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Awe-inspiring treehouse retreat: Luxury Airbnb you have to see to believe

BOX SPRINGS, Ga. — Treehouses were never like this growing up!

Relax amongst the trees 20 feet off the ground, surrounded by towering pines on eight private acres. That’s the way Sheri and Jason Watson describe an escape to their Airbnb treehouse.

“Our goal for Bide In The Trees is to give people a truly unique, luxury treehouse “experience,” Watson said. “We didn’t want to build just a place to sleep or camp in the woods, but we wanted to give our guests a place to enjoy many different things - stargazing, forest bathing, nature watching - water, fish, birds; a place to nap outdoors, cooking and eating outdoors, fireside chats, amazing views from over 20′ high, a beautiful place to work remotely, soak in an outdoor tub almost 15′ high in the trees....and so much more.”

Bide in the Trees Is the Watsons’ treehouse several years in the making.

In the fall of 2020, the Watsons and some friends were exploring her family’s property in Box Springs, about two hours south of Atlanta near Columbus. Watson already hosted two Airbnb properties at that point, so when the friends mentioned that the property was the perfect place for a treehouse rental, she ran with the idea.

“A lot of prayer went into the decision to build the treehouse,” Watson said. “We walked the property extensively, examining it from different angles, wondering if we had a place that guests would truly enjoy visiting, as well as determining the ideal location on the property. We conducted thorough online research to ensure that a treehouse in our area would be a good decision. Our overall love for hosting, our family’s history in real estate, and our passion for designing spaces ultimately led us to go for it.”

The treehouse construction began in 2021, a challenging time to find both labor and materials. Before the project was completed, materials from around the world were sourced. The treehouse features 100-year-old doors, refurbished antiques from Turkey, kitchen fixtures from the United Kingdom, custom-made items from Ukraine, and numerous locally sourced items in and around the treehouse.

“I tell everyone that the treehouse is filled with pieces that have stories. It was like a treasure hunt to bring it all together, but my daughter and I had a lot of fun finding all the pieces over the course of about two years.”

The property includes a 100-foot skywalk into the trees, which takes guests to a sky deck for panoramic views of the night sky.

“When we finished the main house, we faced a decision of whether or not to build the skywalk and skydeck,” Watson said. “We could have simply added rails to the existing deck and called it a day, but something inside me kept feeling like the extra effort would be worth it because I firmly believed that guests would truly enjoy walking out into the tree canopy and experiencing a view that they wouldn’t otherwise see on the property.”

Mission accomplished.

The property also boasts a Koi pond, an outdoor soaking tub where guests can relax in a heated jet tub on the main deck, a full-size bed swing, and multiple fireplaces.

“We truly love the Koi pond with its beautiful waterfall feature, as well as the full-size bed swing that my dad built using timber right from the site that we cleared and then took to our local sawmill,” Watson said.

Bide in the Trees welcomed its first guests on Christmas Day in 2022.

“My wife and I came here to elope,” noted David, a guest in his review of the treehouse. “It was beautiful and peaceful. We enjoyed drinking coffee and eating breakfast on the balcony, napping in the swing bed, getting in the outdoor tub at night and listening to the frogs and crickets and watching the lightning bugs, watching the fish in the Koi pond, and saying our vows to each other on the sky deck. This was the best Airbnb we have stayed in, and we will definitely come back at the next chance we get.”

“There aren’t adequate words to describe how wonderful our brief stay at Bide in the Trees was. As beautiful as the photos are, they don’t even do this property justice. It is breathtaking and exactly what you’re looking for if you need a peaceful getaway with your partner,” noted Kayla in her review.

“The term ‘bide’ has meaning in John 15:4: ‘Abide in Me and I in you.’ Bide means to abide, lodge, rest, pause, or tarry. It represents a stillness that is often missing in today’s busy lifestyles. We hope that when guests stay at Bide in the Trees, they leave feeling that they have had a chance to do just that,” Watson said.

Rates at Bide in the Trees start at $350 per night.

Next on Watson’s agenda is another rental. While she is considering another rental on the property, possibly a tiny house or luxury A-frame structure, she is also exploring options at the beach and in the mountains.

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