We are a family of five with three boys ages 12, 10, and 8 that have vacationed in Vermont for a week the past few years to "unplug" from our busy lifestyle. This year we decided to make it two weeks and found the perfect house to do it in. Everything about our stay was absolutely wonderful, from the communication with Susan to building our own custom "spas" in the river. There are too many items to mention them all, but here a few of the highlights:
1) The description of river front heaven could not be more accurate. You have your own private play area for kids and adults. The water ranges from a couple inches to about couple feet in the main opening. The kids and their father transformed into engineers moving rocks here and there and just enjoying the cool mountain water. It provided hours upon hours of entertainment.
2) The sound of the flowing water invokes such a sense of tranquility! We left the doors and windows open at night to hear the river and we slept like babies.
3) There is a large open yard perfect for games. Susan so thoughtfully stocked the house with activities to augment those we brought ourselves. The boys played badmitton, volley ball, soccer, football, frisbee, catch with our dog, caught butterflies and crickets, and endless other games. When they got hot, they ran to the river to cool off. Then, back to the games!
4) There is a fire pit just next to the river where we spent almost every night making smores, telling stories, playing games and totally relaxing. I miss it already.
5) There is the coolest swimming hole on the property as well. There the water was about four feet deep (depends on the rains) and perfect for the kids to jump in and get carried by the waterflow. Even the dog got into the mix. This is also where our boys became geologists, since the rocks here are amazing. They scoured the grounds, finding everything from quartz to pirite to fools gold (and of course granite).
6) The house is not a long drive from the town of Bradford, where you can find a local coffee shop (great breakfast burritos), ice cream shops, a local book store, a convenience store (they sell worms), and a really cool waterfall. Alexanders restaurant was also very good.
The Wrights Mountain hikes are great and only a couple miles from the house. Check out Halls Lake where you can fish from the shore and catch Perch galore. Too many other awesome hikes to mention!
All in all, we had a wonderful stay and would highly recommend!