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Wizard's LOTR Cabin: New Treehouse Addition! Pet-friendly.

Lakefront holiday home with kitchen and patio

Photo gallery for Wizard's LOTR Cabin: New Treehouse Addition! Pet-friendly.

Gathering of friends in celebration.
Property grounds
Friends at a celebration.
A guest uses a pair of the  shoeshoes we provide on the property.
Brrr, but cozy and warm inside with a glowing fire.

Reviews

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional
3 bedrooms1 bathroomSleeps 765.0 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Parking available
  • Barbecue grill
  • Fireplace
  • Kitchen

Explore the area

View map
  • Place, Goose Lake
  • Place, Eagle Mountain
  • Place, Big Birch Lake
  • Airport, St. Cloud, MN (STC-St. Cloud Regional)

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 7)

Loft

1 Single Bed

Main Floor

3 Single Beds

Treehouse Bedroom

1 Queen Bed

1 bathroom

Bathroom 1

Soap · Towels provided · Toilet · Shower only · Shampoo · Hair dryer

Spaces

Deck or patio
Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Outdoor play area
Garden
Dining area

About this property

Wizard's LOTR Cabin: New Treehouse Addition! Pet-friendly.

Come and surround yourself with the magic of the wizards! We are excited to add our new Wizard's Treehouse Room! Perched around a tree and next to a zip line, it offers privacy and fun, with a slide delivering you to the ground. Property also features a hot tub opened year-round, and 3 acres of fenced land. We're just three miles from Cedar Lake Memorial Campground featuring boating, fishing and a magnificent descending sand lake shore. 27 mile-long Soo Line Trail offers hiking, biking, and snowmobiling. Free Wi-Fi. Full bathroom with shower. The Wizard's Cabin is on the edge of a rural town of 450 with a park, bar/restaurant. Upsala is the town where "Things are always looking up!" Diversity is most welcome.

More information

The cottage itself is timber-framed. Its timbers were locally harvested and it is artfully crafted and decorated, with a soaring loft area accessed by ladder, and cozy living space with fireplace. There is a very large 20' X 30' deck with chairs in the front of the cottage, a smaller, more private deck outside the back patio door, and a covered porch. It also now boasts a 14 X 14 tree room with lots of light and magic, and a small deck that surrounds a gnarled old tree, much like the Ents. Visit our Mordor corner, featuring the great eye of Sauron, fun signs and warnings, and a surprise when you open the Mor Door.

Guest access

The cottage will be unlocked for you prior to your arrival. Parking is available on the street or right on the property. The three acres is yours to roam, as are wooded areas surrounding the property. Paved roads and very low traffic make for good bicycling and we have bike and walking trails nearby. A fountain and 16' waterfall is a water feature in our yard, creating pleasant "white" noise.
We also offer a full size refrigerator, a gas oven with four burners, a microwave, a kitchen sink, and a flush toilet.

Interaction with guests

We are retired and we do live in a separate house on the property so we're usually around to make sure you have everything you need/want. My goal is to provide the privacy that you've likely come here to find.

Other things to note

We are 8 miles from bike/hiking trail access near Bowlus, MN, so you have a choice of whether you want to start your excursion from here or drive there. We also lived on a paved street with extremely light traffic. Good for biking, walking, running, dog walking.
Hunters and fishing folk are welcome during those seasons. For local hunting/fishing opportunities, please look up Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). We are in the corner of Morrison, Stearns and Todd Counties, and we recommend starting your searches there.
We welcome families, singles, couples, and pets. We have 2 dogs, 2 sister cats, and a waterfall feature on the property.
We are 1.5 - 2 hours from the Twin Cities, so consider us for get away accommodations. We are far from the "madding" crowds, light and air pollution. See the stars again. And watch for the magic.

