Alicia Smith recently found herself alone inside one of the two brand-new cabins she designed at Historic Blakeley State Park for the first time since they were finished. She climbed the stairs to the loft area and lay down on a cot, staring up at the Eastern white pine on the vaulted ceiling above her. Smiling, she pulled out her phone and took a picture, thinking, "Someone's going to be so happy lying here."

A short time later, guests began to gather for the ribbon-cutting and open-house tour of the Sibley and Peters cabins, which are located just beyond the RV campground at the 2,100-acre Blakeley, the site of the last major battle of the Civil War along the Tensaw River Delta in Spanish Fort, Ala. The park will start taking reservations for stays in the cabins the week after Christmas, said Mike Bunn, Blakeley's director.

The cabins are "an exciting new amenity" for the park, said Bunn. "The idea goes back a long time."

Surrounded by tall pine trees, the raised, rustic cabins have metal roofs and wraparound decks with charcoal grills. The walls are 6 inches thick, with dovetailed ends to make them look like they're from another era, even though they're recently built.

The airy, cozy 576-square-foot twin structures have a living room with a leather couch and chair, a small but functional kitchen and eating area, two separate bedrooms, one with bunk beds and one with a queen-size bed, a full bathroom and an upstairs loft area that sleeps at least two.

Smith grew up in Baldwin County in the Rosinton community, playing in the Robertsdale High School band with Tim Cook, now the CEO of Apple. She draws house plans by hand for her business, Southern Home Planning, in her home office in Auburn, where she and her husband, Cory, a United Methodist minister, have lived for the past year and a half.

She has always enjoyed hiking at Blakeley, so she was delighted to be asked to design a new ranger station for the park a couple of years ago. She and Jo Ann Flirt, who recently retired from Blakeley, worked together planning the cabins.

"We were kindred spirits," said Smith. "We hit it off. I can't credit Jo Ann enough."

Inspired by the small-space design ideas at IKEA, Smith made the cabins handicap-accessible and tried to arrange the layout to comfortably accommodate as many people as possible.

The project was a collaborative effort, Smith said. Even her 13-year-old daughter made a creative suggestion for the use of the loft space when she told her mom and Flirt that they should include some heavy-duty hooks for hammocks. When Flirt looked puzzled, Sarah pulled her own portable hammock out of her backpack.

Smith worked with the builder, Timberland Log Homes, to nestle the cabins into the pines and "save as many trees as possible."

Each cabin is named for a founder of the early 1800s town of Blakeley. The inside of the Sibley cabin will have photos and some information about Sibley and his story, which will make each stay there "more personal," Smith said. "Our hope is that you're educated more by renting a cabin."

She already made reservations for her family to stay in one of the cabins during spring break in March.

Though they're equipped with many of the comforts of home, the cabins don't yet have televisions or WiFi. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if people went there to unplug and were forced to go outside and hike?" Smith mused.

The rate for the Sibley and Peters cabins at Historic Blakeley State Park is $109 per night Friday through Sunday, and $99 per night Monday through Thursday, plus a $10 cleaning fee. Pets are allowed in the Peters cabin for an additional $25 per night. The maximum stay for both cabins is five nights. To make reservations, call (251) 626-0798 and press 2 to be connected to the gatehouse. For more information about Blakeley, visit www.blakeleypark.com.