This hand-crafted steampunk renovation will be one of the most unique and interesting spaces you will have the pleasure of experiencing. We call the property “Riversong Forest Retreat” and we are currently working on a Hobbit House, and a Grain Silo for short term rental on this stunning water-rich pristine 100 acres.

Brought to you by the team from the famed Alpaca Treehouse in the Bamboo Forest, this beautiful character filled space was inspired by Van Gogh (the murals) and Steampunk style: the cool melding of industrial metal and Victorian.

We encourage you to get out and explore these beautiful woods!

THINGS TO DO:
-Star gazing. There is no light pollution, so check out the beauty of the Southern skies and billions of stars.
-Pan for gold in Wolf Creek. We leave you two gold pans to try your luck. This area used to have gold mines and the river and the creek have gold flakes and maybe even nuggets.
-Fishing: Wolf creek & The Little Tallapoosa River are filled with crappie, brim, and bass.
-Hike to the Magical Beaver Pond–it’s the driveway with the gate before you get to the Steampunk on the opposite side of Wolf Creek bridge. It’s a 1/4 mile hike up. You can circle the pond and hike up the tiny brook that feeds it.
-Explore the Property: Dig for artifacts. There is treasure in the ground surrounding the cabin. We’ve found several valuable bottles worth hundreds of dollars. Finders keepers!
-Photography: So many opportunities.
-Wildlife Watching
-Kayak or canoe down the Little Tallapoosa/Lake Wedowee. Put in at Lamar Bridge, up river, and take out at our beach. Will need two cars and your kayaks.
-Swim in the river or deep holes in Wolf Creek
-Soak in the Hot Tub: We have the ultimate hot tub experience with our huge 16×16 foot porch overlooking the secluded forest
-Make a Pizza in the Gas Fired Oven: Make your own custom pie in our oven. All accessories provided.
-Take a Hike: We have 100 gorgeous acres to explore or hike down country road 532 for easier walking.
-Curl Up in our queen bed with a view. And read a book or watch some Netflix on your laptop. Our WIFI is fabulous.
-Check out the Muscogee/Creek Indian Trail Tree: Located down at the confluence where Wolf Creek meets the river/lake is a tree bent using a heavy stone to point the native peoples to special places of important. A confluence was a sacred spot for weddings/funerals.
-Dig Arrowheads and Native Pottery: This was once the home to the bustling thriving Native Peoples/Muscogee or Creek Indians. There are artifacts to be found. We found an arrowhead recently.
-Forest Bathing:: Spending time in nature, with its perfect balance of sights, sounds, smells, and peaceful environment, offers essential rewards for our highly stressed mental and physical selves. No wonder the ecotherapy practice of forest bathing, otherwise known as Shinrin-yoku, is gaining steam for all the right reasons. Don’t be confused; the exercise has nothing to do with soap or water. Instead, the name refers to the way participants fully immerse themselves in — and reconnect with — nature.

This will be a stay and escape that you’ll never forget.

Steampunk Wagon BACKSTORY:

Kara found this glorious 100 property while searching for a beautiful escape retreat to build tiny dwellings. She hiked the property and found it to be pristine, magical, and the topography compelling. She was mesmerized by the Little Tallapoosa River (means “wise grandmother town”) that is part of Lake Wedowee (“Ancient Waters”) in Muscogee or Creek. She loved the burbling, laughing, dancing sounds of Wolf Creek and then discovered the natural springs feeding into Wolf Creek.

The more she looked, the more she discovered. There is evidence of old moonshine stills on the natural springs. There are evident, left-over piled stones, signaling the presence of old buildings and barns. Kara pulled aerial photos of the property from 1942 and the majority of the existing forest was planted with corn & cotton, except for the steep river bank. Additionally, the old timers in the region, conveyed that there was an old milling concern somewhere on the property.
Feel free to look around and dig for old bottles and treasure. We found several bottles worth hundreds of dollars. One was an old 1915 Hobbleskirt Coca-Cola bottle, stamped Roanoke, AL on the bottom. Another was a cobalt blue Milk of Magnesia bottle. Very flashy. There are a couple of ancient trash piles and that’s likely to harbor treasure. Also, you can find bottles in Wolf Creek! Wear gloves to avoid poison ivy while forest digging (we learned that the hard way!)
This region was once called “Cambridge” and was a settler’s establishment. It seems that the settlers were from England, as we’ve found a lot of very crazed, very old English pottery, some stamped 1875. There was an old wooden post office, just down at the mouth of where 432 joins up with 532.

