Welcome to the Hanson House, an historic colonial home built in 1790 in the classic New England saltbox style. With 4 bedrooms that sleeps 9 and set on 15 acres of beautiful woodland in Southern Vermont, this charming farmhouse on a quiet dirt road offers a unique stay in one of the oldest houses in Halifax. Combining modern comforts with rustic charm, our home is a nature lover’s paradise, surrounded by both hardwood and softwood trees, perennial gardens and wildflowers.
The space
Inside, the large home contains four comfortable bedrooms that sleep up to nine people, a cozy sitting room and an open plan kitchen and living room. Two wood stoves, a brand new boiler with forced hot air and new water heater will ensure you are toasty on winter evenings. In summer, spill outdoors onto the cool shade of the porch, have cocktail hour in the meadow across the road, or sit around the fire pit in the evenings, listening simply to silence and the sounds of nature.
The kitchen will have everything you need for your chef, including pots, pans, silverware, dishware, and more. All you need to do is bring the food! Outside is a gas grill, perfect for barbequing up a feast after a fun day exploring Vermont. And the tap water is piped from our own well on the property - clean and fresh, no need to filter.
After briefly serving as a hippy commune, the house was completely refurbished in the 1980s but retains many of the original features including exposed hand-hewn beams and wide plank floorboards. More recently, it has been lovingly re-decorated and modernized with new windows, stainless steel kitchen appliances, washer and dryer and more.
Note that the stairs to the upper bedrooms are steep compared to modern homes. There is one ground floor bedroom with a queen bed.
Other things to note
Relax in nature
The Hanson House is the perfect place to get back in touch with nature. The property contains miles of walking trails over its wooded 15 acres, providing a peaceful break in any season. Sitting on the farmhouse porch you will see a variety of bird life: hummingbirds, goldfinch, cardinals and woodpeckers regularly visit. You may also spot some of the deer, fox, racoon, porcupines and fishers that live on the property. If you are very lucky you may even spot a moose or bobcat passing through. As evening falls, the hermit thrush will serenade you with its haunting melodies and in spring you will enjoy a symphony of peepers.
For more active days, in all seasons you are just minutes from hiking of all levels: from easy trails along babbling brooks, to the fire tower at Mount Olga, to multi-day backpacking treks or the Appalachian Trail. In winter, you can snowshoe around the trails on the property, or head to Mount Snow (25 minutes), Stratton, Okemo or Killington for downhill skiing or Prospect Mountain for groomed cross country.
Dining and shopping options abound in the neighboring towns of Wilmington (15 minutes), Dover, Brattleboro, Bennington, Greenfield, MA all within a half hour drive. There you will find art galleries, antique shops, Vermont-made goods, sugar houses selling homemade maple syrup, and more. In summer, enjoy Vermont’s own maple cremee ice cream, and in winter…sugar-on-snow! Local breweries, distilleries, cafes and bakeries are all close by.
Cultural attractions include the world renowned Marlboro Music Festival, Brattleboro Museum, Mass MOCA, several local theatres and much more.
But once you arrive, you will likely prefer to spend your time at the house curling up with a good book or hanging out around the fire pit. Rest, relax and enjoy all that Vermont has to offer at the Hanson House.
