Whippoorwill: For Loft Snuggles & Fireside S'mores

Summary:
Tucked atop Suck Creek Mountain inside Chattanooga, a short drive from downtown, Whippoorwill puts woods & city adventures within easy reach.

Traipse through Talking Water’s trails, grill something good, & linger by your private firepit until someone admits they’re sleepy. Climb into the king-bed loft while chickens & cicadas handle the evening conversation.

Sleeps 4 with a king-sized (not a typo) sleeper couch downstairs, a kitchen, indoor bathroom, & private outdoor shower.

The Space:
Whippoorwill Cabin at Talking Water Nature Retreat
Simple pleasures. Sweet sounds. Soulful surroundings.

Whippoorwill is one of four cozy cabins in the Songbird Neighborhood (which also includes the Meadowlark Bunkhouse). Talking Water Nature Retreat is a family-built haven tucked into 82 acres atop Suck Creek Mountain & just a scenic 20-minute drive from downtown Chattanooga.

Whippoorwill offers cozy charm, nature-immersed simplicity, colorful whimsy, and a touch of mountain magic.

Inside, you'll find warm, funky design and all the essentials for a peaceful stay: a full kitchen, comfy sleeping space for 6–7 guests, and both indoor and outdoor showers—including one perfect for stargazing.

Just outside, simple mountain fun awaits:
- Swing, slide, and tetherball right nearby
- Trails winding through the woods for morning or sunset hikes
- Firepits for late-night stories and s’mores
- Campsite grills for picnic dining
- Charming chicken coop about 100 feet away (say hello to our feathered friends!)
- Access to the community Songbird Pavilion with an outdoor kitchen and seating for group meals or relaxing

Whippoorwill offers the kind of joy that doesn’t require screens or schedules - just a little time, fresh air, and space to connect. Whether you’re here solo, as a couple, or part of a larger group gathering (you can sleep up to 26 guests when booking all four cabins and the bunkhouse), Talking Water is your base for unplugging and reconnecting.

Guest Access:
For the free spirits & the young at heart

Whippoorwill is for the family that spends the afternoon traipsing through the woods, grills dinner outside, & stays around the fire until everyone’s ready to climb into bed.

Head up to the king-bed loft, snuggle in, & listen to chickens & cicadas provide the background chatter. This cozy little cabin keeps your people close, with a small deck, stone patio, & plenty to explore beyond your door.

🛏 Climb up & get cozy

Whippoorwill sleeps up to 4 guests:

- A king bed in the loft (sleeps 2)
- A king-sized (not a typo) sleeper couch downstairs (sleeps 2)
- Indoor hooks for 2 hammocks (hammocks & straps provided)

You’ll need to climb to reach the king bed, so keep that in mind when planning who sleeps where. The loft is open to the living area, making this a good fit for families & friends who are comfortable sharing space.

Hammocks do not increase the cabin’s 4-person guest limit.

🌿 Dinner outside, nowhere to hurry

Put something on the outdoor grill, pull up a chair on the stone patio, & let dinner take its time.

Your private firepit is there for long conversations, marshmallows, & the familiar cycle of everyone moving their chairs when the smoke changes direction.

The small deck gives you another spot for morning coffee or a few quiet minutes before the rest of the family gets moving. You might even see the goats munching leaves nearby, taking care of our landscaping needs.

🚿 A little fresh air with your shower

Whippoorwill has a full indoor bathroom & a private hot outdoor shower.

After an afternoon on the trails, rinse off outside & enjoy a little more time under the sky. An after-dark shower comes with stars when the weather cooperates.

The indoor shower is available year-round.

🍳 Keep everyone fed

The kitchen has a refrigerator, stove, & cooking supplies for breakfast, trail snacks, & meals back at the cabin. There’s also an outdoor grill for evenings when nobody wants to come inside yet.

No dishwasher, so you may want to establish who’s washing up before everyone disappears toward the fire.

A TV & Wi-Fi are available when you’re ready to settle in.

🥾 Take the wandering route

Whippoorwill is one of five cabins in the Songbird Neighborhood at Talking Water, on 82 wooded acres inside Chattanooga.

