Folk Tree Farm on Washington Island

A Small Quiet Farm For Nature Lovers! Folk Tree Farm is a lovely 21-acre farm located at the center of Washington Island. The private second floor guest space has a separate outside staircase entry; the farmers live year round on the ground floor. We are starting our fourth year at the farm and are busy working in the garden, building a greenhouse, tending our goats, and planting our fruit and nut orchard. We welcome you to the island and to our farm. People of all backgrounds are very welcome. Folk Tree Farm consists of a large farmhouse built in 1906: Shawn and Casey live on the ground floor downstairs and the guest space is upstairs with a private entry. The farm has a large hay field where dogs can run, a small organic vegetable field, and a pasture for the goats in the back, surrounded by large trees and flowering shrubs. It's a very private farm, accessed down a long dirt road. We have a fire pit and bbq (bring your own firewood and charcoal). We often walk our goats around the property and guests are welcome to accompany us. Guests may walk around the property but should use caution when not on foot paths or when around our farm animals. Some fences may be electrified and there is an old collapsed barn that is not open to visitors. Guests should feel free to use the fire pit and bbq, to hang outside at night to stargaze, to find shady or sunny areas to relax and read a book, or nap. And guests can text, call, or knock with any questions, observations, or interests. Every day is different on the farm. Some days we work off-farm and are not always immediately available. Some days we work the entire day in the garden. We often do things that might be interesting to guests, such as feeding, milking or walking the goats, working in the garden, mucking the barn, inoculating shiitake logs, or grafting trees for our orchard and tree nursery business. We also have a fairly large and diverse library of books available in the rental for reading during your stay. Interested in playing a little music around the campfire? Bring your acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, djembe, washboard, voice...and let's hang out! The Historic Dairy and Lavender Farm is located 0.5 miles from our farm. It is an easy walk from Michigan Road, up Range Line to the lavender farm. There's a grocery store that closes 5:30 pm Monday thru Saturday, and 1 pm on Sunday. It has most things and a decent selection of beer and liquor. There is a yoga studio at the Hotel Washington, the Gathering Ground Farmer's Market at KK Fiske's on Saturdays and Wednesdays, a Farm Museum with historic buildings and equipment, Mountain Tower for high views, and the Red Barn and TPAC for music and stage events. There are also several churches. Rock Island is just a 15 minute ferry ride from Jackson Harbor. Ferry lines to and from the island can be long, especially at the height of the season (July and August) and occasionally guests miss the last ferry and must find last minute accommodation. You really should have a car to access our property from the ferry. We are located in the center of the island. A bicycle ride from the harbor is about 3 miles one-way. Parking is about 75 feet from the house, but we're happy to help carry supplies. The second floor rental is accessed by an exterior stairway. There is a parking area, please do not drive up to the staircase to unload. There is winter bedding available during cooler periods. The cleaning fee is only assessed when guests leave huge messes, or dogs significantly destroy rugs or carpeting, bedding, or furniture.