Glamping and Chasing the Milky Way at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park Road

It had been an hour since I left the Publix in Sebring. Since then, I'd passed a couple of gas stations, signs for hiking trails, and more fields full of cows than I expected. Now I was standing in the middle of a road surrounded by nothing but prairie, getting a little excited and a little nervous about what was ahead of me on my Milky Way glamping adventure.

This was my first time camping out alone, and after hearing stories from friends about some of their creepy solo camping adventures, I admit I was a little uneasy. That disappeared the second I pulled into camp. Kids running around, RVs, and well-built glamping tents with decks, hammocks, chairs and tables. After I typed in the code to my glamping tent, I couldn't believe what was waiting on the other side.

First of all, air conditioning. A very welcome greeting on a 99-degree day. The tent had wood floors, a bunk bed, nicely made queen beds, a fan, a fridge, a table, a diffuser, a guest book, and games. On a bench in front of the bed was a sign with my name on it. It looked like a boutique hotel room. The Timberline Glamping Company thought of everything, and I felt at home immediately.

My neighbor was washing dishes at a spigot in front of our tents and introduced herself. The first thing she asked was whether I had any shoes besides sandals, because the grass was full of biting ants. I was glad she mentioned it. She and her husband had driven down from Sanford to do some stargazing. This was their second night, and she told me about the astronomy pad, where people set up telescopes and cameras after dark. When I told her I was there for the Milky Way, she invited me to walk over once it got dark.

The Milky Way from Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

At 10pm, we headed to the astronomy pad about half a mile away, where other campers were already out, sitting around and watching the sky. They pointed out a few constellations and told us it would be later before the Milky Way really showed itself. So we agreed to take a quick nap and try again at midnight.

It had been a cloudy day, and the clouds were still dispersing as we looked up, but the sky grew clearer the longer we stayed out. Kissimmee Prairie Preserve is one of Florida's certified Dark Sky Parks. Most places in Florida, and most places east of the Mississippi, have so much artificial light bouncing around in the atmosphere that the fainter stars disappear, and the Milky Way with them. Astronomers rank night sky darkness on the Bortle scale, from Class 9, the bright inner-city skies where only a handful of stars are visible, down to Class 1, skies with virtually no artificial light and the night sky is fully visible. Kissimmee Prairie was the first park in Florida to earn an official Dark Sky designation, and it's still one of the only places in the state dark enough to see the Milky Way with the naked eye. That night there was still a faint glow on the horizon from distant towns, but overhead, it was dark.

I took pictures of the sky while a camping couple from Deltona told us about other stargazing spots they'd been to, and my neighbors rolled out a blanket and laid in the dirt while we all did our thing. Two other people came out of the cars they were sleeping in and started comparing gadgets, stories and pictures. Within minutes we were a little group of friends bonding over a shared love of stars, swapping stories and passing phones around to show off shots. When the friendly campers agreed to light up their tent so I could try for a photo, everyone wanted to see how it turned out, and someone even told me I should submit it somewhere. I probably won't, but it was a fun (and flattering) moment.

Rocket Launch at 2:39 AM

At 2:39am, a flame moved across the sky. I thought it was a plane heading our way, but it was a rocket launch. I've always wanted to see one in person. We watched it climb until we lost sight of it, and then we heard, and felt, a series of booms. The campers from Deltona explained what we were seeing and hearing and told me how the rocket's boosters are later recovered at sea. A few seconds later, we actually saw them falling. Completely unexpected, and amazing.

My neighbors and I stayed on the pad until 3:45am. The time flew by, watching the stars, pointing out meteors, swapping stories and photos, listening to the wind moving through the tall grass.

After a stop at the community bathroom, half a block from my tent, I sat on my very comfortable bed, scrolled through my photos in the AC, and listened to nature humming away outside. Even though I didn't have to, I checked every corner of the tent for snakes before finally turning off the light.

I slept well for about two hours, until the sun came up and a new round of nature sounds arrived. The campers stayed quiet, but the birds did not, and for some reason, the resident crows decided my tent was the spot for their morning coffee talk. Inside the guest book, previous guests wrote some funny notes about the crows during their stays. As a light sleeper, I wished I'd packed earplugs. Stepping out of the tent and seeing the prairie spread out around me in daylight was a completely different feeling than the night before.

The glamping tent had more than one note about leaving food out, because the ants will follow. I had no food, so I didn't think much of it until I picked my backpack up off the floor to pack up. There were hundreds of ants underneath it, they must have come up through the slats in the wooden floor. They were all over my legs in seconds, and they bit. I was not prepared for that morning surprise, but I immediately understood why my neighbor had told me to put on different shoes the night before. A few of them even hitched a ride with me. When I unpacked my clothes at the next hotel, they crawled out and bit me again. I can't imagine what would happen if someone actually left food out.

Overall, it was an unforgettable experience (ants included). If you love the Milky Way, being out in nature, or you're just curious about glamping, this place is amazing. It is perfect for solo travelers, romantic getaways, friends and family weekends!