We replaced some missing metal, rebuilt the sub floor, replaced all of the old windows, added some cladding and structure to the foundation area.
We had a wonderful team working on this project and I’m forever grateful for their hard work: Terry Rutlege, his son Christopher Rutledge, Patty LaHaie, Doc Wade, and me (Kara). And we had some subs do the floors, cabinets, and counters.

What is Steampunk?
Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era or the American frontier. Where steam power remains in mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power. (Wikipedia)
Why Steampunk? No real reason except that I love Victorian everything and also love industrial. Since we were beginning with a metal building that got my creative juices flowing. Lots of metal in steampunk. We were using Victorian floors, so decided to take up the theme. Then came the idea to paint a mural on the exterior and I love Vincent Van Gogh. My cat (with one ear) is even named Vincent Van Meogh.

Waterfront Alabama Cabin Rental

1800s Flooring: The flooring is late 1800s heart of pine flooring that we reclaimed from a huge Victorian mansion in Bowden, GA that was torn down. We used the same wood for wainscotting on the walls, along with the rusty barn tin.
Front Door: This hefty French door I personally salvaged from an 1860s mansion in downtown Atlanta. It came from a huge gorgeous home that was being torn down in the Olde Fourth Ward
Bathroom Door & Owner’s Storage Closet: These old Victorian doors are super hefty and are circa 1800s. They are heart of pine and I salvaged from from and old house in Atlanta that was being demolished. Their door hardware is also 130 year hardware from a Decatur home and very ornate.

North Alabama Cabin Rentals

Magical Beaver Pond: To get to the pond, you can wade across the creek and then hike along the creek going to the right. If you don’t want to cross the creek, you can go back out the driveway, hike down 532 towards 432, and take a right at the first drive. You’ll see a metal gate. Hike up the drive about ¼ mile and you’ll get to the Magical Beaver Pond. We stocked it with edible fish in spring 2024 (catfish and brim) and there were already fish in the pond. Feel free to catch and eat.
Before I bought this acreage, I hiked to this pond and it was leaking and so it was more of a glorified mud flat. Buying this property took a good bit of time and when I finally went under contract, I went back to the pond to find that a beaver had shown up and fixed the pond and it was full and glorious. Hence why I call it The Magical Beaver Pond. See if you can find the tiny painted beaver in the mural.

Mural: Painting the mural took me a good bit of time. I began with a Van Gogh theme and a starry night inspiration. My friends Martha Baker and Patty LaHaie helped a good bit. Martha painted a tiny painter person in the mural. I added a magical beaver and a large llama (I have them in Atlanta).

God is in the Details (or so they say): We are all about the details. Some of them:
• The bed headboard is an old Chevy tailgate that I found at a yardsale.
• The steampunk clock was a handmade Etsy purchase.
• The killer Frankenstein switches are also handmade Etsy finds.
• The mahogany (VERY OLD) barometer was a gift from a friend. It doesn’t work, but it’s a really cool piece.
• The reproduction oil paintings in the kitchen were a find at an antique store and they are very old. The original artist painted them during the Italian Renaissance. These repros are also Italian.
• The ceiling tiles were installed by me & and my handywoman friend Patty in two days.
• The steampunk knobs are mostly all different. I found them on etsy.
• Bathroom copper towel bar was made by an etsy artist.
• The firepit was built by Christopher Rutledge (a talented young mason). He used the rocks salvaged from a collapsed chimney up on the ridge. You can hike up there to see the other vintage chimney still standing
• The gravel road will take you up to a clearing, on the left. This is the future site of the Grain Bin Silo Cabin.

All of it

No pets and no kids under 12. This is an adult playground!