Please reach us at bobbie@talkingwatertn.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
We like to think we are pretty cool! Each cabin is designed to be unique and appeal to different styles. But the biggest reason to choose us is not the aesthetics, but that we have a personal touch. We just really enjoy creating space for memories to be made.
Being a small family business, we are able to provide personal service to guests and we are motivated to make sure your stay is positive.
It's for everyone - seriously.
We are oriented to group travel, but our primary business is for single-cabin rentals. We offer rental of the whole neighborhood for 18 months ahead in schedule. We will offer bookings of individual cabins for 6 months ahead in schedule.
We love the diversity - it keeps things interesting and we love getting guests for all rhymes and reasons!
There are a total of 4 cabins at Talking Water. All 4 are located in what we call "Songbird Neighborhood." We classify it as a neighborhood because the central area is our collective pavilion where occupants of each cabin can socialize, share meals, and relax together.
The four cabins in Songbird include Chickadee, Whippoorwill, Goldfinch, and Blackbird.
We would love to build more in the future, but we are happy with this for now!
A whippoorwill is a songbird. Not the greatest looker, but their song is a beauty. Sit outside in the late evening and early morning to hear them sing "whip-pooor-willlll" to each other.
Nope! It is perfectly acceptable to stay reclusive! No need to meet anyone and we ask all guests to respect each other's boundaries.
In general, a good rule of thumb is to read social cues and use the pavilion as the best place for meet-and-greets.
Nah. We are a vacation rental with the ability to intermingle (see our Group Stays page). We do host small gatherings in our pavilion, but this is on a per-case basis with existing guests.
We highly recommend our neighbor, Gardens in the Gorge, for weddings/receptions.
We opened in July 2023. We purchased the land in April 2022. Check out our About the Property page to learn more.
In short, yes. We are technically located in the city of Chattanooga, but we are in a different county than the rest of the city. It is confusing!
We are a 15-18 minute drive from downtown.
We are technically on "slow time" (Central Standard Time), but we operate on "fast time" (Eastern Standard Time) with the rest of Chattanooga.
We suggest locking the timezone on your phones during your stay. We also program a wall clock in each cabin to Eastern time.
We (Sonners & Suches) are just a family. We have formed a formal business because going in on this together is kind of a big deal. And because we hope we are building a legacy that outlasts those of us that started this (see the child laborers section of our bio page).
We are just trying to come across as more professional and more formal than we are really.
In short, eventually. But not anytime soon.
Building Talking Water has been a labor of love and we are so proud of what we have done. But we need a little time to recover financially and socially. We expect to expand our construction past the bluffline within the next 5-10 years. But life is unpredictable, so who knows what is coming next?
We try our best to be! We offer recycling and compost to all guests and we have installed energy-efficient products in each cabin. We do our best to purchase earth-friendly products whenever possible.
But we aren't here to preach. Nobody is perfect and perfection is the enemy of progress. As we state in our house rules, "Assume the Best Intent." We all want to protect Mother Earth and doing so is definitely a work in progress.
We are building out our trail system! As of March 2024, we have a winding desent (Billy Goat Trail) past the bluffline followed by a more leisurely walk down to the water. We recommend hiking shoes and water. It is also helpful for guests to download the OnX app to orient themselves to the property lines.
The "Billy Goat" portion of the trail passes great rock and lankmark features and is a 1/4 mile long. The walk from the end of Billy Goat to the blue hole at the north end of the property is 1/2 mile.
Our goal is to keep expanding our paths and create a true trail network, including one along the mile of creek on the property. We are always adding!
Suck Creek is a fast-moving creek and swimming can get risky. Please use common sense about whether or not to get in the water and please never consider doing so without a partner and without a working cell phone.
We would prefer our guests admire our creek without jumping in at this time. There are numerous blue holes less than 5 minutes away within Prentice Cooper State Park. We recommend parking along the eastern side of Suck Creek Road within Prentice Cooper and taking short 5-10 minutes treks down to the water.
Yes, with a few caveats.
We allow dogs in Chickadee, Goldfinch, and Whippoorwill. We require an $80 pet fee per dog up to 2 per household. We do not allow dogs inside Blackbird at this time.
We require that dogs remain crated whenever not with their owners. We are happy to provide crates if needed.
Of course! We can't imagine not having kids around the place. Our own children are around frequently and we love seeing guest families bonding together on site.
We do ask that guests supervise their children on site. Being in nature means lots of jumping, climbing, and exploring. Besides the normal risks of breaking a bone or skinning a knee, there is an increased risk of encountering snakes, spiders, and mosquitoes while exploring in the great outdoors.
We allow smoking outdoors only and we strictly require all cigarette butts to be disposed of in the bright yellow cigarette bins.
Smoking indoors or littering cigarette butts will result in fines and removal from the property.
We occasionally get asked about taking professional photos at our retreat. We are open to it! We just always want to screen photographers beforehand and make sure that our space and our designs are respected during the process.
In the past, we have accepted portrait, boudoir, and lifestyle photography. As long as the content isn't for the adult-only industry, we are willing to discuss options.
...everything! No joke, Chattanooga is a whole lot of personality in a small package.
We have gorgeous natural scenery and countless outdoor activities (boating, climbing, caving, biking, hiking, swimming, ziplining, rafting, fishing, etc), tons of fun local events, intriguing museums/history, and a heavy locally-owned bar/restaurant scene. We are a city welcoming to people of all backgrounds and interests - you will love it here!
Talking Water Nature Retreat
6405 Suck Creek Road (Highway 27), Chattanooga, TN 37405
Copyright © 2023 Talking Water Nature Retreat - All Rights Reserved.
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