Summer House at Conant Homestead

The Summer House is a cozy getaway cottage up the hill from the Presumpscot River and walking trails, a short walk from an active small downtown with live music venues, local breweries, and great restaurants. The Conant Homestead, is a budding permaculture farm with goats, pigs and chickens, twenty minutes from downtown Portland, ten minutes from Portland Jetport and the highway. The shady cottage looks out over garden and fields with the sights, smells and sounds of a working farm. The space The Summer House is a one room cottage with huge screened windows letting the breeze flow through (note that there are no actual windows but with the roof overhang no rain comes in - only the breeze). There is a comfy queen-sized bed and sitting area with couch and chairs. Not a full kitchen, but a corner nook has a fridge and coffee/tea set up. We provide granola bars for the morning and some local brews for the evening. The door leads out onto a large yard with perennial gardens, with the circle vegetable garden, chickens, pigs, fields and micro barn for the goats nearby. The outdoor shower, about twenty paces away, has an on-demand hot water heater and can accommodate two. There is a composting toilet in a separate room in the shower shed. The Summer House is in the midst of a working farm so you may see us hout harvesting veggies, the children running around, or hear the animals throughout the day (including early morning chickens and goats). Given the COVID-19 Pandemic we are taking extra precautions and doing thorough cleaning between guests. Guest access Guests are welcome to wander around the farm and meet the pigs, the goats, and see the chicken coop (but please don't feed the animals without permission), as well as the large unusual concentric circle vegetable garden. There are fields and trees to walk in and around, and an excellent spot with Adirondack chairs to watch the sun set or look at the river from the top of the back field. The farm is adjacent to the Portland Trails at Conant Property which has a mile and a half of trails offering great views of, and some access to, the Presumpscot River. There is even an old Oak along the trail with hanging swings to relax in. Make sure to stop by the memorial to Chief Polin, the original advocate for the river back in the 1700s. Other things to note There are two bicycles to borrow if you want to get around the local scene. And a few kayaks that can be taken out on the river out back. Also available is a pack-n-play infant crib. Just ask in advance for any of these. There is a farm-stand from mid summer to fall in a large outdoor tent at the far end of the large side yard. It is mostly bustling on Sundays but available on the honor system through the week. We also have a Saccarappa Summer Series of music concerts, featuring mostly original performers and ranging from string quartets to blues or singer songwriters. The concerts are in the large side yard out and to the right of the Summer House. Guests are always welcome to come and enjoy the music up close or listen from the Summer House.