The Butchart Estate: your perfect family retreat!

Entire home in Owen Sound, Canada

  1. 8 guests
  2. 4 bedrooms
  3. 5 beds
  4. 4.5 baths
Hosted by Kimberley
  1. Superhost
  2. 9 years hosting

Listing highlights

Top 1% of homes

This home is one of the highest ranked based on ratings, reviews, and reliability.

Enjoy the pool and hot tub

Swim or soak at this home.

24-hour self check-in

Check yourself in with the keypad whenever you arrive.
Give them a holiday to remember. With fresh air & freshwater beaches. Escarpment views, grottos & waterfalls. It's a great time to get yourself a little more Canada in beautiful Grey-Bruce. Settle in to our beautiful and well-equipped heritage home. Enjoy the gourmet kitchen, relax in your private indoor pool & hot tub, curl up by the fireplace, play board games galore. Outdoors, we're famous for our hills, forests, lakes and rivers. But don't miss the music, museums, and amazing foodie scene.

The space
License: STR2024-005-250503
This heritage-designated Queen Anne style home was built for the Butchart family in 1891. The Butcharts became famous after they left Owen Sound for Victoria, B.C., where they developed their famous "Butchart Gardens". But they were gardeners here in Owen Sound too: this home once featured an attached conservatory for growing flowers. That area now houses an indoor pool and hot tub, which guests can enjoy year-round!

The historic Butchart Estate features beautiful craftsmanship and many architectural details: including elaborate leaded- and stained-glass windows, handsome woodwork on the main level, and a stunning main staircase with a bronze "Lady Liberty" on the newel post.
Guests can settle into the original four family bedrooms; all are ensuite, and bathrooms feature most of the original fixtures.
The recently renovated kitchen includes an electric downdraft cooktop, three ovens, espresso machine and a professional series refrigerator/freezer, as well as an island for informal dining for three or four. The formal diningroom - with a vintage Empire chandelier and a beautiful stained-glass bay window - seats 8.

Guest access
Butchart books full-house rentals only, so only one set of guests ever occupies the home at a time. Accordingly, guests have exclusive access to all the main floor rooms, as well as the indoor pool and hot tub: located just off the Great Room.
Laundry facilities are located on the east side of the pool room, if required.

Other things to note
Our air conditioning in summer consists of a combination of window units and exit fans to draw cool air through the house. This allows the house to be kept at a comfortable temperature in all but the very hottest spells. On those evenings, a short swim before bed is perfect.

The original radiator system warms the house in winter, but in the coldest weather, the bedroom level can be chilly. Guests can ward off the chill with our down duvets and plentiful wool blankets, or the electric fireplaces and space heaters. Or a dip in the hot tub.

Note that we are a SmartTV household with many options including Netflix, PrimeTV, Youtube Premium and more. There is no cable television in the home.

Where you’ll sleep

Bedroom 1
1 queen bed
Bedroom 2
1 queen bed
Bedroom 3
1 queen bed

What this place offers

Kitchen
Wifi
Free parking on premises
Private pool
Private hot tub

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Rated 4.98 out of 5 from 240 reviews.

Guest favorite
This home is in the top 1% of eligible listings based on ratings, reviews, and reliability
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Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 98% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 2% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 0% of reviews
  4. 2 stars, 0% of reviews
  5. 1 stars, 0% of reviews

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for value

Where you’ll be

Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada
This listing's location is verified.

Neighborhood highlights

Butchart is an easy walk to the restaurants and attractions in the downtown (we are on 5th Ave. East and the main street is 2nd Ave. East). We have several great independent restaurants and coffee shops: including Frog Pond for your mid-morning cuppa, Casero Kitchen Table (fresh Mexican) and Milk Maid for a memorable lunch, and the Curry House or Jazzmyn's for dinner. All are within 4 blocks of Butchart. Pick up groceries on the east hill at Zehrs, or downtown at the Metro by the harbour: right next to where the famous ChiCheemaun ferry is docked for the winter!

Owen Sound is a surprisingly vibrant cultural hot-spot. Guests can find live music every night on the weekend: always within walking distance. And don't miss the Tom Thomson Art Gallery, just over the bridge on the west side. Every Saturday morning, year-round, the downtown is bustling at the Owen Sound Farmers Market: the oldest farmers market in Canada. Just up the river on the south edge of town is Harrison Park: with lots of family activities, year-round.
In summer, take a walk along the west side of the harbour and pop by the Marine and Rail Museum: celebrating our city's heritage and history as an important Great Lakes port. Past the Museum, you can keep walking until you reach Kelso Beach: with a splash pad and play area for little ones, the rock amphitheatre, and a small patch of sandy beach where you can launch a canoe or kayak.
For the quintessential summer beach experience, head west; just 30 minutes away on Lake Huron is the world-famous Sauble Beach: the longest freshwater beach in the world. Just to the east, you can visit the Coffin Ridge winery in the old "Irish Block" on the escarpment, or hunt for fresh apples and baked goods in Meaford (the "Other Big Apple") on Georgian Bay.
Pack a picnic and take a self-guided Waterfall Tour: featuring seven waterfalls in this escarpment landscape. Don't miss the village of Kimberley, with its views of Old Baldy.
This area is famous for its hiking. Get out your sturdy shoes and do a day on the Bruce Trail, or book ahead for the ultimate insider experience with Aki Tours: an indigenous guide business from Neyaashiinigmiing up on the Cape.
The Bruce Peninsula - the most spectacular stretch of the Niagara Escarpment - is one of Canada's finest landscapes. The Peninsula holds many charms in every season, but it really comes alive once the ChiCheemaun departs its winter berth in Owen Sound and heads north to Tobermory again in late spring. So head north. Don't miss the Grotto (reserve ahead and go early to beat the crowds for a chance to really enjoy this natural wonder). Stop for a bite in Lions Head (or catch the farmer's market down by the water on Saturday mornings). Explore Fathom Five, take a shipwreck boat tour, and climb the national park lookout tower. The village of Tobermory itself is a charming and picturesque harbour community.

Meet your host

Superhost
240 reviews
4.98 out of 5 average rating
9 years of hosting
Lives in Owen Sound, Canada
We are parents of four (only one at home now), and are enthusiastic travellers and experienced B&B operators. Now we also enjoy sharing our heritage home with guests who are looking for something special when they visit our area. A place to cook, a place to read, a nearby farmers market, a shaded hike, some great music, and somewhere to put in a canoe: that's our perfect stopping spot.

Kimberley is a Superhost

Superhosts are experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests.

Co-hosts

  • Shelley

Host details

Response rate: 100%
Responds within an hour
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Things to know

House rules

Check-in after 4:00 PM
Checkout before 11:00 AM
8 guests maximum

Safety & property

Carbon monoxide alarm
Smoke alarm
Must climb stairs

Cancellation policy