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4br Wonderful Farm Home for vacationing, reunions, biking, hunting, fishing

your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for 4br Wonderful Farm Home for vacationing, reunions, biking, hunting, fishing

Exterior
4 bedrooms, iron/ironing board, travel cot, bed sheets
Fridge, microwave, oven, stovetop
Fitness facility
TV, DVD player

Reviews

8.0 out of 10

Very good

Popular amenities

  • Parking available
  • Pet-friendly
  • Air conditioning
  • Kitchen

Explore the area

Map
Farmington, IA
  • Burns Gallery & Tea Emporium
    11 min drive
  • Casey's General Store
    4 min walk
  • Fort Madison Station
    36 min drive
  • Keokuk, IA (EOK-Keokuk Municipal)
    30 min drive

Room options

About the area

Farmington

When you stay at this farm stay in Farmington, you'll be 11 minutes by car from Burns Gallery & Tea Emporium. .This farm stay is 9.5 mi (15.3 km) from Battle of Athens State Historic Site and 11.1 mi (17.9 km) from Bentonsport National Historic District.
View more Agritourism in FarmingtonOpens in a new window

What's nearby

  • Battle of Athens State Historic Site - 21 min drive
  • Keosauqua Park - 25 min drive
  • Iowa State Penitentiary - 40 min drive
  • Nauvoo State Park - 53 min drive
  • Historic Nauvoo - 55 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Casey's General Store - ‬4 min walk
  • ‪Bonaparte Retreat - ‬11 min drive
  • ‪Bridge Cafe & Supper Club - ‬11 min walk
  • ‪Lazy Dave's Bar and Grill - ‬11 min drive
  • ‪Farmington Locker - ‬7 min walk

About this property

4br Wonderful Farm Home for vacationing, reunions, biking, hunting, fishing

Located next to Farmington, Iowa: 4 hours from Chicago, 2 1/2 from St. Louis, 1 1/4 hours from Iowa City and 6 hours from the Twin Cities. This old town Farm house and 16 acres of land is located next to the wonderful Shimek Forest and Des Moines River.
The house offers a large living room, large dining room, sit in kitchen, 4 bedrooms upstairs with the ability to sleep 8 comfortably plus 2 sofa beds in the living room to sleep an additional 4 people. Forced air and heat, washer and dryer, TV, DVD and 16 acres to call your own with your stay. Free use of 6 adult bikes and 3 children bikes plus a 1/3 mile nature trail with chipped wood path through the woods a short distance from the home. New barbeque for outside cooking with picnic table. Fire ring and firewood for evening s'mores and enjoyment. Comes with all eating and kitchen utensils, linens, towels, and toiletries. Hot air popcorn popper and popcorn.
Farmington, Iowa is one of the "Villages of Van Buren County" on the Des Moines River, a quaint town with grocery store, parks, local restaurants and bars.
Available for week vacations, reunions, weekend retreats, Iowa and Iowa Wesleyan football weekends, hunting and fishing trips, horseback riding and more!
If interested call Eric.

Why would people want to rent:

Spring and Fall Colors
Sledding in winter
Football games (only 1 1/2 hours from U of IA games, Iowa Wesleyan only 30 minutes away)
Festivals (Farmington Strawberry, other communities other types)
Hiking (Shimek Forest only 1/2 mile away)
Biking (free use of bikes)
1/3 mile nature trail on premises (bird and wild life watching)
Horseback riding (can rent a horse)
Mushrooming
Hunting (deer, turkeys, rabbits, pheasant)
Fishing, Shimek Forest ponds, Des Moines and Mississippi Rivers and Lakes
Relaxation

Farm House:
Restored
New HVAC
Forced Air and Heat
4 bedrooms
2 with twin beds
1 with Queen
1 with double bed
1 and 1/2 baths
Large Kitchen
Dining room
Living room with two hide-a-bed sofas
Laundry room
New 3 gas burner Barbecue
Picnic table
Fire Ring with firewood
Free use of bikes, 6 adult and 3 children size to choose from

A kitchen is outfitted with a refrigerator, an oven, and a stovetop. The bathroom has a shower.Conveniences include a microwave and a coffee/tea maker.
This smoke-free farm stay features sledding nearby, cross-country skiing nearby, and hiking/biking trails nearby. Recreational activities include kayaking nearby.
Guests will find features like onsite parking.

