Like Airbnb but for Barns — Difficulty: no wedding factories
May 21, 2018 5:29 AM Subscribe
I would like to rent an unfinished barn for a weekend in the eastern US, but I want to be able to stay overnight and I don't need any of the usual predatory wedding industry trappings.
Some years ago I was fortunate enough to attend an annual midsummer gathering of acoustic musicians that took place in an old barn. Participants were encouraged to bring a bedroll and crash in the barn itself, or pitch a tent outside. People stayed up late into the night talking, drinking, and playing music. The event stopped, mostly due to loss of access to the venue. Those weekends were some of the best times of my life, and I would love to resurrect the event in some form.
Another longtime attendee recently said, "Man, all we need is a barn and a weekend," which prompted me to go looking for a barn to rent... and all I've found so far are either barns that have been converted into houselike living spaces, or wedding factories that come with huge pricetags, full catering services, setup/breakdown fees and various other staff and overhead. (And those places all kick you out before midnight, so they can reset for the next day's wedding.)
What we need is:
Location: Mid-atlantic would be ideal; somewhere around the confluence of Maryland/Pennsylvania/West Virginia. Southern New England or the Hudson River Valley would also be strong contenders.
Time of year: Late spring to early fall (ideally summertime)
Budget: Say $1000/night.
To be clear: I know I could look into rustic conference/retreat centers or off-season summer camps, but "late night old barn" was really the secret sauce that made this event so special. Think Dance of the Haymakers.
Some years ago I was fortunate enough to attend an annual midsummer gathering of acoustic musicians that took place in an old barn. Participants were encouraged to bring a bedroll and crash in the barn itself, or pitch a tent outside. People stayed up late into the night talking, drinking, and playing music. The event stopped, mostly due to loss of access to the venue. Those weekends were some of the best times of my life, and I would love to resurrect the event in some form.
Another longtime attendee recently said, "Man, all we need is a barn and a weekend," which prompted me to go looking for a barn to rent... and all I've found so far are either barns that have been converted into houselike living spaces, or wedding factories that come with huge pricetags, full catering services, setup/breakdown fees and various other staff and overhead. (And those places all kick you out before midnight, so they can reset for the next day's wedding.)
What we need is:
- An old barn with an open floor. Doesn't have to be even remotely "rustic chic".
- Basic bathroom facilities (a shower would be nice, but not a dealbreaker)
- Overnight use of the barn/grounds for camping
- Alcohol allowed (probably not a dealbreaker)
- Late night (acoustic) music allowed
- Nearby hotel(s) for those who don't want to rough it
- Nearby restaurants
Location: Mid-atlantic would be ideal; somewhere around the confluence of Maryland/Pennsylvania/West Virginia. Southern New England or the Hudson River Valley would also be strong contenders.
Time of year: Late spring to early fall (ideally summertime)
Budget: Say $1000/night.
To be clear: I know I could look into rustic conference/retreat centers or off-season summer camps, but "late night old barn" was really the secret sauce that made this event so special. Think Dance of the Haymakers.
It's probably not a good fit for you, but my first thought was the ommegang brewery as they hold concerts on site and encourage camping. Perhaps there is a smaller brewery closer to where you want to be that fits the bill?
posted by phil at 5:43 AM on May 21, 2018
posted by phil at 5:43 AM on May 21, 2018
I'm not sure if this is a good fit but it might be worth a call.
posted by bdc34 at 5:54 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by bdc34 at 5:54 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Call your state's parks office. You're looking for a large space where you can play music without creating a nuisance for anyone else (even acoustic music can be loud) with toilets and permission to camp overnight. Then try other state's parks. Interesting places get donated to states for use as parks.
posted by theora55 at 6:05 AM on May 21, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 6:05 AM on May 21, 2018 [7 favorites]
I would float this on some local Craigslists or community corkboards (if you’re near any of the areas you’re thinking of).
posted by thejoshu at 6:08 AM on May 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by thejoshu at 6:08 AM on May 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
A quick Google for "barn bluegrass" found a bunch of places, including The County Line Bluegrass Barn in Wilson, N.C. (40 miles east of Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) and Rob's Bluegrass Barn in Westminster, Maryland (about 20 miles northwest of Baltimore.)
Not that either of those places are necessarily what you're looking for, but my idea was you should search for places that already host some kind of bluegrass/acoustic music shows, and see if they're willing to either rent you the space outright or co-op with you in reviving this event.
On preview, I like theora55's idea of seeing what might be available through your state/county parks office.
posted by soundguy99 at 6:11 AM on May 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
Not that either of those places are necessarily what you're looking for, but my idea was you should search for places that already host some kind of bluegrass/acoustic music shows, and see if they're willing to either rent you the space outright or co-op with you in reviving this event.
