Authentic 1800’s Shawnee National Forest Cabin Rentals

I had left it a little last minute to plan our long weekend to Shawnee National Forest and was having a hard time finding a dog friendly cabin rental in the area. I had exhausted the usual rental sites and done a straight google search when I finally found the Olde Squat Inn.  I am so glad now to have had the initial trouble that I did because if not I might never had found these authentic 1800’s cabins so close to Shawnee National Forest.

Cozy Historic Cabins

Each Cabin at Olde Squat Inn was found  and relocated by owner Jim.  He locates the cabins from around Illinois and brings them back to his farm to be lovingly restored. All of the cabins are from the 1800’s. Each Cabin is completely unique and  a piece of history. They have been restored to add modern amenities and safety standards.  My favorite addition is the hot tub added to the bathroom in the Gage Cabin which is not listed yet on their website but is truly lovely. Check it out in our video cabin tour below. We enjoyed a great nights sleep with our fireplace going and the peaceful sounds of nature outside and awoke each morning to sit out on our porch to enjoy a cup of tea overlooking the pond.

Excellent Hospitality

Every morning included in your stay is Katy’s delicious homemade breakfast. We enjoyed three mornings of tasty hearty meals each with different offerings. The other couple staying when we did chose not to come to breakfasts and boy did they miss out. In addition to the scrumptious food  we looked forward to the company of Jim and Katy each morning, they were so kind and had a ton of great information on what to see in the area. Jim even went out of his way to leave us an ancient axe head at our cabin after hearing Ryan talk about his desire to find an arrowhead. It’s the little touches like this that make this place so special. And don’t forget to bring Jim back a license plate to join his collection on the Breakfast Cabin.

Fishing Hole

An exceptional features the site is a fish pond that provided us with the most stunning morning sunrise views. Jim later shared how he himself had dug the pond out and had old photographs documenting the process. Memories he shared as we enjoyed our morning coffee. Whether its fishing you enjoy, or just simply sitting back, relaxing and reading a good book, this pond is the perfect spot to do this. This was fun little fishing hole to wet a line and relax, and with a good stock of small cat fish you’ll be sure to have yourself a good time with tight lines. The pond is off limits to human guests to take a dip or a swim, but Jim was nice enough to let our pooch Memphis get his daily exercise in.Ryan certainly made the most out of his experience and was up every day to meet the sunrise. This way he could fish until the breakfast bell rang at 8am, where a short walk would lead him straight to the original family home and a delicious meal.

 Perfect Location

Olde Squat Inn is located north and in the direct center of  Shawnee National Forest. These makes it convenient to get get to sites on either east or west sides of the State Forest.  If you haven’t been to the area before it is absolutely worth a visit. It has beautiful forested areas and rock formations for hiking that rival the more famous American National Parks. In addition to all of the beautiful landscape to explore there is also a wine trail with over ten local wineries offering tastings. It is the perfect location for outdoor adventures and a wine lovers dream.

Thanks to the Olde Squat Inn we had a fantastic long weekend this fall at Shawnee National Forest. I don’t know of anywhere else that you can stay in cabins built in the 1800’s with all the comforts of modern life.  I feel very lucky to have found this quaint rental spot with home grown hospitality. I have included the link here so you can book a weekend for  yourself.