Unique Travel: Georgia Edition

We love our jobs and thank goodness for that because between Patrick spending 80+ hours there a week and me working full time- we spend more time at the hospital than at home. Which is exactly why vacation is a top priority to us. While we love our home so much, sometimes you just have to get away- even if it’s for a weekend! Time to decompress is super important in this household and for overall health in general. Patrick finds it difficult to truly turn off from the hospital- still being “in town”- and I’m certainly not going to complain! 

When it comes to vacation, most importantly, is doing something you both enjoy. Because travel can of course add up, we try to save in other areas (cooking at home is just one example- which isn’t challenging for us- because we don’t have much time to go out to dinner often anyway). For us- our ideal vacay includes nature, quintessential towns & foodie restaurants. We love to be outside scoping out a new city or just being secluded in the mountains (or wherever). I am also a major sucker for an adorable, unique airbnb. We have stayed at a good amount of unique places- so I figured I would start sharing them with you guys-in an effort to hopefully save you a headache (or two) trying to plan your own vacation away! Lets start with Chickamauga, Georgia!

Candelight Forest- Treehouse

This spot was SO amazing. I cannot stress it enough. We just randomly stumbled upon it. We thought we were going to be in the middle of no where Georgia in this tree house (which we were totally ok with too) BUT turns out Chattanooga is only 20 minutes away. Along with the super cute city of Chattanooga, right outside, is the cute, small little town of St. Elmo. Definitely recommend getting a cup of coffee in St. Elmo before heading into Chattanooga and just enjoying the simplicity of the town. The people that live and work there are so friendly and only have the greatest things to say about the area- Patrick and I have actually considered moving to St. Elmo/Chattanooga one day because it’s just such a great location with lots of activities and outdoorsy things without the huge city hustle and bustle.  Also, while in Chattanooga- check out Ruby Falls (Cavern Waterfall) and Rock City. Rock City is amazing- almost like a nature theme park is the best way to explain it. Large waterfalls, old/gorgeous bridges looking over wild deer (including albino deer- so cute). You can also “see” 7 states from the highest point of Rock City. Beautiful cliff with a magnificent waterfall.

Back to Candlelight forest. They describe it as a “simpler times resort”. Patrick and I walked around the grounds for 3 hours because it was so breathtaking- surrounded by mountains and built so flawlessly. We truly felt like we were transported back to the good old days. We stayed in one of their two tree houses. It was only Patrick and I but there was A TON of room in this tiny (or not so tiny) tree house. There was room for four kids and two adults. For larger groups you can check out the “cottage”. Besides the different accommodation options they also have this adorable, “olden day” town. Complete with ice cream shops, convenient stores (The Plucky Peacock Farm-stand), hiking trails, canoeing, badminton, paddle boarding, s’mores by the fire pit and fishing-all within the resort grounds! We could have easily stayed in this spot over a week with all the different activities and sites to see in the area. Wildly enough, there are also residents that live on the 200 acre property.

Above is just us venturing around the property- running into all kinds off cool spots!

If you are looking to get away from the craziness and relax in a beautiful area without the cost- I’d definitely check this place out. Patrick and I plan on taking many trips back without a doubt!! Especially when we have a family, because the space upstairs is so unique and adorable for kids!

The photo above shows where the four bunk beds are. The space is just huge! On the opposite side of this room there is also a coloring desk and bookshelf for kiddos.

Here is the link the the treehouse we stayed in and the other tree house as well:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18576152 (where we stayed)

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18565598

http://thecandlelightforest.com/ (to rent out the cottage or for more info on the resort-check out their website)

The only con: Not pet friendly.

Hope you all have carved out some time to unwind + relax with the fam whether it’s at home or away!

Happy Friday Eve Everyone!