Decompress and reignite in nature! Bring the whole family or your special someone to this spacious cabin. Enjoy over 6 miles of grass, rock and paved nature paths throughout Keomah State Park, swim in your own backyard pool, rejuvenate with high pressure jets in the hot tub, gather around the fire on the patio, play badminton or bags on the large yard amidst several oak, walnut, birch and sycamores, ping pong or shoot billiards with your people, or sit on the patio amidst an English garden being serenaded by the resident house wren while the squirrels & song birds entertain you!
Fall beauty and the anticipation of wintertime adventure is right around the corner! All you winter fun chasers: reserve the cabin, rent cross country skies, plan to build a snowman, sled down the hills and look for mysteries to solve in the forest! Our forest is filled with song birds, woodpeckers, scurrying creatures, deer, raccoons, and wood chuck families! Once the lake is renovated, enjoy ice fishing, fox and geese and ice skating on the frozen waters again.
Wedding, anniversary and other event venues are housed in the state park adjoining this village or host your event right here on our acre plus yard!
The Space
If "Eclectic", "Nature", or "Cabin" is your vibe, you will love the cabin feel with pine ceilings & walls in most of the home. The family room with its vaulted ceilings, exposed beams and large windows receives light and warmth from sunrise over the adjoining farm field until about noon. There is a pedestal wood table back here with comfy chairs for games, puzzles or your laptop for digital nomads. Plop down on the leather sectional with luscious throws for movie night or simply gather here and converse while others shoot some pool or put together a puzzle nearby.
The family room opens up to our game room with a ping pong table, darts, mini-golf, another game table, yard games and its own movie or game watching area. We recently moved the two tandem bikes and other vintage bikes outside under a cover to keep the game room spacious.
The front great room, open to the kitchen and dining area has a floor to ceiling brick fireplace, large library of literature for all ages, a big wooden dollhouse and toys for the children. There is a very long couch several comfy chairs and a large comfy rug for another delightful conversation area. In both great rooms, we've taken in a keyboard, and had wonderful sing alongs! Also in this room is a record player connected to Bose speaker and several vinyls to choose from. Someone in your group play the ukulele? Between that, the kalimba, Tamborine, flutes and rainmaker, beautiful music can be made!
If you are window open kind of people, and it is not winter, open the windows in the great room and the dining room and the sounds and breeze are pretty idyllic! Also enjoy this feel from the screened in brick patio with hot tub and sitting area that walks out to either the one acre plus yard or adjoining outdoor patio, all with great views of wooded areas and glistening waters once lake renovation is complete.
Traveling solo or with a small group? Soak in the warm sunshine on the bed of your choice, take several walks through the forest and marsh areas at various times of the day to enjoy the animals and plants who are especially active early in the morning, throughout the day and both at dusk and after the sun has set. Many travel here simply to come into close contact with one of our rare albino deer. We have seen the albino buck and doe on several occasions, especially at dusk. We've been pretty excited to see them foraging on the yard of the cabin several times, not together and primarily the female.
Birds are a plenty here during all seasons from the gold finch, blue bird, several woodpeckers, and a great variety of song birds to at least two bald eagles and the great blue heron. The children will be in frog heaven when they catch a bullfrog or any of the small species of frogs hopping here and there will provide a sporting chase!
Back to the inside: if you love to cook and bake, have fun doing this together or at least with others nearby with the open concept floor plan, great island and incredible built ins for serving buffet style! We love entertaining here, both inside and out!
While we're talking food, be sure to take advantage of our Traeger smoker and Traeger Flatrock Flat Top Gas Grill on the patio outside. Dine inside or out! There are incredible natural benches around the lake for this same purpose, and three picnic shelters, if you decide to take your food in a pack and picnic along the way. Delightful!!
While you plan your time here, take time for a tea party with poetry or painting... We have the china made in Germany, table cloths and an English Garden on the patio. Bake something delicious and serve it with a spot of tea. While you prepare and during tea time, play back ground music with Alexa plugged in outside or in the screened porch. When it seems right, take turns reading poetry, a Hans Christian Anderson tale, an excerpt from Chronicles of Narnia, Treasure Island, Psalms or any book of your choice.
You will love any time of year out here! Winter berries and a variety of seeds provide nourishment for all kinds of feathered friends and furry mammals, including deer, chipmunks, raccoons, wood chucks, and be sure to listen for the coyotes and owls once the sun goes down as you gather around the fire.
The Town Nearby:
Oskaloosa is the closest town with some delicious eateries with great atmospheres, three golf courses, several frisbee golf courses, fun boutiques, great vintage, antique and thrift options and both an award winning square, restaurant, and greenhouse filled with both activities for planting together and fun for the whole family, especially during their Autumn Acres.
During the summer months, stay out at the lake the entire time (once renovated), or come into Oskaloosa on Thursday nights for their band on the square, performing since the 1800's! Bring a chair, blanket or sit on a park bench and join all the families at dusk as the band plays and often sings for you, with games for the children, dancing for anyone who might like to, shout outs to all the birthdays, anniversaries or any other celebratory event a guest enters on the clipboard for the evening. There's food trucks (I think), a fun coffee shop with great shakes and bucket ice cream right there, and the night closes with Lawrence Welk's "Goodnight" song as all the children are given bubbles to run around and blow! It is literally idealic!!!!
With an active and talented chamber, historical society, arts and conservation board, Mahaska County is a gem for natural learning and adventure. Check out the Chamber's Website and search for their calendar for loads of things to do in the area all throughout the year.
Bike Trails and Bike Rentals:
We have a wonderful 14 mile bike trail that goes all around Oskaloosa through restored prairies, woods, and farm fields and has a good variety of entry and exit points for most of us who may not have time for the whole route. Travel easy and rent a bike from Nostalgic Rides in Oskaloosa at 207 A Avenue East, right next to the well loved dutch bakery - Jaarsmas. At Nostalgic Rides, there are a few high demand experiences such as the Schwinn bicycle built for two and the adult Tricycle, so if those two would be a must for you, let us know and if they are available, we'll be sure to reserve them for you!
Outdoor Explorers and Nature Enthusiasts:
There are over 2300 acres of forests, wetlands, prairies and parks to explore in Mahaska County and 20 separate parks, river accesses and wildlife areas with over six miles of maintained trails cared for by our local conservation board, in addition to both Keomah State Park where there is at least 5 miles of hiking and Oskaloosa's 14 mile bike trail. Check out Mahaska County Conservation Board website or stop in at their beautiful education center, which houses all kinds of nature displays and live animals and not only offers weekly activities, but has a wonderful entry point for Oskaloosa's bike trail This center is conveniently located between the cabin and Oskaloosa (2342 Hwy 92, Oskaloosa), not far from our wonderful Stam's Greenhouse, mentioned somewhere in these details.
Link to Keomah State Park: https://www.iowadnr.gov/Places-to-Go/State-Parks/Iowa-State-Parks/Lake-Keomah-State-Park
While our lake is being renovated, we recommend a close by lake: White Oak Conservation Area. If you would like us to transport our watercraft (kayaks & pedal pontoon boat) for a fee, please ask.
