Awakening Adventures is a glamping paradise nestled in the mountains of Tennessee where you’re inspired by nature and encouraged to draw closer to God.
Have you ever needed to get away from the craziness of city life? A hike in nature is helpful, but sometimes a few hours just isn’t long enough. What if there was a place you could retreat to and be enveloped in nature, embrace the beauty of God’s creation, and maybe even seek Him during this time away? Well, this exact place exists and it’s called Awakening Adventures. Continue reading to learn more about the activities, glamping, and amenities this place has to offer. You’ll also dive deeper into the purpose of this space and why it’s located on top of a mountain in Grandview, TN.
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The Story of Awakening Adventures
Awakening Adventures is the all encompassing offerings of Anthony and Barb Morin. From glamping experiences to Watts Bar Lake boat tours and island camping excursions, Anthony and Barb offer so many activities and lodging options from their property in Grandview, TN.
The idea started when the couple decided to find some land near a lake. Anthony has always loved boating and wanted access to this beloved pastime. After looking for a while, the couple landed here in Grandview, TN. Turns out, this location is only a twenty-minute drive to the marina on Watts Bar Lake, and conveniently in the center of Tennessee’s 3 main eastern city triangle: Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Nashville.
After the couple moved onto their new property, ideas evolved. Eventually God led them to build tree dwellings and offer the space as a glamping experience on the large, wooded property. Anthony loves building in trees and is able to stay creative with unique dwelling ideas. While Barb loves gardening and is currently working towards building a large garden with walking paths at the front of the property. Together, the couple invites city dwellers to stay a while and get away from the distractions of the everyday life. Here solitude can be found, and you can return refreshed and with a new appreciation for your life.
If you couldn’t tell already, Anthony and Barb are believers in God. But they also won’t push anything onto you if you don’t want to hear it. As they say, this area is a “judgement-free zone.” They welcome everyone as they are, to retreat to their property for the time away that they need. But, if you ARE a believer or have questions about their faith, they will be more than happy to share with you.
Tennessee Glamping Accommodations
Dwellings
There are plenty of dwellings on the property with plans to add even more. The design of each dwelling has privacy in mind. Each one has windows or doors that strictly face the woods while the sides that face the other places on the property are solid. Each is spaced out as well so you’re not too close to your neighbor. Here’s what types of dwellings you can expect to find available for reservation.
Driftwood Treehouse
Adam and I stayed in the Driftwood Treehouse. This one-room space has a queen-sized bed, full-sized futon, small kitchenette, a ceiling fan, and optional AC or heat.
Serene Seven Tent
The Serene Seven is a treehouse tent only a few feet off the ground. It has a queen-sized bed and is the perfect size for a couple.
Stargazer Clear Cabin
The Stargazer is the newest of the dwellings and has a queen-sized bed and full-sized futon. The real draw to this spot is that it has a clear roof and 2 clear walls. There’s a privacy curtain for only one of the walls. The open field at the front of the property is just behind Stargazer, which is the perfect spot to star gaze at night.
Homestead Tent
The Homestead tent was the initial dwelling that Anthony and Barb lived in while they built their existing home. It has a queen-sized bed and queen-sized futon. It also has a wood burning stove in the colder months.
Dwelling Amenities
Each dwelling is easily accesible by a ramp and they each have their own outdoor area with a firepit, extra firewood, chairs, a hammock, and a grill. They each have a small kitchenette setup with a countertop space, small fridge (or cooler), single burner, electric kettle and french press or coffee maker, and all the cookware, dishes, utensils, and dish towels you should need. The property also has local tap water for drinking, which is conveniently stored in each dwelling inside a water dispenser. This property does not have plumbed toilets. Each dwelling has its own private composting toilet setup.
Additional Amenities
Restrooms
Along with the private composting toilets, the common area also has a pit toilet beneath the shower treehouse and an outhouse urinal. The urinal has a porcelain toilet, but is for fluids only. The urinal and shower treehouse water is charcoal filtered to be used for irrigation in the gardens.
Shower Treehouse
The shower treehouse has two separate shower rooms. The left side has a wooden floor and slightly lower rainshower head. While the right side has a river rock floor and slightly higher rainshower head. Both shower rooms feature a tree inside and a clear roof. They also have their own tankless, gas water heaters for plenty of hot water. The shower treehouse is my favorite feature on the property and yet I completely forgot to take photos of it! But, I have a full video tour of it in the YouTube video.
Everything you need for your shower is here as well, including towels, washcloths, soaps and shampoos, even Q-Tips. It’s requested that you use the provided, fragrance-free soaps to keep the filtered irrigation water fragrance-free too.
Outdoor Kitchen
The outdoor kitchen is a covered space with countertop, sink, cookware, utensils, and dish towels. It also has a tankless, gas water heater for the sink. You’ll also find grills and the gas griddle that Adam and I put together during our stay just to help them out. (And so that we could take advantage of using it.) There’s also plenty of tables and chairs to use as an outdoor dining hall.
What to Pack
Planning an overnight trip to Awakening Adventures is easy since they already provide most of your needs there. However, there are a few things you should consider bringing.
Food and Drinks
Since there’s a small fridge and ways to cook stovetop or grilled foods, it makes sense to pack foods that can be prepared this way. If you want to maximize your time relaxing or hiking, consider prepping food as much as possible to minimize your time needed for the kitchen.
Other Kitchen Essentials
You should have access to everything you need already as far as cookware and dishes go, but you might need paper towels to clean up messes. I would suggest bringing a roll with you. I also recommend bringing food storage containers for leftovers, unless you have a fool-proof way of using all your food.
Personal Items
Obviously, you’ll need to bring your clothes and personal items unique to you. Remember, there’s already towels, soap, and shampoo in the showers so you can leave those behind. But you’ll still need whatever additional products you use.
