Our One Year Anniversary In The Trees!

One year ago today, Shelley and myself along with our partners John and Shannon Brewer walked into a closing company and purchased a Branson area campground with visions of treehouses in mind. This came after almost exactly eight months of planning and negotiating, arm twisting and convincing banks that a treehouse resort would be a worth-while venture. Imagine that, grown adults wanting to build treehouses! Well.....Why not!

Without revisiting the steps it took to get here, (You can browse back through the blog to see all that) I wanted to simply do an over-view of our experience so far. Ironically, the very first challenge we encountered was the realization that we had to learn how to run a campground. You would think that we would have thought about that. After all, we were buying a campground! But no. We were prepared to break ground the very first day on our first cabin. That got delayed by about a month while we got a crash course in Camp Management 101. Fortunately, there were good staff in place who made our learning curve tolerable!

Next obstacle was the various lift pump failures, pressure pump failures, tractor breakdowns, mower breakdowns, (I'll spare you the pictures of the lift pump repairs) Anyway, by July, we finally had broken ground on the first treehouse cabin. We named it Misty View for all of the hazy mist hanging in the woods in the mornings when we went to work on it. It became our romantic couples cabin and has been impressing guests from it's first day.

We took a bit of a break through the fall and prepared for our next project. While we built Misty View, we gave tour after tour to camp guest. A large percentage of them wanted to be able to bring their family members with them to experience "Sleeping in the Trees".  That lead us to develop the idea of a group treehouse site. Ben's Hide-Away is the result.

Ben's Hide-Away consists of three treehouse cabins build in a "Camping Cabin" style. They have heat, A/C, refrigerator, microwave and flat screen TV's. Each cabin sleeps up to five and we allow tents on the site at no additional charge. The site has a central restroom and an out door kitchen. Other features include a covered picnic table area, a fire pit and barbecue/smoker.

We were completing the final touches on Ben's Hide-Away on June 2, 2015, exactly one year after we purchased the camp. Guests arrive tomorrow, June 3rd.

We have had more fun than anyone should be allowed to have. Our friendship with our partners has grown. We are living a small piece of our dreams of providing a memorable experience for our guests. We are planning more treehouses, more fun, such as zip lines and Pirate Ships in the trees. Water canons and.........................Well,    You will just have to keep up as best you can!

Come and visit us when you can and "Sleep in the Trees!

See our website at Branson Treehouse Adventures

Snow Delay

A snow delay is kind of like a rain delay at the treehouse site. The only difference is that after it quits snowing, you still don't want to go out and work! Today, the temperature will top out at 26 and then bottom out at 4!........4!!.........Who wants to get out and work when it's that cold. Oh wait. That's at night! Okay, who wants to get out and work at 26? I think we will wait.

Never fear though. Our plans are still on track for the completion of the group treehouse site! Debby and Shannon got together the other day and decided that our group site will officially be our "Glamping" site! Glamping is the term used to describe "Glamerous Camping" I suppose that is the perfect description since much of this site will be similar to camping, yet with amenities not normally associated with just camping!

The cabins will have beds, heat and A/C, flat screen TV's with cable, microwaves and refrigerators, front decks, back decks and will be beautifully furnished on the inside. Outside will be a covered picnic table area, private fire ring, modern restroom and outdoor kitchen.

We will be allowing guests here to set up tents for even more sleeping capacity. It is only a few steps away from swimming, the playground, the gift shop, showers and laundry area. It is really about the best site in camp! It will certainly be the most FUN!

For now, the whole thing is covered in SNOW. Who ordered that? Anyway, by Memorial Day weekend we plan on having this site complete. We are taking up to 10 advance reservations on this site for $175 per night for the entire 4 cabin site! (did I mention that all cabins are up among the trees, but ONE OF THEM will actually be built IN a tree!) How cool is that!

If you want to be among the first to reserve your party on this site, Call our office at 417-338-2500. They will get you fixed up for a "Glamping" experience you'll never forget!

You can also visit our website at: www.bransontreehouseadventures.com

SEE YOU IN THE TREES!

Did Something Just Move?

Now that we have started the next round of treehouse cabins, I'm finding it difficult to take time to sit down and do updates. It's February here and we get temps anywhere from below freezing to 72 degrees just a couple days ago. I thought I would share a couple of terms and phrases that accompany treehouse building.

DARN TREES! - The most common statement heard on a treehouse construction site. It occurs when the cabin, the worker and the trees are all attempting to occupy the same space at the same time. Since the cabin and the trees really don't care, it's the worker that is responsible for this statement.

Did something just move? - This is not an obviously "Special" statement, because everything moves........all the time! What distinguishes it from the normal "Did something just move?" is when something moves that is not expected to move! Say...... scaffolding for example. No, wait....That always moves. LADDERS! No, those always move too. You know what? Everything moves all the time!

