Everyone knows the more popular vacation destinations;
Disney World, Washington DC, a trip to the beach, or even the local theme park.
But what about those little known getaways that make up childhood memories and
hold a special place in your heart? For
me, that place has always been my aunt’s house.
In the middle of the woods, in southern Indiana, you will
find over 20 acres of woodland belonging to my aunt and her
life-long friend from college. In the midst of the trees is a
clearing where, almost 40 years ago, a small one-room stone cabin was built.
They spent more than a year building this cabin, by hand, with the stones from
their creek bed and the trees on their land. The cabin then provided shelter for
the next decade while they built a much larger home. Again making use of the
stone and lumber that their land provided them, they constructed a three-story,
two bedroom home almost completely by hand.
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| Cabin in the woods. |
As a child, I was able to spend time from several of my
summers here. We rode horses, helped care for them and even cleaned out their stalls.
We played in the creek, hiked in the woods, camped and fished at the nearby lake and just had fun learning and exploring. One year, my brother and I even
used spare parts from around their barn to build our own go-kart. We would help
with the construction on the new house, catch turtles and crawdads, dig for
arrowheads and study skulls that we found. They were some of the greatest times
from my childhood.
As an adult, I still visit as often as I can and have made
sure to bring my own children. It makes me happy to hear them say that it’s
their favorite place to go and that, like me, these are two of
their favorite people. I guess I never imagined growing up and sharing these
things with my kids, but it has become a very important and anticipated
tradition.
It makes me wonder what other unsung escapes there are out
there. What other unknown destinations there are that hold such a special place
in someone else’s heart? But it isn’t just the location; it’s the people, the
bonding, and the memories that are created there.
What's your favorite place and childhood memory that is better than Disney World?
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| Maybe it will be her favorite memory one day. |
What's your favorite place and childhood memory that is better than Disney World?
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