Photo essay: The Lodge at Stillwater Studios

Y’all keep in mind the outdated Seventies Three Canine Evening hit, “Out within the Nation”? No?

Discover it and provides it a pay attention.

The track is a whimsical homage to needing house when life begins closing in. Generally you simply must get away. Take the street much less traveled. All roads result in someplace. That type of factor.

And the place to try this is The Lodge in Moselle, a get-away with safari-like tents and cottages geared up with all of the comforts of residence.

With theme music firmly in your head, pack a couple of necessities, get in your automobile and, if leaving the Jackson metro space, hit U.S. 49 South. Preserve going till you get to Collins and hook a left on Mississippi 588.

Preserve going.

Benefit from the pastoral great thing about the boonies. Moo at cows and grin at your individual silliness. Breathe.

Mississippi 588 turns into Moselle-Seminary Highway, which turns into Mississippi 11 South. You’ll take a couple of extra rights and a handful of lefts on a two-lane blacktop, however preserve going. Belief your GPS. You lose cellphone service, however so what, that’s type of the purpose.

That final flip actually does put you on S w P A Highway in Moselle.

You’ve gotten arrived.

There’s a cute little signpost welcoming you to The Lodge at Sweetwater Studios.

Proprietor and operator Airon Whitt will motor out on her golf cart to greet you. It’s fairly attainable her two canine Diego and Dora will greet you, too. They’re good ambassadors for the place you’ll be kicking again. Each had been strays and determined to remain. Don’t be stunned if the identical concepts whisper to you.

When you’ve stretched your legs and loosen up from the drive, have a pay attention.

Do you hear it?

That’s proper. No visitors. No cellphones or televisions.

Take a deep, deep breath. Soak within the peacefulness of rustic overload — birds chirping, tree leaves rustling from a delicate breeze wafting via the encompassing woods of the 26-acre property.

You’ll discover Airon ready patiently whilst you soak all of it in, smiling at you and the “realizing” you’ve simply acquired.

“My mother and father are artists who traveled, honed their crafts and helped out within the communities the place we lived after I was a child. I can keep in mind us staying in these big tents that I believed had been so cool. I informed myself, I’ll have tents similar to that sooner or later. That’s the fantastic thing about the web. I discovered the very same tents and right here they’re,” Whitt stated, as she tidied up the sleeping space in one of many tents.

“I labored within the tourism and journey trade, in accommodations and eating places for over 15 years. I discovered a lot, and I found simply how a lot I cherished it,” Whitt stated, as she vented the massive 31-foot, domed yoga tent. “That planted a couple of seeds, you already know. I knew I needed to stay my dream of proudly owning my very own get-a-way house, lodge, one thing like that sometime.”

“I had top-of-the-line jobs ever… spending summers touring the world with youngsters to locations like Panama, Guatemala, Thailand, Ghana, Cambodia and Morocco. Then COVID hit. I discovered myself questioning simply what I used to be going to do. It pressured me to maneuver again right here. However out of that nightmare, my dream took form. The Lodge at Sweetwater Studios was born,” Whitt stated with admiration.

Sure, for the glammer-camper in you, there are non-public bogs, sizzling water, rainfall showers and heated blankets. Different facilities embody bathrobes, beds with reminiscence foam mattresses, warmth, air-con, espresso makers and wine glasses. Ponder life out on the deck and benefit from the firepit, sunrises or sunsets, your alternative.

There’s a 3-acre lake and pedal boats. Work out your kinks within the 31-foot yoga tent. An artwork studio is obtainable for teacher workshops. Birdwatch whereas climbing the character trails within the surrounding woods.

Whitt’s father constructed a 5,250-foot croquet garden, in addition to a greenhouse crammed with tropical crops, many grown from Airon’s distinctive finds from the locations she visited. There’s additionally an 8-foot deep pool, a spa and sauna.

Whitt invitations every body to come back as a bunch or come alone to take a load off. Loosen up, meditate, discover… oh, and play croquet.