Before I dive in…quick story - I wrote this entire blog post on May 31st, only had to add pictures, went back to add photos today, June 13th and everything was GONE. I can’t even explain to you how frustrating that is….clearly, I think this experience is well worth another 2-3 hours of my time. I hope you think so too. ;)

After three months of quaratining / sheltering-in-place, followed by moving into week 3 of civil unrest, it would be an understatement to say that I need an escape - an escape from the noise, from the trauma, from life. Yes, I know that it will still be here when I return, but a short pause is good for the soul.

Since we’re still battling a pandemic (I’m referring to the Coronavirus, even though people seem to think that’s not a thing anymore), I don’t plan on getting on an anybody's airplane anytime soon. Yes, I know the airports and airlines are being safe, but they were already called flying “petri dishes.” I’d rather not be part of that experiment.

Still, with summer finally here, I feel like I could use a little vacay, and I think you could do - enter Getaway House.

Let’s take a quick trip shall we….to November 2019 BC (Before Coronavirus) when husbae and I celebrated three glorious years of marriage. I took a few days off (Friday, Monday and Tuesday) from work…because I could. We didn’t have anything special planned besides staring deep into each other’s eyes. By Sunday, we decided that we deserved a little special trip….even if it was in Texas.

I had seen friends post about their experience with Getaway (because it just opened last fall), but the photos didn’t do it justice.

Getaway Dallas is located about 1.5 hours southeast of the metroplex in Piney Woods. We loaded up the car and hit the road. By the time I sang all the songs, we exited, drove down some winding roads (that gave us some serious pause after seeing Trump flags) and arrived at the campground.

We drove to our to our little house - all of which are named after real people I believe - and were immediately impressed. It was a whole moment. Each site comes with the cutest tiny house, picnic tables, adirondack chairs, campfire site and VIEWS….all the glorious views. It was absolutely perfect.

After we unpacked all of our items, J and I went on a walk/hike around the property. We trekked all the way to the entrance and back, roughly 4 miles roundtrip. Nothing like some fresh air to wake up your lungs (although I’m sure J didn’t agree with me in that moment.) HA!

There are roughly a couple dozen tiny houses / cabins on the campgrounds that are roughly oh 80-100 yards away.I ’m not the best judge of distance, but we could see them. Each cabin has a queen bed or two queen bunk beds. I was concerned about the proximity, but was happy that giant windows came with privacy shades. Didn’t need the neighbors getting a show. #grownfolksbusiness

Now, let’s talk about what to bring. Here’ s a list of all that included in the tiny house. They set you up pretty well and provide items for purchase (like firewood, oatmeal, pasta, coffee, etc), but we still wanted to be super prepared and not rack up a huge bill.


Things We Brought:

• Food - Like any campground or cabin experience, you have to bring your own grub. There is a two-burner stove in the house, but campfire is the preferred method of cooking. We opted for some solid proteins - steak and salmon, plus some marinated veggies - and cooked them on a grill sheet so that the food didn’t come in direct contact with the grates. Breakfast the next day was eggs and turkey bacon, super easy to make on the stove, but also campfire friendly.

• Campfire Starter Kit - Make sure someone on the trip knows how to create and maintain a fire (see above about eating/food). I would bring a long-handled lighter and some gloves so that you can forage for kindling, small logs, etc. They do have big logs for purchase, but you’ll still need something to keep it going.

• Drinks and Dranks - It’s a vacay right, so you definitely need some libations.

• Comfy clothes / Shoes - Who you tryna impress boo? Dress accordingly for your environment and bring some closed-toe shoes so that you can go on walks and enjoy nature.

• Smores Kit - Can’t have a campfire and NOT make smores. Four items: graham crackers, marshmellows, chocolate bars and of course, some skewers. Again, they do have a whole kit you can purchase if you like.

• Snacks - Yes, you have meals, but make sure you have some trail mix, chips, etc. to munch on while you relax.

• Heavy Duty Flashlight - Now is not the time for you to bring that dollar-store flashlight. It gets dark…like dark dark, like imagining things in the distance dark. They do provide a lantern, but I recommend you bring at least one heavy-duty flashlight or lantern per person.

• Books - The goal is to disconnect with the world and perhaps connect with your group, partner, etc. Bring a book, games, things to entertain yourselves while you relax.

• Bath Towels - The cabin does provide towels, but if you’re that person (like my husband) - just bring your own. ;)

• Bug Spray - I HATE bugs. If you’re going this summer, there will be even more bugs because it’s hot. EEEk!

Things we wish we would have brought:

• Bottled water - Perhaps we brought too many dranks. LOL If you’re in Texas, bring lots of water so that you stay hydrated and don’t pass out from the spirits.

• Paper Towels - Accidents and spills happen. They do have some paper towels in the house, but you can never be too prepared.

• First-aid Kit: You’re outside in the woods. Ish happens.

• Extra Cooler + Ice - Highly recommend that you bring an extra cooler just for ice. The mini fridge is just big enough to hold your food, so definitely have a separate cooler for ice.

Please don’t be overwhelmed by the above list. I have been groomed to always be SUPER prepared for any sort of adventure and my husband is even worse, I mean, more prepared, than me. Also, considering Walmart, Target, Kroger weren’t down the road, I’d rather be safe than sorry.

I thought the Internet would be a little spotty, but turns out 5G is a beast, so we had no issues. Nonetheless, they have a phone box in the room. USE IT. Snap your photos boo (as I did) and then put it away. The world, your followers and all those emails will be there when you return.

But what about COVID: Yes, everything is reopening, but the way these cases keep rising, your girl is just going to watch from a social distance. I am not the dove. (IYKYK). I did, however, asked my husband if he would be cool with going to these sites right now and he said he would. You can click here to see how Getaway is keeping the team and guest safe.

So how much does all this cost - we got a steal, maybe because it was booked at like the last minute, but I checked the prices for the summer and they range from $99-$199/night. Of course, it’s more expensive on weekends and even more costly on a holiday weekends, but that’s anywhere.

We only stayed at Getaway for one night, but when we woke up to the gorgeous morning light, J said he definitely wanted to return in the summer when we had a few extra hours of daylight to enjoy. I’m a type A, high-achiever, kind of person. My brain is literally always running. It was nice to have a moment off to simply…well getaway. Tell me in the comments below. Do you plan on taking in summer vacays? What are your thoughts on glamping?

CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR TRIP!

Editors Note: We paid for our whole experience. These opinions are my own. They didn’t pay me to say anything. I just wanted to share.