Property manager

Owner/Property Manager

Languages

English

Property amenities

Outdoors

  • BBQ grill(s)
  • Firepit
  • Outdoor furniture

More

  • Smoke-free property

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Air conditioning
  • Bed sheets
  • Heating

Bathroom

  • Shampoo
  • Shower
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels

Entertainment

  • DVD player
  • TV

Food and drink

  • Blender
  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Cookware/dishes/utensils
  • Dining table
  • Electric kettle
  • Kitchen
  • Microwave
  • Oven
  • Paper towels
  • Fridge
  • Stovetop
  • Toaster

More

  • Dryer
  • Iron/ironing board

Policies

Check-in

Check-in time starts at 3:00 PM
Contactless check-in available

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions

Pets

Pets allowed
Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees
Restrictions apply; for more information contact the property at the number on the booking confirmation
Note from host: Small Dogs. NO CATS.

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Important information

You need to know

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
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, and a deadbolt lock
This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation

We should mention

A car is required for transportation to and from this property

4br Wonderful Farm Home for vacationing, reunions, biking, hunting, fishing Reviews

Reviews

8.0

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 20 out of 49 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 17 out of 49 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 4 out of 49 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 5 out of 49 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 49 reviews" "

8.4/10

Cleanliness

7.0/10

Staff & service

4.0/10

Amenities

4.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Brenda H.

Liked: Cleanliness
Nice stay
We had a very nice stay here. We were nicely surprised when the caretaker of the property popped in to say Hello and to see if we all got in comfortably and to see if we needed anything. The house is an old house with a cool history, which is all explained in a book the family has put together and displayed in the house. We had a great stay! Thank you Fotsch Farm Family!
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Marilyn N.

Liked: Cleanliness
We had a great time
The farmhouse is cute and the property is beautiful. We loved seeing fireflies in the evening. We didn't realize that some of the beds were couches (not sofa beds) but it worked out okay. We had a great time visiting Nauvoo. Thanks for a fun stay!
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Sharon S., iowa

Liked: Cleanliness
Family fishing trip
We found the property to be just as advertised. We all enjoyed the outdoor space for the kids to play in. The house manager stopped by to check that we had everything we needed and gave us her number should we need anything. She also gave us information on finding things and places in the area.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Corie B.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great stay!
Needed a place for a group of adults to stay during the Tri State Rodeo. The property manager was a wonderful person and was very quick to respond to any questions we had. She went above and beyond to make sure we had things to do if we wanted to hang around Farmington or make a drive to nauvoo. Overall, great stay and great hospitality! The horses in the front were wonderful to wake up to as well!
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Katherine J.

Liked: Cleanliness
cute quite location
Went geode hunting. Residents of the area very friendly and helpful.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Laura E.

Liked: Cleanliness
Amazing farm house
Amazing property with so much property to explore. Had an amazing experience and the kids loved the farm house. Also had a ghostly experience at 7am where we woke up to the smell of fresh coffee and sausage being made only to go downstairs and find the kitchen quiet and empty lol. Definitely want to come back again!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Emily G.

