Williamsburg Area; Surry, Virginia.
Surround yourselves with history, art and nature at Historic Lightwood Forest , one of just a few vacation properties on large tracts of private land, and seemingly far away from the present troubles of the world. Bring groceries, settle in, and make yourself at home. Take the time to explore the more than 100 private acres of protected woodland from the hiking trails that meander throughout the forest. Canine companions are most welcome.
It has been said that entering Lightwood House feels like walking into a great English country house- in miniature (after all, we only have five bedrooms instead of fifty!)
*For parties close to or at our maximum of 10 guests, please see the bedroom arrangements below to make sure they will work for you.
Visit our website for more photos and information. www.lightwoodhouse.com
In 18 years we have had hundreds of reviews- but not one less than 5 stars, on any platform! Be sure to read some for yourself!
We have many antiques and works of art in the house. However, we welcome children, and love having them as guests. In 18 years we have never had an issue. The furniture is sturdy, and after hundreds of years of heavy use by children, family and pets, and surviving civli wars, revolutions, tavern brawls and who knows what else, another couple of hundred years of use won't hurt.
LIGHTWOOD HOUSE IS AN 18TH-CENTURY HOME nestled in Lightwood Forest, a magnificent old-growth beech forest in rural Surry County, near Williamsburg, and is one of America's most beautiful and unique historic vacation rentals. The estate comprises over 110 acres of woods, meadows and streams, and is part of the land given by Chief Powhatan to Pocahontas and John Rolfe as a wedding gift. Many of the old trees in the 110 acre Lightwood Forest are over 200 years old.
Lightwood House was the center of a prosperous tobacco estate and the home of a Revolutionary War soldier and his family. Built in four different periods circa 1760 to 1795, Lightwood House is completely restored and features exceptional detailed woodwork and authentic furnishings, yet also offers all modern conveniences, including air conditioning, jetted tub, laundry facilities, satellite TV, and WIFI.
Children love Lightwood House with its many nooks and crannies to explore. While the house has many fine antiques, the furniture is sturdy and we have never had a problem with damage by enthusiastic little ones. Many pieces in the house have been around children and pets for centuries, and another century or two won't matter. So please don't worry about turning kids loose in the house, as long as obvious and normal precautions are taken. We believe the pieces are happier if used as they were meant to be used! And who knows--using these time travelers (it took them centuries to get here, but time travelers, nevertheless)-- might spark a lifelong love for treasures from the past.
Lightwood is also home to four long case "Grandfather" clocks, two of which are over 300 years old. The bells are silenced when guests are there, and the clocks can easily be stopped if their ticking bothers anyone. We have recently added many antiques and artworks to the house, some dating as far back as the 16th century, including two magnificent carved greate chairs, circa 1620, suitable for visiting Lords and Ladies!
The drive from the house is 10 miles to Williamsburg and 4 miles to Jamestown, and includes a beautiful, free, 20-minute car ferry ride past Jamestown Island, docking next to the 17th-century replica ships at Jamestown.
LOCATION AND FERRY TO WILLIAMSBURG/JAMESTOWN
While the surroundings are completely rural and secluded, the house is only one-and-a-half miles from the town of Surry where basic essentials are available, and three-and-a-half miles to the 24-hour, 20-minute, free car ferry ride to Jamestown and Williamsburg. From the ferry dock on the other side of the James River, Jamestown is one-half mile, and Colonial Williamsburg six miles away.