Spend the afternoon exploring our private hiking trails through the woods & along the bluff. A steep mountain trail leads down to Suck Creek, where you can look for crawdads, explore the shallows, or sit & listen to the water.

Leave some energy for the walk back up. Snacks help. So does stopping to admire a tree.

Back in the neighborhood, the shared Songbird Pavilion has an outdoor kitchen with an electric griddle, cold-water sink, & cabinets, plus picnic tables & a firepit with chairs & benches. The slide, tetherball, & children’s climbing structures are nearby.

Shared guest laundry is available during daytime hours outside cabin-cleaning windows.

🌱 A little about Talking Water

We’re a small family-owned & family-operated business with five cabins, built around a love of making things, being outside, & bringing people together.

Our family began creating Talking Water in April 2022, restoring logged land while building places to stay, gather, learn, & play. It’s an ongoing passion project, & we live & work here alongside the goats, chickens, & cats.

You’ll find handmade details, growing things, & usually another project taking shape.

🐾 Bringing the dog along?

Dogs are welcome at Whippoorwill with prior approval & a pet fee for non-Airbnb bookings.

Dogs must be leashed outdoors & crated inside whenever they are not directly with their owners (crates available upon request).

Our livestock will be working in different areas of the property during your stay. Keep dogs under your control, do not allow them to approach our animals, & please clean up all waste.

🪶 Bring a few more of your favorite people

Planning a family reunion, retreat, wedding weekend, corporate getaway, or friend gathering? Rent all five cabins: Blackbird, Chickadee, Goldfinch, Meadowlark, & Whippoorwill.

Together, the cabins sleep up to 26 guests in beds. Share meals, games, & evenings at the Songbird Pavilion, then head back to your own cabin when it’s time to wind down.

The Ceremony Hut & Cob Oven can also be reserved for scenic, earthy gatherings centered on connecting with nature & your people.

Use of the Ceremony Hut or Cob Oven, & hosting events, require advance arrangements & additional fees.

The Neighborhood:
Whippoorwill is one of five cabins in our Songbird Neighborhood. Each cabin has its own private indoor & outdoor spaces, while shared areas offer room for gathering, games, & spending time together.

Talking Water comes with a mountain soundtrack: birds, bugs, frogs, wind in the trees, chickens, & yes, roosters. Nobody has successfully negotiated a later start time with the roosters. You may also hear occasional road noise.

We’re tucked into Chattanooga’s Suck Creek Mountain community & surrounded by some of the area’s best natural spaces:

- 🌲 Prentice Cooper State Forest borders the southern edge of the property.
- 💧 Nearly a mile of Suck Creek runs along the eastern side of our land.
- 🌊 The Tennessee River follows the road at the base of the mountain.

Before our family purchased the property in 2022, much of the land had been logged for decades without much stabilization or replanting. Since then, we’ve been restoring it through native planting, trail work, erosion control, natural building, creative reuse, & a lot of hands-on care.

Talking Water is still evolving. You’ll find wild mountain land, handmade spaces, quirky details, & usually a project or two underway. Our family lives & works here, slowly bringing the property back to life.

Getting Around:
We’re tucked into the mountains, but still surprisingly close to Chattanooga. A car is strongly recommended, and drive times can vary with traffic.

Under 10 minutes:
- Prentice Cooper State Forest
- Suck Creek swimming holes & outdoor recreation
- Tennessee River access
- Aldi, restaurants, and coffee

Under 20 minutes:
- Downtown Chattanooga riverfront
- Tennessee Aquarium
- Creative Discovery Museum
- Coolidge Park & North Shore
- Countless downtown restaurants, breweries, shops, & attractions *Chattanooga's restaurant scene is on point!
- Numerous climbing, mountain biking, hiking, & paddling spots

Under 30 minutes:
- Ruby Falls
- Rock City Gardens
- Incline Railway
- Chattanooga Zoo
- Big Soddy Gulf
- Erlanger Park / Chattanooga Lookouts

The drive to Talking Water follows the Tennessee River and climbs Suck Creek Mountain, so you get the feeling of a real mountain getaway without giving up easy access to Chattanooga.