“It’s all about reconnecting with yourself, your loved ones or your dog.”
That’s how Amy Jacobowitz, head of content for Getaway, explains the growing concept created a few years ago in the city of Brooklyn that gives people the chance to escape from reality to a nearby national park without having to sleep in a tent.
Here’s how it works: You book an escape online, hop in your car and drive about two hours to one of nine outposts, park your car outside the tiny wooden cabin that awaits you, type in the entrance code and proceed to clear your mind from the reality you drove away from.
Just two hours away from the bustling life of Northern Virginia and Washington, DC, 35 modern cabins lie sprawled across 20 acres of land surrounded by Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Whether you choose to travel alone, with youngsters in tow or bring along man’s best friend, these well-equipped cabins are built with relaxation in mind.
The concept started in 2015 when co-founder Jon Staff felt burnt out in his early 20s and decided to turn his past experience of traveling in small spaces into a business idea. Since Getaway launched its first outpost in 2017, eight more have grown outside of cities like Boston, Los Angeles, and Dallas.
Each cabin is equipped with a queen bed (or two beds if four people are traveling), mini kitchen featuring a two-burner stove and sink, a full-functioning private toilet and shower and heat or air conditioning, depending on the time of year. Plus, there are picnic tables and a fire pit outside of each site, as well as shower and cooking products that are restocked for every individual who makes their way to the outpost.
While all the cabins are built and designed in a similar way, the variety stems from the views and experiences encompassing each tiny house, which guests can take in on a 24/7 basis, thanks to the floor to ceiling glass wall. And when you arrive at the Shenandoah post, you’ll be met with an itinerary of hiking trails, best views to see and other activities to participate in that all lie beneath the trees.
Within each tiny home, there is also a lockbox for cell phones, giving visitors the opportunity to really “get comfortable with being bored,” as Jacobowitz puts it.
“A lot of people take the plunge and do it, and find it jarring, kind of like a phantom limb,” says Jacobowitz. “But then, just noticing your body and realizing that you are doing those things makes you aware and gives you a chance to reground in the moment. Sometimes we just need a break.”
If you’re interested in making your own escape to the Shenandoah outpost or others this fall, click here, as homes sell out quickly.
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