Portage County glamping, now with alpacas

MacKenzie Raines of Belltastic Party Events and Scott Westberg of Pure Passions Farm teamed up to offer glamping on an alpaca farm this summer. Jeremy Brown/The Portager

Bell tent glamping — or glamourous camping — has become a popular pastime among campers who want to experience nature with comfortable beds, nightstands and coffee tables.

And now, in Portage County, Belltastic Party Events and Pure Passions Farm have joined forces to offer bell tent camping on an alpaca farm.

As weather permits, campers will have access to Pure Passions’ 4.6-acre alpaca farm and will have unlimited access to alpacas, goats, a playground and picnic area, a basketball court, a fairy garden, a gift shop and a variety of other activities.

Jeremy Brown/The Portager

The partnership was announced on March 30, at Pure Passions Farm’s Easter egg hunt at 7679 Seasons Road in Kent. A bell tent was displayed in the pavilion to give visitors a glimpse of what it will be like to camp in one.

Belltastic Party Events was founded by MacKenzie Raines in 2023 and is the only business in Portage County that offers a catered glamping experience with bell tents.

For Belltastic, it’s all about a custom experience.

“Just having your own personalized decor in the bell tent is what’s really fun about it,” Raines said. “We can personalize it to the person’s wants. We have different colors of blues and greens and pinks, so we can throw pink in there for a little girl’s birthday party, so just being able to really personalize the tent to what the customer wants, being able to really make it their own.”

Jeremy Brown/The Portager

Scott Westberg, owner of Pure Passions Farm, has been working with alpacas for 27 years, but it wasn’t until 2022 that he decided to buy an alpaca farm in Kent to start an agritourism business that allows the general public to participate in recreational and educational activities in a farm setting.

The farm houses 40 alpacas, 25 goats and provides public and private events, as well as alpaca rental, goatscaping services for vegetation management at public and private properties and, now through his partnership with Raines, glamping with alpacas.

“Both of our businesses offer an experience,” Westberg said, “so we came up with this idea to offer a combined experience, to make a super experience. I think the bell tent, the glamping, is just a really great way for people to connect with each other in a nice environment, then you add the alpacas, and the goats, and the farm, and the country life to it, it just enhances what’s already there.”

There are plenty of activities for campers at Pure Passions Farm, and the bell tents will be set up in an area where alpacas roam freely.

Jeremy Brown/The Portager
Jeremy Brown/The Portager

“I like the idea of being on the farm with the alpacas or with goats,” Raines said. “They have a playground for the kids, a fire pit, and you’ll actually be in the fence with the alpacas. Just being with the animals is a really cool experience.”

Alpacas are about the size of a great dane and have a docile disposition, which makes them easily approachable by all age groups.

They’re closely related to camels and have been bred for their fleece in South America for 6,000 years. It wasn’t until about 40 years ago that they were introduced to the U.S., making them one of the newest animals in the country.

“A lot of people have them as pets,” Westberg said. “A lot of people have them as investments, like they go to alpaca shows and win ribbons and sell babies.”

Jeremy Brown/The Portager

Callie Denham is a local mother of three who saw an advertisement for the Pure Passions Farm Easter egg hunt on Facebook and decided to surprise her children with a trip to see the alpacas. It wasn’t until she showed up to the Easter egg hunt that she learned that glamping with alpacas could be in her future.

“We’re having so much fun,” Denham said. “I love animals, they’re just so cute, and it’s just a fun time. We’re definitely coming back as soon as the weather gets better. We love camping and we love animals, so combine those, that’d be pretty fun.”

If you’d like to learn more about camping with alpacas, or would like to book an event at Pure Passions Farm, please visit: https://www.purepassionsfarm.com

For general inquiries about catered glamping with Belltastic Party Events, or for booking, please visit: https://belltasticpartyevents.com

Jeremy Brown
+ posts