Consider the Weather
Always check the weather forecast to ensure you have the appropriate clothing. If there’s a potential for rain, you’ll for sure want a raincoat to stay dry as you move about the property between the dwelling and common areas.
Electronics
Although I encourage spending your time at Awakening Adventures unplugged, you may want to bring electronics with you anyway. Don’t worry, each dwelling has electricity in some form and there’s wifi hosted from the common area.
Forgot Something?
If you arrive and realize you forgot something, ask Anthony or Barb. They might actually have what you need! And if not, the Dollar Store is just down the road so you can buy any last minute necessities.
Tips for Your Stay
Anthony and Barb love dogs and have 2 of their own, Chief and White Paw. The dogs roam free on the property and are very friendly. If you’d like, they can be put away, but otherwise the dogs will be your companions during your stay. And if you have dogs of your own, you are more than welcome to bring them! Each dwelling is equipped with a doggy kit that features homemade, pumpkin treats.
Awakening Adventures is all about being resourceful and living off the land as much as possible. A lot of the wood used in projects on the property is from trees that were on the property. And Barb has planted a lot of resourceful plants that they use to make things. Anthony has planted mushrooms throughout the property of varying kinds as well. Depending on the season, you never know what might be growing that they’ll invite you to enjoy with them. Anthony sends out email updates about what’s available on the property. Be sure to sign up for this email at the bottom of their website if you want to be notified of certain offerings.
Again, the restrooms are all composting-style toilets. There’s no sewer or septic tanks on the property. If you’ve never tried this style of going to the bathroom, don’t let it discourage you. Everything you need for a pleasant experience is provided, from the cedar shavings you cover everything with to make the smell go away, to the lanterns for use at night. Who knows, you might be surprised at how much you enjoy this outdoor bathroom experience!
Exploring the Property
You never know what you’ll find around the corner at Awakening Adventures. From numerous swings hanging from the trees to benches along the trails, there’s always something for everyone to enjoy.
New Perspective Platform
This 22-foot high platform is a steep ramp climb into the trees. But from here, you gain a new perspective of the property, and it’s a peaceful place to sit and ponder or spend time with God.
Climbing Platform
This 50-foot high platform is hidden at the back of the property and requires climbing the tree to reach the top. It’s necessary to have safety gear and supervision while attempting this activity so please plan ahead and communicate with Anthony.
Hiking Trails
There’s 3.5 miles of hiking trails throughout the property. Each trail has signs posted at the intersections so you don’t get lost. There’s even a small creek with a rock crossing on one of the trails.
Garden Paths
Currently the gardens are still under construction at the front of the property. But once complete, there will be meandering pathways amongst the plants.
Drawing Near to God
Like I said earlier, this space is also used to encourage your own walk with God. If you’re interested, Anthony has a prayer walk he can guide you on. During this walk he explains how listening prayer works and helps strengthen your own relationship with God.
The property also has plenty of private spaces and open hiking trails to truly get away and get one-on-one with God. Sometimes, being out in nature is the best way to leave our distractions behind and focus on Him.
Bible verses and other visual reminders decorate the property as well. If you don’t already know God, Anthony or Barb will gladly share more with you about how you can come to know our Creator.
Nearby Tennessee Attractions
Piney Falls
Piney Falls is located close to the property. It would be a short drive to visit one of my favorite Tennessee waterfalls and enjoy a short hike. Learn more about this spot in my Piney Falls Hiking Guide.
Ozone Falls
Ozone Falls is also not too far of a drive away. This is another easy Tennessee waterfall hike that I highly recommend visiting if you haven’t before. Learn more about this spot in my Crossville Day Guide.
Black Mountain
Black Mountain is a must-see if you love mountaintop overlooks. We hiked here for the first time while staying at Awakening Adventures. My detailed guide for this easy hike will be up soon, so stay tuned. Consider subscribing to my weekly email newsletter (the Exploring Chatt Club) so you don’t miss it when it releases.
Cumberland Trail
The Cumberland Trail goes through this area and various trailheads are nearby the property. It would be easy to explore a lot of the trail and enjoy the comfort of a good night’s sleep at Awakening Adventures. Learn more about these trailheads and the hikes in my Complete Cumberland Trail Guide.
Spring City Restaurants
Spring City is located just down the mountain from Awakening Adventures. So if you want a break from cooking, consider stopping by one of the local restaurants in town. I’ve been to both Winstead’s American Grill & King of Pizza and Ayala’s Mexican Grill and recommend them both.
Watts Bar Lake
Awakening Adventures offers boat excursions from the Watts Bar Lake marina that’s only a 20-minute drive from the property. Or, you can bring your own gear and plan to paddle and enjoy the lake on your own.
Book Your Stay at Awakening Adventures
Reserve the dwelling of your choice on the Lodging Section of the Awakening Adventures website. Or, try Watt Bar Lake Island Camping. See more photos and learn even more about the property on their Sanctuary Page.
Conclusion
Awakening Adventures offers the perfect nature retreat in Tennessee glamping on the Cumberland Plateau. If you’re just looking for a peaceful, nature getaway with the comforts of an actual bed, this is the place for you. And if you’re looking to get closer to God, this place is a no-brainer. All the encouragement and fellowship you need can be found here.
See how Adam and I’s weekend stay went in this YouTube Video.
Let me know in the comments below if you’ve ever been glamping. Are you excited to try this place? I’d love to know your thoughts. Until next time, enjoy exploring Chatt!
More Nearby Getaway Cabin and Camping Options:
- Stay in a Historic CCC Cabin at Cumberland Mountain State Park
- Explore all of Fall Creek Falls State Park with a Camping Trip
- Plan Your Trip in North Carolina Along the Blue Ridge Parkway
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