How to Make Your Backyard a Vacation Oasis

A vacation at home

While his neighbors pack up their cars for out-of-town vacation treks, Scott Reynolds retires to his backyard for an instant vacation escape, where he can relax by a fire and listen to a waterfall's soothing melody--without the commute time.

Scott's Twin Cities yard serves as a showroom of his work as a landscape designer. While his outdoor living area is more elaborate than most in a region with famously short summers, you can use his ideas on a smaller scale to make any backyard a vacation-worthy destination.