Mahjong in the Canopy
January 31 to February 2, 2027
Two nights, a cabin full of tables, five meals, a massage by the fire, and a hot tub waiting after the last hand. Round up your table.
Presented with The Mahj Report, the scoring app for casual mahjong nights
The girls’ trip you have been talking about for three years, finally on the calendar.
Mahjong players take over our whole treehouse resort in the Ouachita Mountains for the quietest week of winter. The Black Bear cabin becomes the clubhouse, the treehouses become home, and the only decision you make all weekend is whether to call that tile, or to slip away for your massage.
Pretty tiles, a cabin full of tables, and nowhere you need to be.
Everything is already taken care of
- Two nights in your own treehouse, cabin, or a Black Bear Suite
- Arrival-night dinner with your table and some new friends, wine poured
- Breakfast boards at your door one morning, and Mimosas and Mahjong with breakfast at The Black Bear the next
- A hot lunch at The Black Bear and the Hibernate Dinner by the fire
- Charleston and Champagne welcome, a happy hour at The Black Bear
- Open play all weekend, a strategy clinic, and a beginners’ bootcamp
- A seat in the Canopy Cup tournament for every player, a brand-new tile set for the champion, and prizes all weekend for every skill level
- Three months of The Mahj Report app, on us, so your season keeps going after you leave
- The Mahjong in the Canopy tee in your swag bag, the pop-up boutique, and the hot tubs, always
- The one add-on nobody regrets: a 50 minute in-room massage, Swedish or deep tissue, in the quiet of the trees. Add it when you register and we will send your appointment time before you arrive.
Arrive slowly. Play all day. Leave rested.
Play as much or as little as you like. The Black Bear is open from morning coffee until 10 pm, and your personal hot tub and balcony are open later than that.
Arrive and settle
- 3:00 pm
- Check-in begins. A welcome basket is waiting in your unit, and the first massage slots open for early arrivals.
- 4:30 to 5:30 pm
- Charleston and Champagne, come and go: a glass poured whenever you walk in, a grazing table, and your table reveal. Get settled first and wander over when you are ready.
- 5:30 pm
- Open play begins. Beginners’ bootcamp with our instructor.
- 7:00 pm
- Dinner at The Black Bear.
- 8:15 pm
- Flannel and Fireside: late play in your coziest clothes, hot cocoa and s’mores at the fire.
- 10:00 pm
- The Black Bear closes for the night (unless you are staying in one of the suites). Carry the conversation back to your own treehouse, the hot tub, and the fire.
The long play day
- 8:30 am
- First massage slots open up.
- 9:00 am
- Stretch in the Trees, an easy 30 minutes of yoga.
- 10:00 am
- Strategy clinic and free play: play real hands and ask our instructor anything as you go. These games do not count toward the Canopy Cup, so stop mid-hand and ask away.
- 12:00 pm
- Lunch at The Black Bear.
- 1:00 pm
- Canopy Cup, rounds one to three. Every player has a seat.
- 4:15 pm
- Free block: hot tubs, massages, a honey tasting, the Unwrapped pop-up boutique.
- 7:00 pm
- Hibernate Dinner by the fire, then the raffle and open tables.
- 10:00 pm
- The Black Bear closes for the night. Your hot tub does not.
Finale and farewell
- 8:00 am
- Last massage slots of the retreat, through 11 am.
- 9:00 am
- Mimosas and Mahjong: breakfast at The Black Bear while the tables fill.
- 9:30 am
- Canopy Cup, the final round. Everyone is still in it.
- 10:45 am
- Canopy Cup awards and the group photo on the porch.
- 12:00 pm
- Checkout.
Flannel the first night. Breakfast on the porch rail the next morning. Tiles going by nine.
Win the Cup, take home the tiles.
The Canopy Cup champion leaves with a brand-new tile set. But you do not have to win the Cup to go home with something. We give prizes away all weekend, and most of them have nothing to do with how long you have been playing.
The Black Bear, all weekend, all yours
The Black Bear cabin becomes the clubhouse: tables fill the great room, the kitchen never closes, and two outdoor fires have the chairs pulled close. Out back, The Black Bear’s 18 foot hot tub holds the whole group at once, and every treehouse has its own smaller hot tub for a quieter, more intimate soak with your people. Your treehouse or cabin is a short walk away, and the whole property is closed to anyone who is not here for mahjong.
Your table. Your rules. Your season.
The Mahj Report is the scoring app for casual mahjong nights, and it keeps score all weekend: every open table, every Canopy Cup round, live standings on the board at The Black Bear. Set your own house rules, crown a winner every game night, and play for a season title worth bragging about.
Every registered guest gets three months of The Mahj Report on us, so the season you start in the trees keeps going at your own kitchen table.
Meet the appNot affiliated with the National Mah Jongg League.
Pick how you want to sleep. Everything else is included.
Prices are per person for two nights and include every meal, reception, session, and the tournament. Each guest registers on her own form, tells us her tablemates, and we seat the table together and house you near each other.
Founding Table pricing: $100 off every seat when you register by November 6, 2026. The prices below are the Founding Table prices. On November 7 they go up $100.
