Sanctuary Treehouse Resort - Tennessee's Most Playful Luxury Resort

Sanctuary Treehouse Resort in Sevierville, Tennessee describes itself as the world's first interactive treehouse resort, which is one way to put it. Another is that someone built a 6-meter (20-foot) slide off the bedroom, installed a drink chute between floors so you never have to carry your own beverage up the stairs, and then released two bald eagles named Sir Hatcher II and Lady Independence onto the property - and somehow made it feel completely natural.

Since opening in 2023, the family-run property has drawn visitors from across the globe. Families come for the slides. Couples come for the soaking tubs. Everyone, it turns out, comes back for something they didn't quite expect: the feeling that whoever designed this place was genuinely having fun doing it.

Location

Sevierville sits in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee, roughly 45 minutes by car from McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville. The resort occupies 16 hectares (40 acres) of sloped, wooded land that manages to feel genuinely secluded while being a few minutes from the interstate. Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Dollywood, and the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park - the most visited national park in the country - are all within about 30 minutes.

The property overlooks two 18-hole championship golf courses and the Little Pigeon River. Deer, wild turkeys, and the occasional black bear wander through.

A Family Joke That Got Out of Hand

Sanctuary Treehouse Resort is the project of Brian and Amanda Jensen, who built an elaborate interactive treehouse for their four children and then, somewhat jokingly, considered renting it out. The joke turned into a plan. The plan turned into a resort.

As of early 2026, 18 treehouses are complete, with the longer-term ambition of reaching 130 units across the property - a goal that would make it the largest treehouse resort in the country by some distance.

Amanda Jensen won the Sevier County Hospitality and Tourism Association's Women in Tourism and Hospitality Leader of the Year award in 2024. The resort has picked up a Best of Sevierville hospitality award and a Stars of the Industry guest relations award in 2025. The growth has been quick, and the recognition has followed.

The Treehouses

Worth clarifying upfront: these are not treehouses in the sense of platforms nailed into living oaks. The structures are built on engineered stilts and secure foundations - a decision the Jensens made deliberately, to protect the forest and ensure structural safety. The wooded surroundings do most of the atmospheric work, and they do it well.

There are three treehouse types. Luxe units sleep up to four and lean into spa-style luxury: soaking tubs, bidet toilet systems, towel warmers, copper slipper baths, starlit ceilings. TreeFort units sleep up to six and front-load the interactive features - slides, escape hatches, secret ladders, drink chutes, bucket pulleys, rope climbs. TreeFort Doubles link two TreeFort units with a bridge, sleeping up to 12, with two full sets of everything.

Every treehouse comes with high-speed WiFi, mini-split climate control, a private bathroom, a kitchenette with a Keurig and mini-fridge, and a private deck. Luxury linens and toiletries are provided. Parking is directly at your unit.

The Honey Hole

The Honey Hole is the resort's first Luxe treehouse, and the one that established the template for the category. It's perched up among the trees with a view across the golf course and toward the river below.

The outdoor spaces are serious. There's a wood-burning fireplace for evenings, an outdoor soaking tub tucked behind flowing privacy curtains for a spa-in-the-trees effect, and a daybed positioned to take in the surrounding canopy.

One detail that tends to catch you off guard: an active beehive visible from the upper deck, viewable through glass. It's the origin of the name, and it's more compelling than it sounds.

Inside, the bedroom is warm and refined. A rope-suspended king bed is the central feature - literally hung from above, with a gentle give that shouldn't work but does. The theming is honeycomb throughout: golden tones, hexagonal tile details, an LED fireplace, and two 50-inch TVs.

The most arresting element is a hand-painted mural by Ava Jensen - one of the owners' daughters - titled "Another Bee in the Wall." It covers a significant stretch of wall and rewards close attention; there's a hidden word, "slay," woven into the composition somewhere.

The bathroom is the other reason people book this room. There's a custom honeycomb tile shower with a bamboo jet shower system and teak bench, and an indoor copper slipper tub. The Honey Hole sleeps four - king bed plus a hidden roll-out queen - and sits squarely at the romantic-getaway end of the spectrum.

The Four Tree-Sons

The Four Tree-Sons is a newer Luxe treehouse built around one organizing joke: all four Tennessee seasons move in at once, and nobody has to pick a favorite. One wall leans into winter, another into fall, another into spring, and summer shows up cheerful and uninvited.

The bedroom is anchored by a king bed, with a cleverly hidden roll-out queen available when you need the extra capacity. The sleeps-four count is handled tidily, with enough space that the additional bedding doesn't dominate. The seasonal motifs extend into the furniture and decor in a way that makes you look twice at the details.

Like all Luxe units, the Four Tree-Sons includes an indoor soaking tub and a swinging outdoor daybed. The outdoor soaking tub - set on the deck among the trees, available in all four of the real seasons - is the particular draw here.

The Slides

Every TreeFort and TreeFort Double unit has a 6-meter (20-foot) slide built into the exterior architecture. The outdoor slides, descending from an upper deck to a lower one, are used by adults with the same uncomplicated enthusiasm as children.

The slides are engineered to look like they belong to the treehouses rather than being bolted on afterward.

The Decks

Every treehouse has at least two levels of deck space. The upper decks are where you have coffee, watch the eagles, and reconsider your usual morning routine. The lower decks are where you eat, grill (a Weber gas grill is provided), watch the second TV, and remember that outdoor living can be done well.

The panorama depends on your treehouse. Units facing the golf courses and river look south across maintained fairways to the Little Pigeon River, with the Smoky Mountains rolling up behind - a properly cinematic view that does its job at sunrise and again at dusk.

Wood-burning fireplaces feature on the decks of the TreeFort units, with complimentary unlimited firewood and a fire-starting kit provided. Adirondack chairs are positioned around them. The setup encourages staying up later than you planned.

The Community Kitchen

Out on the main resort grounds, there's a shared outdoor kitchen and fire pit area that functions as the property's social hub. The equipment is not token: a large gas Weber grill, an ice maker, a 50-inch smart TV, substantial prep and service space, and bar-top seating.

Around the fire pit there are more Adirondack chairs and the communal firewood supply extends here too. Families and groups converge here in the evenings.

The Scavenger Hunt

Included with every stay is a self-guided scavenger hunt covering about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) of trail across the property. The resort provides a map, compasses, and flashlights - the trail runs at night too, which is when it gets more interesting. There are themed stops, signs, hidden creatures, and photo-worthy moments along the route.

Some treehouses have their own extensions woven into it. Guests staying in the Bigfoot-themed Don't Stop Be-Leafing treehouse are encouraged to look for Bigfoot's treasure box along the way. Guests in Parton My Mountains can stop at something called Dolly's Closet for a photo opportunity. The hunt ends with a reward at a treasure box.