The Inn At Round Barn Farm In Waitsfield Vermont

A historic inn and unique round barn in a quaint small town in Vermont? Yes please!

The Inn at Round Barn Farm in Waitsfield Vermont is a charming place to visit any time of year.

Situated on 245 acres of meadows and rolling hills with several ponds, is this romantic Vermont Inn, “a four-season vacation retreat for lovers of the arts, history, and the outdoors”.

That about covers us all!

The farmhouse and accompanying round barn date back to 1910. The round barn is known as The Joslyn Round Barn – named after the family that originally built it.

The property was a working dairy farm until 1969.

In 1986 new owners bought the property and spent eighteen months restoring the farmhouse into a seven-guestroom inn, and then turned their attention to restoring the round barn.

Round barn designs originated with the religious group the Shakers. Legend has it that the Shakers built their barns this way because “the devil can’t catch you in the corners”.

For farmers, round barns were efficient because they had multiple levels.

The milking parlor (middle level) was where the dairy cows were herded in and out of the barn in a circle. Then there were trap doors in the floor of the milking parlor to shovel manure directly into the wagons waiting in the bottom level to haul it out onto the fields.

Today, instead of manure and dairy cows, this round barn hosts weddings and other large festive events.

There were a total of twenty-five round barns built in Vermont. Sadly, only five of those remain standing.

Which makes the creative reimagining of this round barn even more special.

The barn restoration began in June of 1988 and was completed in June of 1990.

Among other work, the entire barn was jacked up, and a new concrete foundation was poured to replace the original crumbling stone foundation.

In 1988 the Joslyn Round Barn was registered in the National Registry of Historic Places.

Let’s have a peek inside the farmhouse-converted-to-an-inn.

The decor is what you would expect in a Vermont country inn: traditional yet cozy.

The guestrooms have great historic character as well.

There are a couple of guest suites on the upper floor that feature rustic vaulted ceilings with exposed beams.

The dining room is also full of country charm and down-home ambiance.

One can just imagine the hearty dishes and comfort food that is served up here.

And look at the vintage stove on display!

French doors open from the dining room to a side porch overlooking the beautiful land.

The Inn At Round Barn Farm In Waitsfield, Vermont is a historic treasure that will see many more days thanks to the preservation-minded folks who re-envisioned it as a quaint country inn.