82-acre mountaintop retreat in Chattanooga with hand-built cabins, earth-building workshops, and trails along Suck Creek.
Talking Water Nature Retreat sits on 82 acres of mountaintop land in rural Chattanooga, a property with a layered history. Once Cherokee land, it was later depleted by heavy timber logging and gem mining. When the Sonners and Suches family purchased the property in April 2022, their mission was clear: restore the landscape to natural vitality and create a place where people could reconnect with nature, themselves, and each other. The family's transformation began immediately. Summer 2022 brought cleanup—removing hundreds of decaying logged tree remnants, disposing of buried trailer homes, and controlling erosion. By August, building foundations appeared. Over the following months, walls and roofs rose, water lines and electrical systems went underground, and the youngest family members gathered around firepits to help. Winter 2022 through spring 2023 saw the finishing work: painting, sanding, plastering, and furnishing five unique cabins, each designed with its own character. The family tested the space themselves, staying in the cabins for weeks at a time. On July 4, 2023, Talking Water officially opened to the public. The retreat centers on what the family calls the Songbird Neighborhood—five hand-built cabins (Whippoorwill, Goldfinch, Chickadee, Blackbird, and Meadowlark) arranged around a central pavilion, with a hand-sculpted cob ceremony hut and amphitheater nearby. The cabins feature natural building materials: cordwood and bottle-glass walls, earthen plaster, and details like indoor hammocks and outdoor showers under the stars. Miles of hand-cut trails lead to blue holes and overlooks along Suck Creek, which runs one mile through the property and inspired the retreat's name. Today, Talking Water operates as both a vacation rental and a gathering space. Individual cabins accommodate solo travelers, couples, and small groups; the entire property can be rented for weddings, family reunions, school groups, work retreats, and wellness gatherings. The retreat also hosts earth-building workshops—hands-on weekends in cordwood, cob, hempcrete, natural plaster, and other natural finishes, led by Bobbie Such and the Talking Water team. No prior building experience is required. The family continues to restore and revitalize the land, with plans to expand construction within the next 5–10 years.
Traditions: Earth building, Natural construction, Land restoration, Cordwood construction, Cob building
Programs: Cordwood Construction Workshop, Cob Hut workshops, Reciprocal Roof building, Natural plaster and earthen finishes, Private group earth-building workshops, Whole-site rental for weddings and gatherings, Cabin stays and nature retreats, Guided trails and outdoor adventures