Now more than ever, it’s easy to become reliant on the conveniences of city life. After all, hardly anything is more satisfying than riding an elevator up to your front door, waiting no more than a few seconds for a cab, or booking a dinner reservation at some of the world’s most coveted eateries. However, spending day after day in such restless and lively environments can make life feel a bit tedious at times. So instead of packing a weekender and heading to the usual haunts like a nearby beach or remote town, consider something totally different, like an authentic farmhouse on a working farm.
From a 17th-century stone cottage in France’s Fayet commune to a seven-bedroom mansion on 260 acres in Bath, New Hampshire, Airbnb’s charismatic farmhouses are not to be rivaled. Plus, seeing as each charming estate is on a fully operational farm, you’ll never run out of things to do.
The Farmhouse at Woods Hill in Bath.
Bath, New Hampshire
Farm-to-table is more than a dining concept; it’s a way of life—especially for restaurateur, farm owner, and filmmaker Kristin Canty. The New England resident’s newest venture, the ever-popular Woods Hill Pier 4 in Boston’s Seaport District is a double-duty outpost for Canty: Not only does she own the bright and airy restaurant but she also owns the New Hampshire farm that supplies its fare. Dubbed the Farmhouse at Woods Hill in Bath, New Hampshire, and known among locals and travelers alike for its plethora of historic architecture, the lodgings may be charming, but they certainly aren’t quaint.
In fact, the robin’s-egg blue–painted farmhouse boasts seven bedrooms and sits on 260 acres at the foothills of the breathtaking White Mountains. Built in 1849, it resides on a completely functional farm whose residents include cows, pigs, laying hens, chickens, ducks, lambs, and quail. If you don’t consider yourself an animal person, make your way to the other side of the farm, where you’ll find bushes and trees growing everything from strawberries and blueberries to garlic and pumpkins. Otherwise, stay inside the centuries-old residence and play a few notes on the antique W.P. Emerson piano in the parlor or flip through an award-winning tome from the comfort of a warm reading nook on the second floor with views of the neighboring Mount Moosilauke.
The view from the charming farmhouse outside Stellenbosch in South Africa.