Building Magnolia Equestrian Retreat – Our Next Chapter

Building Magnolia Equestrian Retreat – Our Next Chapter

Everyone’s got an opinion about vacation rentals these days. “The market’s tapped out.” “Too many Airbnbs already.” Maybe they’re right. But honestly? I don’t care. We’re not doing this because it’s trendy. We’re doing it because this is the kind of place we’d want to stay in.

Magnolia Equestrian Retreat isn’t just a name we slapped on a project. It’s an actual picture in my head. I see the magnolia trees framing the driveway, horses out in the pasture, the sound of hooves hitting sand somewhere off in the distance. I see myself on that screened porch with a breeze rolling through, smelling cut grass and hay. It’s quiet enough out there to finally hear yourself think. That’s the kind of place we’re building.

My wife and I, we’re not just running numbers and spreadsheets. We’re imagining how it’s going to feel the first time someone drives up, gets out of their car, and realizes: “Whoa. This is it.” We want it to be one of those rare stays where people leave saying, “Man, I wish we had more time.”

It reminds me of back when I was a charter captain in St. Croix. Guests never talked about how many fish they caught. They talked about the sun coming up over the water, the sound of a tarpon crashing through the surface, that moment when a kid held a shark at the side of the boat and couldn’t stop grinning. The fish were the excuse. The memories were the thing.

That’s what Magnolia’s about. Not just giving people a bed for the night, but giving them a story they’ll keep with them. Market “saturation” or not, I’ll bet on that every time.