Bolt Farm Treehouse: Anniversary Weekend Getaway
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The most dreamy weekend
This weekend, Corby and I snuck away to the Bolt Farm Majestic Treehouse in Walhalla, SC to celebrate our anniversary a little early. It has been such a crazy year so far and it was so nice to get offline for a bit and just enjoy the whimsy of the Bolt Farm Majestic Treehouse!
They say the treehouse is like a time machine, and I’d agree with that. It’s very vintage shabby chic, with the wall of windows looking out into the woods, vintage doors, ladders and trapdoors on the decks. We made pizzas in the pizza oven on the outdoor kitchen deck, equipped with a grill, cooler, sink, pizza oven, and table for two! The deck above that had two chaise lounges where we split a bottle of wine and some mosquito bites.
The Bolt Family are 19x Superhosts and this is the most popular Airbnb in South Carolina. The treehouse is incredibly romantic and whimsical at the same time! It felt like we were on a luxury retreat without the hovering staff but had all of the fun of a treehouse for kids. While there are trails throughout the property, we stuck close to the treehouse and ventured out for a day trip to Helen, GA. The Bolt Family Treehouses are constantly covered in the press and travel magazines, so it was very exciting to be able to celebrate our first anniversary there.
Our favorite parts of the treehouse were definitely the swinging bed underneath the structure and I really loved the vintage china. The swinging bed was so comfy, and had a high powered fan to keep you cool and the bugs away. Corby was able to finally finish a book he’s been reading since December 2019 down there! The vintage china and the retro 3-in-1 breakfast cooker were also adorable! They even left us two farm fresh eggs to use. We did place a Walmart pick up grocery order that we picked up on the way in, so we had eggs, turkey sausage, bread, ham, pizza kits, snacks, beer and wine. Breakfast was so much more quaint at the table on vintage china plates with silverware rather than drive thru breakfast!
The treehouse does have heating and cooling. indoor bathroom, mini fridge, 3 in 1 breakfast cooker, plenty of outlets, and cell phone signal. It’s off from the main house, and not as “in the wilderness” as the listing makes it seem but we didn’t have any issues with noise from the road or seeing anyone else. We were 6 minutes from the restaurant we got dinner at Saturday night.
Here’s how we spent our time:
Friday:
Had lunch at Tiki Bar & Grill at Lake Keowee and watched a storm roll in over the lake. Paid our tab and headed to pick up our grocery order on the way to the treehouse.
Check in at 3:00 p.m. just in time to enjoy the sound of the afternoon storm on the tin roof. We had dinner at the Lighthouse Restaurant and Event Center, and then headed back to the treehouse for the night.
Saturday:
Woke up and made a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, cinnamon toast, and turkey sausage before heading out to Helen, GA. About an hour and a half later, we arrived. We had no idea Helen, GA would be so popular! We originally intended to ride the Alpine Coaster but it was closed, so we enjoyed Helen, GA as much as we could while social distancing, and only eating outside.
Another afternoon storm ended our time in Helen a little earlier than anticipated and we were headed back to the treehouse. I will say, the rate of no masks and masks worn as chin guards in Helen was quite alarming! Once we got back to the treehouse, we ordered take out from Paeseano, an Italian restaurant suggested in the Bolt Family guidebook. We ended up with a ridiculous amount of delicious food that we ate under the stars and chandelier on the dining deck. I had leftovers from my pasta for two days!!
Sunday:
We started Sunday with a quick breakfast at the treehouse and then we were off to break in Corby’s new golf bag at The Walker Course, the course at Clemson University. That’s all I have to say about that. After playing golf, we headed back to the treehouse for showers and naps. It was nice to have a leisurely afternoon, before getting ready for our photoshoot with Madeline Turner Photography. The treehouse does have a steamer and extra hangers, so it took no time at all to steam and layout our outfits. I’m so excited to get the photos back and I’ll share them here and on Instagram!
Monday:
Check out was at noon but Corby likes to get up and get going. If it was up to me, we’d leave 15 minutes before check out everywhere we go. We finished off the rest of our breakfast groceries, packed up, straightened up, and checked out. I was so sad to leave! We made two quick stops by Stumphouse Tunnel and Issaquena Falls on our way out of town.
To answer all of the Instagram messages we got:
Where is this?
