Treetop Hideaways
Treetop Hideaways, at 576 Chattanooga Valley Road in Flintstone, can be reached at 423-300-6690. The getaway can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/treetophideaways/ or visit treetophideaways.com. To learn more about Treetop Hideaways’ partner OddStory Brewing Company, visit facebook.com/oddstorybrewingco/.
Coming up
Treetop Hideaways next event, Green Drinks, will be hosted by green|spaces Wednesday, July 27 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.Green Drinks is an international program that holds monthly meetings in cities all over the world, encouraging people from all areas of business, academia, government and non-government to mingle. There are no specific prerequisites for attendees beyond a firm awareness of the need for environmental sustainability.
Ever wanted to relive childhood days by climbing a tree or hanging out in a treehouse?
Treetop Hideaways in Flintstone wants to help you do just that with its upscale treehouse available for rent.
Guests can walk up a wooden staircase and check out the unique treehouse constructed out of old North Georgia barn wood.
"My partner Enoch Elwell's wife, Hannah, did the interior decorating," said Treetop Hideaways co-owner Andrew Alms. "She likes the Shabby Chic feel with reclaimed materials. All the exposed wood lends itself to that style of decorating and restoration. Upwards of 95 percent of the materials are reclaimed. All the wood is from barns in North Georgia."
Inside the treehouse, visitors will discover a Shabby Chic arrangement of furniture. To the left is a couch from Urban Outfitters with a rustic wood coffee table holding an antique log book for guests to sign. To the right is a unique sink basin made of hand-thrown pottery.
Next to the sink is an enclosed small bathroom with a unique shower, the base of which was made out of half of a Chattanooga Whiskey barrel, and the bathroom features a composting toilet.
Upstairs in the loft is a Needle and Thimble foam mattress for guests to sleep on. An antique chair sits in the corner. A lighted globe sits on an antique night stand. A fan is available for added comfort, but the treehouse has air-conditioning.
Walking back down the staircase to the sitting area below, one can see a back deck that holds three locally made wooden bar stools by Wood Wise. Guests can sit on the bar stools and look out over the wooded view - 17 feet below.
"The big dream would be to have eight to 10 tree houses with an event venue somewhere on the property," said Alms, adding the current treehouse is 250 square feet indoors with an extra 90 square feet on the back deck.
But for now, Alms and Elwell are happy about the fruits of their labor, which began with their Kickstarter in December of 2014 to raise $35,000 and ended with a celebratory grand opening late last year.
"The closest person to stay here was in St. Elmo," he said of the Hideaways' success thus far. "The furthest person to stay here was from Thailand and she got engaged while here. Her boyfriend is German. They wrote in the guest book in German and in Thai. Derek 'Deek' Diedrickson stayed here and he's famous in the tiny-house community. 'Tiny House Builders' was his show on HGTV. "
Coming up, Alms said he plans to partner with Diedrickson on a tree house building workshop open to the community.
"We have days here or there in the summer still available to book the treehouse," said Alms. "The treehouse gives people the ability to get outdoors while not leaving the amenities that keep you comfortable. It's being able to be in a space that automatically changes the view of the world around you and hopefully helps you get to a point where you can relax and open up your imagination."
And beyond the business of renting, owners Elwell and Alms want to offer a place where the community can gather, and they can encourage environmental stewardship.
To do so, the unique getaway hosts a monthly event featuring a local company. For the month of June, Treetop Hideaways partnered with OddStory Brewing Company, which intends to open its first brick-and-mortar location in downtown Chattanooga this fall. And for July, Elwell and Alms have partnered with the nonprofit green|spaces, furthering their message of sustainability and appreciation for nature with a "Green Drinks" event.