TOLEDO, Ohio Cannaley Treehouse Village, believed to be the countrys largest collection of overnight treehouses in a public park, will open this summer at Oak Openings Preserve near Toledo, with five treehouses available for rent.

Included in the village: a six-person treehouse, a four-person treehouse, two two-person treehouses, all available for overnight stays, clustered around a day-use treehouse that can accommodate up to 49. Also available: three tent platforms for camping in the trees, plus a canopy walk culminating at a crows nest lookout point.

The village is expected to debut in July, with reservations also opening this summer. But dont plan on getting an immediate booking. Metroparks Toledo held a raffle earlier this year for an early opportunity to reserve an overnight stay, and received thousands of entries, enough to fill the treetop cabins for more than a year, according to Scott Carpenter, director of public relations for the park system.

From the very beginning, people have been very excited about this, said Carpenter. These are not the treehouses you built when you were a kid.

Indeed, these year-round elevated cabins have electricity, heating and air conditioning, plus a refrigerator, grill and composting toilet. There is no water, but a shower house is located nearby.

Cannaley Treehouse Village is expected to open this summer at Oak Openings Preserve in Swanton, part of Metroparks Toledo.

Cannaley Treehouse Village, part of the Metroparks Toledo, features five treehouses, including four available for overnight stays.

Overnight rates run $150 per night for a two-person treehouse, $200 for the four-person abode and $225 per night for the six-person unit. The entire complex can be rented one weekend per quarter for $5,000 (including both Friday and Saturday nights).

The idea for Treehouse Village evolved from a systemwide effort to immerse more people in nature, said Carpenter. When you experience nature, you learn to love nature and you support nature. Thats the approach to everything we do, he said.

Overnight experiences have always been in high demand, said Carpenter. Oak Openings Preserve, about 20 miles southwest of Toledo in Swanton, also features campsites and cabins.

These days, we have to compete with YouTube, video games, said Carpenter. We felt like we had to turn it up a notch. I think weve done it.

The $1.5 million project was funded with private dollars, including a $750,000 donation from local resident Linda Cannaley, a former teacher and real estate broker. Well-known treehouse expert Pete Nelson, host of Treehouse Masters on Animal Planet, designed the village; the park systems construction crew built the houses.

The village is located in the new Beach Ridge Area of Oak Openings, a park that is known for its rare and varied ecosystem, including oak forests, sand dunes, savannas and prairies.

Also new to this part of the park is a 12-mile, single-track, mountain-bike trail, accessible from the treehouse village.

After the Treehouse Village opens, the park system plans public tours and programs on Mondays and Tuesdays, which will not be available for overnight stays. For information: metroparkstoledo.com/treehouse-village

If you go: Cannaley Treehouse Village at Oak Openings Preserve

What: Collection of five treehouses in a public park, including four available for overnight stays.

Where: 3520 Waterville Swanton Road, Swanton, about 125 miles west of Cleveland.

How much: Overnight rates range from $150 to $225 per night.

More information: metroparkstoledo.com/treehouse-village

Read more:

Expanding Mohican Treehouse Resort offers unique overnights in the treetops

More Ohio treehouses for overnight adventures in Hocking Hills, Holmes County

Cannaley Treehouse Village is expected to open in July in Oak Openings Preserve, part of the Metroparks Toledo.

Originally posted here:

Treehouse Village overnights available this summer at Metroparks Toledos Oak Openings Preserve - cleveland.com