Tiny House Getaway
It may come as a surprise that a pair of New Yorkers would ever want to consider “tiny house living.” Our lives are already pretty compartmentalized, and our apartment would easily be considered “tiny” by anyone living in the other forty-nine states. But with recent design trends focusing on simple living, and scores of articles extolling the virtues of minimalism, we decided to grab the dog, pack the car and head up to the Hudson Valley to Think Big — A Tiny House Resort.
Think Big — A Tiny House Resort is located alongside Catskill Creek in South Cairo, New York (about a 2.5-hour drive from the city). Home to nine quirky houses, each varying in (tiny) size, the resort also boasts hiking, games, a dog run, and other unexpected amenities to its guests. We opted for one of the larger homes, The Flat, which could easily sleep five, though we were content to just share it with our dog, Archie.
As we walked up to the house, we were both delighted — its cuteness can’t be overstated! Inside, our house had pretty much everything you could find in our own apartment, including a fully equipped kitchen, bathtub and toilet, two TVs (with Netflix and Amazon built in), two beds and a futon. While the square footage is low, it was expertly designed, packing in quite a bit of amenities with not a lot of space. We thought we’d be suffering from literal cabin fever after two days, but it was so cozy that we only ventured out a couple times.
Outside, the Flat has an impressive gas grill, two decks tables and comfy chairs. While it was just on the cusp of being too cold to eat outdoors, we did enjoy some cider on the porch while looking out at the creek, and used the grill to prepare our dinner. In the evening, we ventured down to the Snack Shack which not only sold fixings for s’mores, but had an impressive DVD library and board game collection, free for all guests to use. Our property also had a fire pit and plenty of wood, which we used to roast marshmallows while stargazing.
Think Big is very pet friendly, and with good reason. Archie absolutely loved getting to sniff his way around the property. There’s a fifteen-minute hike to a nearby waterfall, as well as the dog run where pets can be off-leash. Just make sure to pack a flea/tick collar — we forgot to put his on one time and ending up finding two ticks in his fur (thankfully just hanging out).
Speaking of animals, did we mention the goats? Yep! One of our favorite features of the resort was that it’s home to a menagerie of farm animals. With dedicated pens for ducks and goats, there are also a dozen or so chickens wandering the property. On the day we arrived, the owners had also gotten a delivery of baby chicks and ducklings. But in the end, the goats took best in show. Guests are allowed to interact with them in their impressive jungle gym of a home, and they are incredibly friendly! Archie had never seen a goat before and we’re pretty sure he thought they were dogs. He was more than a little disappointed that we wouldn’t let him into the pen to meet them.
Spending the weekend at Think Big was a good reminder that even in a tiny space, it’s easy to live large. I was surprised to learn that the resort was only a couple years old, as they seem to have thought of everything. The March weather was perfect for cuddling up and reading books, and I bet it’s just as fun in the summer when you can avail yourself of kayaks and other outdoor recreational equipment. If the whole idea of tiny house living is enticing, but you’re not quite ready to ditch your necessities, Think Big is probably a good place to ease into the experience. I half-expected this trip to force me to evaluate how I was living and learn to give up some of the luxuries in life, but honestly, this trip felt far more like a vacation than therapy. Sometimes you want to step out of your house and feel the crunch of pine needles under your feet, AND have WiFi. Am I right?
