From Johann David Wyss’s fictional tale of the shipwrecked Swiss Family Robinson constructing a tree house on a desert island published over 200 years ago to Animal Planet’s Treehouse Masters tv series about building custom treehouses across the US, treehouses have long captured our imagination.
Treehouses aren’t just for kids and a treehouse stay does not need to preclude luxury. And Lake Erie Treehouses is proving exactly that with their Amish-built cabins hugged by branches of the trees they are built amongst for Erie’s most unique stay.
Lake Erie Treehouses aren’t your typical rustic cabins. These elevated cabins built in to the trees just 20 minutes from Presque Isle State Park are luxurious one-of-a-kind stays with all the modern amenities perfect no matter if you’re staying one night or one week.
Lake Erie Treehouses currently has three treehouses that sleep up to 6 guests, and a fourth treehouse under construction nestled in their peaceful, wooded village . Each treehouse sits on one acre and is uniquely designed with everything you need for the perfect getaway. And the location is a quiet escape in nature, yet close to all of Erie’s best attractions like Presque Isle State Park, Pennsylvania’s most visited state park and only seashore.
Jubilee Treehouse
We stayed in the Jubilee Treehouse, which can accommodate up to 6 guests with 2 bedrooms and a loft that can serve as a third bedroom with a comfortable sofa sleeper.
Arrival is a breeze with all the details provided by owner, Darci, in advance. Each treehouse has a keyless entry with a keypad and a unique code programmed to you ahead of your arrival. The Lake Erie Treehouses village has security video monitoring and each treehouse is equipped with a Ring doorbell camera.
I’ve stayed in a number of treehouse accommodations before from castle-shaped treehouses modeled after their real life nearby castle counterparts in the Dordogne, France to treetop cabins built into the branches of thousand year old baobab trees on safari in Tanzania. So I was surprised to find such a unique accommodation in my home town, and even more shocked was just how spacious Lake Erie Treehouses are.
I opened the door to a beautiful central living space with the sunlight streaming through the high windows to highlight the hand crafted furniture. The living room also has an easy push start electric fireplace, flatscreen smart tv, and is stocked with a variety of books and games.
The loft is accessed from a ships-ladder from the living room, and is a large space with a hammock and a sofa sleeper that easily pulls out to a comfortable full size bed. Everything needed to make up the sofa bed is found in the stool. And the windows are equipped with black out blinds to easily turn the loft in to a third bedroom.
The kitchen is well-equipped for a cozy stay. There’s a Keurig machine and a selection of pods, a cook top, tea kettle, toaster, microwave, refrigerator and a variety of cookware, utensils, dishes and glasses. I loved the little details like the mugs with the Erie skyline.
Though Lake Erie Treehouses is located within a few minutes drive of a tons of popular Erie restaurants and UberEats does deliver to the location, we opted to stay in and cook both dinner and breakfast during our 1-night stay.
Two spacious bedrooms are located off of the living and kitchen area. Both are simple but beautifully decorated and have comfortable king size beds and blackout blinds on the windows. My mom and I both really loved the little bedside lamps, which have a mode that just the lantern flickers. Each also has a laundry sorter with a small luggage rack on top and a few hooks on the walls with hangers to hang things like coats or pajamas.
If you’re staying for a longer stay, the thing that is missing is a dresser or armoire in the bedrooms. Personally, that doesn’t bother me as I never unpack my suitcase – it’s my strategy for never forgetting anything – but my mom did mention she didn’t really have a place to unpack her bag. It’s worth noting that the beds do sit higher, and it is convenient to slide suitcases underneath.
There is one bathroom, which has a rain shower with an additional handheld shower handle. There is a hairdryer and bath products including shampoo and body wash. The bathroom also has a smart bluetooth speaker system and mood lighting you can change.
There is also a laundry room with washing machine and dryer, laundry detergent and dryer sheets, a second mini fridge and a drying rack.
