The tiny-house trend is spreading through the Chattanooga Valley. There are several tiny-house outfits offering overnight accommodations in the area, but Candlelight Forest, a self-proclaimed “simpler-times resort” located 20 minutes from downtown Chattanooga, offers enthusiasts the opportunity to stay in tiny houses in the trees.
The 450-acre property near Chickamauga offers the chance to get away from it all with amenities like canoeing and paddleboarding on Lake Angela, cornhole, fishing, hiking and s’mores fire pits.
“It’s a great location in the North Georgia valley to get away – there’s so many hiking trails,” said Ramey Arnold, who does marketing for Candlelight Forest.
The property’s two available treehouses were recently featured in Architectural Digest for their immersive forest experience so close to a downtown area.
“It’s that kinda place where we could instantly relax,” blogger Jan Schroder wrote after her stay. “It’s the perfect unplugged getaway for your family as they can roam the woods and enjoy all those fun activities we did as children – chasing fireflies, having treasure hunts in the woods, swinging on rope swings and just relaxing with only the sounds of the wind in the trees and birds as they fall asleep.”
The treehouses are built on a steep hill that offers seclusion in a forest setting. Steps provide easy access to the front door, but out the back, the view from the porch is of the treeline canopy. Guests can stay in Sophie’s Roost, designed by Sophie’s Shoppe on Chattanooga’s North Shore, or Le Petit Chateau, a French-farmhouse-inspired design that features in-house designer Sarah Grace Tatum’s souvenirs from a trip to Paris.
Each two-story, 510-square-foot treehouse is fully climatized and sleeps six via a queen size bed tucked away in its own nook on the open-concept main floor, and four twin bunks in the loft.
The property also features house-size accommodations for those who aren’t looking for something quite so small. “This Old House” – built by the iconic remodeling production as an “idea house” – is a two-story mountain Craftsman that sits next to a seasonal creek and features a wraparound porch, open floor plan and two master suites. The 2,000-square-foot home sleeps eight between its queen-size master bedrooms and two others offering two twin beds each.
It’s not the only famous connection for the property. There’s also a private treehouse built by “treehouse master” Pete Nelson, who designs and builds treehouses for Animal Planet’s “Treehouse Masters” show as well as through his own company, Nelson Treehouse. Arnold said guests on the property can visit his treehouse, though it isn’t available to stay in.
Email Heather Newlin at hnewlin@timesfreepress.com.