WalkerWorld

This past weekend I we had a bachelor party for my soon to be brother in law. He didn’t want to do anything crazy, just hang out with some friends, so we rented a house on the Cape Fear River just outside of Wilmington, NC. It turned out to be one of the most bizarre and interesting places I’ve ever stayed.

The owner, Allen Walker, has named his little retreat WalkerWorld. The description on Airbnb gives you a good idea of what will be in store:

Walkerworld is an organically evolved sprawling log cabin on the Northeast Cape Fear River just ten minutes from Wilmington, NC.

Originally a small log cabin, life children, and the natural evolution of things increasing we are now a little over three thousand square feet. The sixty foot rowing scull that pierces each end of the house is exposed upside down along the main interior ridge of the cabin and is spectacular, floating in the thirty five foot void of the main salon. Excluding the original cabin everything has been reclaimed or bought salvage less plumbing and wiring. The property is almost ten acres with a large organic garden, 40 by 40 “Garagemahal” and a 500 square foot guest house. Surrounded by large oaks it is very private, with twice the glass for dynamic light transitions throughout the day.

Deep water slip, up to sixty feet directly in front of cabin. We have a in tune 9′ Knabe concert grand piano 1907, with a digital self-player,and recording ability just in case.. Walkerworld was created by artists to inspire themselves and others,we are not polished,but we are charming and inviting of the possibilities in life.

WalkerWorld is part Alice in Wonderland, part Hoarders. There is magic everywhere, from the globe made out of bricks in the driveway, to the life-size chess set by the outdoor fireplace to the art that covers every surface of the house. The interior of the main house is neat and fairly well kept, but there hundreds of interesting things to look at, from art to photos to the dozens of notecards with quotes written on them tacked all over the walls.

Everything about the house and property feels spontaneous and iterative, but there is also an element of junkiness that some would be turned off by. There are at least 4 old Mercedes, two RVs, a school bus, a Jeep CJ7 and a dozen different types of boats stashed in various locations around the property. There are piles and piles of lumber, tools, pianos and piano parts, metal signs, boat and automobile engines, bicycles, furniture and other completely random odds and ends like an old rusted out dentist chair, or commercial sewing machine. Up the hill from the guest house is another partially started framing of what looks like it will eventually be another garage.

The host, Allen, was extremely friendly and even offered to take us up the river on his homemade barge made of tethered together pontoon boats to do some skeet shooting. He genuinely wants his guests to enjoy explore and experience WalkerWorld in their own way. He told us “Go explore everything. Nothing is off limits. Leave no stone unturned.”

If you’re looking for all the amenities of an upscale hotel, I wouldn’t recommend staying here. It isn’t as clean as the airbnb pictures indicate and it is an old cabin that has been built out through the use of reclaimed materials, so nothing really matches and it all looks sort of thrown together. WalkerWorld isn’t for everyone, but it’s definitely an experience I’ll never forget.

(There are some more pictures on the Airbnb listing, so check those out too)