Michigan's first luxury treehouse resort, Tree Vistas, opens in Ionia County

IONIA TWP. — Nestled in a wooded area east of Ionia, Michigan’s first luxury treehouse resort has a variety of amenities its owners are hoping will appeal to everybody. 

Tree Vistas, 4200 Smokey Row, in Ionia Township, celebrated its grand opening Thursday, Aug. 11.

The resort has a pathway that leads to the Fred Meijer Grand River Valley Trail and the Grand River, where a bonfire pit is located on its northern bank. There's also a separate bonfire pit located near the Winding Springs Treehouse — which is located 13 feet above ground.  

Bookings are available online at treevistas.com. The rate is $299 plus taxes and fees for any day through the rest of 2022. 

Tree Vistas is owned by business partners Brian Coates and Greg Filipek. Coates said the goal was to build a unique, natural getaway that doesn’t really exist in Michigan. 

“Hopefully it’s a bucket list for people for these ‘Pure Michigan’ experiences,” Coates said. 

Filipek’s parents once owned the land where Tree Vistas now sits. His father died in November 2019 and his mother moved in with his sister in St. Louis, Missouri. After contemplating selling the land, Filipek decided to keep it. 

Filipek spoke to Coates about creating a luxury treehouse resort. The concept of Tree Vistas was established in October 2020. 

“Why don’t we just do this?” Filipek recalled asking. 

Coates said Tree Vistas will help its guests reconnect with nature and enjoy various activities on six acres of land. 

“There’s something here for everybody to do,” he said. 

Coates and Filipek had to learn about building a treehouse, developing a plan and marketing their new endeavor. The two watched “Treehouse Masters” on Animal Planet and started looking into the idea. Filipek has an engineering degree and mapped out trees and drew out a plant set.  

“What we found out really quickly is this is a very unique thing to do in Michigan and there aren’t treehouse builders in Michigan,” Filipek said. 

Filipek and Coates designed around the house around nine trees, including building around one.

“We let the property define what the house looks like,” Filipek said. “It had to have a wow factor to it.” 

The treehouse has a patio for scenic viewing, with a master bedroom, living room area, kitchen, restroom, shower, washer and dryer inside. Up the spiral staircase is a bunk bed and flat screen TV.

Construction started Sept. 1, 2021, Filipek said. He and Coates did the majority of the interior work — including insulation, wood, flooring, stairways, doors and shower installation. 

Davison-based Wild Card Construction helped build the treehouse, Coates said. He also credited local businesses — including Horrocks Nursery Farms, Sozo Coffee Roasting and Steele Street Brewing — for supporting the project. 

“Hopefully we can improve tourism here and help give back to the businesses by directing a lot of our guests downtown to eateries," Coates said.

Tree Vistas plans to add a station for kayaking on the Grand River. Coates and Filipek also hope to add additional treehouses in the future. 

“Hopefully people like it,” Filipek said. 

— Contact reporter Evan Sasiela at esasiela@sentinel-standard.com. Follow him on Twitter @SalsaEvan.