BEDROOM ARRANGEMENTS
The house has five bedrooms and two large bathrooms (the downstairs bathroom features a marble walk-in shower and six-foot whirlpool bathtub), a living room, dining room that seats up to ten comfortably, large classical entrance hall, fully equipped kitchen, laundry room, four fireplaces (three with gas logs or stoves), and back porch, for a total of 2400 square feet. Upstairs are two large bedrooms, each with a queen-size canopy bed; one double bed in a small room; and two single beds in an attic room adjoining one of the queen bedrooms. In order to get to the upstairs bathroom, one needs to go through the queen bedroom from the attic room. These two bedrooms can serve as a family suite. Downstairs there is a small bedroom with a double bed. The bed is against the wall, so it can be difficult for the "outside" person to get out over the "inside" person in the middle of the night. There are two large bathrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs. The upstairs bath has a tub/shower arrangement, and the downstairs bathroom has a six-foot jetted tub and a separate walk-in shower. Stairs throughout the house are steep. Each bedroom has a chest of drawers; the Blue bedroom has a large wardrobe; and a small closet is located just outside the Attic bedroom.
The rest of the house is large enough to spread out in, with a large entrance hall, spacious dining room and comfortable living room. The front and back yards are fenced in. More than 100 acres of forest, meadows and streams are available to explore from over two miles of hiking trails.
The house is furnished with antiques from the seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and early-nineteenth centuries. A picket-fenced back yard with period outbuildings, including a smokehouse used to smoke the hams for the coronation feast of King Edward VII, completes the scene. Two miles of nature trails meander through the woods and meadows of Lightwood Forest and offer a close look at local wildlife, which includes deer, turkeys, foxes, turtles, hawks, owls, woodpeckers, and bald eagles. Lightwood offers a private setting and a truly unique and exciting opportunity to step back into another time, all the while enjoying the comforts of the twenty-first century.
TREASURE HUNT IN LIGHTWOOD FOREST! (January-December, $250.) Recommended for children ages eight and under and for adults who are still young at heart! Go on a woodland hunt for Fairy Treasure hidden centuries ago in the ancient forest. A secret treasure map found in the house will give cryptic clues to the location of the magical fairy hoard. A fine wooden chest, brimming with costume jewelry and other baubles, can be taken home to be enjoyed forever. The treasure hunt ties into the story of how adventurous Scottish fairies came to Lightwood in the 1730s. The "Faeries of Lightwood and Doon Hill" story can be found on the Lightwood House website. www.lightwoodhouse.com
WEDDINGS:
Outdoor wedding, Friday to Sunday, 75-guest maximum, with overnight stays for up to ten; prices start at $3,950.00. Includes wedding ceremony area and space for up to a 40 x 80 tent.
AREA ATTRACTIONS:
The historic museums of Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown Settlement, Historic Jamestowne, and the American Revolutionary Museum at Yorktown are only a short drive and free 24-hour, 20-minute car ferry ride away. All four of these national and international attractions are connected by the beautiful Colonial Parkway, which begins at Jamestown where the ferry docks, follows the banks of the James and York Rivers, passes through Williamsburg and ends at Yorktown and the Chesapeake Bay. Additionally, many important historic Civil War sites are within an hour's drive of Lightwood in the Richmond/Petersburg area.
Pristine riverfront beaches can be found in Surry at Chippokes State Park, at Jamestown on the James River, and at Yorktown on the York River. Virginia Beach is only a little over an hour's drive away. Williamsburg is also the home of Busch Gardens and Water Country USA theme parks. Surry County attractions include Bacon's Castle--America's finest seventeenth-century manor house; Smith's Fort , the site of Captain John Smith's fort of 1609 as well as a lovely 1760s brick house; and Chippokes State Park, with historic buildings, Olympic-sized pool, and riverfront beach. Boat rentals are available at the beautiful and unspoiled Chickahominy River State Park in Williamsburg/James City County.
The historic waterfront town of Smithfield, and seventeenth-century Saint Luke's Church, is a 20-minute drive away. Well-known James River Estate, open to the public, are an easy 45-minute drive and can be found along Historic Route 5, which meanders through Charles City County. Richmond is over an hour's drive, and Washington D.C., can be reached in around three hours (depending on NOVA/I-95 traffic conditions).
Keywords: House/Estate, family friendly, child friendly, pet friendly, historic, elegant, unique, woodland, forest, picturesque, intimate, private, secluded, hotel alternative, motel alternative, weddings, treasure hunts, adventure, fairies, enchanted, magical.
