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Hickory Hill House: a country retreat, lovely gardens, trails, boats & tennis.

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Hickory Hill House
Cooley Road, Hickory Hill is at the end
Hickory Hill House driveway, as you arrive
Plenty of parking
Hickory Hill in Spring

Reviews

10 out of 10
Exceptional
4 bedrooms2+ bathroomsSleeps 9371.6 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Dryer
  • Pool
  • Breakfast available
  • Pet-friendly
  • Washer
  • Parking available

Explore the area

Map
Rensselaerville, NY
  • Zoom Flume
    ‪27 min drive‬
  • Windham Mountain Resort
    ‪43 min drive‬
  • Hunter Mountain
    ‪58 min drive‬
  • Albany, NY (ALB-Albany Intl.)
    ‪49 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 9)

Bluestone Room

1 Queen Bed

The Garden Room

2 Single Beds

The Russet room

2 Single Beds

Treetops room

1 Queen Bed and 1 Double Bed

2 bathrooms, 1 half bathroom

Bath for Garden and Russett rooms

Soap · Towels provided · Bathtub or shower · Toilet · Shampoo · Hair dryer

Bath for Treetops room

Soap · Towels provided · Bathtub or shower · Toilet · Shampoo · Hair dryer

For Bluestone Room

Soap · Towels provided · Bathtub or shower · Toilet · Shampoo · Hair dryer

Spaces

Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Separate dining area
Outdoor play area
Garden
Dining area

About this property

Hickory Hill House: a country retreat, lovely gardens, trails, boats & tennis.

This is the perfect place to get away, to be alone or with family and friends, to reflect, write, or simply regain your sanity. The house is at the end of a mile long dirt road, deep in the countryside, with high-speed internet and lots of privacy. Minutes from the Rensselaerville Falls and hiking trails of the E.N. Huyck Preserve.

Dating from the early 19th century, Hickory Hill is country estate and working farm set in the rolling Catskills of upstate New York, 35 minutes west of Albany. There are sweeping lawns, walking trails over 250 acres of woodland, ponds for boating and swimming and a clay tennis court. And high-speed internet when you need to stay connected.

Guests stay in the newer Guest Wing, also in traditional design, with four rooms, two with en suite bath, two with a large shared bath, with full use of a spacious live-in kitchen. There is also an additional South Bedroom Suite in the Family wing that sleeps up to four more. The gracious dining room easily seats 8-10 people, with 12 possible.
Our "Base Price" for this listing is for the entire guest wing, with a private entrance. The space accommodates up to 8 adults plus two children (in a second old-fashioned double).
Pets are welcome by special arrangement. Hosts are fluent in English, German and French.
Guest access includes:
Spacious country kitchen, dining room and terrace. Garden seating, hammock and outdoor grill. Spring fed swimming pond, second lake pond with kayaks and canoe, tennis court and miles of walking trails.

We provide a self-service Continental breakfast.

Other things to note:
In addition to the Library, Conkling Hall, Kuhar's Farm Café and Grist Mill Museum, the famed Palmer House is set to reopen this summer as "Hamlet Provisions" Restaurant and Café. There is also a friendly tavern, The Shell Inn, just outside the village, and several other pleasant restaurants within 20-30 minutes drive (information available in house).

Additional rules
- Events or parties by arrangement
- Dinners available by arrangement
- Families with children are most welcome, and just need to come prepared, taking special care to treat the house with respect. There are plenty of toys, games and books you are welcome to use, as long as children put things away and clean up after themselves. Hickory Hill is a wonderful house for children, but it is neither padded nor bullet proof, so attention is in order.
- We expect guests to be considerate about the amount of trash they leave behind.

Property manager

Dardis McNamee

Languages

English, French, German

Add dates for prices

Amenities

Pool
Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Pet-friendly
Free WiFi

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House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM
Minimum age to rent: 21
Check out before 11:00 AM
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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17
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Events

No events allowed
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Pets

Pets allowed: limit 2 total
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Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Long-term renters welcome
Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip
Host has not indicated whether there is a smoke detector on the property

About the area

Rensselaerville

Located in Rensselaerville, this holiday home is on a lake. Windham Mountain Resort and Windham Vineyards and Winery are worth checking out if an activity is on the agenda, while those wishing to experience the area's natural beauty can explore Thacher State Park and Catskill State Park.
Map
Rensselaerville, NY

What's nearby

  • Zoom Flume - 27 min drive - 18.3 km
  • Windham Mountain Resort - 43 min drive - 37.1 km
  • University at Albany - 44 min drive - 44.7 km
  • Colonie Center Mall - 46 min drive - 47.8 km
  • Hunter Mountain - 58 min drive - 52.0 km

Getting around

  • Albany, NY (ALB-Albany Intl.) - 49 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Kuhar Family Farm - ‬4 min drive
  • ‪The Yellow Deli - ‬20 min drive
  • ‪Helderberg Brewery - ‬6 min drive
  • ‪Westwinds - ‬18 min drive
  • ‪The Weathervane - ‬6 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Does Hickory Hill House: a country retreat, lovely gardens, trails, boats & tennis. have a pool?

