Sticks and Stones Farm offers a rustic glamping experience! When you stay with us you'll get the adventure and fun of camping while still getting to lay your head on a soft pillow in a bed. You can treat your stay here as a chance to go inward or enjoy interacting with the different programs and events going on! If you want to be up to date on events, classes, and workshops you can visit our website at sticksandstonesfarm dot com and click on the events tab. The River House Boat is nestled along the Pootatuck River. It has a queen sized bed and a screened in porch with two rocking chairs. It is important to note that this is the only cabin located down at the base of the mountain. With the convenience of close parking and electric also comes the occasional hustle and bustle of activity. The cabin is located near the main stone barn where we host many different kinds of events so it's important to keep in mind there may be noise from a drum circle or the bustle of people attending a workshop. Your cabin has lot's of privacy but not as much as our other cabins that are located up in the woods. The outdoor kitchen is nearby with a stove, grill, drinking water, a sink with running water (not potable), sponge and soap for washing/cooking. The outdoor kitchen has electricity but no refrigerator. We provide a cooler and ice if needed. There is a french press available. Make sure your coffee is pre-ground. The basics for grilling, utensils, cups and plates are all provided as is salt, pepper and oil. There is a gas BBQ grill available. Please be aware that we provide blocks of ice in the coolers but if you will want ice cubes you'll need to purchase those elsewhere. We provide dish towels and paper towels. A head lamp is recommended to aid nighttime cooking (especially grilling), but the kitchen does have lighting. It is very important that you do not leave food out unattended. Birds, mice squirrels, raccoons etc. will very likely get into it. Even food that is in a plastic bag is at risk so your best bet is to keep everything in the cooler. We do not have food for purchase available on the property. All of the produce grown in our organic garden goes to local food banks. There is a grocery store two miles away. The local Monroe Farmer's Market is open every Friday starting June 17th from 3 pm to 6pm. It is located on the corner of 7 Fan Hill road and route 111. Trash and Recycling: There is trash and recycling available at each cabin. We ask that when you check out from your cabin you ensure that your trash is in the can and the lid is fitted. If you’ve made more then can fit in the can please use the spare bags provided and leave them in the cabins. If they are left outside animals may rip the bags open and strew trash around. We really appreciate you keep your recycling clean and separate from your trash. Everything can be left at your campsite and we will retrieve it. If you replace batteries during your stay please don’t put them in the trash. If you leave them out we can properly dispose of them at our transfer center. Lighting: The House Boat has electricity both in the cabin and in the kitchen. You may want more light than this so we recommend that you bring additional lanterns but please keep in mind that we DO NOT ALLOW CANDLES or other flame sourced lighting. Cars: When you arrive you will be able to park in either the right or left lots. Your cabin is just a hundred feet from here. You will not be able to park right at your cabin. Bathroom and Shower: There is a private outhouse located near the cabin. The showers are outdoors and are heated with an on demand propane heater and located a 3 minute walk away. We provide one towel and one wash cloth per guest. We implore you to be water conscious as it comes from our spring and thus is from a limited source. Please know that our showers are located behind the area we call "Middle Earth" which is for all intents and purposes our workshop area. We store tools and machines here. Please try to use environmentally friendly bath products such as castille soap. Fires: There is a bonfire pit located near your cabin. Fire wood is available to purchase by cash at $1/log. If you bring wood it MUST be purchased in Connecticut per state law. In the unlikely event that we are having a particularly dry summer and there is a state wide fire ban, we will be enforcing this. We also ask that if it is extremely windy you refrain from having fires. Fires can ONLY be made in designated fire pits and must be extinguished properly with either water or sand. Please this is very important as even a fire that looks out can spread sparks if a wind picks up. Cell Service and WiFi: There is complimentary wifi at the base of the mountain: Sticksandstonesguest and the password is lovehasahomehere. Verizon gets service at the base of the mountain and immediate area. You will be able to get wifi in your cabin. Please keep in mind that as you approach the farm you may lose service. This can affect your ability to contact us. For this reason it is very important that you text us when you are 20-30 minutes away. Dogs: As this is a refugee for wildlife we humbly ask that you don’t bring dogs or other pets unless you require a service animal. We ask that