Theme parks are back in business after shutting down in the early days of COVID, but some parents are still reluctant when it comes to crowds. For them, one Virginia inn keeper offers Plan B – a very private adventure for families.
Carrie Rogers and her husband Josh live on a quiet, tree-lined street in Richmond – their five-acre lot tucked behind another home, separated from the James River by very tall trees and a house built on stilts adjacent to the forest.
“It was designed by an architect, modeled after a western fire tower, so you’ll notice the top floor is 12 feet wide by 12 feet long, and then it was inspected by a structural engineer, so it’s structurally sound,” she explains.
The two-story treehouse contains a queen bed for parents, a bunk bed and five hammocks.
“There’s a basement lounge in our house with a sleeper sofa where grandparents, if they come, like to sleep. The basement is totally closed off for guests, so it’s got a kitchenette, a bathroom, a lounge with a few bean bag chairs, and then we have a huge bike room and life jackets, because there’s a great rapid right there that kids can float down,” Rogers says.
The property is filled with games and toys, accessible from the Rogers’ back yard and connected by a slide to the forest floor and a set of tree swings. This, says Carrie Rogers, is a place for families to bond.
“This is a Pippie Longstocking Moment for you. You’re going to grab your backpack. You’re going to throw in your favorite toys, the junkiest snacks that you’re not allowed to eat, maybe some soda, and you’re going to just run off to the woods and camp out in your neighbor’s tree house. Play games in the yard. Slide down that slide. It will hold a 300-pound man. You’re not going to break it. We want you to embrace this as an adventure, and even if you’re 50 years old, we want you to feel like you’re ten. So when they arrive we remind them of that with a sign on that tree right there. It says, ‘Attention! You’re now entering childhood. Leave your worries at the door.’”
True – you’re still in the middle of Richmond. You can hear traffic crossing a bridge nearby, but Rogers thinks of that sound as urban waves.
“We love going to the beach, and at the beach you hear this steady drum of the waves coming in, and anyone who’s ever lived in London or New York often feels comforted by the sounds of movement around them and of other people.”
And, of course, you can see the Rogers house – but this Super Host on AirBnB thinks that’s okay too.
“Much like when you were a kid and maybe you camped out in your back yard in a tent, and every now and then you might peek out and make sure Mom and Dad’s kitchen light was on and they were awake. I want people to have that sense that there’s somebody here who’s goong to protect you if you get scared in the dark.”
On the first night Rogers listed the property, she had five requests from people wanting to stay, and since then the tree house has garnered more than 400 five-star reviews. Carrie enjoys playing host and will even lend guests her kids.
“They like to play with the guests when the guests’ parents ask: ‘Can your kids occupy my kids?’ That’s kind of a benefit that a lot of parents really like to take us up on.”
And she’s proud to provide lodging for tourists drawn to Richmond by its river trail and neighborhoods of restaurants, shops and bars that feature local ciders and beer.
“Our trails get two million visitors a year," Rogers boasts. "Richmond is becoming like the hot spot on the east coast for outdoor adventures.”
Before COVID, she says, the tree house attracted guests from as far away as South Africa and China, but now it’s hosting more Americans in search of a safe and satisfying domestic adventure.