Scaffolding - Something.....actually anything ...... that randomly resembles actual scaffolding. Attachment points can be walls, posts, trees, heavy equipment, ladders, and any other semi permanent (or temporary) object. Attachment devices can include nails, screws, cargo straps, zip ties, ropes or heavy equipment when used with a combination of previously listed attachment devices. (See photo to the right!)

Who's going up on the roof? - A statement made by any worker who does not want to go up on the roof!

Flipping the coin - A mystical process to determine who is going up on the roof. When there is a coin flip, Martin always wins. Which is also part of the reason coin flips have been outlawed!

WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS ANYWAY? - We have not been able to answer this question!

Get a rope - So far, this statement has been used exclusively to anyone needing a tie off rope and harness for working on the roof. Although it is being contemplated as a suitable phrase for use as we begin to figure out "Whose idea was this anyway!"

That is SO COOL! - The phrase heard as each stage of construction is being completed! It signals that it is now okay to move on to the next phase.

I think I'm too old for this - A statement made by everyone except John and applies to every aspect of treehouse construction except coffee and donut break. The frequency of this statement is in direct proportion to the height that one happens to be working.

HEY, I'M IN HERE! - A sound that emanates out from the inside of the cabin as nails are being shot through the cabin walls missing the studs.

These are just a few of the commonly heard phrases and statements heard around the treehouse construction sites.

Watch for more news in future posts and don't forget to check out our website at: www.bransontreehouseadventures.com

Treehouse Construction Schedule for 2015

Misty View Treehouse

It looks like we are going to be building as many as six treehouses this year (2015) on 3 different sites. Last year we wanted to build more, but neglected to take into account that we needed to learn how to run an RV Park and Campground business as well. (You think we'd have thought about that ahead of time!) Still, the Misty View Treehouse was completed in just over seven weeks of actual work. So with that in mind, we've come up with the following plan for 2015

4 Treehouse Group - Site 17
We have not named this site yet. It will be a group site with four treehouse cabins on it. They will be designed in a whimsical/rustic style with one of the four being actually built between and attached to two trees. There will be a suspended swinging bridge connecting it to a third tree where we will build our signature "Coffee Deck". We plan to have a regular front deck along with a "Juliet Balcony" overlooking the pool area. The other three cabins will be elevated into the trees with bridge entry's and back decks. They will each sleep up to five with the whole group accommodating up to 20 with additional tent space allowed. The cabins will not have kitchens or bathrooms but will be built in the "Camping Cabin" style, BUT we are building restrooms and an outdoor kitchen right in the middle of the site. The site will also include a private fire pit area, covered picnic tables, barbecue pit and is situated close to the private shower rooms, laundry and office/store. We have some amazing features planned for the cabins, but this site will not be the "ultra-luxury" treehouses secluded back in the woods like Misty View. Designed for family's, friends and fun, This site is already attracting a lot of attention among our guests. A guest group will be able to rent anywhere from a minimum of two cabins to all four depending on their needs. We will only rent to a single group at a time, so your group will have private control of the site during your entire visit.

Family Treehouse - Site 72
Again, we have not determined a name for this treehouse cabin yet (we welcome suggestions) This treehouse is planned near the trail-head of the hiking trail across the trail from Misty View. Our plans for it is to have a private bedroom for adults and a bunk area for up to three or four children. It will have a kitchen area and a bathroom plus outdoor amenities. We are thinking of adding a possible deck under the treehouse itself for barbecue, hanging hammocks or whatever. We are still brainstorming that one. This treehouse will not have the "Romantic Theme" It will be a fun themed cabin with extras that a family with children will enjoy!

We will be starting this cabin immediately after completion of the group site we hope in May. Maybe after we take a week break on a Caribbean Island somewhere! (No LOL, I'm serious about that!)

Ultra-Romantic Treehouse - Site 68
Our 3rd treehouse project planned for this year is a very romantic cabin secluded back into the trees. We have some special features planned for it. Features we did not take the time to add when we were building Misty View. In this cabin we plan to still have the small kitchenette, private bathroom with shower, Jacuzzi tub, Coffee Deck (of course) and nice sized back deck. In addition, we plan to add a fireplace on the inside and perhaps one on the outside back deck area. The crowning touch to this treehouse will be the semi-private outdoor shower on the back deck. Secluded from other guests, it will have exposure to the private area of the deck and partly to the woods. (Believe it or not our research has shown that this is one of the most popular features of treehouse cabins) We plan for this cabin to be ready for late summer and fall bookings.

We will be taking advanced reservations for all of the treehouses by February so if you are interested in any of these, MAKE SURE to get subscribed to our email updates on this page! We will be sending out construction progress, pictures, pricing and completion dates on a regular basis!

You can visit our websites at: Branson Treehouse Adventures and Acorn Acres Campground

This is getting EXCITING!