Walhalla, SC. Click here for the Airbnb listing.
When did you book?
We booked in December, about 10 minutes after they opened the 2020 calendar and there were only 2-3 weekends left! They release more dates at noon on the 15th of every month. Get on their email list.
Did you do the VIP experience?
We really wanted to, but decided against it for a few reasons. First, I’ve still got my on-going dental issues. Earlier this month, I took a toddler to the face in a hilarious collapsing inflatable incident, and my front left tooth was knocked in. Basically, I’m on a soft food or very small bites diet since my front tooth is undergoing some major dental stress. Since I couldn’t eat the smores and would likely have trouble with the pizza we decided not too. There were also a few reviews saying the VIP package didn’t quite provide enough value for the money on the pizza making kit for vegetarians. I’m not “vegetarian” per say, but I’m definitely a cheese only pizza person. We picked up our own pizza making stuff from Walmart, and it was a good thing because I ended up having to cut it with a steak knife into tiny bites!
This is the first Airbnb experience we’ve had where we’ve explicitly disclosed we were celebrating something and not had a bottle of wine waiting. Their house rules and welcome video also cover not drinking red wine on their white rugs or sheets, and their Airbnb listing says “Please let us know what you will be celebrating during your stay. Also, at this time, please make us aware of any special needs you may have.” I guess if you don’t pay for the VIP Experience package, you don’t get any welcome or congrats wine!
I will say, they were FABULOUS in allowing me to ship Corby’s anniversary gift to the treehouse since a golf bag doesn’t quite fit in a weekender bag. That was a fun surprise for him to open the door and get his present right off the bat! He says I’ll have to wait for our actual anniversary for my gift.
Where in the world is Walhalla, SC?
An hour-ish from Greenville, SC or just 15 minutes from Clemson’s stadium.
The pictures look amazing online - was it really like that??
Yes! The fireplace wasn’t in the room and some of the classic board games were removed because #coronavirus but it was everything the pictures and listing made it out to be and more! They do have AC and heating, and it was very comfortable. They provided shampoo and body wash, robes, towels and shower shoes. They also covered basic cooking tools and spices. They do have a hair dryer though I thought the listing said they didn’t have one.
Online says it’s only month long rentals?
They have treehouses in Charleston, SC and this one in Walhalla. Charleston is month long stays only due to short term rental zoning regulations. The Majestic Treehouse in Walhalla is available like a regular Airbnb.
Anything else I should know?
I am a sleep snob and didn’t love their pillows. There was one firm foam-ish one, one regular soft pillow, and another long plain pillow. Based on our experience, the foam pillow is the best, but since there was only one we switched back and forth. The outside rope lights don’t cut off til around midnight, which I’m sure is fine for normal people. However, anyone who knows me knows I go to bed early and need it to be pitch black. I wish I’d had a roll of electric tape to cover the lights on the AC unit and smart outlets but instead I couldn’t get to sleep and stay asleep because of the light.. dramatic I know but when you’re out in the woods without any streetlights, everything is dark except those pesky lights! I used to carry an eye mask when we traveled but I left it in Charleston in January - time to get another!
We took salt and pepper, a lighter, paper towels, and plasticware that we didn’t need at all. I also took my steamer and hair dryer because I didn’t think they had either… they did. We did take a trashbag, and thank heavens because their little trash can is not enough if you plan to make any meals at the treehouse. There’s nowhere to take your trash that we saw and no directions in the guidebook, so you’re stuck with your trash in the treehouse until you check out. My mother also scared me about bears so we definitely weren’t going to leave trash outside … better safe than sorry! (I think she was just messing with us though… oh Moms…)
All in all, we had the most wonderful time and this trip inspired me to do a better job of documenting our adventures! I’ll be back in the next few weeks with recaps of our other trips.
If you’re looking for other treehouses in the Carolinas we’ve stayed at one in Concord, and there’s a new one in Charlotte that’s pretty similar to the Bolt Farm Treehouse. @TheSouthernHost - call us! We’d love to come for a staycation and do a write up!
I hope you enjoyed this post about our first anniversary getaway to the Bolt Farm Treehouse! What do you want to hear about next? Japan, Aruba, or something closer to home and coronavirus-travel-restriction friendly roadtrips?
-Xoxo-
Emily