Liked: Cleanliness
Nice little get away
On entering the house, it was very clean and perfect for our family. We had our kids (ages 8,9,10,12,12,15) with us and a surprise visit from our 20 year old! The property was fun for the kids to explore. They loved the little pond with all the giant frogs in it. They enjoyed riding the bikes down the hills and exploring the property. There were horses right down the driveway so that was fun surprise. Nicole, the care taker, was an absolute pleasure to work with! She was very kind and even gave us some extra time to get all of us packed and out the door on Sunday morning... (trying to get everyone dressed, showered, packed, etc is difficult with 9). The ONLY downfall I would say, was the shower. It was really tiny and being 5'4, I was feeling a little claustrophobic. My fiance is 6'9 and it was very difficult for him to shower. I do think that the listing might want to include the steep hill up to the house as well. We didn't mind it because we had great helpers to get everything in the house but if I had to carry 3 large coolers full, I would have been miserable. We're all in fairly good shape so it wasn't a problem at all, but it is quite the little hike up and down. Other than that, it was such a pleasant stay! We saw LOTS of wildlife and really enjoyed the fire pit area at night! Thanks, for a nice little get away!
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

8/10 Good

Jonathon Y.

Liked: Cleanliness
2 nights in Farmington
The caretakers were helpful and considerate. Communication was great. It was ok for our group of 4, but if a larger group had used it, bathrooms would have been an issue. It is listed on Verbo as having 2 bathrooms, yet the 1 didn't have a shower of any kind and the other was very tight. Not complaining, just noting that it seemed to me as though it was misrepresented a bit. The main thing I didn't like was how everything squeaked and creaked, from the beds to the house. This of course is normal for an old house. Overall our stay was good and I would have booked it even if I had known everything since it was so close to where we wanted to be. I do however think that once the service, and cleaning fees were added it became a bit overpriced for what it is.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022

4/10 Poor

Byron G., Green Cove Springs

Liked: Cleanliness
Nice property Not for elderly
The property was clean and well stocked with towels, linen dishes etc. For a young family this would be fine. My wife and I (the renters) are older and she has some disabilities which make it very difficult to manage stairs or unequipped bathrooms. There are no grab bars in the bathrooms and only a shower in the upstairs room. The sofa beds advertised are simply large sofas where the cushions are removed to make the size of a small bed, they are not a pull-out type of sofa-bed. We were so uncomfortable that we rented a motel for our last night in the area. Our daughter and her family had a much easier time as they were able to sleep upstairs in the regular beds. So, for younger families this property would be fine, for the elderly or handicapped, it is not equipped.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Lara P.

Liked: Cleanliness
Delightful
We enjoyed our stay...stepping into another world in this lovely midwestern farming town. The home was comfortable and helped us feel a part of the family history we had come to learn more about in Nauvoo, IL. Thank you for the bicycles that were available for us to use! The whole family loved our stay.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2022

4/10 Poor

Melinda

Liked: Cleanliness
Good communication but didn’t like the place
The owner booked back to back clients. Our check out time was 11 and the new clients came in at 12. This forced the cleaning lady (very nice woman) to have to start cleaning before we were checked out. Location is a Pet friendly place with a green pond that our dog jumped in but no outside water to clean her. YUCK! The house had a flood so the washer was disconnected and we had hoped to do laundry on our cross country trip. The house smelled really old, like mildew or mold. Owner let us know in reasonable time how to enter the house and that the house was a high target for break ins which was a bit scary.
Stayed 1 night in May 2022

10/10 Excellent

Keith B.

Liked: Cleanliness
Nice farmhouse
Was the perfect place for our hunting, fishing and hiking trip. All the bedrooms are upstairs and it’s a bit warm up there when the outside temps get up there but there’s fans provided in every room. Also only shower is upstairs. We had no problems with it but just letting others know. House was clean and well kept up. Owners friendly and quick to respond and local caretaker the same. No internet access but we had great Verizon reception and had no need for anything more. If we come back to this area we’ll stay again. Lots of hunting, fishing and hiking in nearby state woods. Brewery in Fort Madison is worth the 30 minute drive.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2022

6/10 Okay

Ronald K.

Stay at farm ok
Has black mold on walls in basement moldy smell throughout wife and I have been feeling unwell
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Cathy R.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great Place for sibling reunion
Had a wonderful time! Very relaxing and convenient. Highly recommended.

