Family Cabin w/ Climbing Wall, Games. Near Great Barrington, Butternut, Lakes
Great Barrington=25min Tanglewood=34min Otis Reservoir=13min Appala Trail=13min Jacobs Pillow=15min
Welcome to The Owl & Firefly, a 3-level cabin in Otis MA, created as a family-friendly Berkshires retreat with the feeling of being tucked away in the woods, while still being close to the best of the area.
Inside, you’ll find warm cabin details, cozy and comfortable gathering spaces, and plenty for kids and adults to enjoy after a day of hiking, swimming, skiing, or exploring the Berkshires.
Whether you’re building pillow forts, spotting owls at dusk, hiking through the pines, or warming up after a ski or canoe day, The Owl & Firefly is a place where families can play, rest, and rediscover a sense of wonder.
There are 3 private formal bedrooms, plus an office that can serve as a 4th sleeping room. There are 7 actual beds in total, plus a sofa bed: 1 King, 1 Queen, a bunk bed that has 1 Full, 1 loft Twin, and 1 trundle Twin, and 2 Twin beds in the office. The sofa in the TV room can fold out into a Queen as well. Combined, these can sleep over 10 guests, including up to 7 adults maximum (per town regulations) and 3+ kids. We also have 2 pack-n-play cribs for little ones; these live stowed in the closets of the Queen and King rooms.
There are 3 full bathrooms with toiletries by Public Goods. The kitchen is fully equipped with dishes, cookware, small appliances, and basic cooking items (oils, spices, etc). The main living area has wood burning stove, Bluetooth speakers, and a record player with some vintage vinyl. The dining room will seat up to eight at the table, and otherwise provides a vast surface for playing games, doing puzzles, and crafting. The TV room on the lower level is set up with a 65" Roku TV, which allows guests to log in using their own accounts and will be automatically logged out upon check-out. There is also free content provided by Roku. The indoor climbing wall and kids playroom is on the lower level, along with more games for the kids. The office on the lower level provides a work desk and direct access and view to the woods out back.
Notes on having fun and enjoying the house safely:
1. We hope you enjoy the indoor playroom, with its toys and climbing wall! While it's all meant for fun, please do take care and play safely. Dear Parents, please keep the kids safe and supervise as necessary!
2. Nature and the Outdoors:
We love nature, and this is one reason we love this house and its location in the woods! With the beauty and serenity of nature however, sometimes there are other aspects that come with a house in the woods, for example: mosquitos, ticks, moths, birds (and bird poop), bees, pollen, leaves, pine cones, poison ivy, wild animals, etc.
3. Outdoor furniture: Our deck furniture and firepit seating is cleaned regularly, but we do live in the woods which means that pollen, leaves, pine cones, etc may fall on, or coat the furniture from time to time. Also, the birds living in our surrounding trees sometimes use the furniture for "target practice". If any of this happens before or during your stay, we have provided a small outdoor wipe-down kit that can be used to make the seating suitable for enjoying. The kit can be found on the floor in the pantry closet.
4. Please be safe when enjoying the outdoor areas on the property. We recommend:
-Use insect repellent to protect against mosquitoes, spiders, and ticks
-Check for ticks after spending time outside
-Take note to avoid any poison ivy (we try to remove any poison ivy we find, but we do not actively monitor the presence of this native plant on the property, and we make no guarantees that this naturally occurring plant is not around the outdoor areas of the house.)
-Bees and hornets: Avoid these animals, especially if you have allergies. If you notice a nest or hive on the house, please notify us right away and we can contact the exterminators for removal.
-Wildlife: Lots of animals live in the forest including squirrels, chipmunks, beavers, skunks, and the occasional coyote, bobcat, or bear. Please leave these animals alone and do not feed or try to pet them. Please keep all food inside overnight, and make sure all garbage is either in the house or in bags placed in the bear-proof bins outside.
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Pets allowed: dogs and cats less than 99 kg per pet (limit one pet total)
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Smoking
Smoking is not permitted
Check-out instructions
The host requires you to complete the following before checking out:
Load and start the dishwasher
Gather used towels
Remove personal items and remove leftover food and drinks
Turn off the lights and lock the doors
Please clean up and put back on shelves, any games or toys. Setting them up again is not necessary.
Please make sure all furniture and pillows are generally in their original location and position.
