Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Corniche facing east.
Umm Al Quwain Wall
‘Giant’ Marfa Mural
Approaching the tree while driving on the main road.
Remarkable Silk Cotton Tree
Key moments of the multi-day fight are recreated in the museum’s diorama.
Museo de la Batalla de Monterrey (Battle of Monterrey Museum)
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Seafood features prominently on the menu.
Dakar NOLA
The kabrit, or twice-cooked goat, with plantains and rice and beans is essential.
Fritai
Twelve Mile Limit is the kind of bar with a whole roster of regulars.
Twelve Mile Limit
Khao soi, the popular northern Thai noodle dish, comes with a richly spiced coconut broth here.
Budsi’s Authentic Thai
Everything at Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is served in takeout containers.
Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
A listener in Toronto explored Casa Loma, and a nearby park that made the city disappear.
How the Pandemic Helped Our Listeners Rediscover Their Own Neighborhoods
about 14 hours ago
You don’t need a time machine to journey through history.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Take a Trip Through Ancient History?
about 20 hours ago
In the 19th century, Fort Jefferson projected American power far out into the Gulf of Mexico. Its defensive moat was once patrolled by sharks.
The Hidden Graveyard of Dry Tortugas National Park
about 23 hours ago
The view from the Q’eswachaka woven suspension bridge.
This Man Rebuilds the Last Inca Rope Bridge Yearly
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Tennessee Crossville Minister's Treehouse
Minister's Treehouse is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

AO Edited

Minister's Treehouse

This structure among the trees was the result of divine inspiration.

Crossville, Tennessee

Added By
Tre
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The tree house exterior   Andy Melton/CC BY-SA 2.0
The tree house exterior   Andy Melton/CC BY-SA 2.0
The Minister’s Tree House in 2015.   Courtesy Lindsey Turner
The chapel inside the tree house.   Andy Melton/CC BY-SA 2.0
  Courtesy Lindsey Turner
  Courtesy Lindsey Turner
  Andy Melton/CC BY-SA 2.0
  Andy Melton/CC BY-SA 2.0
  Andy Melton/CC BY-SA 2.0
  Andy Melton/CC BY-SA 2.0
  Andy Melton/CC BY-SA 2.0
  Andy Melton/CC BY-SA 2.0
  Joel Kramer/CC BY 2.0
  DE / Atlas Obscura User
  DE / Atlas Obscura User
  DE / Atlas Obscura User
  DE / Atlas Obscura User
  Andy Melton/CC BY-SA 2.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

As he tells the story, in 1993, Minister Horace Burgess was praying when god told him, “If you build a tree house, I’ll see that you never run out of material.” Inspired by this vision of god, the quiet minister set out to build the largest treehouse in the world

Located just outside of Crossville, Tennessee, the 97-foot-tall tree house and church is supported by a still-living 80-foot-tall white oak tree with a 12-foot diameter base, relying on six other oaks for support.

For fourteen years, Minister Burgess has been adding to the tree house, spending only $12,000 and never running out of material. Over that time, the treehouse has grown to truly monumental proportions, and the Minister may have already achieved his goal of building the world's largest treehouse. Currently, his treehouse is 90 feet tall, said to contain 80 rooms, and stretch up to five stories, complete with a church and a bell tower. The bell tower at the top of the treehouse is equipped with oxygen acetylene bottles that, repurposed as bells, chime daily.

In true southern style, every story is fully surrounded by a deck. And there are no “Private Property,” “Stay Off the Grass,” or “No Climbing” signs: Burgess say the treehouse is god's house and everyone is welcome.

To that end, there are only two signs to be found: “Welcome” and “No Smoking” which, for a house of timber, makes sense. Despite some trouble with vandals, the Minister kept the treehouse open and in fantastic and ever-improving condition. From the top — which one must be rather brave to attempt climbing to — one can see the word "Jesus" spelled out in flora on a nearby field.

Unfortunately, the Tennessee Fire Marshall has closed down the treehouse until further notice, despite Burgess' insistence that there are no building codes for treehouses. 

Update October 2019: Sadly, the treehouse was destroyed in a fire.

The Atlas Obscura Podcast is a short, daily celebration of all the world's strange and wondrous places. Check out this episode about Minister's Treehouse.

Related Tags

Treehouses Sacred Spaces Eccentric Homes Churches Architectural Oddities Outsider Architecture Outsider Art Monuments Architecture Homes

Know Before You Go

I-40 exit 320, turn north onto Hwy 298 and then a quick right onto Cook Rd. Follow about 1/2 mile and as the road takes a sharp right, instead make a sharp left onto Beehive Lane. Continue about 1/4 mile and you will be in front of the treehouse.

Community Contributors

Added By

Tre

Edited By

leelawson, middtenn, shanerhyne, MrCarl...

  • leelawson
  • middtenn
  • shanerhyne
  • MrCarl
  • DE
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • aymanduh

Published

February 10, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-07-29-treehouse-church_N.htm
  • http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/13746
  • http://www.ipucp.com/treehouse.htm
  • http://funster.us/2009/10/worlds-largest-treehouse-near-crossville/
  • http://www.crossville-chronicle.com
  • https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/famous-ministers-treehouse-in-crossville-suddenly-burns-to-the-ground
  • https://www.curbed.com/2019/10/25/20931259/world-largest-treehouse-minister-crossville-tennessee
  • https://www.google.com/maps/place/35%C2%B059'07.8%22N+84%C2%B059'40.0%22W/@35.9855051,-84.9949935,230m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d35.9855035!4d-84.9944453
Minister's Treehouse
248-418 Beehive Ln
Crossville, Tennessee, 38571
United States
35.985319, -84.994433
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Crossville Model Railroad Club

Crossville, Tennessee

miles away

Virgin Falls Pocket Wilderness

Sparta, Tennessee

miles away

Tent Graves of Mt. Gilead Cemetery

Sparta, Tennessee

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Crossville

Crossville

Tennessee

Places 2

Nearby Places

Crossville Model Railroad Club

Crossville, Tennessee

miles away

Virgin Falls Pocket Wilderness

Sparta, Tennessee

miles away

Tent Graves of Mt. Gilead Cemetery

Sparta, Tennessee

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Crossville

Crossville

Tennessee

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

Minister's Treehouse

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

The Life and Fiery Death of the World's Biggest Treehouse

outsider art

By Matthew Taub

100 Wonders: The Treehouse That God Built

treehouses

By Dylan Thuras

Related Places

  • Calipatria, California

    Salvation Mountain

    A hand-built folk art installation covered with messages of God's love.

  • Quetzalcoatl’s Nest

    Naucalpan, Mexico

    El Nido de Quetzalcóatl

    An Aztec snake god has taken the material form of an apartment complex.

  • New England Peace Pagoda - Josh Latham

    Leverett, Massachusetts

    New England Peace Pagoda

    This rare symbol of Eastern philosophy in the West has been created over years of painstaking construction by the local community.

  • Ganja, Azerbaijan

    Bottle House of Ganja

    A quirky house created entirely out of glass bottles combines a collector's spirit with an artist's flair.

  • Cano Castle

    Antonito, Colorado

    Cano's Castle

    Gleaming self-built castle towers made from beer cans and inspired by "Vitamin Mary Jane."

  • Tijuana, Mexico

    La Mona

    Giant nude woman of Tijuana is also the artist's home.

  • Magic Garden

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

    A layered tribute to the work of mosaicist Isaiah Zagar.

  • Chapel interior.

    St. Johnsbury, Vermont

    Dog Chapel

    A small chapel celebrating the spiritual bond between dogs and humans.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.