Private Treehouse
A whole treehouse or cabin to yourself. Your own hot tub, your own fireplace, your own quiet. No one else’s alarm, no one else’s snoring. Bringing a significant other who is not playing? You do not pay for a second seat. They come along as a non-playing companion for just $495.
Shared Treehouse, Own Bed
Share a treehouse with your friends and still keep a king or queen bed all to yourself.
Black Bear Suite
$1,195 and $895 after November 6
A king bedroom inside The Black Bear itself, each with its own private bathroom. You are in the middle of everything, and you never step outside in the cold.
| Shared Treehouse, Shared Bed, king or queen Two friends, sisters, or a couple sharing a king or queen in a shared treehouse |
$1,095 $1,195 after November 6 |
| Non-playing companion A significant other or friend who is not playing. Shares your bed, joins every meal and reception, no seat at the tables. Just $495 on top of your rate, even in a Private Treehouse. |
$495 |
Who shares your treehouse? Coming on your own? Choose a Private Treehouse for a place all to yourself, or we will pair you with other guests (you may leave with a few new friends). Coming as a pair? We will do our best to give the two of you a treehouse of your own, and you can guarantee it for $150 per person. Coming as a group of three or more? Your group stays together in a treehouse of your own. We assign the treehouses, so be sure everyone lists each other’s names when you register, and let us know if you are happy with a loft bed, bunk or sleeper sofa to keep your group together.
Come early, stay late
Add-on nights are priced per unit, not per person, with no programming beyond an open play table and the hot tubs.
| The night before Oaklawn is running that afternoon |
$395 |
| Two nights before A full weekend in Hot Springs before the retreat begins |
$595 |
| One night after Stay one more night after the awards |
$285 |
| Two nights after Two more nights of hibernating |
$485 |
Taxes are added to your total. Massages are the only other add-on: a 50 minute Swedish or deep tissue massage, $150, one per guest. Add yours on the registration form and we will schedule the times and email yours before you arrive.
Bring the friend who has been meaning to learn.
Beginners, on purpose
We hold a handful of seats for true beginners. A bootcamp the first night and a second session the next morning get you playing real hands by lunch, seated with players who remember learning.
Last call for the 2026 card
The new card arrives in the spring. This is the last big weekend of the 2026 card, so bring your favorite hands and retire them in the trees.
Hot Springs, when you want it
Come a day or two early for Oaklawn and Bathhouse Row. Stay a night or two after if you can. In between, you never leave the mountain, and Unwrapped on Ouachita Avenue comes to you.
It is winter in the mountains. We planned for that.
Cold is the point: fireplaces, flannel, hot tubs under bare branches. Ice is the thing we watch closely, and here is exactly what happens if it shows up.
The details
What should I bring?
Your 2026 card if you have a favorite copy, slippers, something flannel for the first night, and a swimsuit for the hot tub. We supply tiles, racks, pushers, and mats at every table. If you love your own rack, bring it.
Can I register for my whole table?
Each guest fills out her own registration (or a friend can fill out a complete form on her behalf). Every form asks for your tablemates by name, so your table sits together the first night and your treehouses are close.
How does the tournament work?
Every player has a seat and nobody is eliminated. National Mah Jongg League rules on the 2026 card, four rounds of 50 minutes (three on the long play day, the final the next morning), rotating tables so you play with new people each round. Points add up across all four rounds and the highest total takes the Canopy Cup; if the field is big enough we split into divisions by experience so beginners play for a trophy of their own. Scores are tracked live in The Mahj Report app, and there is no extra fee.
What is the payment and cancellation policy?
You pay in full when you register. Cancel by November 20, 2026 for a full refund, minus a $150 nonrefundable fee that holds your seat. After November 20, payments are nonrefundable, but you are welcome to transfer your seat to a friend. One exception: if winter weather forces us to cancel, we will do our best to reschedule for another week. If you cannot make that week, 100% of what you paid becomes a credit for next year’s Mahjong in the Canopy. We recommend travel insurance that covers trip cancellation.
My husband does not play. Can he come?
Yes. The companion seat includes every meal and reception and a quiet treehouse to read in, plus a list of things to do in Hot Springs that do not involve tiles.
Is alcohol included?
The welcome toast, the happy hour at The Black Bear, and wine with both dinners are included. Beyond that, bring what you like; every unit has ice and glassware.
How do I get there?
In the Trees sits in the Ouachita Mountains, about 8 minutes from downtown Hot Springs off Highway 70. Driving: Little Rock is about an hour, Dallas about four and a half, Memphis about three. Flying: the closest major airport is Little Rock (LIT), an hour away. Southern Airways Express also flies small planes from Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) straight into Hot Springs (HOT), which is about 15 minutes from the property. Full directions arrive with your confirmation.
What about dietary needs?
Tell us on the registration form. Every menu has a vegetarian and gluten-free version, and we will work with specific allergies.
A whole resort. A few private treehouses. One winter weekend.
Founding Table pricing: $100 off every seat when you register by November 6, 2026. Prices go up November 7. Registration closes January 8, 2027, or sooner if we fill up, and private treehouses always go first.
Questions? Email relax@inthetrees.com or call (844) 448-7682.