10/10 Excellent

John S.

Liked: Cleanliness
thank you
Short but sweet thank you
Stayed 1 night in May 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Cute little farmhouse
We went in winter, so didn't get to explore the property, but we had a great time, and the house is adorable!
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2021

10/10 Excellent

Jeff K.

Liked: Cleanliness
Very nice reconditioned farm house. was perfect for us
very nice property. quiet.
Stayed 6 nights in Oct 2020

8/10 Good

jacob j.

Hunting trip
Older farmhouse , perfect for staging area for hunting .
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2020

2/10 Terrible

Klay L.

Disliked: Cleanliness
Renter Beware
My family planned to stay within this home on our cross country moving trip from Arizona to Michigan. The house does not look like the pictures shown. The photos for the listing are several months to a year old. Paint is peeling, and the house looks very dilapidated. Once we were in the home, there was general uncleanliness to the home with the counters having trails of ants, and the walling having sticky substances present. The refrigerated looked like it was not cleaned recently, and there were areas of mystery goo present. The property manager came by that evening to put out the trash cans for the home and informed us that it was our task to wash all the sheets for the home and place them back on the bed before leaving. This fact, along with others about the area and the house, caused us to elect not to stay in this home but instead drive 8 hours through the night to reach our home in Michigan instead of spreading any more time in this home. Rent with severe caution.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2020

2/10 Terrible

Tami B.

Disliked: Cleanliness
Live roaches
This was an experience that I don't want to repeat. We found two live roaches in the house. Leftover food was found in the kitchen including moldy butter in the refrigerator. The furniture was old and dingy and the grass was overgrown and not cut. The exterior of the home needs painting. I would suggest a licensed exterminator for this farmhouse and some general upkeep of the property.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2020

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Eric H.

Liked: Cleanliness
Great Property!
We had a wonderful time at the Fotsch Farm. Plenty of room for all 8 of us. We will be back!
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2019

8/10 Good

Arnold W.

Liked: Cleanliness
Had a great time
Enjoyed the house cleanliness and all the room.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
I loved the idea of a rustic farmhouse setting for our family to stay in! This home had just the right space for our family. We have 6 children ranging in age from 14 years to 2 years. I feel like there were a few safety issues for my younger children that we should have known about. The top of the stairway to the upstairs bedrooms was very open and unsafe. The top step juts into the narrow landing, with no safety rail. The entire time we were there, we worried that one of the children would miss that first step and fall down the wooden stairs, especially at night in the dark. The second issue was the water collection pool near the driveway. It was steep, looked very deep, and there was no fence or boundary around it. We could not allow our children to play outside with the soccer balls they brought, for fear that one of them would fall into the water hole. It could prove to be very tragic if someone were to fall into it. There were no working bicycles for us to use, as was advertised. I was disappointed in the dishes and cookware that were provided in the kitchen. All the dishes were mis-matched, the pots and pans were odd sizes an there were no mixing bowls. Overall, not enough dishes for our family to use. The stove top drip pans & microwave had not been cleaned.There was also a VERY strong musty / mildew smell throughout the home that was very hard to ignore. There were holes in the sheets wet laundry in the washer. Overall, a little disappointed in our stay.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

8/10 Good

Jeff P.

Liked: Cleanliness
Definitely an older home but it worked fine
The property was clean and comfortable. The basement/cellar had really narrow stairs and lots of cobwebs but you don’t really need to go down there except to get the grill or the bikes. When we got there the power was out in the neighborhood and it was getting dark. Fortunately we found some emergency candles and got some matches and the convenience store that was close by. It made it an adventure for the family! Not a fan of the cleaning fees for each room. I don’t remember seeing that gotcha in the listing. On the other hand, the owner/manager was helpful and fairly responsive. We only used the house for sleeping and food prep. All of our activities were elsewhere. For that purpose it worked fine.
Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2019