I opened the door to #9 excited to see what I was about to encounter. I felt like I was falling into Alice’s rabbit hole; everything seemed familiar yet came with slight twists. It’s as if my world had shrunk to a tiny Wonderland.
I surveyed the 135 square feet carefully, taking in all the exposed woodwork and the cool, little designs of the space. A big grin formed across my face; I was surprised at how big 135 square feet looked.
In only 4 short steps, I went from the kitchen through the ‘living room’ to the bathroom! After all, they say 12 tiny Wee Casas would fit inside the average American home.
Take a Tiny Vacation
Most of the time when we are on vacation, we look for big, elegant glamping spots. But what if you wanted something simpler? Maybe it’s time for a tiny vacation in a tiny town, in a tiny home!
I got hooked on the tiny home concept about 3 years ago and have soaked in many of the Tiny House Nation shows. I’ve fantasized about building and owning one, but I’ve never actually seen or stayed in one until now.
I arrived at WeeCasa, a tiny home ‘resort’ in Lyons, Colorado, excited to testrun and explore the area and accommodation for the weekend.
The WeeCasa Concept
“We believe autonomy is born of simplicity and it is our mission to help people experience comfortable, high quality spaces in a beautiful setting” — Greg and Jenn the Wee Managers
This is nothing short of the “new vision of the “American Dream.” Vacationing in a WeeCasa tiny home feels sort of like camping – but in small, luxury houses. Each is furnished with high-end linens, fluffy towels, and good mattresses. The kitchen is completely functional, with a stove and fridge, and some even have microwaves. And each has a real flush toilet – which is a Glamping bonus. But the real selling point is they are just darn cute!
There are 22 tiny homes at WeeCasa situated in a campground like environment. There are areas of shared seating outside the houses, places for bonfires, and a small local market in Lyons where you can get supplies for cooking.
This is Not your Average Accommodations
Normally when glamping, all of the tents are basically the same layout and look. However, each WeeCasa home has a different design creating this “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” environment! I found the experience to be more social than the average glamping, hotel, or even camping situation. Here, everyone invited each other inside, forming a social circle with glamping neighbors!
My Home Sweet Tiny Home – The Boulder
I chose to stay in ‘The Boulder’, a Rocky Mountain Tiny Home design. Each home comes with a back-story; I learned the owner of my house was a fisherwoman in Alaska in the summers. She had it built in Colorado for a winter home and lived in it around Lyons. She’s since decided not to live in it anymore (at least for now), so it’s been with WeeCasa ever since, instead of going into storage.
WeeCasa gave the Boulder a new life. They agreed to take it and use it in the resort; it gets used, the owner makes some money, it helps tourism in Lyons, and it gets shared with the tiny home community! A win, win for everyone!
The Boulder is 135 square feet and had everything I really needed: mini-fridge with freezer, gas two-burner cooktop, kitchen sink, stand-up shower (with hot water), flush toilet, sink, queen size mattress, and a large closet space.
The alternating tread stairs were really unique – you can’t turn around on them so once you start going up, you‘re committed! Despite its small size, there was plenty of space in the loft to sit up easily without hitting your head!
How Do You Choose From So Many?
When you book, you can see the different houses available and pick the style you prefer. However, they book up fast in the summer, especially with summer weekends getting booked for larger parties. So your first choice might not be available unless you book early!
Conversely, if you really want to take Tiny Home living for a serious test run, then stay in the winter. This is the first winter they stayed open the entire time, and you can stay over the winter (up to 30 days). This is the true test to determine if you’re a tiny home dweller!
Use Your Wee Casa as a Base to Explore the Area
You probably won’t want to leave your new cozy tiny home, but if you do, there are plenty of things to do in the area. Lyons is the gateway into the Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park – without all of the tourists. It’s a small-town hidden gem with a local feel.
Lyons and Around
WeeCasa is located a short 5 minute walk to Main street, where you’ll find delicious restaurants, galleries and breweries. My dinner at Farmer Girl was a highlight – fresh local ingredients and an eating experience you wouldn’t expect in such a small town. Make sure you stop by the Oskar Blues Brewery, as they often have incredible local blues/jazz music and bands! There’s even a pinball arcade in the little town!
You don’t have to go far for adventure around Lyons; you can kayak on the river, go hiking, fly fishing, and biking. Plus, the resort is also right next to a great music festival venue and often gets booked up on festival weekends quickly.
Estes and Rocky Mountain National Park
A short (and scenic) 30-minute drive will land you a step closer to the Rocky Mountain peaks that surround Estes Park. There, you can hike, bike, shop, and tour the famous haunted Stanley Hotel. And just a few minutes further, you’ll land at the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park! I drove up the famous Trail Ridge Road to get the best scenic photography and a feel for the park. There’s, of course, plenty of day hikes in the park too if you want to go a little deeper!
After you get your outdoor fix, you can drive back to your tiny home and take a hot shower and cook up dinner!
Normally, you don’t travel somewhere to see a hotel or experience accommodations; you travel places to see the area and have experiences outside of the accommodations. However, this is one time where traveling to a destination for the accommodation is completely reasonable! Come down the rabbit hole to the WeeCasa Wonderland for your next Glamping experience!
Sherry Ott is a long term traveler, blogger, and photographer with one goal in mind – to make you wish you were somewhere else. She seeks out epic adventures to intriguing places and writes about her around the world adventures on Ottsworld.com. You can also follow her live travels on Instagram and Twitter.
I used to live in Boulder and hang out in Lyons and Estes Park all the time. This concept is brilliant and hope it catches on. Have you found any other properties like this one that offer a large selection of tiny homes or glamping rentals?
Wow, these are lovely! Jared, if you ever visit Portland, Oregon there’s a Tiny House Hotel in the Alberta Arts District which is a great base for any trip there.
Oh wow, absolutely love these beautiful houses! I hope I’ll be able to find the time to visit this place soon.
Very nice and informative post. Keep traveling and keep posting <3.
My best wishes for all your future journeys, Sherry.