Cabin Fever: Enjoy a big getaway in a tiny cabin in Lisbon

What exactly is getting away in 2019? It could be a few days off work, or an hour spent buried in a good book or a video game, or any number of things. The key to it all is simple: finding some time between the chaos of everyday life to disconnect, relax and recharge. The execution, however, is complicated.

Getaway Cabins has a different idea of ‘getting away’ they want you to consider, and it’s an idea abound with coziness, seclusion and nature. Add equal parts minimalism and essentialism, a healthy dose of wildlife and seclusion, and take away all the wifi, and you’ll start to get an idea of what Getaway has to offer.

As a big fan of anything with some comfortable isolation, I’m sure you can imagine my excitement when I learned about Getaway’s foray into the Northeastern Ohio village of Lisbon. Lisbon is about halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and this venture is actually branded as a getaway from those two cities, but if you’re up for a drive (two and a half hours, if you drive fast), Getaway can provide you with an experience unlike any other.

“We offer our guests a mindful way to escape to nature,” said Amy Jacobowitz, Getaway Cabins’ head of content. “None of the cabins have wifi and never will, to reinforce the intention of taking a break—not just from the city but from devices and all of the ways in which we are always on.”

The cabins Getaway offers are built like small storage units—perfect for living out your miniature home dreams for a weekend, and one of the walls features a window big enough to make you feel like you’re waking up among the trees each morning. Getaway goes through the hassle of providing guests with some basic items—like shampoo, seasoning for food, a picnic table—specifically so you can pack light and live like a true mountain man (who also likes wearing cozy socks).

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“We think about it less as minimalism and more as essentialism,” Jacobowitz said. “What do we really need to give our guests in order for them to unlock their best experiences?”

And the things they give to provide the best experiences are essential for the experience. You get your basic necessities—a bed, a bathroom, a hot shower—but you also get a firepit with a grate for grilling (I might also suggest bringing a cast-iron skillet!) and a giant window so every time you wake up you can take in the beauty of nature around you again.

While Jacobowitz said they’ve never gotten a request for a “spooky, cozy getaway,” Getaway provides great tips and resources for guests to get the most out of the experience, like nearby farms to go apple picking and a journal full of thematic recipes to get you in the right mindset to be away from everything for awhile. The entire experience is curated to let you connect to nature and fully immerse yourself in the outdoors.

One of the biggest selling points for this place is that you get enough seclusion from the hustling city but not so much that you can’t reasonably find human contact. You can see your neighbors’ cabins from your door and you’ll probably bump into them occasionally while you’re out hiking the trail, but there’s no shortage of personal space around here.

Getaway Cabins might not be everyone’s ideal version of a getaway—and certainly not all the time. Sometimes, a video game and six hours of watching videos on YouTube gives me the release I need. But if you’re looking to get further away, and to redefine what getting away can mean for you, Getaway Cabins is a great place to start.

To book your next vacation with Getaway Cabins, visit getaway.house/pittsburgh-cleveland.

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