Charming Tree House in the Forest

My family of three stayed here for one night in late June. We got in a little late, around 7:30 pm, after we met up with some friends for dinner in Murphy.  My one regret is that we did not get here earlier to allow more time for play during daylight hours. If you are not entertained at this site, you are not trying hard enough. There is an amazing amount to do in this small space. First is the treehouse itself. You can get up into it by climbing up a spiral staircase or up rungs on one of the support logs. To get down you can go down one of two slides or shimmy down a firepole. Inside the treehouse are two twin bunk beds and one fold out cot. The space inside is rather small. With the cot folded out there was barely any room to move. However, since you will only be inside to sleep, it works. The beds were fairly comfortable, though the top bunk is quite close to the roof. I slept in the top bunk and my husband slept on the bottom. Every time I would turn over in the night I would hit my knee on the roof and wake him up.  :)  There is also a small table, first aid kit, candles, and a composting toilet with a curtain in the corner.  The toliet was a bucket with a seat, and not being used to such a small, low potty, it was a little uncomfortable, but doable. The treehouse is not sealed - the roof is sound but there are spaces between the planks on the sides (screen has been placed over the sides to help control bugs). The windows have cloth hangings, and one of the entries has a closing door. The other is wide open. Being summer, I was worried about heat and bugs, but I didn't have a problem with either. We were provided two battery-powered fans to keep us cool. By the time they died it as late enough that heat wasn't a problem. 

Now that's I've described the treehouse, let's talk about the rest of the site. Underneath the sleeping platform is a ground floor platform with a hammock and small propane stove with pots. A water cooler and trash can are also here. A few steps away is a firepit, and a few chairs, with provided firewood and marshmellow-roasting utensils. For play, there are hula hoops, a half-buried tire to climb on, a slack line, and a tremendously cool rope swing. This swing is about 30 feet high, and to start to climb up to a platform 5 feet above the ground. When you swing, it is a huge pendulum. What a thrill! Next to the treehouse is a homemade sled slide (see pics) that is also a blast. Down next to another rented space (the Hollar House) is a small zipline. Up the hill are blackberry bushes. So like I said, lots to keep you happy and entertained. 

The lows: There's always got to be a couple things about a place that I wish could be better. For us, it was the Hollar House. The folks staying there came in at 9:30 pm and their headlights showed right into the treehouse. When they spent a minute or two turning around their car in front of the house, the lights blinded us at the campfire. And when they turned on the string lights on the porch and went inside, it was too bright to enjoy being around the campfire. I went over and kindly asked them to turn the lights off, since they weren't outside anyway, and they graciously obliged, but other campers may not be able to or want to approach strangers to ask them to turn off lights. 

The highs: Besides the cool swings and slides, the owners were most definitely the best. Emilie and her two sons were very friendly and helpful in greeting us and getting us squared away. Her youngest son was the same age as my daughter and they had a great time playing together. She gave us bowls to collect blackberries and showed us how the swings and zip line worked. Awesome folks. 

Overall, would recommend. Don't come here expecting a 5-star suite. It is tight and rustic. But it is a lot of fun!