Find Farmhouses in Bald Mountain

Have you ever wanted to go back in time and live life as your ancestors knew it? The Pioneer Homestead offers just that—a farmstay in our off-the-grid vacation rental farmhouse in rural Appalachia. Unplug and heal the family as you step back in time. This trip is not for the faint hearted. WARNING: NO TV, NO RADIO, NO WI-FI, NO HOT TUB, NO MICROWAVE, NO BLOW DRYER. And it gets worse: NO ELECTRIC RANGE, NO ELECTRIC LIGHTS-- NO ELECTRICITY AT ALL! The list of inconveniences goes on… NO A/C (NOT EVEN CEILING FANS), NO AUTOMATIC COFFEE MAKER, NO HOT SHOWER, NO INDOOR PLUMBING! OMG! TURN BACK NOW! No wait…if you want to connect with your kids, or your inner kid, read on…What the Pioneer Homestead does offer: delicious fresh mountain spring water that runs through the “refrigerator” trough in the magical spring room on the back of the kitchen; a wood-fired cook stove that takes an hour and a half to preheat, but then bakes the best cornbread you’ll ever eat; and a fanciful 2-seater outhouse designed to accommodate both Jack and the Giant, which doubles as a mini-museum of farm artifacts: leave the door open for an inspiring view! Located near the farm’s cold mountain ponds and rushing streams, the Pioneer House also features authentic mountain relics and family heirlooms sure to increase your appreciation of life in the mountains after the Great Depression.Clearly not for everyone (and that's why we offer two other rental houses with modern amenities on the farm: see them all at WilletPondsFarm.com); the challenge of living before the electronic revolution is daunting for most of us. But it can be immensely rewarding if approached with an attitude of discovery. Step across the threshold of this old house and into the shoes of self-sustaining pioneers living off the grid and off the land. Candles and oil lamps are provided for lighting the night, but you’ll soon understand why your grandparents went to bed at sunset and woke at the crack of dawn. There’s firewood stacked under the stairwell, but cooking on the old stove is both an art and a full-time chore that may take a few meals to master. And if you want to warm the house, you’ll need to keep the wood heat stove burning, too. In pleasant weather take the fire outside to the summer kitchen, a picnic shelter adjoining a huge stone chimney. A spacious Rumford fireplace for cooking over, a spectacular Old-World pizza & bread oven for taking your baking to the next level, and even a one-of-a-kind smoke chamber if you want to slow cook or preserve your meat or fish—all find their way into this one Marvelous Monstrosity.How does one get clean while living in a house without a bathroom or shower? The spring trough in the house allows for a quick bird bath, but if you want to get serious clean, enjoy the Banya, or Old World (Russian) bath house, available as an upgrade. Just up the meadow from the home is a jaw-dropping outbuilding with a wood-fired sauna large enough for the whole family. Sweat away the grime and slime while your bath water heats. Enjoy a thrilling cold water plunge in the nearby pond when the heat gets over the top. After bathing, lounge in the loft or sit on the pondside porch and contemplate the serenity of the birds-eye view of the homestead. The heart will find it hard to stop smiling!In short, this is not your typical vacation rental. And it’s not just about vacationing in an off the grid farmhouse. Rather than living in the Pioneer House while on vacation, living in the Pioneer House may very well BE your vacation. The experience will put the wonder back in wonderful. Many guests ask if they can ride our horses. While we are not a riding stable open to the public, we try to accommodate your interests and offer custom trail rides, arena lessons for beginners, and lead line rides for kids. Please let us know in advance if you want to book such horse activity. And you are welcome to join us daily in the workings of the farm: caring for the horses and poultry, gathering eggs, mucking barns, mending fences, and the myriad other real life tasks that making a week on the farm so much more fun than an amusement park.Sleeps 8 (ask us about accommodating larger groups on this property):Downstairs Bedroom #1: 1940s deluxe double bedDownstairs Bedroom #2: 1 1890’s ¾ bed (sleeps 2 small adults) + 1 old-timey child’s bed (narrower & shorter than a twin)Upstairs Bedroom #1: 1 1930s metal springs double bed w/ futon mattress (limited privacy; ideal for 2 kids)Upstairs Bedroom #2: 1 1940s double bedExtra cots available for larger parties, or sleep in the loft of the corn crib (bring sleeping bags)No Bathroom: the charming outhouse, 18 paces from the house, will be long rememberedNon-smokingNo pets: you’re surrounded by horse pasture and our many farm animals live nearbyNo electricity: unplug and heal the familyExtreme peace and quiet in house –refrigerator hum replaced by babble of spring waterFully equipped 1930s kitchen. Bring a camp stove for convenience cookingLinens, towels, and paper goods all provided.Picnic