Plugging IN to Relationships – Getaway House Barber Creek Review

This year, my husband and I celebrated fourteen whole years of marriage. On the actual day of our anniversary, I planted the rest of the 28 pounds of garlic on the farm, while he sat at his motherboard making sure the railroad didn’t fall apart. It was indeed a regular day around these parts. Good thing I made reservations for us to stay at a Getaway House later on so we could really get the heck away from any and everything.

Per usual, our quest to the woods an hour and a half away from our location was fraught with tension. Mostly from me and my anxiety. I hate leaving the house past the time that we’ve planned and I had JUST gotten through with 29 mini interviews from business students at Northern Illinois University – I’ll talk more about that in another post – and I was irritated. It seems to happen all the time when we’re leaving to be alone. We made dinners for the kids, left important numbers, and equipped them to be amazing while we were gone. Yet, my veteran motherhood was slightly anxious. It always proves to be for naught, but it is always still there. Spoiler: They did just fine.

We arrived a little before 10 pm our first night and because of pent-up frustrations from the day, we settled immediately into bed. Our GPS took us on a journey and I almost felt stupid until I realized that I didn’t enter anything wrong and it was just stupid to be stupid. Sitting in the still of the night, just listening to ourselves breathing, turned out to be what was necessary to reset.

The next morning we were rewarded with our view of the trees and the other tiny cabins not too far, but far enough away from us, and it was as quiet as we needed, but still inhabited so our city souls were good.

Booking Getaway House

It was quite easy to book our stay at the Getaway House. I did use a code from a friend on Instagram to get $25 off of our total bill. I’m offering it to you now too because I believe you honestly need to experience this. Whether you do it alone or with your family, it’s just nice to rest.

I won’t lie, it took me a good two weeks to finally book. Mostly from lack of attention span, but because I kept wavering from 2 nights to 3. We settled on 3 nights and breathed a sigh of relief that this particular part of the process was over. Now I see that there are Getaway Packs and I’m tempted to buy another 3 nights so that we can book at a moment’s notice and go.

What to Pack for Your Getaway

If you’re simplistic, the necessities will be just fine – pajamas (or none – no judgment) toothpaste/toothbrush, and your personal hygiene products. We also brought our own cast-iron skillet and some seasonings for our food because s&p with olive oil isn’t all we want. There was a Bluetooth speaker in the cabin and I had a playlist created for us for different moods and it was perfect. I usually sleep with a television on – JUDGE YOUR MAMA – but it was a nice change of pace to sleep to music.

We also brought books. 2 paperbacks for the Mr. and my Kindle Oasis so that I could flip through the massive library that I had without having to bring the massive library that I have. I do love the feel of a physical book, but when traveling it becomes a bit cumbersome for someone who both loves to read and who can’t decide just WHAT to read.

And even though cleaning protocols were definitely done, I still bring a travel-sized can of Lysol for emergencies. Especially since we were handling quite a bit of raw meat outdoors and I wanted to make sure that every surface was not only wiped down but disinfected afterward.

What Does the Inside of a Getaway House Look Like?

The single bed cabins are roughly square feet. We did see that our outpost had bunked cabins as well, so it might be an option that I do with the kids one of these days. Honestly, I can’t imagine spending time in a cabin that small with another couple, then again, my husband and I are the ones who go on a cruise with the full intention on not interacting with other people. When we break, we BREAK.

The cabins are not equipped with WiFi, but they do have a bluetooth speaker that is PERFECT for connecting a playlist while reading, cooking, or snuggling.

Our cabin had a kitchen with an electric stove, sink and counter space for small prep. Dishes and utensils along with a tea kettle, skillet and sauce pan are available. Salt, pepper, and olive oil are included, but coffee, tea, hot chocolate are for purchase.

The bathroom simply consisted of a toilet and stand up shower with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Just what you need to deal with waste and hygeine. You can totally use all of the hot water in a shower, so be courteous of anyone staying with you.

You also get a forest lantern from one of my favorite spots – Barebones – we use their Railroad Lantern on the farm when we’re working at dusk. I love Barebones Living, just so you know.

Outside has a picnic table, fire pit that doubles as a cooking space, trash pail, chairs, and storage container with firewood and kindling.

What to do in Getaway Barber Creek

I mean, there’s the obvious if you’re there with someone you are in an intimate relationship with. But there are also so many things that we don’t allow ourselves to do when we’re so focused on working and staying connected via technology.

• TAKE A NAP! I’m a FIRM believer in napping. I’ve been pro-nap since 1980. Ask my parents. There are a multitude of ails that a nap can cure, including the feeling of being overwhelmed.
• TAKE A HIKE! I’m going to admit that I don’t walk as much as I need or want to. It’s not a priority when I’m at home, but you can’t help but walk when you’re surrounded by nature. The outpost even provides several options offsite to take a hike.
• BUILD A FIRE! When the bottom three and I camped in 2019, we built our first campfire together and had a blast. I really wanted to experience that with Shomari and just sit. We sat outside in the middle of the night. Kept warm by the flames and read until bedtime. You can even make some S’Mores to create a sweeter experience.
• READ A BOOK! There’s nothing like curling up in a space, wrapped in blankets and just reading. These tiny spaces afford you the luxury to do that, because it’s just you, your book and nature.

How Do We Rate Getaway Barber Creek

If my decision to buy a getaway pack is any indication, we’re all in. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE traveling, but the older I get the more I realize that I need to travel away from people. No one above me, below me, or even next to me. Random noises irritate me these days, so this was wonderful. I do want to inform you that if you do choose to stay at Getaway Barber Creek there is a freight train that passes through that we hardly noticed because we have so many of them in our neighborhood. They’re background noise at this point.

Overall, I strongly urge you to take a trip to your nearest Getaway Outpost. It’s worth every bit of time you spend there. And let me tell you – you are worth every good thing available to you.