Our quiet forest retreat had a big problem for parents

We booked a cabin in a little known wooded area after reading rave reviews online. The spot was gorgeous and felt totally away from everything. But with our three kids, the silence became a real issue. There were no other families around, so the children had no one to play with. They got bored fast and started arguing nonstop in the small space. The only activity was hiking on trails that were too steep for our youngest. We cut the trip short by two days because everyone was miserable. Now I check if a place has kid friendly options before calling it a family hidden gem.

3 comments

3 Comments

anthony7921mo ago

Booked a similar cabin last fall with the same dream. The quiet was just oppressive after the first few hours with two restless kids. They started bouncing off the log walls and fighting over a single deck of cards. We spent more time trying to keep them from killing each other than enjoying the trees. Left a full day early and got pizza in the first town we hit. I absolutely get the need to check for swing sets or a community pond now.

dakotab181mo agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, @anthony792, that quiet turning into a prison sentence is too real. My kids would turn that deck of cards into a weapon system in ten minutes flat. The emergency pizza retreat is always the real vacation plan.

dylanmorgan1mo ago

Saw an article last week that said modern kids are so used to constant digital noise that real quiet feels like a punishment to them. It argued that our parents just shoved us outside with a stick and we had to figure it out, but now that feels impossible. Makes you wonder if those old school cabin trips need a whole new plan.