Reconnecting with Nature in the Carolinian Forest
Homegrown Hideaway: A Community Story
Insights: 2025 Motivation & Transportation Survey*
Tucked along a quiet stretch of the Lynn River, Homegrown Hideaway is the kind of place that makes you breathe differently.
The forest hums softly with bees and birds; light filters through the canopy onto five canvas explorer tents set among natural wooded alcoves. For guests arriving from paved suburbs or busy city streets, this patch of Carolinian forest feels worlds away — yet it’s only a short drive from Port Dover.
Caroline Jager, who owns and operates the glamping retreat with her husband, calls it their “piece of paradise.” Her husband grew up on the property, and the couple decided to open up the business in 2020 as a way to help others experience the calm that comes from simply walking barefoot on the earth.
“We wanted to give those people who don’t have the opportunity every day to get out of the city, to put their feet in the dirt and walk around in the woods and let their shoulders relax,” she says.
A Nature-First Approach
Caroline came to this life from the corporate world, trading spreadsheets for soil.
Her philosophy is simple: keep things natural and reversible. Nearly every structure they've added to the property can be removed, leaving the land free to return to forest if needed. The canvas tents — each with a queen-sized bed, barbecue, and firepit — blend comfort with simplicity. Families can add small pop-up tents for kids, while older visitors often come seeking the nostalgia of camping without the stiff morning that follows a night on the ground.
Guests say the most surprising thing about Homegrown Hideaway is how secluded it feels.
Though close to town, the site offers a sense of remoteness that invites exploration. Some book the “Wildcraft Tea” experience, where Caroline leads short tours teaching guests how to brew tea from plants growing in the forest (and often in their own backyards). Others meander through the wandering garden behind the barn, learning about native plants that define this rare Carolinian ecosystem. Most eventually find their way to the river — reading, reflecting, or simply watching the water move.
"It’s so soothing,” Caroline says. “Every time I’m there, I think, why don’t I spend more time here?”
Community Roots
Beyond the forest, the couple has transformed their old barn into a gathering space for events.
During the summer, the barn echos with local music during weekly concerts and songwriting circles where artists share not just their songs but the stories behind them.
“For some musicians, this is their first time playing to a captive audience — rather than a bar crowd — and it gives both the audience and the musicians a good sense of connection,” Caroline says.
It’s a fitting extension of the Hideaway’s mission: to create spaces where people slow down, listen, and reconnect with nature, creativity, and community.
Across Ontario, travellers are seeking exactly what Homegrown Hideaway offers. In the 2025 visitor survey* conducted by Ontario's Southwest, the most common reason for travelling to a destination was, by far, the draw of water and nature.
In this context, Homegrown Hideaway offers a model for how small, rural properties can support both ecological preservation and community culture.
*The visitor survey is a study conducted semi-annually by Ontario’s Southwest Tourism (OSW) among potential OSW travellers. The survey fielded online, in English, with the sample being sourced by a proprietary database, Visit Oxford County database, and through social media ads on Facebook and Instagram, the ads targeted a 3-hour drive radius in both Canada and US.
The fieldwork took place between June 23 through August 15 of 2025. Total sample size of n=2508 respondents. Sample distribution, Ontario n=2399, USA n=99, rest of Canada n=9, overseas n=1.
For more information about the survey, please reach out to:
Ana Baxter Manager of Research & Strategic Partnerships
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