TROY, Ohio — This summer, the city of Troy has taken camping to another level with its newest Float Troy experience at Treasure Island.

What You Need To Know

  • Float Troy offers camping on the Miami River with floating tents at Treasure Island

  • This is the only public floating tent activity in the nation according to the coordinator

  • This project was made possible through a grant from the Troy Foundation

  • Float Troy is currently booked for the 2020 season, but accepting reservations for 2021

“It’s a floating hotel room,” said Matt Clifton, the Float Troy onsite coordinator. “There are windows that are open or closed if you want them to be. It’s a screen. Let the breeze through. We give you a kayak. We give you a canoe, whatever you choose to get out there to your raft—life jackets, paddles, there’s even floating fire pits you can rent to have little fire out there if you choose.”

The eight-by-eight feet tents can fit up to four people and can be rented up to two nights. This is the only public tent-floating activity in the nation, according to Clifton. Clifton said it’s a fun way to explore camping on the Miami River.

“There's limited things that you’re able to do, and this is a great way for you to get out,” he said. “You’re definitely more than six feet apart from anybody else, and it’s something different even if you just want to say you’ve tried it once. It’s definitely different and a whole lot of fun to do.

And not only is the experience on the tent fun, but there are other things to explore as well.

“There’s a restaurant here in the harbor. He has really great food,” he said. “There’s fishing here up and down the river, and there’s also a park on the other side that you can paddle across to and hang out in the park too if you have young ones.”

This new outdoor experience was made possible through a grant from the Troy Foundation. The floating tents were purchased by a manufacturer in Troy.

And while having fun is one of the main objectives of this activity, keeping people safe during the pandemic is one of their top priorities.

“We’ve got a sanitized system that we can put in there, clean everything out really good—as I said the windows up too to let everything out and then they’ll be good to go for the next set of people for the next night, too,” said Clifton.

It’s been a busy season for Float Troy and Clifton said it's a great feeling because of all the hard work that was put into it.

“There’s been a lot of us involved in that process and then with COVID happening, we were all a little nervous. And it’s just taken off and we couldn’t ask for a better first year,” he said. “It’s been great.”

Float Troy is currently booked for the 2020 season but is accepting reservations for the 2021 season. For more information, click here.