Each of Lake Erie Treehouses has a huge outdoor deck area with outdoor dining set and a jacuzzi tub. Our Jubilee treehouse also had a little bridge leading to a built in to the deck hammock, perfect for stargazing. From May – October, the outdoor showers on each treehouse deck are also available.
As we stayed in November, it was a little too cold to dine outside or just sit out enjoying the deck. But we still did spend several hours enjoying the jacuzzi before bed.
Each treehouse also has its own firepit area and a barbecue grill. I brought all the fixings for s’mores at the fire pit, but we couldn’t pull ourselves away from the jacuzzi.
Yes, the treehouses are absolutely gorgeous and a truly unique stay. But it was all the little details that made Lake Erie Treehouses such a special experience. From the personalized welcome left with a little gift of Romolo Chocolates sponge candy (an Erie specialty) and a Lake Erie Treehouses magnet to the thoughtful design touches like the cardinal bird feeder and throw pills made to look like logs, Lake Erie Treehouses will undoubtedly be a memorable stay you’ll be talking about for years to come.
Things to Do in Erie near Lake Erie Treehouses
Erie has a variety of things to do from its’ rich maritime history to diverse natural landscapes. Every season offers visitors an array of activities from to region’s iconic landmarks to festivals that give insight to Erie’s culture. Visitors can also use Erie and Lake Erie Treehouses as a jumping off point to explore nearby attractions spanning from Ohio to New York.
Visit Presque Isle State Park
With Presque Isle Bay on one side and 13 miles of sandy beaches forming Pennsylvania’s only shoreline, the Peninsula – as locals call it – is Erie’s best attraction and Pennsylvania’s most visited state park.
Presque Isle State Park has 11 beaches, all with different vibes. In summer, Beach 6 is a hot spot for its sand volleyball courts. Beach 11 is a family favorite. And we personally love a stroll along Beach 9 past the historic Presque Isle Lighthouse, which you can also visit and climb the 78 steps to the top on a guided tour from April to October. No matter which beach you choose, they all have an ocean beach feel with unspoiled sandy shores that look out to the vast waters of Lake Erie.
Presque Isle Bay is one of the Great Lakes largest natural bays and a diverse habitat. It’s a great place to visit all year round. Aside from the beaches, there’s miles of hiking and biking trails. You can go fishing and even ice fishing for record-setting walleye, perch, steelhead, and lake trout. And the Peninsula is a popular spot for birding and even rated one of the top birding spots in the country by BirdWatching magazine. Keep your eyes peeled because it’s common to see nesting Bald Eagles mostly at Leo’s Landing and Long Pond in winter months.
Go Wine Tasting in Lake Erie Wine Country
Lake Erie Wine Country is actually the United State’s largest grape growing region east of the Rocky Mountains. Lake Erie Wine Country spans over 50 miles along the southern shores of Lake Erie from Harborcreek, Pennsylvania to Silver Creek, New York with some 20 different wine estates boasting 30,000 acres of vineyards.
Take a Day Trip to Jamestown, the Lucy Desi Museum and the National Comedy Center
Jamestown, New York is just a 1 hour drive from Erie and the hometown of the undisputed Queen of Comedy, Lucille Ball. Jamestown has two must-see attractions: the Lucy Desi Museum and the National Comedy Center.
The Lucy Desi Museum explores the lives and legacies of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. There are exact recreations of the the studio sets from I Love Lucy, including the opportunity to take a photo in the Ricardo’s New York City apartment.
The National Comedy Center is an interactive playground for comedy fans and includes experiences like the Green Screen Room where you can become the star in iconic scenes like the I Love Lucy chocolate factory scene, Saturday Night Live, Anchorman, and more. You can draw digital cartoons, explore your favorite comedy tv shows through the extensive collections, deliver some of comedy legend’s stand up in Comedy Karaoke and more.
We were guests of Lake Erie Treehouses in order to bring you this story. However, Luxe Adventure Traveler maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site. As always, all thoughts, opinions, and enthusiasm for travel are entirely our own. This article contains affiliate links. When you book through our affiliate partner sites, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