Yes, this property has an outdoor pool.

Is Hickory Hill House: a country retreat, lovely gardens, trails, boats & tennis. pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows pets (limit 2 total).

What time is check-in at Hickory Hill House: a country retreat, lovely gardens, trails, boats & tennis.?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Hickory Hill House: a country retreat, lovely gardens, trails, boats & tennis.?

Checkout is at 11:00 AM.

Where is Hickory Hill House: a country retreat, lovely gardens, trails, boats & tennis. located?

This family-friendly Rensselaerville holiday home is located on a lake, 11.3 mi (18.2 km) from Zoom Flume, and within 20 mi (32 km) of Thompsons Lake State Park Beach and Thacher State Park. Catskill State Park and Vroman's Nose Trailhead are also within 20 miles (32 km).

Reviews

10

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
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Rating 10 - Excellent. 1 out of 1 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 0 out of 1 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 1 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 1 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 1 reviews

8.0/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

10/10

Location

8.0/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Linda d.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great house for large groups

Beautiful, large, old home, filled with hundreds of antiques, and a story for every one of them, I'm sure. You'd run out of time before you saw all of them. Really comfy beds, lots of bedrooms (some had private sitting rooms) and bathrooms. Nearly private driveway that winds through beautiful mountain scenery. We were there in winter and still saw tons of wild life..the birds! so many. Huge, old kitchen with some comfy chairs an eat in table and breathtaking views. A private bedroom wing, BUT the kitchen is shared by the caretaker or other guests. Our caretaker was delightful and good company, but we didn't realize when we rented that we'd be sharing. Wouldn't make a difference, and we'd definitely go back.it definitely added to the charm. He was very accommodating and helpful. I think it would be clearer if this home was listed as a B&B. Don't let that stop you, it was a fun experience, very close to town, and filled with so much fascinating history. We can't wait to go back in the other seasons.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2025

About the host

Hosted by Dardis McNamee

Host profile image
Dardis McNamee is a native New Yorker, journalist, speech writer, and magazine publisher. After moving to Europe in the 1990s, she now spends time each summer at the family farm Hickory Hill in Rensselaerville, Upstate New York. The best of both worlds. She has been hosting guests for nearly a decade.

Why they chose this property

Hickory Hill was my grandparents' home where we came as children, and later my mother's. Many happy memories, a long family tradition. It is set in the farm country and woodlands of Upstate New York, first settled by the Dutch about the same time as the Puritans were landing in New England. The names of the rivers and villages tell the story: first native Indian, then Dutch and German, followed by English, Irish and Italian. Hickory Hill is just minutes outside the hamlet of Rensselaerville. Unique among the hill towns for its unspoiled charm, it was founded in 1787, along a main street of row houses and summer mansions. Unified by colonial and neo-classical clapboard or brick, most of the houses were built between 1840 and 1880, many by a single architect, Ephraim Russ. Rensselaerville then was a thriving village, the local economy powered by the Huyck Mills felt maker, which in turn was powered by the Ten Mile creek, still rushing noisily through the village. There are currently no stores directly in the hamlet, but a well stocked, vibrant library, two active churches and Conkliing Hall, a theater and community center. We expect the former Palmer House restaurant to re-open for the summer 2024, but there is an very pleasant bar and restaurant, the Shell Inn, less than 10 minutes drive away.

What makes this property unique

Hickory Hill is a traditional, gracious family home and a small working farm - primarily hay, cattle and timber, apple orchards and some maple syrup. It is the setting for three generations of family life, furnishings and equipment, Wedgwood crockery, patterned flatware the family has accumulated over the years. The south terrace looks out over rolling lawns and perennial gardens. On one side, an outdoor fireplace is built into the stone wall, with comfortable chairs and tables under the shade of old black walnut and hickory trees. Above the gardens, you can have a cool drink in the gracious pavilion to the murmur of the running brook. Behind the horse paddocks, there are trails through about 200 acres of old woodland, taking you past the ponds and beyond. The largest of these is Henderson, a 3.5 acre pond with a boating dock, kayaks and a canoe, and Twin Springs swimming pond with a dock, fed by two mountain sources. There is also a well-maintained clay tennis court, with Adirondack chairs for the spectators.

Languages:

English, French, German