Tree House Winners at the Arboretum

From waterfalls and underground hideaways to suspended bamboo shelters and a house made of moss, thirteen winners of the Ultimate Tree Houses competition by Moore Tree Care will be on display through Dec. 31st at the Dallas Arboretum in Texas.

These structures allow both the young and young-at-heart to let their imagination take root, says writer Erin Wade.

The exhibit is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and cost is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $5 for children.

The Arboretum is located at 8525 Garland Road and the phone number is 214-515-6500.

One of the tree houses nicknamed “Core” by Jason Oliver with Corgan Associates is a shady paradise of wood.

When I was a kid I was told the family who once lived next door to us had a tree house in the backyard with carpet, running water, and electricity. In the 1970s this was quite a feat for anyone to build or have and I always wanted to check it out.

Children’s fantasy worlds have often included tree houses and the structures were featured in Winnie The Pooh.

The Cedar Creek Tree House in Washington is 50 feet off the ground.

I’ve always been fascinated about tree houses and was a tomboy for a few years till I discovered lipstick.

In more recent times, “Star Wars” created a tree house for the Ewoks in one of the sequels. But it’s not only children who are blessed with the power of imagination. Having my own house for the first time at 40 I find myself wanting a tree house in the backyard as crazy as that sounds.

When “The Practice” was on actor James Spader’s character listened in shock in a childhood tree house as his best friend confessed to killing his wife. The guy had buried the murder weapon in a secret compartment in their tree house along with the pot they used to smoke.

According to Findaproperty.com, a trend started five years ago in the tree world. Across the South East a quiet revolution was in the making. What you are likely to encounter, should you venture into some of the country’s finest gardens and grounds, is a new enthusiasm for upmarket, bespoke tree houses. The appeal of a tree house hardly needs much elaboration, they say.

This was a market ripe for the plucking so it’s surprising that it took so long for someone to come up with the goods.

An arboretum is about trees so it is only fitting that these tree house winners in Dallas are featured at that city’s Arboretum.