Shelter (summer kitchen) with fireplace & pizza ovenFirewood provided for cooking, heating, and enjoymentCorn Crib as kid’s Pioneer PlayhouseCold-water creek and ponds for bathing, swimming, fishing, playingAccess to miles of private hiking trails & rest of farm, just a short walk away. FAQ'SIs there a fire hazard living with candlelight? YES! We’ll be trusting you (and your kids) to manage candles, oil lamps, as well as fires in two stoves. The fire danger is constant and life threatening, and will require your constant oversight. Is it safe to drink the spring water? Most likely. Drink at your own risk. Generations of folks in this community have lived on untreated mountain spring water. It has been tested and found not to have common impurities, but naturally has the unharmful bacteria in it that might be found in any living waters. We drink from the spring. We have friends who regularly fill up jugs of it to take home to drink. But that is no guarantee that it won’t affect you adversely.Does the house need air conditioning in summer? Maybe. While folks flock to us for our cool summers, short hot spells occur during which one might want A/C in the Pioneer House, or at least ceiling fans. Living through them will deepen your appreciation of what your forefathers experienced, as well as the modern amenities we enjoy. You may think of it like camping or glamping in summer, only the house does provide lovely shade and plenty of windows open to refreshing mountain breezes. Fortunately most summer days here are lovely without climate control.Will the wood stove keep it warm in winter? Maybe. You should be comfortable throughout the house during much of winter, but during the coldest spells, you’ll need lots of blankets (provided) to keep warm in the back bedrooms. Sleeping on the day bed in front of the stove will grow in appeal. This was the original meaning of “central heat,” and through practical means brings the family together. Don’t be surprised if you find snow blowing through the cracks of this uninsulated house. Was there really a movie filmed there? Yes! The Mountain Minor movie was filmed extensively at Willet Ponds Farm in 2017, and the Pioneer House was used as the main set. It proved to be the perfect depression era farmhouse for the movie, in part because the house had never been altered or updated over the years. The old farmstead provided a backdrop that is increasingly difficult to find these days—a stunning viewshed without any signs of modernity. Watch the movie to deepen your understanding of what it might have been like to live in Appalachia, in the Pioneer House, back then. Then come live in the movie set yourself! How do we make coffee in the morning? Ah yes, the vital question… The house does have an antique coffee maker that works quite well. Put in your favorite coffee grounds, and if you can figure out how to get water boiling, pour it in and you’ll be able to enjoy a memorable cup of joe.Should we bring flashlights? Imagine waking up on a moonless night and needing to go to the outhouse. You could feel about to find the matches and light a candle lantern to carry with you. But a flashlight might come in handy, too. Are we allowed to bring and/or use only tools and devices available in the 1930s? While that may be a fun, educational standard to hold, we’ll allow you to make such rules. You might try to observe that one on your second visit. Is it true that many people in the developing world still live without electricity? Indeed it is. A few nights in the Pioneer House might deepen your appreciation of their experience. In vast stretches of the world people read at night by kerosene lantern light. To be honest, it’s not too hard to find people around here who live this way today, mostly by choice. Who lived in the Pioneer House? Brother’s Noah and Roby Greer built side by side in the our valley back in the 1930s or 40’s. Roby’s house is now our Old Farmhouse, and Noah’s is this Pioneer House. The Greers lived in the house for 2 generations, the last of them dying in 2004. They did add electricity when that became available circa 1960, but never added plumbing or a bathroom. The house lay abandoned and decaying for a decade, during which the wiring got stripped, stolen, and presumably sold for scrap metal. It came into our hands in 2013, at which point we began t

