When you think of fall in New England, you imagine a display of red, yellow and orange foliage dotting the landscape. During the fall months, the only thing better than sitting on the porch of a New England inn with a cup of hot apple cider is sleeping among the trees.
There are nearly 270,000 treehouses around the world on Airbnb, but North America takes the lead with the most treehouse stays. Their popularity has surged in recent years, with the number of treehouses on Airbnb increasing by more than 65 percent from 2022 to 2024.
James “B'fer” Roth has 25 years of treehouse building under his belt. He is one of the designers of The Treehouse Guys, a partnership with Chris “Ka-V” Haake of Warren, Vermont. “In the last five years, about 80 percent of our customers have been people who want to build a treehouse and use it as a rental property,” says Roth. He believes the greatest appeal of treehouses is the necessary connection to nature. “When you're sitting up in a tree, you're kind of disconnected. And I think that disconnect is even more important now that people are so damn addicted to looking for information on phones and not just being there.”
What makes New England a prime location for treehouses? According to Roth, the trees of New England provide a sturdy foundation for these magical dwellings. “Hardwood trees, which are deciduous trees like maple, oak, hickory and beech, are great because of the density of the wood.” And of course, you can't deny the beauty of these trees as their leaves change color in the fall.
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1. WinvianLitchfield, Connecticut
Two-thirds of the Winvian estate sits on 113 acres and borders the White Memorial Conservation Center, a nature preserve established in 1913 to protect over 4,000 acres of forest, fields and water. The property features 18 very different cottages, from one with a Coast Guard helicopter in the center to a rustic log cabin.
Winvian's two-story treehouse home sits 35 feet above the forest floor, surrounded by beech and maple trees, and is known for swaying in the wind. The angles of the walls and trees – close enough to see lichen – inspire the playfulness of a childhood treehouse while providing a luxurious experience with the hot tub and gas fireplace on every level. You can use one of the provided bikes to ride to the main house, where chef Chris Eddy serves dishes as elegant and beautiful as the fall leaves, or to the spa building for a soothing massage.
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2. Mink Cove, Wareham, Massachusetts
What started as a dream for a now grown daughter has become a dream come true for travelers. Hidden in a bay of the Atlantic Ocean lies the Mink Cove treehouse. Designed by Butch Ripley and his eight-year-old daughter and built from salvaged wood, the treehouse is small, as treehouses should be, with a narrow spiral staircase to the upper level. Adorned with twinkling lights, the home is an enchanting retreat nestled among red and black oak trees. It has a private outdoor shower where only the squirrels can see you, a small bathroom, a coffee corner and a refrigerator. The smell of the nearby ocean makes this treehouse stay even more magical.
3. Twin Farms, Barnard, Vermont
Fall in Vermont is hard to beat. Located right across the street from Silver Lake and one of Vermont's oldest general stores, Barnard General Store, lies the private, luxurious, all-inclusive Twin Farms oasis. Landscape architect Dan Kiley has ensured that each experience blends into its surroundings, and the Twin Farm treehouses follow the same philosophy. Designed with the hilly topography in mind, the treehouses allow guests to enter at ground level and, without ever climbing a step, reach a terrace perched approximately twenty feet high in the trees.
The treehouse has a bathroom with a bathtub, large shower and underfloor heating. Fall asleep in a cloud-like king-size bed while gazing at the trees, and fire up the modern gas fireplace to make it even cozier. If you want even more treehouses in your life, you can hike to Doug's Treehouse Folly in Knobbs Hill, where a carefully prepared picnic lunch awaits, or you can enjoy a seasonally inspired farm-to-table meal at one of two on-site restaurants.
The Tiffany Hill Treehouse features a pulley system so visitors don't have to lug their groceries up the stairs. Photo by Ethan Abitz
A five-minute drive from Mount Sunapee State Park and surrounded by conifers, oaks, birches and beech trees that turn yellow and orange in the fall, you will find the charming Tiffany Hill Treehouse. Supported by a sturdy oak tree, this two-bedroom treehouse features radiant-heated floors, a propane fireplace, arched doorways, a functional kitchen, a wrap-around porch with a fun demijohn system for groceries, and thoughtful design details like a saddle mirror and stirrup towel rack that will keep you smiling from room to room.
Drive 10 minutes to Newbury to grab a bite to eat at Bubba's Bar & Grill up, digest it with a stroll along the dock, then grab an ice cream at Sanctuary Dairy Farm Ice Cream, where the donkeys lean against the gates to have their long ears petted.
Kent Ackley, a registered guide from Maine, saved an island in Monmouth 25 years ago from a developer who dreamed of destroying its integrity and ecosystem. Although 1 Big Sustainable Island is not one of Richard Branson's islands and there are no spa treatments, it is a truly special place to get in touch with nature, with access to canoes, fishing rods, a rope swing, your own private dock, and a hot propane shower.
In the middle of the Oaktagon yurt-style treehouse is an oak tree that serves as the focal point of the structure. Inside there is a loft with a queen bed, two futons on the main floor, a wood stove, a small kitchen and even your own private composting toilet. From your living room, you can watch the tree sway in the wind, and at night you may hear the sound of acorns falling from its branches onto the wraparound patio. Don't forget to bring some biodegradable shampoo and take a relaxing morning swim in the lake, just a short walk from the treehouse via a path and right on your own private dock.
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