In January, Jesse surprised me with a January birthday trip. He told me that we were going to a very different place. I had no idea what that meant or what to expect, but I was excited to see what he had in store.
However, Kierstyn and Micah ended up getting strep so we had to rebook. Jesse decided he wasn’t going to keep where we were staying a secret as he couldn’t wait to tell me… and I’m so glad he did because it meant I got to spend the next two months looking forward to where we were going to stay.
And it was EPIC to choose!
We stayed in the Dome Tent at Center Hill Lake near Springville, TN. You can see lots of professional photos of our accommodation on their website. You can also see more pictures inside here.
We had the best time and would highly recommend staying here! There’s nothing like sleeping under the stars while having a nice bathroom and air conditioning!
When we entered, it was very hot and the dome was hot (it’s like a greenhouse – especially the sun is hot on the bottom of it!). In fact, the thermostat read 99 degrees!
We texted the owners asking if it was normal. They asked if they could come investigate. They brought a fan, helped turn on the second AC unit, and turned on the sprinkler outside the dome for an hour. Within about 30 minutes, it was very cool!
In the evening, it was a bit cold and we wanted to wear cozy clothes and be under blankets – which was a great thing!
One of the things I liked was that there was no TV and you just wanted to sit by the fire or in the hot tub. It was worth encouraging more time in nature and more time together.
They had some games and puzzles and books and we had fun playing an exciting game of Scrabble – something I don’t know we’ve ever played together.
The views were amazing! Seeing the sunrise and the views of the lake and the stars at night… it was so cool. Jesse and I kept saying, “We’re definitely fans of this awesome thing!”
We brought all our own food and were glad we did as the domes were quite far from town and we didn’t want to waste the time we had there driving into town!
The kitchen had everything we needed to cook and prepare our meals. I would recommend bringing your own water bottles. We didn’t try the tap water and they didn’t have a water purifier that I could see.
Nothing like waking up to this view!!
There is a walking trail in the area that leads down to Center Hill Lake. We loved this short trip. It was really good!
I am so grateful for this man’s gift and we have been married for 23 years — even if we had to celebrate our birthday in a few months!
After leaving the dome (we stayed until the last minute because we wanted to soak it all in!), we drove to Springville, TN to explore.
We searched online for a local coffee shop and the internet recommended Buttonwillow General Store and Coffee Shop. It was a great downtown coffee shop and we loved visiting (even though I was starving for protein and all they had were carbs, sweets, and coffee!)
What a special 22 hour getaway! And now Jesse and I are on the hunt for some fun stuff! If you know of anywhere in Tennessee or within a 3 hour drive of Nashville, please let me know!