Recapping our baby moon and stay at June Farms in the Hudson Valley!
Why a Baby Moon?
I always had visions of a tropical and/or international baby moon destination. Images of me relaxing on a beach somewhere soaking up sun with my little one in tow. Well, clearly I had to throw those out the window. We don’t feel safe hopping on a plane right now or staying at a hotel or resort. But we REALLY still wanted to get away and have a few days to ourselves to connect, relax and recharge before baby arrives. And we didn’t want to deprive ourselves of this trip to look forward to during the pregnancy.
How Did We Land on June Farms?
I figured the safest version of a baby moon would be finding a (private) airbnb that would be within driving distance, maybe a few hours outside of Boston at most. I started looking in the Berkshires but didn’t find anything that wasn’t already booked or just didn’t vibe with what we were looking for. We wanted to find a place that was cozy, rustic and in nature. I started searching for treehouses and unique airbnb rentals and came across The Lodge at June Farms.
I’d never heard of June Farms before but it’s located in the Hudson Valley, just outside of Albany, NY, which is about a 2.5+ hour drive for us from Boston. This place checked all our boxes though. It was unique, comfy, cozy (with a wood burning fireplace!) and it had a gorgeous kitchen that we could cook in while we were there. It also sits on 120 acres of farm land with cute heritage breed farm animals you can visit throughout the day.
We stayed three nights, which of course didn’t feel like long enough once we were there, but when on vacay does it ever feel like enough?! But we made the most of our time there!
What Did We Do On Our Baby Moon?
We went grocery shopping at a supermarket in Albany before we arriving at the farm so that we could cook at the cabin. We made satisfying meals like for breakfast we had French toast with sautéed cinnamon apples; egg, bacon, cheese, and tomato sandwiches with broiled grapefruit, and one day had French toast with bacon and broiled grapefruit.
For lunches we made salads and tuna melts and for dinners we made the trendy TikTok tomato feta pasta (it’s worth the hype, IMO) and steak tacos with chips and gauc. And for something sweet, we made chocolate chip cookies.
We snuggled on the couches and fuzzy bean bag chair with warm blankets and read books (I’m currently reading Bringing Up Bébé, which I highly recommend, although there is some annoying diet culture talk in there at some points). Sometimes with a cocktail for Steve and a hot cocoa for me.
We made fires (Steve made fires) and we played music (they have an awesome surround sound system with ceiling speakers that connect to AirPlay on your phone) and we played cards, and watched a movie (Minari – also highly recommend) one night.
And then of course everyday we would get bundled up and go for our walk around the farm and visit with all the animals.
It was slow-paced, simple, and relaxing. Everything we wanted.
What Kind of Animals Did You Visit on the Farm?
June Farms specializes in heritage breeds, breeds that were popular a long time ago before industrialized farming became a thing. They have three gorgeous Shire Horses that were friendly enough to come in the barn to say hi to us on the last day.
They have a ton of Scottish Highland Cattle, which are the CUTEST. They are long-haired and shaggy looking and also friendly, especially when the worker on the farm gave us cracked corn to feed them on the last day.
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They have two Gloucestershire Old Spots Pigs, named Lucy and Ethel. They mostly slept when we visited them except for the last day when one was meticulously making her bed and was quite entertaining to watch her add hay from the ground to her bed. All while her friend slept soundly next to her, seemingly undisturbed.
They have several goats which are curious and friendly and love shoelaces :). Apparently during the summer months, June Farms offers goat yoga once a week, which I’ve never done but it sounds hilarious.
Then they have ducks, chickens, and bees, and two farm cats, named Ginger and Roger, who are so pretty!
I love animals so it shouldn’t have been a surprise to me how happy I felt on the farm and how therapeutic it was to spend time watching and interacting with the animals.
Would We Go Back to June Farms?
Absolutely, in a heartbeat. It was actually quite lovely to visit there in the winter, during their off-season because it was so quiet and peaceful. There was one day we were walking around and had the entire farm to ourselves! I imagine that during the spring, summer, and fall, that the farm is more lively.
We were told that when the weather is warmer, they open up their onsite restaurant/bar, The Pony Bar, where they make wood-fired pizzas in their pizza oven. They also open up a couple other cocktail bars around the farm and have lawn games, etc. set up.
The farm is open to the public – you don’t have to be staying at one of the cabins to visit. I think they were charging $5 per person for admission to walk the farm.
Even though it would be more crowded, I’d love to stay at The Lodge again during the summer or fall when we could take advantage of the huge screened-in porch.
The Lodge is their “luxury cabin” but they also have some other really cool accommodations that would be worth checking out like an airstream fit with an outdoor salt water hot tub and a decked out teepee.
It’s hard to believe that I’m in the last week of my second trimester now! This one went by really fast and I’m sure the next few months will fly by too. I’ll be sharing a second trimester recap soon! If you missed my first trimester recap, check it out!
If you have any other questions about our experience at June Farms, let me know in the comments section below!
For other travel related inspiration, check out my blog posts below!
Top 10 Things to do in Bar Harbor, Maine
THE CUTEST BABY ANIMALS ON THIS BABY MOON! xoxoxo
They were the cutest!! Thanks for the comment, Elizabeth 🙂
What a lovely site for a stay! I would love the peacefulness, the freedom to walk to one’s heart’s content, to prepare one’s own meals, to interact with the animals, and to relax, rest, and read. Thanks for allowing us to vicariously enjoy the experience with you.
Yes it was SO lovely all around. Such a peaceful retreat. Thanks for reading and sharing, Suzanne!