Add dates for prices

Amenities

Hot tub
Kitchen
Pet-friendly
Free WiFi
Air conditioning
Outdoor space

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House Rules

Check in after 3:00 PM
Minimum age to rent: 18
Check out before 12:00 PM
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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17
With adult supervision
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Events

No events allowed
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Pets

Pets allowed: limit 2 total
Your pets are welcome! Plz clean up after them.
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Smoking

Smoking allowed: in designated areas
Outside only

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Long-term renters welcome
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a deadlock

We should mention

A car is required for transport to and from this property

About the area

Burtrum

Located in Burtrum, this holiday home is in a rural area and on a river. Mississippi River and Ritter Wildlife Management Area reflect the area's natural beauty and area attractions include Hemker Park & Zoo and Pine Grove Zoo. Make sure you get close to the area's animals with activities such as game walks and birdwatching.
Map
Holdingford, MN

What's nearby

  • Goose Lake - 18 min drive - 14.7 km
  • Eagle Mountain - 19 min drive - 12.9 km
  • Big Birch Lake - 26 min drive - 22.1 km
  • Lake Sylvia Wayside - 34 min drive - 27.8 km
  • The Ledge Amphitheater - 55 min drive - 63.8 km

Getting around

  • St. Cloud, MN (STC-St. Cloud Regional) - 60 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Bullfrogs Bar & Grill - ‬19 min walk
  • ‪Shady’s Golden Eagle - ‬17 min drive
  • ‪Elmdale Liquor - ‬11 min drive
  • ‪Cynthia’s Kitchen & Cocktails - ‬14 min walk
  • ‪time out bar and grill - ‬14 min walk

Frequently asked questions

Is Wizard's LOTR Cabin: New Treehouse Addition! Pet-friendly. pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows pets (limit 2 total). Some restrictions may apply, so please contact the property for more details.

How much does it cost to stay at Wizard's LOTR Cabin: New Treehouse Addition! Pet-friendly. ?

As of 31 October 2025, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Wizard's LOTR Cabin: New Treehouse Addition! Pet-friendly. on 5 November 2025 start from NZ$270.19, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.

What time is check-in at Wizard's LOTR Cabin: New Treehouse Addition! Pet-friendly. ?

Check-in begins at 3:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Wizard's LOTR Cabin: New Treehouse Addition! Pet-friendly. ?

Checkout is at 12:00 PM.

Where is Wizard's LOTR Cabin: New Treehouse Addition! Pet-friendly. located?

Situated on a river, this holiday home is within 12 miles (20 km) of Eagle Mountain, Goose Lake and St Rosa Park. Big Birch Lake and Swan River are also within 12 miles (20 km).

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 88 out of 107 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 8 out of 107 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 6 out of 107 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 107 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 107 reviews

9.4/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.8/10

Check-in

9.8/10

Communication

9.4/10

Location

9.2/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Very good, would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice clean getaway.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jim L.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing Night Away

We loved our stay, the LOTR decor was great. We really liked the hot tub and the large patio with a fire pit right outside the door. The bed was very comfortable and we would stay here again for sure!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

RuthAnn K.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

whimsical wonderful experience! clean friendly

they thought of everything!!
Stayed 10 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Dan R.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Cozy cabin

Had a great time in the cozy cabin.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Christopher S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Cozy Cottage!

The kids had a great time enjoying the zip-lines and hot tub. The cottage had lots of neat decorations and the owners are very responsive to any questions. Would definitely go back.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Alli A.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing Place

The property is absolutely fantastic as well as the owners. We had a wonderful time :) will be back
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2025

10/10 Excellent

Justine C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Can’t Wait To Go Back!!

