Timber buildings joined by decks
The Mulberry is one of the larger units in Treehouse Grove, a cluster of timber treehouses on a wooded slope outside Gatlinburg. Rather than one small house on posts, it spreads across several board-and-batten buildings with metal roofs and black-framed windows, linked by decks and wooden stairs. A deck courtyard sits between them, with rope-woven chairs around a small table, and a screened pavilion bearing the Mulberry sign stands on posts at the edge of the slope.
The grove is shared: other treehouses are within sight through the trees, so this is a woodland village rather than private acreage. In exchange you’re a short drive from the Gatlinburg Parkway and the aquarium, with the national park boundary close by.
Long-table meals in the canopy
The screened pavilion is where this treehouse earns its keep. A long grey-topped table with rope-woven chairs fills the room, under a vaulted timber ceiling, with screened openings on every side full of leaves. For a family reunion or a group of friends, a dedicated dining room in the trees is rarer in the Smokies than it should be.
Indoors, pale wood covers the walls and the high ceiling of the living room, where a leather sofa faces a row of windows onto the trees and a ladder climbs to a loft. The listing describes a fully equipped kitchen, with an oven, stovetop, dishwasher, refrigerator and coffee maker, and a barbecue outside handles the rest. The private hot tub, air conditioning, heating and a flat-screen TV round it out.
What the larger footprint asks of you
Four bedrooms and two bathrooms for up to ten guests is a genuine step up from the compact units in the grove, but the layout is a treehouse’s layout. Moving between the buildings means outdoor steps, the loft is reached by a wooden ladder, and none of it suits anyone who needs step-free access or has small children who’ll roam the decks unwatched.
Pets are allowed, though charges may apply, and parking is free on site but can’t be reserved, which matters when a group arrives in several cars. Book it for a crowd who wants the treehouse experience together, and keep in mind that the loft is reached only by ladder.
