My wife and I came from central Oklahoma and our children, and two grandchildren came from central Tennessee. It was pretty much middle ground. The pictures provided are beautiful and accurate, but like all pictures, don't do justice to the real thing. As you drive in your breath is taken away with the beauty of the pond and cabin. It is postcard beautiful and when you go inside the cabin the spaciousness is amazing. All six of us were extremely comfortable and the kids loved the bunks. The trails around the lake and through the woods were a big hit. Unfortunately, the only critters we saw was a beautiful but dangerous calf killer ant, turtles, tadpoles and what we believe was a muskrat in the trees at east side of pond. While we would have loved to see other critters and kids to catch some fish, the peace and tranquility was God's Blessing to all of us. Mississippi River State Park provided swimming for the kids and some beautiful drives through the countryside. Communication with the Hosts was quick and professional before and during our stay and earned the "Premiere Host" title, in our opinion. This is truly one of those things that IS Better than it looks.