Whether you're a tiny house hater or devotee, there's no denying that the little abodes are hot right now.
From HGTV's "Tiny House Hunters" to minimalist blogs and Instagrams, everyone's getting in on the tiny house game. And at Canoe Bay near Chetek, Wis., you can live the tiny house life — at least the tiny house vacation life.
On the first night my mother and I stayed in one of the resort's 344-square-foot tiny homes, I pushed back the blinds next to my bed to take in the late-night view. The frozen white expanse of a lake was visible through a smattering of trees, and the night sky was full of constellations.
It was quiet, peaceful, cozy — everything I was looking for in a non-adventurous getaway. I could get used to this tiny-house life — at least for a weekend.
The tiny homes are part of Canoe Bay's Escape Village, the first large-scale tiny home village in the Midwest. Built by Rice Lake, Wis.-based Escape, they check off many tiny-house boxes, with some major pluses: red cedar siding giving them a rustic-chic look; modern, full-size appliances and plumbing; large windows and high ceilings for plenty of natural light; a queen-size bed in a separate bedroom; and it's all perched on a wooded lake.
We pulled up to our Traveler XL model after dark, so we'd have to wait until morning to take in those views.
What we did take in was the "tiny" space, still new-smelling with a hint of pine. One wall featured a full-size refrigerator, a gas stove and oven (not for use by renters), a full-size kitchen sink and a flat-screen television above an electric fireplace. A butcher-block table with two chairs sat beneath an oversized window and alongside a couch that could fold flat into a bed.
On one end of the home, a queen-size bed filled a bedroom. On the other end, a bathroom featured a large vanity, toilet and shower with tub. A loft above the bathroom provided another sleeping space. Pine lined the walls, and frosted glass doors let light pass through. The high ceilings and large windows made everything feel bigger than tiny.