Please message the host when leaving.
Failure to complete these may result in a negative review from the host.
Important information
You need to know
Property Registration Number C0569452250
Property # 5099221vb
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Parties and events are allowed on site. Maximum attendees: 15
Note from host: No parties allowed. Special events by permission
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios and terraces, which may not be suitable for children; if you have any concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm that they can accommodate you in a suitable room
About the area
Otis
Located in Otis, this holiday home is in a rural area and in the mountains. Jacob's Pillow and Bidwell House Museum are cultural highlights, and some of the area's landmarks include Berkshire Theatre Festival and Mission House. Travelling with kids? Consider Ashintully Gardens and Becket Arts Center.
Pittsfield Intermodal Transportation Center - 42 min drive
Pittsfield, MA (PSF-Pittsfield Municipal) - 47 min drive
Restaurants
Paige's Place - 10 min drive
Papa Bob's - 19 min drive
Roadhouse - 16 min drive
Frequently asked questions
Is Family Cabin w/ Climbing Wall, Games. Near Great Barrington, Butternut, Lakes pet-friendly?
Yes, this property allows cats and dogs (limit 1 total) with a maximum weight of up to 99 kg per pet.
How much does it cost to stay at Family Cabin w/ Climbing Wall, Games. Near Great Barrington, Butternut, Lakes?
As of 21 Aug, 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Family Cabin w/ Climbing Wall, Games. Near Great Barrington, Butternut, Lakes on 12 Jan, 2027 start from S$1,643, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
What time is check-in at Family Cabin w/ Climbing Wall, Games. Near Great Barrington, Butternut, Lakes?
Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.
What time is check-out at Family Cabin w/ Climbing Wall, Games. Near Great Barrington, Butternut, Lakes?
Checkout is at 11:00 AM.
Where is Family Cabin w/ Climbing Wall, Games. Near Great Barrington, Butternut, Lakes located?
Located in the mountains, this family-friendly holiday home is within 6 mi (10 km) of Otis Ridge, Ashintully Gardens, and Old Baldy Wildlife Sanctuary. McLennan Reservation and Lake Garfield are also within 6 miles (10 km).
About the host
Hosted by christopher Johnson
We are Sophia and Chris, a clinical psychologist and an architect. We live in New York.
As for the name of the house "The Owl & Firefly": that came one late night after we’d been going back and forth for a while, trading name ideas (In the Pines? Duck Pond Cabin?) but all seemed too trite, too generic, or just not quite right. Then Chris thought about his favorite book from when he was a kid. It’s called Sam & the Firefly, and it’s about an owl named Sam who befriends a firefly and they play and get into adventures together. The sense of wonder and joy and unlikely friendship in that story felt exactly like what we wanted people to feel when they came here. (You might find a copy of it somewhere in the house!) We hope you leave here feeling rested, reconnected, and maybe just a little bit reluctant to go. That would make us very happy.
Why they chose this property
For years, when we lived in a 250-square-foot studio in Brooklyn, we used to take long weekend drives out of the city, windows down, dreaming out loud about having a place of our own someday. Somewhere quiet, in the woods, where we could bring our family and friends.. We eventually moved up to a village along the Hudson River and had two kids. The walks and the slower pace were wonderful, but we kept thinking about what it was like to grow up with real stretches of uninterrupted time outdoors. We remembered the kind of childhood summers where you lose track of the hours, and we wanted that for our kids. Once they were out of the baby and toddler years, we started taking our weekend drives again, this time with two small people in the back seat, and we fell in love with the Berkshires.
What makes this property unique
When we walked into this cabin for the first time, we were so taken with the warm wood tones, the light coming through the windows, and the pond through the trees. We loved how you could be on the ski slopes in minutes, drive into a picturesque town for dinner, shopping, or gallery hopping, and then come back to total quiet and seclusion. We loved how quickly the pace of life slows down here, giving us time to play a board game, go for a walk, sit by the fire, and just be together. We set about making it our own. We renovated the unfinished basement into a place for families to really gather, with the media room, playroom, and study. We added the fire pit. We designed and painted the mural on the climbing wall. We spent hours (and hours, and hours) tracking down just the right things for each corner of the home. Every choice was made with friends and guests in mind, because from the beginning, we always knew we wanted to share this place with others.