The Butchart Estate: your perfect family retreat!

Looking for a special place to spend some time? Make Butchart Estate your own, self-contained and private family retreat. Share precious time together and make some memories in this beautiful and well-equipped heritage home. Inside, enjoy the gourmet kitchen, relax in your own private indoor pool & hot tub, curl up by the fireplace, play board games galore. Free wifi. Outdoors, explore our beautiful nature walks, and local excursions. Enjoy a slower pace, and treasure some time together. Spring-Summer 2020: At this time, Butchart is booking longer stays only, as we work to protect the health and safety of our cleaning staff, our guests and our neighbourhood. We make every effort to provide a clean and safe environment, including a "rest period" between stays. We can provide contact information for our cleaning service on request. About our home: This heritage-designated Queen Anne style home was built for the Butchart family in 1891. The Butcharts became famous after they left Owen Sound for Victoria, B.C., where they developed their famous "Butchart Gardens". But they were gardeners here in Owen Sound too: this home once featured an attached conservatory for growing flowers. That area now houses an indoor pool and hot tub, which guests can enjoy year-round! The historic Butchart Estate features beautiful craftsmanship and many architectural details: including elaborate leaded- and stained-glass windows, handsome woodwork on the main level, and a stunning main staircase with a bronze "Lady Liberty" on the newel post. Guests can settle into the original four family bedrooms; all are ensuite, and bathrooms feature most of the original fixtures. The recently renovated kitchen includes an electric downdraft cooktop, three ovens, espresso machine and a professional series refrigerator/freezer, as well as an island for informal dining for three or four. The formal diningroom - with a vintage Empire chandelier and a beautiful stained-glass bay window - seats 8. Butchart books full-house rentals only, so only one set of guests ever occupies the home at a time. Accordingly, guests have exclusive access to all the main floor rooms, as well as the indoor pool and hot tub: located just off the Great Room. Laundry facilities are located on the east side of the pool room, if required. Keyless entry. Winter 2022: Please note that some information below may be impacted by the current COVID restrictions. Butchart is an easy walk to the restaurants and attractions in the downtown (we are on 5th Ave. East and the main street is 2nd Ave. East). We have several great independent restaurants and coffee shops: including Birgit's Bakery Café and Frog Pond for your mid-morning cuppa, Casero Kitchen Table (fresh Mexican) and Milk Maid for a memorable lunch, and the Curry House or Jazzmyn's for dinner. All are within 4 blocks of Butchart. Pick up groceries on the east hill at Zehrs, or downtown at the Metro by the harbour: right next to where the famous ChiCheemaun ferry is docked for the winter! Owen Sound is a surprisingly vibrant cultural hot-spot. Guests can find live music every night on the weekend: always within walking distance. And don't miss the Tom Thomson Art Gallery, just over the bridge on the west side. Every Saturday morning, year-round, the downtown is bustling at the Owen Sound Farmers Market: the oldest farmers market in Canada. Just up the river on the south edge of town is Harrison Park: with lots of family activities, year-round. In summer, take a walk along the west side of the harbour and pop by the Marine and Rail Museum: celebrating our city's heritage and history as an important Great Lakes port. Past the Museum, you can keep walking until you reach Kelso Beach: with a splash pad and play area for little ones, the rock amphitheatre, and a small patch of sandy beach where you can launch a canoe or kayak. For the quintessential summer beach experience, head west; just 30 minutes away on Lake Huron is the world-famous Sauble Beach: the longest freshwater beach in the world. Just to the east, you can visit the Coffin Ridge winery in the old "Irish Block" on the escarpment, or hunt for fresh apples and baked goods in Meaford (the "Other Big Apple") on Georgian Bay. Get out your hiking boots and do a day on the Bruce Trail, or get in the car and take the Waterfall Tour: featuring seven waterfalls in this escarpment landscape. Don't miss the village of Kimberley, with its views of Old Baldy. Or point the car north: while the stunning Bruce Peninsula holds many charms in every season, it really comes alive once the ChiCheemaun departs its winter berth in Owen Sound and heads north to Tobermory again in late spring. The Bruce Peninsula is one of Canada's finest landscapes. Don't miss the Grotto (reserve ahead and go early to beat the crowds for a chance to really enjoy this natural wonder). Stop for a bite in Lions Head (or catch the farmer's market down by the water on Saturday mornings). Explore Fathom Five, take a shipwreck boat tour, and climb the national park lookout tower. The village of Tobermory itself is a charming and picturesque harbour community. There are city buses in Owen Sound (with a stop at the end of the street) but you'll find almost everything you could want within walking distance. There's ample parking behind the house at Butchart. Please note that we are a Netflix household, and there is no cable television in the home. Wifi password is shared with guests. Guests should note that Butchart is heated with the original radiator system. That means that - in winter - the bedroom level can be chilly, although guests can ward off the chill with our down duvets and plentiful wool blankets, or the electric fireplaces and space heaters. (It also means that in summer, guests will make do with the "original" air conditioning: the cool night breezes through open windows, tilted transom windows in the bedrooms, and electric fans for extra comfort. On especially warm evenings, you can enjoy a cool dip in the pool before retiring!)