A nerds paradise!! There are so many fun little LOTR easter eggs all over the cabin. Such a renaissance vibe while still having running water, shower, toilet etc. We will definitely be bringing family next time as it’s kid friendly while still being fun for adults. Joan and Jill have a beautiful property that they keep very well maintained! Thank you for allowing us to experience your charming, cozy cottage!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Sean C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great Stay

This was a great stay. Joan and Jill were amazing and the property was great!
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Chad C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

A great getaway

The property is beautiful, the cabin is cozy, and the hosts are friendly and helpful. We had a wonderful getaway, in spite of some truly frigid MN temps. We even had a relaxing time in the hot tub in sub-zero temps. Thanks again for a wonderful stay!
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2025

8/10 Good

Melissa A.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Enchanting

The place was enchanting, but be prepared to climb a ladder.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025

8/10 Good

Claire B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Christmas Eve Cottage

Cozy little cottage.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Katie C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Magical

Our stay was exceptional! The property was so beautiful put together. I look forward to visiting again in the summer. Thank you so much!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2024

10/10 Excellent

Abby A.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Enchanting Minnesota Getaway

A quiet, restful place with artistic detail at every turn. We had a great time!
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Michelle H.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Teen birthday night

Very relaxing and quiet. Liked looking at the art. The lot was great for the teen girls to hang out into all hours of the night. We also enjoyed the hot tub.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

AMAZING

I highly recommend this place to anyone looking to get away from the cities for a few days. The cottage itself was adorable (almost as adorable as Jill and Joan's dogs!) and the experience was just stellar. There's not much privacy from the people you bring with you but that was no problem for us! Overall a great experience and one of like to have again :))
Stayed 11 nights in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Christopher W.

Liked: Check-in, communication
Disliked: Listing accuracy

Outdated photos and shared property

Overall it was a good weekend get away. The photos are very outdated. The bed is not comfortable. The property is shared with the owner and another rental making it difficult to enjoy the shared hot tub and letting the dogs be free. Hot tub and dog friendly are the two things we specifically look for in properties, so to be disappointed in those two things made it difficult to enjoy. Property is right outside of a small town. Beautiful walk to a small bar with the best burgers we’ve ever had. Communication and response rates from the owners was timely and friendly. Although displaying your presidential preference is a freedom of choice, personally I don’t think you should when running a business. Fun fact, I learned LOTR is short for lord of the rings, so expect that theme. My wife was pointing things out to me, so that was fun. The only way upstairs inside is the ladder, so consider the need to go outside to go up if you have dogs or a hard time with ladders. Thank you for providing a comfortable place to stay for our weekend.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2024

10/10 Excellent

Tyler K.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great Place - Highly Recommend! Relaxing, Fun Theme, Great Space!

My wife and I booked this for our anniversary and it was a great weekend for us. It's such a relaxing atmosphere. We felt like the house was a great size for the two of us. I would say up to four people could work, but it was really good for two. The hosts were great and the LOTR theme is fun. Overall, I highly recommend it and we plan on going back sometime. If you are looking for a relaxing getaway in a cozy cottage, this is definitely a great option you should check out! This is right at the edge of the two of Upsala. I only gave 4 stars on location/neighborhood because the two times we went into town the local people kept looking/treating us like "outsiders" to the point that it was starting to get uncomfortable. The actual listing and property for this VRBO is awesome. That is 5 stars. The town of Upsala was not that great, but this is the type of VRBO where you don't want to spend a ton of time in town anyways. Two other small recommendations: 1) If you do go into town, bring cash. Only the gas station and small grocery store do cards--everything else is cash only. 2) It's a little bit away, but Cafe Boho in Holdingford is a great spot to visit for a meal/coffee when you are at this VRBO.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Leos P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

The Wizard Cabin Experience

My wife and I wanted a little cabin to celebrate her birthday. We found the Wizard’s Cabin. We loved the description and felt it was just what we wanted. It also had a hot tub so we booked it. The hosts, Jill and Joan, were great. As soon as we booked the cabin, they emailed us. They got back to us quickly whenever we had a question. They were very helpful. Now, I am a large man, and I was concerned about where we slept after reviewing the pictures on Vrbo. The pictures don’t do it justice. We spent most of our time on the main floor; however, there is a second floor that can be accessed using a ladder from the main part of the cabin or a stairway on the outside. The second floor has a loft and a nice-sized room with another bed. The beds were fine for me, and my insecurities were unfounded. My wife and I are Hobbit and Harry Potter fans, so we loved the Wizard ambiance. The hosts go out of their way to add many little details to the cabin experience. They put a lot of work into it. We enjoyed it. If you are not into that, there is another cabin on the property that looks fun. We have not seen the inside. The one item we didn’t prepare for, even though it is in Vrbo’s description, is the hot tub. It is not next to the cabin. It is about 50’ away on the host’s deck. It is clean and well-maintained; however, you need to cross a green space to get there. Bring slip-on shoes. We had an incredible experience and will do it again.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Dennis S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Beautiful area. Really enjoyed the stars at night.
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2025

4/10 Poor

Laura E.

