Luxury treehouses for those in search of an outdoorsy, upscale getaway

BY MAUREEN CALLAHAN 

Downers Grove resident Mike Ambrose is a lifelong tree house expert. “My dad was a carpenter, so my buddies and I were always building forts in our yards using the odds and ends of wood he didn’t need. One actually had a wood-burning brick fireplace in it. It was fun until the cops came and made us put the fire out,” he laughed as he remembered. “My dad’s still involved,” Ambrose said. “He’s retired — he’s 78 — and comes out to the site some days.”

Mike and Terra Ambrose with Charlie, 11 and Maggie, 9 in the trails of Starved Rock

Ambrose grew up to build his own houses. The first 20 years of his career were spent on remodels, additions, kitchens, etc. After getting his real estate license, he thought about having an Airbnb. One day, he saw a listing for acreage near Starved Rock State Park in Utica, Illinois. “We couldn’t believe the land was available!” Ambrose said.

He and his wife, Terra, purchased the plot and have been working on their new endeavor ever since. It’s been a little while in coming, but they’re getting there. “We bought the land in 2021,” he said. During that waiting period, the family spent time getting to know the property. “Before we opened, we spent a lot of time here just camping — tents, a camper, friends,” Ambrose said. “The first step was permits, and those often take a while. Then we had some issues that affected the electrical work, but they’ve all been resolved. We’re on our way now.”

Building has been rolling along. At the time of publication, two treehouses were finished and available for rent, with two more scheduled to open last month. The grand plan is to get to 25. They’ll be close enough for a group looking to get away together, but far enough apart for privacy.

While building a tree house is different than a regular home, Ambrose has figured it out. His family knows tree houses. “We’ve stayed in a bunch of different treehouses on the road,” he said. “We’ve also watched a lot of Tree House Masters, so we knew what we wanted when we started building.”

His family’s number one complaint about other treehouses they had stayed in was space. “The floor plans were small, and we wanted more room, especially when we had our kids along,” Ambrose relayed. His treehouses use a 650-square-foot layout that is of a rustic Scandinavian style. While the houses aren’t actually suspended by trees, the effect is definitely there. They’re built into the trees that surround them.

Each house is designed to comfortably accommodate groups, with two king-sized bedrooms and a loft for sleeping and downtime. A living room, a bathroom, and a fully outfitted kitchen with peninsula seating ensure guests have everything they need for a weekend celebration or a quiet sojourn in the woods.

Then there’s the outdoor space. Each house has its own fire pit. Upper and lower decks are connected by spiral staircases, and the outdoor gas grills make any night perfect for a barbecue. Screened-in porches are the perfect spot for relaxing after a fall hike, spying on deer and foxes in the snow, or just sipping coffee on sunny mornings. Kayaks and hydrobikes are available at an on-site dock on a calm section of the Illinois River.

“It seems like people like to be outside when they’re here,” said Ambrose. “But then we have some who come to enjoy the scenery and never get around to leaving the cabin. There’s enough to do here either way.”

Ambrose has outfitted each cabin with simple entertainment options alongside games, puzzles, and a guitar. The well-appointed layout makes the cabin feel spacious but cozy at the same time. There are enough nooks and crannies for everyone to have their own space. “We’re working on ideas for desks and other built-ins as we go along,” he said.

Stone fireplaces in the living rooms add ambiance and can also be used as a heating source. A mini-split heating and air-conditioning system keeps the well-insulated cabins seasonably warm and cool.

The Treehouses at Starved Rock are located in a canyon surrounded on three sides by the east edge of Starved Rock State Park. “There’s a bridge onsite that connects us to more than 13 miles of park trails,” said Ambrose. “You can hike to the park lodge from here.”

“We’re also close to Utica and Ottawa – two old historic towns with new restaurants, coffee houses, and breweries to explore,” said Ambrose.

Taken together, the setting and the surrounding communities reinforce the project’s balance between retreat and connection.

The result is a series of treehouses shaped as much by the land and the building process as by how people ultimately use the space.

Learn more about the project at starvedrocktreehouses.com.