TAKING ROOT AN HOUR SOUTHWEST OF CHICAGO

Finally, a resort designed for families with little kids.

Acorn & Oak is a resort and members’ club designed for families with young kids. Cabins configured to your kids’ sleep needs, staffed, all-season nature play spaces, nourishing food the whole table enjoys, and wellness programming just for parents, so you can finally get that deep exhale you deserve.

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Family vacations are rarely relaxing for parents.

You love your kids. But getting away with a toddler usually means doing all the same work - feeding, bathing, entertaining - with worse sleep and none of your own stuff. Airbnb hands you a key and a to-do list. Hotels tolerate your kids, at best. And most places “built for kids” are loud, bright, and draining - especially for the grown-ups.

Acorn & Oak is designed to change that.

The whole family should come home rested — parents included.

OUR BIG IDEA

With the restorative power of nature as our setting and intentional design for little kids and their parents as our priority, we’ve envisioned the place where your whole family can flourish.

LODGING

Family Cabins designed to optimize rest for families with 0 to 5-year-olds. Our family concierge gathers your kids’ sleep space set-up and supply needs before you arrive, so your cabin is ready when you walk in. A bathroom and changing area tailored to babies and toddlers, a kitchenette stocked for bottle-making and snack storage, and a family living area flowing into your own forest patio - all designed to bring you ease. A forest-view primary bedroom with an ensuite lets adults recharge while the little ones rest.

Cabins built for little kids first

NATURE PLAY

At the center of the resort, an all-weather nature play area offers little adventurers the freedom to explore, with support from trained guides. Outside, you’ll find a stroller-friendly nature trail designed for toddler legs, with play nooks and snack break benches nestled throughout. Forest school facilitators lead age-tailored nature play programs, providing meaningful experiences while adults take a break or listen in.

All-season and staff-supported

Our all-day café menu is designed to satisfy sophisticated palates and picky eaters of all ages with nourishing and locally sourced ingredients. The central dining area surrounds the enclosed, staffed nature play area, letting adults linger over meals with their little ones in view. When nap time calls or you need down time, you can take food and provisions back from our market or have meals delivered right to your cabin. Garden harvesting and cooking classes connect families with their food, and an adults-only restaurant gives parents a chance to connect over dinner while the kids rest in their cabins.

Food the whole family loves

FOOD & BEVERAGE

WELLNESS

For parents alone and families together

The first nature-immersive wellness retreat designed for families with young kids. A balance of adult-only and family-focused wellness spaces and programming. An all-season family “lagoon” nature-scaped pool designed for little ones, and a separate, adults-only, Japanese onsen-style spa with an outdoor hot tub. Your stay includes daily wellness activities like pilates, tai chi, guided hikes, family yoga, with the option to add on fee-based spa services and local partner programs like massages, horseback riding, mountain biking, and kayaking.

CONNECTION

Adjacent Family Cabin reservations allow parent friend groups to gather on their forest patios or around their cabin cluster fire pit, for quality time together with no logistics required. For a post-bedtime dinner at our adults-only restaurant, or time together on the trails or at the spa, resort babysitters can be reserved for in-cabin care. Full-service support for family reunions and group retreats lets adults connect while kids play freely in nature, any season.

Time together, made easy

PICTURE THIS

Your family, here.

Illustrative site map, subject to change.

A day at Acorn & Oak

PRICING

Family cabins average $850/night

This rate includes a private cabin configured to your family’s needs with an adult primary bedroom and ensuite, up to 3 separate children’s bedrooms, a full children’s bathroom, kitchenette, and indoor/outdoor family living area. It also includes access to the resort’s staffed nature play areas and wellness spaces and programming for the entire family. Food & beverage is a la carte, so each family can customize to their needs. Spa services, partner recreational programming, and private babysitters available for an additional fee. This is our current planning range, subject to adjustment as we get closer to launch. Founding Families who join our list lock in a discount off our finalized rates.

Frequently asked questions

  • We’re in the early development stage, actively working to secure land and funding. We are targeting a 2028 launch. Confirming your interest will help us get there!

  • We are in the process of finalizing our site location. We are focused on forested areas within an hour drive southwest of Chicago.

  • Chelsea Hanson, mom to two boys under six, seasoned entrepreneur, Kellogg MBA, certified Forest Bathing Guide, and certified Biophilic Design Practitioner, building the resort and members’ club she wishes existed for her own family. Over the past 2 years, she’s helped 100+ families connect through outdoor adventures via her nonprofit, Family Outdoor Adventure Club.

  • No, because Acorn & Oak is still in development. Some images are AI-generated concept renderings and others are licensed stock photography used to represent the feel of what we're creating. We can’t wait for you to see the IRL images in the near future.

  • Our cabins, nature play areas, and service model are designed first for families with kids ages 0-5, and we welcome elementary-age kids too. As kids grow, they may enjoy exploring the broader trail system and local partner programming like horseback riding, kayaking, fishing, and mountain biking.

  • We’re excited that you’re excited, but not yet! For now, we invite you to join our free early-access list. You’ll be the first to know when bookings open and get a discount on our finalized rate. No payment is required today.

  • Staying is an overnight visit in our family cabins with additional services reserved for overnight guests. Membership is for local families who want ongoing daytime access without (or in addition to) an overnight stay. Learn more about membership here.

Acorn & Oak is where every season brings new wonder, and rooted ease is always in bloom.

Founding families lock in a discounted rate and get first access when reservations open. No payment required today.

Get early booking access