Willet Ponds Farm in Todd, NC offers...More than a place to stay: an Appalachian farm experience. The Old Farmhouse is one of three houses we rent on the farm. If it is booked for the time you want, ask us about our other houses: the Willet Nest and The Pioneer Homestead. You'll find more about them at WilletPondsFarm.comIt's all about the farm, and the peaceful, enriching experience your family will have here. A week in the country is worth a month in town. You may simply choose to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery right from the porch. Or you are welcome to join us in the daily workings of the farm, taking care of the donkey, the pot-bellied pig, bunches of bunnies, a herd of horses, and a diverse flock of fowl (including peacocks!). Wake to the rooster's crow and help gather eggs. Treat yourself to the simple joys of life and discover why we have an extremely high guest return rate. This quaint, century-old farmhouse offers an excellent venue for experiencing the Appalachian countryside: fresh mountain air, babbling brooks, nature at your doorstep. Tucked away on a dead-end road with extensive hiking trails right on the property, the Old Farmhouse takes one back to a slower day, a simpler time. Generous decking wraps around three sides, ending in a covered porch from which unfolds the brilliant green valley and a pastoral scene that will keep you dreaming wistfully from the porch swing. The house has been well lived in and well loved for generations. It’s authentic—there is spirit and character here. The Old Farmhouse is picture perfect in every way your imagination tells you a quaint Appalachian farmhouse should be. Antique furniture, rustic wormy chestnut cabinetry, knotty pine and hardwood floors, handmade quilts, and vintage photographs will remind you of its Appalachian heritage. A spacious, well-equipped kitchen, comfortable family room, and attractive sunroom with double French doors give you plenty of space to relax inside. The farmhouse has two charming bedrooms on the ground level, each with a double bed, plus two upstairs “attic” bedrooms (two single beds each) that will enchant your children—they absolutely love it here. Willet Ponds, our 100-acre farm, is 5 minutes from historic Todd and the scenic New River (tubing, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, & swimming, not to mention easy bike riding along the river), 15 minutes to Elk Knob State Park, and only 20 minutes to either Boone or West Jefferson. From Boone you’ll have easy access to the ski slopes, Tweetsie, shopping in Blowing Rock, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Grandfather Mountain. But be sure to schedule in some down time to just enjoy the profound serenity of the property, to watch the horses graze. The adventurous can work up an appetite hiking the 3-mile loop trail over our private mountainside, taking in awesome views of a 100-ft. waterfall cascade and of the valley below, then enjoy a refreshing swim in our spring-fed pond and the thrill of fishing for trout to put dinner on the table (fishing poles provided, stocked trout are sold per pound). You can explore two mountain streams on the property that are just the right size to play in, then roast marshmallows at the convenient bonfire pit. As dusk falls, the spring peepers begin to sing a chorus while countless fireflies rise from the pasture, performing a natural light show rivaled only by the brilliant night sky that’s so full of stars, it can only be imagined from the city.Cozy in Winter: While the house does not have a usable fireplace, the Toyostove heater features the glow of a fire and keeps the house cozy on the coldest nights.In addition to our menagerie of animals, we also live on this, our dream farm, in a house across the way (not too close). We personally manage the Old Farmhouse, making it clean and comfortable, in hopes that you’ll feel that you’re staying in a home, not a generic rental cabin. We make sure to take care that you have everything you need, be it a cup of flour or freshly laid free-range eggs.Many guests ask if they can ride our horses. While we are not a riding stable open to the public, we try to accommodate your interests and offer custom trail rides, arena lessons for beginners, and lead line rides for kids. Please let us know in advance if you want to book such horse activity.Other memorable experience upgrades include renewing in our world-class rustic sauna, and baking in our Old World pizza/bread oven. View our web site for details.Bed linens, towels, detergents, and soaps are provided as well as a starter roll of paper towels and toilet paper. Ample wood for the fire pit is available at no cost, but you might want to bring charcoal for the grill. Old play shoes or boots might be wise to bring for those who want to spend time in and around the barn.If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ve made room for you here, too.Favorite Things to Do On the Property: 1) Roast marshmallows at the fire ring.2) Walk the hiking trail up to the seldom-seen falls.3) Feed the chickens and gather eggs.4) Search for treasures hidden around the farm.5) Fish in the trout pond.6) Harvest apples and blueberries.7) Explore the Fairy Forest and build a fairy house. ...the list goes on and on...About pets:No pets allowed.No Exceptions.About checkOut:Check out before 11:00 AM.About children:Children allowed: ages 0-17.Children adore this place!.About customRules:Please encourage your children to be respectful of nature and all creatures on the farm..Please help us keep the family friendly--no parties, guns, fireworks, or loud music..About checkIn:Check in after 4:00 PM.About smoking:Smoking is not permitted.About minBookingAge:Minimum age to rent: 22.About events:No events allowed.