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...
