An Unexpected Surprise!

It was Melissa’s birthday last weekend, and she, being the loving and kind soul she is, wanted to spend the day volunteering up at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.  The day was filled with lots of animal loving!  The unexpected surprise came in an impromptu stay at The Guesthouse at Woodstock Sanctuary.  I couldn’t let the experience go by without blogging about it!

Facing the pastures of the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, the pre-Civil War B&B has been completed restored, and in an eco-friendly manner to boot.  Beautiful wood floors and antique furniture can be found throughout, providing for a warm and welcoming experience.  Upon entering the kitchen via the porch, you might be greeted by the house cats, Errol or Leon.  Sweet as pie, they live at the house, so if you are allergic to cats, this probably isn’t the place for you.  As you walk through the house, with each step you are greeted by walls lined with joyful photos of animal residents and you can’t help but to smile.

All of the rooms are named in honor and memory of past residents of the farm.  We had the distinct pleasure of staying in the Olivia Room, named for Olivia the Goat.  She was most “famous” for acting as a surrogate mom to Dylan (a rescued veal calf) when he first arrived at the Sanctuary.  Each room is also adorned with framed photos of the room’s namesake.  The room was well-appointed and had beautiful views of the pastures.  We were told that if we left the door open just a crack, we could be joined by one of the house cats.  Of course being the cat lovers that we are, we had to take that chance!  Much to our delight, Leon decided to join us that evening.  He spent a good portion of the night snuggled with us, and it was quite comforting, reminding us of home.

I am kicking myself for not taking a photo of the room itself (you can see it via the link to the B&B above), but upon waking in the morning I was awe-struck by the view.  Morning light hitting the beautiful Catskills Mountains, green grass, and Kayli, Mike Jr., and Maybelle out for a morning graze.  My heart swelled at the sight.

I was hoping to wake up to hearing some roosters, but either we slept too soundly or the house is well insulated because no such luck!  Oh well, maybe next time.  We headed down for breakfast and was greeted by a beautiful all-vegan spread including a selection of oatmeal, breads, fruit, granola, baked goods, orange juice, coffee, tea – the works!  I also spotted a note posted to the house cats that I found to be just adorable.

Armed with coffee, toast and two bowls of granola with soy milk, we headed outside to the porch to eat.  The porch has two rocking chairs with a small table in between, aka the perfect place for us to have our breakfast.  We watched Kayli, Mike Jr., and Maybelle graze while we ate, as well as listened to the morning sounds of the farm (now I could hear some cock-a-doodle-doos!) and the sweet, fresh air.

After breakfast it was time to say good-bye and we did so with full, grateful hearts, knowing we would be back very soon.

One thing to note if you would like to book a visit to the Guesthouse — you must have a WFAS membership in order to do so.  It’s a small fee of $30 per year for a basic membership and is full of wonderful perks.  You can find out more information about membership here.