Tree House Rental in Hope Hull, AL

Sometimes, particularly during Covid’s isolation, I like to browse the “unique” property listings on Airbnb. When this Family Size Tree House popped up, I knew we needed to go check it out. It turned out to be the perfect pandemic getaway.

Hope Hull, Alabama is about 20 min south of Montgomery and a few hours north of Navarre. It was easily reachable and most akin to glamping. The house has toilets, beds, electricity and a mini-kitchen area. It does not have any wifi, but there is excellent cell service.

There are two tree-houses on the property. We did a two-night getaway on a long weekend, so we had plenty of time to enjoy the house and farmland. The other house was not rented so we had full run of the place.

We packed like we were camping, knowing we would need to cart everything up the stairs and that things would be dirty. We were so pleased by the excellent use of space under the treehouse as a dry hangout area. A small charcoal grill is the main cooking source, as the kitchen only has a microwave, small fridge and hotpot.

We stayed in the larger treehouse which can sleep twelve! Each side of the treehouse has a loft and each loft had three mattresses. There were two hanging twin bunks and then two double beds. There is also a full bathroom with shower. The cabin also has a large TV and a selection of DVD’s. (There is no cable or internet.)

So many beds to choose from! I think that may have been the kids’ favorite part of the whole thing – choosing where they wanted to sleep.

The house had some board games and we also packed a ton of activities. The Littles decided they would move the beds in one loft to make it a play area. We played games, hung out and read books together in the “play” loft.

Outside there is plenty of room to roam. We could easily watch the kids play in the large field from the decks of the treehouse. We packed a ton of outdoor activities from balls and mitts to stomp rockets. Mostly though the Littles did what they do best and collected sticks to hit against the trees, collected bugs and largely ran amuck.

My boys love to have all the “gear.” I packed as much nature gear as I could find and let them free. They led “hikes” through the field and woods and we just followed along. There were birds and bugs galore. Speaking of which, make sure you pack some bug spray.

There are two little lakes on the property, both within view of the treehouse. Our boys love to fish, but they are pretty terrible at it. We brought along our fishing poles though and let them go at it. This is a great place to let them practice casting.

The fish in the lake were so tiny. We all laughed so hard when they pulled them up, but the kids didn’t care, they had the best time.

Another favorite of our pastimes is collecting nature stuff. There were wild flowers galore, plenty of great sticks, leaves and special rocks. We filled the treehouse with bouquets of wild flowers. It seemed to be an activity they never got tired of.

There are also plenty of hammocks to lie around in. One of our over-rambunctious kids did end up with a hammock related injury during our stay. You will want a book or other quiet activity to do laying in a hammock. At any given time one of us was lounging in a hammock somewhere.

We do nature journaling as part of our Charlotte Mason inspired homeschooling, so I always try to have those supplies on hand. That turned out to be another big hit. It just sort of fit the mood.

Evening activities were also a big hit at the treehouse. We cooked dinner on the charcoal grill and then made s’mores. They were not as good as over a campfire, likely because we were impatient, but they are a must have treat when you are glamping.

The Middle Little is usually our last one to fall asleep, so we invited him out on the porch with us for tea and stargazing. The stargazing from here was great. There is a pavilion on property that has a large floodlight that shines right onto both treehouse porches. Other than that light, we were able to get the area quite dark for some amazing stargazing. We were lucky enough to spot the ISS and a few other satellites.

I was excited but also nervous about parking us in one place for a few days, but it was just what we needed. We didn’t even use all the activities that we brought along! The simple act of having new surroundings was enough to reinvigorate us.