Todd, North Carolina
Willet Ponds Farm in Todd, NC offers...More than a place to stay: an Appalachian farm experience. The Willet Nest is one of three great houses we rent on the farm. Check out the Old Farmhouse and the Pioneer Homestead, too, to see which suits you best. You'll learn more at WilletPondsFarm.com.
The Willet Nest is all about the view, and the secluded mountain setting that is exactly what the doctor ordered to push your reset button. The modern house, perched on the side of the mountain, offers beautiful views and serves as a quiet, secluded getaway for newlyweds or the entire family.
Just another mountain cabin with a view, you think No. For starters, this one is surrounded by 1000+ undeveloped acres (including Elk Knob State Park) so you really are secluded in the wild. But as a bonus you get the farm down below, where you are welcome to join me and the farm dog 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 a spectacular sunrise and take the beautiful walk down the mountain to help gather farm fresh eggs. Treat yourself to the simple joys of life and discover why we have an extremely high guest return rate.
The Willet Nest house comes along with a cute mother-in-law sleeping cottage, making it ideal for 2 couples or parents with older children who would think it neat to have a little house of their own. The cottage sleeps four, having a bathroom that separates 2 semi-private bedrooms, one with a deluxe Serta adjustable queen bed, the other with twin bunk beds for the kids. The main house features one large bedroom with a deluxe Nature's Rest queen bed and adjacent master bathroom, plus a queen sized sofa bed for additional sleeping in the living room. This great room and its huge picture window view are large enough for all of you to share, plus there’s a smart tv (dish network) and dvd player for movie night, as well as a gas logs fireplace to add to the cozy charm when you come in from playing in the snow. If you're lucky enough to book in the height of summer you'll enjoy mini split AC in both the house and adjoining cottage.
The light airy kitchen has all the modern appliances and utensils you could want without taking you away from the view or the party. The kitchen doubles as a dining room, so the food need not travel far. Unless you care to eat out on the sun deck that wraps around the cottage—or at the shaded grill-out picnic table convenient to the fire pit.
To reach the Willet Nest you’ll drive right through the heart of the farm (slow down for the chickens!), then travel a half-mile driveway up the mountain through an enchanting forest. From the house you can walk out the front door and onto the 3-mile loop trail over our private mountainside, taking in awesome views of a 100-ft. waterfall cascade and the valley below. After your hike, enjoy smores around the fire pit (firewood provided).
When you’re ready to come back down to the farm, plan on swimming or boating in our pond, and fishing for trout to put dinner on the table (fishing poles provided, stocked trout sold by the pound). You can join us at feeding time to care for animals--a real kid pleaser. Some guests even opt to join in some of the farm chores for fun, be it raking up horse apples in the barn, or helping to harvest our red and golden delicious in the apple orchard.
Willet Ponds 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 mountains and that million-dollar view.
In addition to our menagerie of animals, we also live on this, our dream farm. We personally manage our rental houses, making them 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 fresh 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.
Please note that the Willet Nest has a 1/2 mile private driveway that winds though the farm and up a steep mountainside. 4WD is required if covered in snow or ice. And it is possible that the top of the driveway could become impassable (walkable only) in the event of a big winter storm.
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...
Walton is an amazing host, we arrived as guests and left as family. The cottage was perfect: super clean, cozy, and had all the supplies we needed. We couldn't ask for better mountain views from the living room picture window. We had planned for many sightseeing destinations around Boone but there was so much to do and see around the farm there was no reason to leave the property! The scavenger hunt was a fun touch and the kids had a blast exploring the trails as well as getting to know all the farm animals. Our only negative was having to leave and are already planning our next visit.
Time with 2 of my 4 children was priceless
This place was great if you want to get away. No neighbors, no noise except for natures sounds. Very relaxing with beautiful views. Will definitely be returning for future stays.
My mom and I enjoyed our long autumn weekend at the Nest. We spent the majority of our time gazing at the gorgeous view through the picture window in the living area. We relaxed and reveled in nature’s beauty and were sorry to leave. The place was clean and well-appointed. The description online is accurate. Enjoy!
My family's only negative remark about our trip to the Willet Nest was that it was too short. We needed to get away and disconnect for a few days and this property was perfect. Though we only stayed for a few days, our time there was met with plenty of relaxing evenings by a camp fire, the most gorgeous sunrises we've ever seen right from the front porch, hikes around the amazing property, and time genuinely having a great time together and connecting as a family.
We would like to stay again. 4WD helpful!
We enjoyed this property so much! The owners are the sweetest people. We were able to come down in the mornings and help feed their animals. Walton was very patient with my kids, and treated them very kindly. The property itself was clean and well kept up. The views of the mountains were the best you’ll get and from almost every window. My kids loved the separate living quarters. They felt like they had their own privacy. The cabinet sell felt very, very private. We were not ready to leave and plan on making a return trip this summer! Thanks for everything Walton and Betty!
This out of the way home is exactly what we were looking for. So glad we found it. The trails on the property were a bonus. Everyone loved the view of the mountains.
The Willet Nest was an excellent place for a family vacation! The kids loved the farm work and animals and we loved the solitude and beautiful scenery. Highly recommend for families with active children!
Our family truly feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Willet's Pond Farm. We stayed in the Willet's Nest. The view is a million dollar view. The property is so peaceful we could actually hear the leaves falling. Our kids loved being able to help on the farm in the mornings. The property is close enough to numerous daytime excursions and grocery stores. Your first climb up the driveway can be a little daunting but I promise the beauty of the climb is worth every bit. The home was clean and adequately supplied. We look forward to returning for another visit!
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