A Tiny Home Hotel in a Terrific Tiny Town
WeeCasa, a tiny-home stay on wheels
A new Colorado hotel is attracting visitors from around the world. They don’t come for the hotel’s 5-star restaurant, roof-top swimming pool, or expensive Egyptian cotton sheets. They come to stay in a tiny home.
The tiny home movement, which was popularized by Jay Shafer, founder of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company in California in 2002, is a description for the architectural and social movement that advocates living simply in small homes. A small home is a domicile under 400 square feet in size.
The tiny home trend gained momentum in 2012, and today, there are at least a half-dozen television programs dedicated to living small. Despite the craze, there are just three tiny home hotels in the United States, and one is right here in Colorado.
WeeCasa, a tiny home hotel, is located in the equally tiny town of Lyons. Situated on the banks of the St. Vrain River, this property was formerly the site of a mobile home park that was washed away in the floods of 2013. WeeCasa’s tiny homes are on wheels and can be moved swiftly should any future flooding take place on the 10-acre property.
Kenyon Waugh, a Lyons resident, is Wee-EO at WeeCasa and a longtime fan of tiny homes. His vision for a tiny home hotel on the property came to fruition last summer when WeeCasa first opened the doors of their tiny homes to visitors.
During the first summer season, WeeCasa’s visitors were mostly wedding guests; the property also features a wedding venue called River Bend. Recently, several media outlets, including print and television, have discovered this unique hotel property, and thus, bookings are up this summer. People from around the country and the world are flying into Colorado to stay in one of WeeCasa’s tiny homes.
The 17 homes at WeeCasa were built by five different tiny-home builders, with four of the five companies based in Colorado. The homes range from 120 square feet plus a loft, to 225 square feet plus a loft—and all include bathrooms. They sleep two to six adults.
Guests at WeeCasa can choose to cook all their meals in their tiny home kitchen or mix it up by eating out at one of Lyons’ several eateries, such as Lyons Fork or Farmer Girl. Lyons is also home to a brewery, distillery, and Planet Bluegrass, an outdoor festival venue that features multiple summer concerts.
The town is popular with outdoorsy types who enjoy kayaking, hiking, and all forms of biking.
WeeCasa’s popularity with tiny-home lovers has forced the owners to put up a gate to keep looky-loos from driving through the property at all hours. However, WeeCasa’s owners understand the appeal of tiny homes and now provide guided tours on the occasional Saturday. Tour dates and reservations can be made on their website.
Lyons, Colorado is 20 miles west of I-25 and approximately one hour from Denver, Fort Collins, and Denver International Airport. It’s also just 40 minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park.
Nights rates at WeeCasa range from $139 to $214. Visit WeeCasa.com, for more information.