Disliked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, listing accuracy
The host was communicative most of the time until it came to cancelation. We didn't end up staying at the property because of things that came up but the amenities still look great.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025

8/10 Good

Paul L.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Pets had fenced in area and lots of outdoor space to sit and chill
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
The Cottage was so charming and absolutely magical. When you get to the property, you’re automatically transformed into another world… it’s a beautiful, natural oasis surrounded by large trees, rolling hills and chirping birds. The Cottage had wonderful details that were very thoughtful and darling.There are great places to hang out… the yard, the porch, the upstairs deck, the outdoor breakfast nook and the large deck at the front entrance of The Cottage. We would highly recommend this place. The owners are lovely and very responsive to questions, and you’ll leave feeling very relaxed.
Nightly tree line.
Looking into the yard, from the deck of The Cottage.
From the corner deck by the cornfield, looking up to The Cottage.
Inside The Cottage, looking over the front door.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

MaryBeth B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Such lovely women! We thoroughly enjoyed the fun LOTR details throughout the cabin!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Liked: Check-in
Disliked: Cleanliness, communication, location, listing accuracy
One does not simply walk into Mordor....yet we did. The cabin was a hot as the lava Gollum fell into and the place smelled nearly as much as an orc. The listing says there is ac for our comfort, yet when we arrived on an 85 day, it was much hotter inside, especially the upper floor, than it was outside. The ac was just a small window unit, that failed to cool the place even slightly in the 40 minutes we stayes. The listing also fails to mention that in that hot upper loft, where most of us would've slept (queen bed listed but was a full), there is an eco/compostable toilet giving off an odor that made it impossible to stay. Cabin is also much closer to road, garage and hosts home than shown. While the cabin was quirky, cute, and seemed clean....the odor emanating from that toilet was more than we could cope with and left. Hosts swear people rave about it...but it is not mentioned in any reviews nor the amenities.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Justine S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
This was a nice, cozy place for three adult cousins to hang out and enjoy one another's company.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

About the host

Hosted by Jill (daily contact) and Joan

Host profile image
Hi! I grew up in Kansas City, KS, raised my children in Kansas and moved here in 2002 while obtaining my PhD in English. I'm a retired English professor teacher and my wonderful wife Joan works for the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls. We love our home and land, especially the peace that seems to emanate from it--so many of our guests comment on that as well. I'm currently working on a book about small towns.

Why they chose this property

We built the cottage in 2011 as a guest cottage. It's since served as Joan's music studio and now this. It has lots of interesting "wizardy" touches as well as a cozy, yet open feel. The large deck offers a roomy place to entertain and/or relax. The seating under the covered porch and the outdoor breakfast nook offer a great place for morning coffee or relaxing throughout the day. Warm up by the fire inside or brave skiing, snowmobiling, or sledding. Come and remember what the night sky looks like without light pollution!

What makes this property unique

It offers privacy without isolation. Street access to small town grocery, gas station and bar/grill as well as Cynthia's, an excellent restaurant, is just down the street from our property. Our residence, while also on property, is a comfortable distance away to allow us to answer your needs quickly but not be invasive.
Our 2-acre property is fenced, allowing all but the smallest dogs the opportunity to run off leash. Our 2 dogs, 3 cats, and 12 chickens have been our best ambassadors! Most of our guests comment in our guest book how much they enjoyed them. We offer fresh eggs to our guests as well!

Languages:

English

Premier Host

They consistently provide great experiences for their guests