At Home On The Water
I’ll never forget the feeling. I was about to go out on the balcony and enjoy the view of Green River Lake when the whole house started rocking. I’m not talking about an earthquake—it was boat wake causing the house to rock gently back and forth. Of course, houseboats will give you that feeling too, but when a two-story cedar-sided house starts moving, it gets your attention.
Located at Green River Marina in Taylor County, the floating vacation houses are the only ones of their kind in Kentucky. General Manager Marie Tucker says that she and marina owner Dennis Brimley built two prototypes back in 1996 and grew the fleet (or perhaps I should say subdivision) to 13.
The houses (or cabins) are built on houseboat hulls and are completely self-contained with their own holding tanks and sewer systems. Some are 1,100 square feet; some have four bedrooms, some three baths, and some can sleep up to 12 people. They have full kitchens, second-story balconies off the master suite—and a boat slip for your personal watercraft.
You can open your back door and jump into the water for a swim, or stroll along the boardwalk out front and visit the neighbors. And pets are welcome.
On the second day of my visit, I rented a boat and headed out on beautiful Green River Lake. It’s one of our less crowded reservoirs, and with 8,200 acres and 250 miles of shoreline, you can practically have the lake to yourself on any given weekday during the peak of the summer season.
After a long, tiring day on the lake, it was nice not to have to dread the painstaking process of driving my truck down the launching ramp and loading my boat on a trailer. I just drove my rental boat right up to my floating house, jumped out, ran upstairs, and freshened up. Then I enjoyed a magnificent golden sunset over the lake from the comfort of my balcony.
I’ve spent much of my life roughing it in the great outdoors. It’s nice to pamper oneself from time to time.
Tucker says people have called from all over the world to inquire about the houses, and many of them ask the same questions: “Do they have air conditioning? Do they have full bathrooms?”
She says folks are surprised to find out how user-friendly and luxurious they are. Of course, you can find plenty of giant houseboats that look like the Hilton inside. But there is something about a rustic cabin floating on the water that is a wonderfully unique experience.
INSIDER TIP
Each cabin has queen size beds and comes completely furnished including bed linens, towels, and kitchen/dining utensils. The front deck has a gas grill, deck table, cooler, garbage can, and chairs. For more information about the floating cabins or Green River Lake, go online to www.greenrivermarina.com
, call (270) 465-2512, or e-mail marie@houseboatsplus.
