Welcome to Timberlandia! Just south of the Metro, at the border of Madison & Warren counties in the Middle River Valley, the cabin is on 2 acres of shaded lawns with plenty of exploring options on 18 acres of wooded paths & walking trails. Timberlandia is a secluded tranquil getaway, but only 15 minutes from the Airport, 20 minutes from West Des Moines Jordan Creek, and 25 minutes from downtown. Our cabin is great for romantic getaways, family gatherings, festivals, retreats & wedding stays. The lodge at Timberlandia is newly remodeled and our labor of love. The lodge is intentionally designed to provide a peaceful stay and energizing stay. We are avid AirBnB travelers and built this for what we'd want when we travel the country - whether we want a remote work-from-home extended experience or an overnight stay that is unique and energizing. You'll get to meet our bronze deer professor (Winston) as well as his collegiate friends, Bear & Mouse (as much fun for the adults as for the kids). On rainy nights you’ll love sitting by the fire while choosing to read a book or listen to a record. Our 10-acres are surrounded by an additional 40+ acres of timber in all directions. Directly to our East is Zo-El Annett Woods - a Warren County Preserve with a small .75 mile circle trail that sports a few bridges, including a pretty amazing suspended bridge over a pretty deep ravine. This trail is a nice hike to get the heartbeat going (or pretty technical if it's just rained and muddy) - and it's the perfect size for little ones. We realize that recharging and peace start with a great place to sleep. The master bedroom has a queen bed with comfy linens and and an even more comfy comforter, with extra blankets in the closet for those chilly nights. We are also pretty proud of our comfy pillows. The second bedroom upstairs has a unique set up with a three-level bunkbed system - twin top, full main and twin trundle that rolls out on the floor. The full main is entirely comfy for a couple of adults. But at the same time, the kids love the top bunk and the rollout trundle bed. Extra guests can also sleep on the super comfy living room couch upstairs, the fold out futon downstairs, or pull out a pretty comfy double-high air mattress. Linens are provided for all options. Our two living areas have different personalities. The upstairs is warmer and invites conversation, contemplation and relaxation. It has a smaller 40" SMART TV, but the real focal points are a reading nook, massive wood burning fireplace, and Polk Audio/Onkyo stereo with an iPhone jack and vinyl turntable. In the cabin under the stereo we store part of our eclectic vinyl collection and we hope you'll explore it. The downstairs living area has a vibe that is a little more in line with a Rocky Mountain ski vibe. Vintage skis, sled and snow shoes are hung on the wall. The furniture consists of a fold-out full size bed futon, a vintage fully operational massage chair that you'll swear NASA manufactured (with a working cassette stereo), a leather recliner, and a 4-stool pub table. The perfect gathering place to watch the game or movie on the 70" SMART TV Big Screen TV. With the futon and blow up air mattress, the basement easily converts into a crash pad bedroom that can sleep 2-4 adults or kids. Our Timberland's small lodge also has a full bathroom upstairs with tub/shower. You'll have access to a blow dryer, steamer, iron and ironing board during your stay. If you cook while on vacation, you’ll love our kitchen and the equipment in it. We've stocked a few spices, and have more than enough utensils. We have a cabinet dedicated to glassware for your wine, whiskey, beer, scotch and champagne. Or orange juice, Coke, milk and water. We have a Keurig single coffee maker and toaster. The beautiful solid Acacia-wood dining table easily seats 6, but can easily pull up another couple of chairs for 8 table seatings. Remember the 4-stool pub table downstairs also! Outside at Timberlandia is a woodland-lover’s paradise. The property is neighbored by 40 additional acres of timber, so it feels like you’ve arrived somewhere other than what Iowa is known for - corn and bean fields. Directly next door is a 10-acre county preserve with nearly a mile of trails, bridges and a fairly famous suspended bridge attraction. We are also building out the trail system at Timberlandia and you’ll be able to roam the woods either on or off trail. A dry creek system runs through the property’s timber and after a rain it will be a bustling little creek, but most other times it will be a dry creek bed you can walk over, which you’ll need to do if you want to explore the back 4 acres of the property. We have a covered patio that has a hammock and Weber Genesis grill. In the same area we have a large campfire pit that you can lounge around and gaze up at the stars. With a grate you can lower over the campfire pit, you can bypass the gas-grill and easily cook over an open flame. We always have a healthy stack of hardwood ready for the fire pit and fake logs ready for the indoor fireplace - we ask that you just plan on pushing is and this is on the honor system. More on that in our house rules after you book. Of course you can bring your own wood/fake wood in also. So bring the supplies for s'mores or hot dogs - you’ll want them. If you’re staying here during a wedding or other event, you’ll find most things you’ll need to look your dapper self, including iron, ironing board and steamer. Conveniently situated within 15 miles of over twenty popular venues, you’ll find Timberlandia a perfect home base for your event. If you’re couped up during a typical Iowa rain or snow, you’ll want to grab a some of the snacks we leave you and brew up some tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Relax on the classic craft-built leather furniture or pull our board games and puzzles out and sit around the designer acacia table. Internet is good at the cabin so, worse case scenario, you’ll be able to fire up the 42” tv upstairs or the 70” tv downstairs - put a movie or sports event on and be thankful your away from your day-to-day world. The TVs are SMART TVs and have Netflix, Youtube TV, Roku, Hulu, Amazon Prime and a ton of other apps. And muscles tired at the end of the day? Hang out downstairs and let our vintage 80s top-of-the-line massage chair roll out your stress and worries - you’ll swear it was designed by NASA. Things to web search (can't put website links on AirBnB) Recreation Paved Trails - Biking, Cross Country Skiing, Snow Shoeing, Hiking - Great Western Trail / Bill Riley Bike Trail Water Trail (Kayak, Canoe, Tube, Hike) - Middle River Water Trail Scenic Drive - Covered Bridges Scenic Byway Walnut Woods State Park - West Des Moines Zo El Annett Woods - Prole (our neighbor property) Brown's Woods Forest Preserve - West Des Moines Drinkeries Iowa Distilling Company - Cumming Summerset Winery - Indianola La Vida Loca Winery - Indianola Madison County Winery - St Charles Foundry Distilling - West Des Moines Cool Field Trips Howell's Greenhouse & Pumpkin Patch - Cumming Smash Park - West Des Moines Paws & Pints - West Des Moines Festivals Hinterland Music Festival Indianola Balloon Festival Norwalk Music Festival Wedding & Event Venues HINTERLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL - 4 Night Minimum. 7-minute drive (or 20 minutes if you prefer gravel travel). Price includes shuttle at beginning and end of festival (save on parking fees). Reservation includes all of Timberlandia - lodge sleeping (4 beds), lodge sleeping (blow up mattresses/futon/couch), tents for as many people as you want 2 bathrooms to support :) Friendly Neighbor Dogs. We have a couple of friendly neighbor dogs named Curtis and Suzie. Sometimes we don't see them for a week. Sometimes they come around daily. They're smaller Heeler/Cattle Dogs and seemed to be programmed to fetch. They get along with other dogs. They know not to come inside and don't mind much being ignored. Because they tend to call this part of the Iowa countryside their home, we've come to accept them when they are around, and believe our guests should be prepared to do the same. Our Timberland Guide Book. Our home offers much, but with much comes a few systems, guidelines and pieces of advice. We try to be extensive in our Guide Book that will be available both online to you when you book as well as in print in a binder on the kitchen counter. Don't be afraid of it, but be prepared to review to get the most out of your stay. Cabin Climate & Water Systems. Occasionally we get a little daunted about all of our systems out at Timberland, so we can understand the guest experience when you arrive may be a tad daunting also. We try to spell out a few things in the Guide Book and we are on call for you to answer any questions. But a sneak peak - we are well water, we have a new sophisticated coconut shell-filtered septic tank system (this replaces sewer), we have independent central air conditioning and radiant heat which means two thermostats, that sometimes compete with each other. Sounds complicated. Isn't. But just want to call out this isn't likely the system you're used to if you're from the city. Part of the romance of getting out to the country, huh? Gravel Travel. Yep one of the most common questions we get is if we are on gravel, and if so how much. You can get within 3 miles of Timberland by pavement from all four directions, and are only 6 miles from the nearest exit off Interstate 35. However, no matter which direction you come from, you will need to plan on traveling about 3 miles on gravel. You should plan on no issues other than dust or mud during most seasons. And even after a fresh snow, we've found that the county plows our roads to the pavement very quickly - during the winter of 22-23 we had over a dozen snows of 3+ inches and each time our roads were plowed within a few hours. If you want the romance of crossing an old steal and wood rickety bridge over the Middle River, I'd recommend hitting the graveled 55th Ave from the South off Highway 92. And if you want to skip that whole rickety bridge thing, the next best option is hitting the graveled Idaho Street from the West off of R45. For us, it's just the right amount of gravel travel to feel like we've gotten away from it all. Animals. The timber, woodlands, Middle River, along with corn and bean fields in the distance invite a very robust ecoystem of animals that call this part of their world their home. We are constantly reminded that our Timberland lodge is in their home, and not the other way around. Deer visit our property and the Lodge every evening. We also have many other fun experiences, including raccoons, owls, groundhogs, butterflies, song birds, squirrels, rabbit, fox, tree frogs, and toads. And occasionally the not-so-fun wasps, bees, bats, mosquitos, spiders, snakes and ticks. All the critters we have in the city too - we just happen to run into them a bit more when we're in they're home. You'll likely hear coyotes laughing far off in the distance but we haven't seen any close to Timberland. And the area has regular and occasional sightings of bobcats and much more rarely, mountain lions, brown recluse spiders (poisonous) and timber rattlesnakes (poisonous). Common sense will provide you the most rewarding experience when it comes to Iowa's woodland ecosystem, but we do spell out a few things you can do and bring in our Guide Book.