfornia vs. Iowa. We did some market research, attended the first annual American Glamping Summit, and emulated some of our favorite glampgrounds, but we didn’t speak to any successful RV park owners. Had we had those conversations, we might have learned that most people buy exisiting parks rather than attempting the herculean effort of building from scratch. (We heard this the second time 4 years into the project, and at our wits’ end, while waiting in line at the HCD office in Sacramento trying to obtain our operating license). But we made it through phase 1, we are open! And if we take a step back and look at what we’ve built – it’s incredible, and worth it all.

Vinyl Vineyards Campground is 10 sites located on a 120 acre vineyard ranch in Paso Robles. The sites are surrounded by rolling hills, ancient oak trees, grasslands, vineyards, creeks, ponds, and some of the best natural landscape California has to offer. Before it was a campground, there was a farm road. We would hike the two mile loop around the ranch as a family, enveloped by the nature and tranquility, dreaming of what was possible. That trail still exists, only now we’ve opened our gates to share the beautiful experience with our guests. There’s 4 sites to bring your own RV / trailer or pitch a tent. And there’s 6 restored vintage trailers stylishly themed after musical artists for the real glamping experience. Come experience the Paso Robles way of life, surrounded by nature, great wine, friends, and family. We’ll give you a vineyard tour, introduce you to our alpacas, share our wine, and show you our plans for the future. Our goal is to be the best vineyard farm stay experience in California. We’re replanting our entire 29 acre vineyard and reinvigorating the soil by cleaning up the farming practices and grazing the land, we’re build our winery and tasting room, planning concerts and events, and hope to continually improve the experience for our guests.