Our Anniversary Trip to Tennessee’s First Luxury Treehouse™

Our Anniversary Trip to Tennessee’s First Luxury Treehouse™

My husband and I had our 11^th anniversary on September 27^th. Over the years, we have celebrated everywhere from Pagosa Springs, Colorado, to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. We are at the stage of life, however, when we are building a house (broke) and raising three young girls (tired), so we enjoy finding unique, restful locations in our own “backyard.”

Enter: Sulfur Ridge: Tennessee’s First Luxury Treehouse™

I first heard about Sulfur Ridge in Bloomington Springs, Tennessee, through Urban Southern, a leather bag company we’d collaborating with during the launch of my newest novel, How the Light Gets In.

I remember clicking on the pictures and being in awe of the whimsical Amish-built treehouse with a turquoise-patterned floor and nineteenth century stained glass windows culled from the Trinity AME Zion Church in Henderson, Kentucky, which was demolished in 2017.

Therefore, a dream come true when my husband and I got to stay at Sulfur Ridge. We had originally planned on going out to eat and then returning to the treehouse. But we fell so in love with our little haven (replete with a 1976 Rockola Princess Juke Box and $5 worth of quarters!), we grabbed sushi and ice-cream from the grocery store and headed back to jump in the hot tub.

We played oldies. I broke open a complimentary bath bomb and soaked in the clawfoot tub while drinking tea and reading a novel. We talked about how fast the time has gone—and how much has happened in that time—and yet Sulfur Ridge’s magical setting caused the years to fall away until we felt like carefree newlyweds.

Meeting the Artist

Earlier, I’d had the pleasure of meeting one of the owners, Susan Dyer. After we hugged, I asked, “You’re an artist, aren’t you?”

She shrugged and smiled. “I just like to create.”

She was being modest. Only an artist would put the time and effort into Sulfur Ridge’s one-of-a-kind creation. Two eight-foot-tall yellow doors, highlighting a custom-built gate fashioned from wine bottles, welcome you to the remote, nineteen-acre grounds.

Susan and Trent Dyer’s good friends at DelMonaco Winery donated the bottles. The Dyer’s grandchildren then washed and scraped off the labels, and the Dyers placed them in a pattern that created a gate. When natural light shone through the glass that September afternoon, it cast amber and gold patterns on the sidewalk leading to the treehouse.

Susan said, “You have to try the key.” She held out a gold key to me and explained that the ornate front door had come from an 1848 antebellum mansion located near McMinnville, Tennessee. Local folklore believes the mansion served as a hospital during the Civil War.

The door’s crowning piece was the 1899 P & F Corbin rotary style turn key original door ringer. It took me a few tries to figure out the lock, but the ringer was its own time capsule.

Custom-made quilted chairs accented the seventy-three-year-old turquoise-pattered floor, which had once been located in the Wilson Sporting Goods factory on Cookeville’s Historic West Side.

Susan said, “Every uniform worn by professional athletes in baseball, tennis, football, basketball, golf, and soccer came from the Cookeville plant. Each professional uniform was custom tailored to the specifications of individual athletes, several of whom, including Sandy Koufax and Pete Rose, visited the Cookeville facility to be fitted.”

She led me through the house, and I noted the gold grout framing the bathroom’s sleek white tiles and the chandeliers that threw prisms on the ceiling. Every inch of the treehouse—from the window wall to the swing bed beneath the treehouse—had been crafted with such care.

The Dream for Sulfur Ridge

I asked Susan her greatest dream for Sulfur Ridge. She replied, “To create a sanctuary for marriages.”

She reached onto the plush bed and lifted a book. “This is from one of our guests.”

“To Sulfur Ridge,      

To be writing on the last page is fitting as our time comes to an end here. This has been a wonderful getaway for us. As our kids are now older, we reclaim our youth . . . just the two of us . . . alone and together. The time here has restored us, and it reminded us that in the rush of the world there are places to rest. We are grateful that Sulfur Ridge was our place. We trusted all of your eat out and hiking recommendations, and we were not disappointed! We have had great food and seen unforgettable waterfalls. But the most blessed time was spent dancing to the songs of days gone by and swinging to the sounds of nature, cuddled on a plush bed of pillows. So much more could be written, but you will have to excuse us. We have four more quarters, and we want to dance!”

Susan and I looked at each other with tears in our eyes. “That’s why I do it,” she said.

My husband and I can attest that Sulfur Ridge is a unique sanctuary to rekindle marriages and to remember days gone by. Life’s too short, so reserve your night at Tennessee’s First Luxury Treehouse™ . . . and dance!