Welcome to Foxfire Mountainside Retreat, a secluded yet convenient Zen-paradise with hottub & breathtaking views from every room just 1.15 hrs from Baltimore/DC. The home is an 1800's orchard house & former Civil War hospital. A "full gut" renovation was completed in 2023 to create the ultimate relaxing retreat. High-end finishes and carefully selected furniture & décor were used to create an inspirational and romantic escape from everyday life.
We are located just 10 mins off Route 70 (30 mins west of Frederick; 10 mins east of Hagerstown), within one mile from all the necessary amenities such as a grocery store, liquor stores, several restaurants, and other retail/convenient stores.
The outdoor enthusiast, birdwatcher, history buff or modern-day explorer can be entertained for days! We are just minutes from numerous hiking trails, rivers, fishing holes, ski resorts, historical sights, orchards, ice cream creameries, farmers markets and Cunningham Falls and Greenbrier State Parks.
The property sits midway up the mountain and flaunts sprawling views of the valley below and neighboring mountain range to the west. The property backs to 1000’s of acres of private and state woods and ultimately leads to the world-famous Appalachian Trail!
Unwind nightly with smores by the firepit, on the elevated deck or in the porch swing under a covered porch with your favorite beverage. Guests will witness truly magnificent sunsets, gaze at the stars and admire the nightly wildlife visitors all while listening to your favorite tunes on the outdoor audio system.
The 14 acres promotes exploration of a diverse landscape of open pasture, a traditional yard, conservation pine tree and hardwood forests. Foxfire is home to a wide variety of plant and animal species. Fox, deer, wild turkeys, black bear, coyotes, hawks, owls, and baldheaded eagles are commonly spotted from inside of the house. Additionally, the property is home to numerous edible fruit and nut trees, berries, asparagus, grapes, and even legendary paw paw trees and morel mushrooms. Guests are welcome to harvest ripened edible fruits, nuts, and plants sparingly and at their own risk; hunting is not permitted and will result in punishment by law enforcement.
The home is late 1800’s orchard house that was recently renovated from top to bottom with an extreme attention to detail, high-end finishes and designed to enhance natural light throughout the day and to blend outdoor and indoor spaces. Décor and furniture were hand-selected to create a relaxing, inspirational, and romantic escape from everyday life.
The main level consists of: Two large bedrooms with ensuite baths off each. The master bedroom has king size Sleep Number bed with two skylights above for star gazing, 2 closets, 6-drawer dresser, fireplace, a smart TV and sliding glass door that leads to the back deck. The spa-like master bath ensuite, has a dual vanity, heated ceramic floors, heated bidet-style commode, essential oils diffuser, and a massive 4’x6’, 3-headed shower containing a Bluetooth speaker light and 6’ wide window that opens to the back yard. The second bedroom on the first floor contains queen size Sleep Number bed, one closet, a smart TV, and an ensuite bath with heated ceramic floors, a tub/shower combo, commode, and single vanity.
All beds have higher-end Egyptian cotton sheets, foam and feather pillows and duvets, side tables with alarm clocks, salt lamps and USB plugs. Each guest will have plush cotton bathrobes, oversized bathroom towels and extra-large towels for the hot tub. Each bathroom contains shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand soap, hand/body lotion, cotton pads, cotton swabs and makeup removing towels.
A large, well-appointed "chef- style" kitchen containing both cocktail and coffee bars and a skylight! Plenty of counter space and 42” cherry cabinets, a large sink, dishwasher, two ovens, a gas range, a large island with seating, French door refrigerator with icemaker and separate beverage fridge. Kitchen contains higher-end appliances and cookware, dishes for 8, spices, and large handcrafted black walnut (tree harvested from property) farmhouse table with seating for 8. A sliding glass door sandwiched between two large windows leads out large front deck and opens the kitchen and living room to incredible views and natural light throughout the entire day. See guidebook for a full inventory of kitchen equipment. Host provides initial dish soap, hand soap, dishwasher soap, laundry soap, coffee (K cups), coffee filters (drip coffeemaker) tea, sweeteners, and creamer cups.
