Kelly Garrity – Boston.com correspondent
August 1, 2022 4:17 p.m.
For those who are fed up record property prices in Greater Boston, it may be time to explore a market far, far away. Middle-earth, perhaps?
It may be closer than you think.
Tolkein fanatics don’t need to travel to a new world to get a taste of The Shire. Located at 43 North Street. in Middletown Springs, Vermont, this Lord of the Rings-inspired Airbnb is less than a 3.5 hour drive from Boston, an easy commute from the Hobbiton houses in New Zealandwhere the ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ trilogies were filmed.
The hillside house is the creation of Pepper and Cynthia Clayton, who were inspired by the first film “Lord of the Rings” in 2001, the Burlington Free Press reported.
Now the Bag End-themed getaway is ready for its next stewards. The one-bedroom, two-bathroom hillside home is on the market — with a one-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage nearby — for $788,000, according to the listing on SpecialFinds.com.
The 1,100 square foot Hobbit House, with a round Shire-style doorway and grass-covered roof, is separated into two sections: “Baggs Inn” and the “Double Dragon Pub”.
Baggs Inn houses a kitchen, dining room, living room, sleeping area, and bedroom with a walk-in closet currently occupied by a washer and dryer. The pub offers a full bar and a range of musical instruments and games, according to the listing. Stone and wood accents add to Tolkien’s charm.
There is radiant heat, as well as two wood-burning stoves for those very chilly Vermont days. The house is sold furnished, Brenda Thompson, Founder of Special Finds said, new owners won’t have to scour antique stores to maintain the quaint vibe.
The house took over 6,000 hours to build and design, according to the listing, and those who vacationed there were able to participate in quests such as ‘The Quest for the Arkenstone’, ‘Hunt for the Ring’ and “Bard Bowman’s Archery Challenge,” according to the description on Airbnb.
It’s this attention to detail that has made the home popular among renters, earning 90 five-star ratings since 2019 visitors who praised the property’s “dreamlike beauty” and “Middle-earth details”. Currently offered for $400 a night, the property is also an excellent opportunity for those looking to invest in the short term rental market. With Amazon set to release a new spin-off On September 2, interest in spending a weekend in the Shire could soon reach new heights.
The other structure included in the listing, dubbed “Spring Cottage”, features an adjoining “mini barn”, a one-room living room with a kitchen and wood-burning stove, and a full bathroom with a shower and compost toilet. The three-season abode also offers a screened-in porch with views of the sprawling property, which spans approximately 4 acres.
“The views are spectacular,” Thompson said, “the big draw is just the uniqueness.”
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