Our park is designed with that in mind; to connect people with nature
by providing unique spaces to relax, be invigorated and be inspired.
NATURE AND NURTURE
Life moves quickly—sometimes too quickly for us to pause, breathe and think. Yet nature has the power to get us do all three, without us even knowing.
Research at Japan’s Chiba University and the Nippon Medical School, has found that the practice of shinrin-yoku (‘forest air bathing’), or a walk through trees, does more than pass the time. MRI scans of people engaging in forest air bathing reveal that after just 20 minutes, blood flow in the brain actually creates a state of relaxation.
In another study, at Toronto’s Baycrest Rotman Institute, depressed adults who spent time amidst nature also showed marked improvements not only in mood, but memory function as well. To read more, you can check out this article or read Your Brain on Nature by health and science researcher and writer, Dr Alan Logan.
Yet finding the time to make time for ourselves can be a challenge.
Carved out of the wilderness, we offer luxury tented camping, wholesome cuisine and unique spaces in which to relax, re-invigorate and be inspired.
ABOUT US
Located on 89 acres in the heart of the Ottawa Valley, Elements Luxury Tented Camp and Nature Spa is on the site of the former Storyland Theme Park, which was operational from 1966 to 2011. A popular local destination for families, it was sold to entrepreneur Nicole Laframboise in 2013.
With previous interests in accounting, real estate, construction and farming, Nicole built upon the European concept of ‘glamping’—glamorous camping—after realizing that the developed site could be restored to its natural beauty, yet afford visitors a way to interact meaningfully with nature.
Working with an expert team, some areas were cleared of Storyland artifacts, whilst others were left fallow, in order to encourage the re-establishment of native flora and fauna. Any trees that posed a danger were removed and mulched onsite for plant bedding.
From those efforts, Elements Luxury Tented Camp and Nature Spa has risen as a both a model of integration with existing natural surroundings and a blueprint for creating an environment that encourages humans to explore their natural environment in a safe and sustainable manner.
HISTORY
The rock at the highest point of Elements Luxury Tented Camp and Nature Spa is unremarkable in every way but one. Carved upon its face are words ostensibly left by a legend: “Champlain, Juin 2, 1613.”
According to historical lore, the carving commemorates the landing of legendary French explorer, cartographer and diplomat, Samuel de Champlain.
Five years after founding New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608, the intrepid Frenchman travelled by canoe up the Ottawa River from Hochelaga (an indigenous village located on what is now present-day Old Montreal), in the hopes of finding what the indigenous people called ‘the northern sea’ – possibly Hudson Bay.
Passing the magnificent setting of what is now Ottawa, he travelled by water and portage to Pembroke. Along the way, many historians believe he stopped and marked the rock, known locally as Champlain’s Lookout.
During the existence of Storyland, Champlain’s Lookout became a focal point of wonderment and historical debate. The awe and thrill of discovery continues to the day, through Elements Luxury Tented Camp and Nature Spa.