The large living room contains hand crafted stone fireplace from stones gathered amongst the property, a non-working pellet stove, couch with full size pullout bed, a loveseat large smart TV with Bose surround sound and Blu-ray player, and a large window seat to enjoy the view/sunset from within doors.
Living room leads out to the covered porch with a two-person west-facing porch swing. Remainder of the main level is comprised of a laundry/mudroom with contains full size washer/dryer, iron/ironing board and utility sink and an elegant half bath with vestal sink.
The second level is a large multipurpose room with some of the best views in the house; it was designed to stimulate your inner-creative self! It contains a funky-shaped roof architecture, two skylights and original hardwood pine floorboards, a full bath (shower), a single Sleep Number bed, loveseat, Smart TV, fireplace, an oversized plush chair with single pullout bed (reading nook), a game area, library, yoga equipment and electric standing desk with two large monitors and comfortable office chair.
Outdoor spaces surround all 4 sides of the house with lighting and a high-end audio system in each: The front outdoor spaces were designed to maximize the amazing view and contains three separate sections: large deck with seating for 8, patio table umbrella with solar lighting, a gas grill, and a separate seating conversation table for two. The deck leads down to a lower river-rock patio area with propane firepit and comfortable seating for 6. On the other side, it leads around to a covered porch on the left side of the house with a two-person porch swing. The right side of the house contains a brick patio with an aging built-in stone BBQ (currently non-functional) and patio table that seats 4. The brick patio connects to the back oversized deck with a 6-person jetted hot tub, an outdoor shower, two lounge chairs and a two-person breakfast table. There is plenty of parking for up to 4 cars. There are numerous outbuildings on the property which are not accessible by guests.
This is a rural property nestled in the woods on the side of a mountain. Here are a few important points to consider about our property prior to booking:
1) The initial assent of the paved driveway is steep, making it difficult/impossible to drive up immediately after snowfall; we do have a plowing service under contract to plow and salt within 24 hours of snowfall but under certain conditions the driveway may still not be accessible without four-wheel drive; in such cases guests may need to consolidate to one vehicle, park at the bottom of the driveway and walk up approximately 100 yards to the house.
2) This is a 130+ year old house surrounded by a lot of open land/forests and several active farms and orchards. Therefore, you should anticipate a lot of wildlife; some dangerous like bears, coyotes, hornets, rattle & copperhead snakes and some not; you are encouraged stay away from the wildlife and take the proper safety precautions. Additionally, you will likely hear farm animals like roosters and gunnies and rarely experience farm smells outdoors. During certain times of the year lady bugs, stink bugs, mice, house flies, and honeybees are out in full force and often find their way indoors. We have routine pest control and a professional cleaning service, but it is common to experience living and dead bugs inside the property around the windows, especially on the 2nd floor. Brooms and vacuums are provided so guests can clean them up.
3) Cell service can be spotty in and around the area; we do have high-speed business grade internet that is reliable.
4) Being on the side of the mountain, weather conditions can change rapidly, and strong winds can be experienced; this will result in patio furniture from being turned upside down, occasional short power outages (clocks needing reset), the sound of wind hitting the house/house making creaking sounds, and some rooms of the house being less temperature controlled than others.
5) We are on a well and septic system; the well water has been tested, is filtered and is of exceptional quality, but guests need to be considerate of water usage and what they are flushing down the toilets/putting into the drains to ensure they are not damaging the septic system.
6) Security: we have a security system, but it is not in use. We have noise monitoring inside and out (not audio recording) as well as cameras on the outside of the house only. All camera views are published in our rental agreement so you can see firsthand the areas we are monitoring. This security is strictly so that we can monitor the condition of the property and weather and stay in good graces with our neighbors. There are no cameras inside of the house and we are compliant with all regulations.
Winter Weather Access Advisory: Please read carefully as cancelations due to inclement weather will not be refunded. This is a rural property that sits on the mountainside at the top of an approximate 100-yard-long driveway. We have a commercial contract for prompt snow removal/salting, but winter weather may impede your ability to access the house. 4-wheel drive vehicles are strongly advisable. Additionally, should the driveway become impassable during a winter weather event, it may be to park one vehicle at the bottom of the driveway and walk up to the house.
