At Vermont’s Twin Farms, Stay in a Modern Treehouse on a Historic Estate

Stay Here For

An all-inclusive with actual character, where you can explore 300 acres, order any meal to your room (or a mountaintop) and romanticize every season.

Homes used to have wallpaper, mismatched mugs and rooms with doors that shut. There were thick wood grains and stone fireplaces, and all that texture gave our eyes a place to land and rest. Of course, things are more frictionless now, from our backlit screens to our open-concept kitchens. In many aspects of life, the tactile weight of the past has been replaced by something smoother and brighter. Our brains, stuck on high alert, are looking for some of the grounding anchors we lost along the way.

You can find plenty of texture and substance at Twin Farms, the adults-only, all-inclusive resort in Barnard, Vermont, beloved for its individually designed cottages, farm-to-table food and year-round outdoor activities.

The property’s lore has been accumulating for a century: In 1928 Twin Farms was purchased by writer Sinclair Lewis as a wedding gift for his wife, a journalist. The couple found Vermont’s Green Mountains as beautiful and as pleasant as the Rockies or the Alps. In the 1970s, the farm was bought by Thurston Twigg-Smith, a Hawaiian newspaper publisher and art-collecting philanthropist who fell in love with New England after attending college there. He began converting the land into a resort in the late 1980s, and Twin Farms opened in 1993, with a restored 1795 farmhouse at its center.

The Main House still feels more like an opulently handcrafted country home than a hotel, perfect for curling up with a book or grabbing a drink in the Dining Room. But it’s now part of a growing ecosystem of updated spaces. In 2023, capacity increased with the addition of eight treehouses suspended up to 20 feet high in the forest. A pub and games space reopened as Twiggs, a casual indoor-outdoor restaurant where guests can mix and match wood-fired steaks and seasonal specials. The Main House Dining Room relaunched with updated menus, and a chef’s-table experience arrived in 2025 along with a kitchen expansion.

Twin Farms has excelled at white-glove service since an era when guests requested fax machines for their rooms, but its selection of dog-friendly cabins and latest upgrades—like included culinary and art workshops, and a new spa with an indoor-outdoor pool set to open in early 2027—cater to a new generation of travelers.

The resort has managed all this evolution without growing bland. With a generous staff-to-guest ratio and many long-tenured team members, the service is ever-present but never overbearing. The puzzles and pottery are made by neighbors. Whether you’re returning each winter with family, making a fall foliage pilgrimage to celebrate a milestone or spending a cozy mud-season weekend thawing in one of the cottages’ enormous soaking tubs, Twin Farms offers the ultimate reprieve: a seamless experience that still feels wonderfully real.

The Essentials

The Room

For a truly unique stay, book a treehouse. The cantilevered rooms feature decks and gas fireplaces.

There are 28 accommodations at Twin Farms, all with king-size beds, large soaking tubs, fireplaces and televisions (some so artfully hidden within custom cabinetry that guests call to ask where they are). Most are architecturally unique; if you have preferences about style or distance from amenities, speak with the team to find the suite that best suits your vibe. Woods, with its vaulted nooks, screened-in porch and outdoor fireplace, is a tribute to both Tuscany and Vermont; with Japanese-inspired decor and ash wood ceilings, Orchard feels like a downtown art dealer’s country hideout; and the enormous copper-lined tub framed by windows in the fishing retreat–themed Perch is a bath lover’s dream; Log Cabin, Meadow and Barn are dog-friendly. The Farmhouse, with four stone-accented suites around a shared lounge and library, is best for groups.

We stayed in a treehouse, which is cantilevered into the forest canopy. With the gas fireplace and curved deck in the branches, stays here are all about long mornings and naps at eye level with the birds.

The Location

You’ll have access to over 300 acres of forested Vermont landscape during your stay at Twin Farms.

Twin Farms is less than a three-hour drive from Boston, around 90-minutes from Burlington or about five hours from New York City. While the resort offers airport transfers and Volvo house cars, having your own vehicle gives you the freedom to shop the country storesOpens overlay in Woodstock, visit local artisans like ShackletonThomas or head to Killington for a day on the slopes.

The Bars and Restaurants

Your stay includes all meals, house wines and spirits, and the culinary program is designed to match your tempo—whether you’re looking for a formal multicourse event or a midday snack on demand. We returned most often to Twiggs, which feels like a cross between a members club and a neighborhood tavern, serving happy hour drinks around a horseshoe bar in the evening. A nightly cocktail gathering in the Main House offers a chance to warm up and yap over a rye and maple Sabo’s Flannel cocktail before heading into the Dining Room. Recently updated with an expanded terrace and an intimate chef’s table, the space provides a warm backdrop for the nightly tasting menu, where you might see a lobster salad with caviar followed by gnocchi in a clothbound-cheddar foam.

Here, though, the most memorable meals often happen away from the table. You can have lemon soufflé pancakes and espresso delivered to your cottage each morning, or enjoy a picnic of lobster rolls and local cheeses at designated open-air and enclosed picnic sites reachable by hike or car. Even the ride home is catered; the kitchen sends guests off with a road bag of snacks and sandwiches.

The Standout Feature

On request, picnics can be set up at dedicated spots with great views around the property—or anywhere you’d like. Enclosed and heated options are available in cooler months.

The property’s unscripted amenities, like anywhere, anytime dining and a private golf cart for every treehouse in cooler months. They provide the independence to eat grilled cheese at midnight or navigate trips to and from private sessions at the saltwater onsen on your own terms. If you want an extra serving of shrimp, to finish your drink on a lounge couch or to order dessert for the end of your hike, there’s no need to apologize for a pivot or tally costs in your head. Here, menus are a starting point, special requests are the norm and the freedom to improvise makes the hospitality feel human.

The Time to Go

Summer is peak: lakeside pickleball, paddleboarding, outdoor dining and sunbathing once pool construction is complete. In winter, there’s on-site skiing and private sessions in the year-round onsen. Fall brings foliage and mild temperatures for excellent hiking. There’s no obvious “best” season—our springtime visit was perfect for the outdoor grilling and roasting class featuring seasonal fiddlehead ferns and the watercolor painting class with the resort’s resident artist.

The Vibe

Spend a wholesome evening indoors working on a locally designed Stave puzzle.

Who’s here? Couples and adult families. Classes and activities provide a chance to exchange warm hellos, but most folks are enjoying quiet time with their loved ones.

Bachelorette-ready: A new spa and indoor-outdoor pool, opening in early 2027, makes the resort as inviting for group getaways as it’s been for romantic duos.

Why you can’t wait to go to bed: A turndown treat is left behind each evening when your room is prepped for a comfy sleep. The blue-and-white painted catchall from ShackletonThomas that arrived on our final night was worth taking home.

Keep an eye out: Watch out for ticks in tall grass, and prevent bites with repellents and protective clothing.

Everything Else