you let us know you will be bringing a service animal. Check in: Early check ins as well as late check outs are free and welcome as long as the request is made at the time of booking. We host a summer camp here so if you arrive during pickup on a Friday at 3pm it will be crowded. It’s not a problem just a heads up. We will plan to meet you to check you in. Check out protocol: This will be listed in your manual in the cabin but here is a primer: You will notice that we don’t have a cleaning fee, for this reason we ask everyone to strip their beds of linens and place them, along with towels, in the laundry bags provided. This is both a covid safety practice for us as well as a way to keep our cost lower for you. Additionally we also ask you not to leave dirty dishes. Please make sure that the battery powered lights are switched off. Batteries are expensive so we want to conserve them when we can! Please make sure you have left payment for any firewood used. There is also a paper in there for you to leave feedback as well as letting us know if anything was damaged during your stay. Please make sure your cabin door is closed. If you had a morning fire please make sure it is properly extinguished. Please check that the grills propane tank is tightened off and the cover is on the grill. Please make sure you aren’t taking our lamps with you! Check out time is 12, we appreciate getting a text to let us know you’ve left. The cabin is located on 60 acres of forest and farm and all is available for you to explore. At this time the stone barn is closed off to the public except for workshops or classes. Please check out our website for more details on our non-profit partners and to find out about our events on the weekend of your visit: Sticks and Stones Farm dot com. Guests can be as secluded as they want tucked away in their cabin, or can come join in with farm activities. Fairfield county offers lots of fun outdoor activities. Please check out our guidebook on Airbnb for more information! If you arriving via metro north you want to get off at Bridgeport and from there you can get a driving service for the 30-minute ride to the farm. If you're cycling we are located just a few miles off the main hub of route 25. Ride share apps are available and reasonably responsive. We will message you the morning of your check in day for your approximate eta. We ask that you keep us posted if your travel time changes and that you send us a final message when you are 20-30 minutes away. This is very important as we do not have a staffed check in desk. When you arrive you can park on either the right or left lot and walk on up to the stone barn for a meet and greet. We understand traffic and unforeseeable circumstances happen so we ask that you do your best to keep us updated and arrive between our 2pm and 9 pm window. Early check ins as well as late check outs are free and welcome as long as the request is made at the time of booking. We host a summer camp here so if you arrive during pickup on a Friday at 3pm it will be crowded. It’s not a problem just a heads up. Our Sticks and Stones Packing List! ~Good walking shoes ~At least one flashlight or headlamp each. ~Additional (if one is not enough) Towel/Washcloth/Toiletries (biodegradable please!) ~Layered clothes for warmth, one never knows! ~Bug repellent if you use it ~ Ground coffee if you drink it ~ paper towels if you will want those, we provide two dishcloths ~ water bottle, for the environments sake we prefer you not to bring cases of single use bottles ~ a lighter if you'll be having a fire ~ rain jacket if the forecast calls for it! ~ a good book ~ a portable charging device, please be careful not to kill your car battery while you are here Other Tid Bits- Everything below is listed in your guest manual located in your cabin. There is a Stop and Shop grocery store located 2.5 miles from the farm. We have a wilderness camp that runs Monday - Friday from 9am - 3pm during the summer. Campers and staff respect the privacy of the cabins but you might see some groups of children building forts or playing games throughout the forest if you're here on a week day. This also makes our parking area a little crowded around 3pm for an hour. Keep this in mind if you are arriving on a Friday at 3. We have a spring on the top of the mountain which can work for a dip but not much else! Fishing in the river or spring is allowed. For tips on restaurants, swimming, and other things to do please check out our Guide Book on airbnb. There are two roaming cats that live here, Goji and Nella. They are very friendly, too friendly in some people's opinion ; ) There are no dangerous animals living in the woods. Even if on the very, very rare chance there is a black bear they are quite timid creatures. Sometimes at night you can hear distant coyotes but they will not bother you. Last but certainly not least, if you've made it this far... Please keep in mind this isn't an official campground this is just a cool offering we've worked to put together over many years. We're constantly tweaking and working to improve it but it's not perfect. We always welcome your feedback so that we can continue to make our guest experience the best it can be with what we have to offer.