On preview, I like theora55's idea of seeing what might be available through your state/county parks office.
posted by soundguy99 at 6:11 AM on May 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
You might want to check out Hipcamp - I've never used it personally but it's basically trying to be AirBnB for camping.
Also, remember you can rent toilets. Don't rule a place out just because it doesn't have toilets.
You might want to consider summer camps, too.
posted by mskyle at 6:27 AM on May 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
Also, remember you can rent toilets. Don't rule a place out just because it doesn't have toilets.
You might want to consider summer camps, too.
posted by mskyle at 6:27 AM on May 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
Your best bet is to find a retreat center or similar that has a barn as one of its facilities. (example) The problem with the fantasy about someone's old vacant barn who will happily snap up your cash influx because it gives the old Widow Potts another year's reprieve before she has to sell the farm and move to town is this: old empty rustic barns that haven't been converted to some money-making enterprise won't have bathroom facilities at all, may have only the most rudimentary of electricity/lighting, and are probably filled with old hay, manure, machinery, mice, etc. and get structurally unsound very quickly if they're not being actively maintained. Floorboards rot FAST when the roof leaks. Barns either get used or fall apart.
posted by drlith at 6:31 AM on May 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by drlith at 6:31 AM on May 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
You might look for a summer camp in the spring or fall. Many will rent out the camp in the off season. Sometimes they will have off weeks during the summer to give the staff a break.
posted by tman99 at 6:55 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by tman99 at 6:55 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
I would check out Race Brook Lodge in Western MA. I looked at it as a wedding venue but found it too rustic for my taste.
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 8:24 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by i_am_a_fiesta at 8:24 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
The Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music in Nelson, NH rents in their off season (late August through June). They have a concert barn which is very barn-ish.
posted by Jahaza at 10:14 AM on May 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Jahaza at 10:14 AM on May 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'd try to find individual barn owners who aren't actively listing their barn for rent, but who might consider your proposal.
One way is to drive around barn-spotting, and meeting the owners by knocking on doors or leaving notes in mailboxes.
Another way could go something like this:
1. Search for “barns of Maryland” and phrases like that
2. Check out results like 15 Beautiful Barns in Maryland (onlyinyourstate.com), and Old Maryland Barns (pinterest.com)
3. Follow the image links to find the photographers
4. Contact the photographers and ask where exactly the barns are
5. Try to locate the barns on Google Maps and suss out a mailing address
6. Mail notes to owners
Kind of convoluted, and probably a low response rate, but who knows — it might net you the barn of your dreams.
posted by D.Billy at 10:51 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
One way is to drive around barn-spotting, and meeting the owners by knocking on doors or leaving notes in mailboxes.
Another way could go something like this:
1. Search for “barns of Maryland” and phrases like that
2. Check out results like 15 Beautiful Barns in Maryland (onlyinyourstate.com), and Old Maryland Barns (pinterest.com)
3. Follow the image links to find the photographers
4. Contact the photographers and ask where exactly the barns are
5. Try to locate the barns on Google Maps and suss out a mailing address
6. Mail notes to owners
Kind of convoluted, and probably a low response rate, but who knows — it might net you the barn of your dreams.
posted by D.Billy at 10:51 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Since you are looking near West Virginia, I would contact Mark Bowe of Barnwood Builders. They know of a lot of barns in the mid-atlantic region and might even have a specific suggestion.
posted by AugustWest at 10:57 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by AugustWest at 10:57 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Probably not far enough south for you but this retreat center in Harvard MA is close (even tho it is a bit of a wedding factory, there is also a hostel). Check your PMs and I'll send you the name of a friend of mine who sets this sort of thing up in NJ and might have some ideas.
posted by jessamyn at 11:32 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn at 11:32 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
As others have pointed out, a couple of hundred bucks to the local porta-potty place solves the bathrooms problem.
And when I saw "West Virginia", I immediately thought "whitewater outfitters", if only because I've seen any number of impromptu musical gatherings form after hours at such places, and usually have many of the other logistics necessary to handle a few hundred people. And the Gauley doesn't run 'til fall, so summer may not even be peak time.
posted by straw at 11:53 AM on May 21, 2018
And when I saw "West Virginia", I immediately thought "whitewater outfitters", if only because I've seen any number of impromptu musical gatherings form after hours at such places, and usually have many of the other logistics necessary to handle a few hundred people. And the Gauley doesn't run 'til fall, so summer may not even be peak time.
posted by straw at 11:53 AM on May 21, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by slogger at 5:39 AM on May 21, 2018 [1 favorite]