Glamping business near Elkhorn shares beauty of Nebraska’s great outdoors

ELKHORN, Neb. (KOLN) – A rainy day doesn’t ruin a day of camping at the Prairie Fireflies Glamping site. The weather is just a part of outdoor Nebraska, and the owners want to feature the beauty of nature in their home state.

“This is our way to take all of the work out of camping for families and couples, so that they can just enjoy outdoor Nebraska, while we do all of the work for them,” said Gina Samci, co-owner of Prairie Fireflies.

Gina Samci and her sister Tracey Bendams manage two tents and three small cabins that are named after flowers and trees that are native to Nebraska. The camp host stays in a bell tent as well, so they can be there whenever campers need them.

“Prairie Rose is super popular with couples,” Samci said during a tour of the site. “We have had four proposals and four yeses, so a pretty good track record on proposals.”

Visitors are surrounded by modern living while still being able to enjoy nature. The bell tents accommodate up to four people, and their safari tents can accommodate six people. Each tent has electricity, plush beds, gas firepits outside of the tent and a station for tea and coffee.

If people want more of an escape, there are hiking trails that were created by dairy cows years and years ago. Samci’s daughter knows the route well.

“It’s really calming,” Emma said. “After a busy week, you can just come camp, and it’s really quiet and really nice.”

In 2021, Samci and Bendams let people rent tents that they would come set up in their backyards. Eventually, they started working with property owners to establish their glamping site. Their site near Elkhorn is at 4550 N. 216th St.

After tornadoes hit the area on April 26, the owners cleaned up a minor amount of debris.

“We’re really fortunate that we didn’t have a direct impact, but our neighbors did, so we want to be very sensitive to that and thoughtful in how they’re doing,” Samci said. “I think the Elkhorn community and the Nebraska community at large was amazing in the way that they responded. In our communications to our guests, we share with them how they can support the community.”

The glamping business opened a week after the storms, and they are continuing to try to make happy memories for families and couples. The property includes a garden house for events and a green space for yard games. Samci and Bendams supply the tents with books that celebrate Nebraskan authors.

“We grew up in Nebraska, so we lived all over central Nebraska and then eastern Nebraska,” Samci said. “We both moved away, and I actually lived out of the country even.”

But the Great Plains called them back to their roots. The sisters have been sharing their childhood with people since 2021 with about 25 years of experience in hospitality and working with small businesses.

“Nebraska is home, and we have realized the beauty of Nebraska and how special it really is, and this is where we chose to raise our families,” Samci said. “This is just kind of our way to recreate our childhood growing up because we camped all of the time.”

The owners of Prairie Fireflies Glamping are wanting to partner with more property owners to expand their business. But for now, people can book cabins or tents near Elkhorn by visiting their website.

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