The Shenandoah Basset Dacha

Experience the magic of another era in this big, comfortable Victorian house in the Shenandoah Valley. Built in 1868 as a Lutheran parsonage, it's like a folk art museum inside, with rich colors and paintings on the walls –an unforgettable backdrop for making memories. 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, dining room, 2 parlors, fully-equipped kitchen, screened-in back porch, fenced garden. A fifteen-minute walk from the Shenandoah River; a short drive to Shenandoah National Park, battlefields, vineyards. The space This big, beautiful house is characterful, colorful and cozy, with front and back porches, a big romantic English-style garden, and a brick patio for summer grilling. The ground floor has a parlor, a TV/family room, a dining room, a full bathroom, an art studio (one of the owners was an artist, specializing in basset hounds), and a fully equipped kitchen with an Aga gas stove. In the breezeway between the kitchen and the screened-in back porch there's a laundry room and a Summer Kitchen with an electric stove. There are dog doors throughout the main floor, plus a fully fenced backyard. This is a pet-friendly house; you will arrive to a cleaned house that has no pets (or people) in it, apart from whoever you bring. But note: a calico cat lives here sometimes. Every trace of her existence cannot be wholly eradicated through vacuuming. So if you have severe cat allergies, this may not be the house for you. Every room has a different color, theme and use, and you'll see oil paintings on the walls of basset hounds and of Russia--the owners were professors of Russian and Soviet literature and culture (as well as dog lovers). There are four bedrooms on the second floor. The master has a queen bed and a private full bathroom; the blue bedroom has a full bed, the green bedroom has bunk beds, and the red bedroom has two twins. There's a second full bathroom in the second floor hall. There's a fifth bedroom in the attic, which has its own AC and heating and a double bed. Other points of interest: •There's a carport for PARKING, and you can also park in front of the house. NOTE: Curb parking is free, but curbs are public space: it doesn't "belong" to the house, so spots aren't guaranteed. That said, it's a small town and a quiet neighborhood. We typically park two cars in front of the house, or one in front and one in the carport. •There's a wood-burning stove in the Green Parlor (TV room) , and firewood for your use on the front porch. (Don't make fires in the Yellow Parlor fireplace, the chimney is 200 years old--too fragile.) • Feel free to use the china, silver, glassware, cooking equipment and table linens in the cabinets and bureaus during your stay for your feasts with family and friends. • Local attractions and activities: Shenandoah River Walk, Skyline Drive, Adirondacks National Park, Belle Grove Plantation, Hiking (Buzzard Rock, Eagle Rock, etc), Horseback riding, Tubing on the Shenandoah, Vineyards (Muse and North Mountain Vineyards), Deer Rapids Bridge, Strasburg's Box Office Brewery, Strasburg Emporium (antiques), Strasburg Town Pool (swimming); Woodstock Brew House, Woodstock's Flour+Water Patisserie, Woodstock's Sugar Creek ice cream; Woodstock Brew House; and the city of Winchester (pedestrian mall, Museum of the Shenandoah Valley) etc.! I will be happy to tell you anything else you would like to know about the Shenandoah Basset Dacha if you make an inquiry. Email me! Guest access You can go anywhere you like in the house, but if you stay in the attic bedroom, turn on the light in the stairwell (right inside the latched door to the attic, on your left on the wall) before you go up, and watch your step! Please do not go into the cellar. Other things to note ENJOY your time in this house, and do things people did when life was unplugged! Cook, feast, play games (there's a huge games cupboard in the TV room), paint, read, write, build a fire in the wood-burning stove, or take walks in the neighborhood and its meadows. The house does have WIFI, so you can also work on your laptop, watch movies or news (the house subscribes to Sling) and there are three TVs, where you can access your streaming services. I will email you the full house guide the week before you arrive. Please email me if you have any questions about the house once you are here. NOTE: In December of 2024, the Shenandoah Basset Dacha will be part of the local "holiday house" tour. The house will be decorated for Christmas (I will post a picture when it's in its full holiday regalia, after the 14th); and for the first time...the house can be rented during Christmas week, for a minimum five-night stay.