There's always one reaction when people visit Issaquah's TreeHouse Point.
"It's amazing! When can we move in?" asked a couple on a recent tour.
In fact, that's exactly how Damon Bishop, the general manager ended up here.
"I stayed here as a guest and fell in love with the place and wanted to be more a part of it, so that's how I ended up here," Bishop said.
This is a pilgrimage place for folks who want more leafy greens. Mike and Debbie Wilkensen came here from Pennsylvania for one reason:
"Because she wants a treehouse!” Mike laughed.
It's so popular that people pay just to take a tour.
“I wanted to stay here, but I probably looked a bit too late," said Marianne Fowler, who was visiting with her husband, Julian, from Australia. "It was all booked out, so it's good that they do the tours."
Its fame is due in part to Treehouse Masters -- a show on Animal Planet hosted by Pete Nelson, the guy who built this wooded wonderland.
Temple of the Blue Moon is the first one Pete built here in 2006. It's wrapped around an ancient spruce, and it's a fan favorite.
"It's got a beautiful view, it's along the river, so it's really pretty,” Mike said. "And we watched them build it on the show. So it's nice to go into the ones we watched them build on TV and say yeah we watched them build this,” added his wife, Debbie.
One treehouse is a flashback to childhood.
“Oh, Upper Pond. We refer to it as our party house,” Bishop said. “Because it's the only one that can sleep four, and it has a very playful feel with the ladder, and the top part of the bunkbeds. And it has the highly coveted pulley to hook your suitcases and things onto, so that makes it fun.”
Burl is the latest addition - built in 2013. The platforms higher up the tree, built for a taping of the TV show, remain in place.
"There's no guest access, so don't ask,” Bishop laughed.
After a walk in these woods, it's hard to pick what’s more stunning -- the treehouses, or the trees?
“That's a trick question, isn't it? Of course, the trees are beautiful, but the treehouses are just perfect in their setting amidst the trees,” said Bishop.
Everyone who visits becomes a believer in the TreeHouse Point motto: Be in a Tree.
Because who doesn't want a treehouse to call their own?
Treehouse Point was voted Best Quirky Place to Stay in our 2018 Best NW Escapes Contest.
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