In a Hole in the Ground

I’ve sat down to write this with the widest of smiles across my face 🙂

My relationship with my niece and nephews has always been special but as they grow into their adolescent lives and I continue to grow in to my 40’s, I can’t help but feel like it gets easier to connect with them. We have a lot of fun when we are together!!

It’s one of the biggest gifts in my life!!!!!!!

As these years go on, I try to think of ways to make celebrations, like birthdays, a bit more personal by asking them to be involved in the plans and process.

My nephew J is a planner extraordinaire and often likes to have another plan before we even finish the one we are trying to enjoy, lol. His enthusiasm is contagious and I love it.

His birthday is in January, and he let me know at my birthday, the September prior, that he would like to stay in a hobbit house for his gift/quality time. Thankfully that option is a bit easier for me than it might be for others and I was able to help make that wish come true for him!!!! Less than hour up the interstate from me is the town of China Grove and there, the Cherry family have built an enchanting outdoor space called Cherry Treesort

What started as one father/son getaway in the woods now holds 8 Tree houses, able to accomodate groups of various sizes, and, YES, two hobbit houses!!

My nephew and I opted for the one with the green door 😉 named Mimi and Papa’s.

This is the smaller of the two units and is fit with a full size bed, pull out couch, living area and bathroom. The perfect hobbit sized accommodations for just the two of us.

Immediately, J insisted on opening the round door and we were pleased to find it is indeed functional, although not ideal to keep going in and out of in the winter, lol. We got a few really great videos of donning our cloaks and walking sticks whilst exiting into the wooded path beyond the front door.

He was beyond thrilled to have received the cloak and walking stick for Christmas and had them on when I picked him up for the trip. He wore it all weekend!

In addition to the layout of the house itself, it’s fitted with a TV but no WiFi, so if you must have something to view, you can choose from a small selection of channels or bring your own DVDs. We did our best to entertain ourselves without technology but as it was winter (and snow was falling), playing outside past nightfall wouldn’t have been pleasant, so we brought Battle of the Five Armies to watch.

If it hadn’t have been snowing, we may have taken advantage of the fire pit out front, which I am sure is a hit in the warmer months! We DID have the fixings for s’mores though and happily had them without the fire.

The treesort has a trail that winds through the woods and into the two sections of countryside where you can walk past all of the other spaces they have to offer. Each one is unique and well worth having a look at while taking in some fresh air.

Although located really close to the increasingly popular city of Kannapolis, owner Trent Cherry has done an excellent job of creating some on-site activities for those wanting to stay and enjoy the outdoors, or simply give the kids a way to exert some energy.

When we were there, there was an ice skating rink and giant bounce pillow. As much as we enjoyed taking walks around the property, my nephew braved the cold multiple times to jump around a bit and I think that might have been a favorite aspect of the stay.

There have been a few changes for the Summer season and I believe you can enjoy pickle ball during a stay these days…but you’d have to go and take a look for yourselves 😉

As for me, I have eyes on the Sweet Ashley treehouse for my next writerly retreat. I think it’s spot in the middle of the woods has the perfect amount of isolation to set my muse loose!

Have you ever stayed at a hobbit house? Please circle back and let me know if you have or plan to!!

~CNC