I stayed with my extended family at the Liberty Hill Farm in November 2010. We all had a great time, and I think there are a lot of take-away lessons that each of us will have from the experiences there. I think to enjoy your stay you must go with realistic expectations. This is a working dairy farm- this is NOT a sanitized, Disneyfied version of what a farm should be. The smell of manure is everywhere, and people here work hard. You can get as involved or not as you would like. The accommodations are rustic. This is an old farmhouse. The wallpaper is peeling in places, the hot water in the shower is tempermental, the floors and doors creak and squeak. This is all part of the authentic charm. What Liberty Hill Farm allows for is a window into the farming world and lifestyle. Get involved, ask questions- Beth and Tom are extremely accessible, warm, engaging and open. You will learn what really goes on behind the scenes to make the quart of milk you buy in the grocery. You will learn why the single family farm is an endangered species in this country. You will see the daily routine of a farming family. It is a very interpersonal experience that will open your eyes to a world that was totally unknown to me. I highly recommend it if you are open to new things.

We found this to be an authentic, charming, very personal close-up of a working dairy farm. The farmhouse is nearly 200 years old, yet very comfortable and cheerful, exuding warmth and family. The setting is picture-perfect Vermont, nestled on the edge of the Green Mountain National Forest with a small river behind the house that guests use for tubing (my husband and son loved that!). What really makes this an experience and not just a bed and breakfast is the family that lives here. Beth and Bob are remarkable people--warm, friendly, welcoming, and intelligent. They are the core of the experience because they enfold you, as if you are visiting a dear relative that you haven't seen in a while. What really stood out for me were the meals--not just the unbelievable quality, but the fact that you sit around the table with the other guests and share real conversation, quickly becoming friends with strangers. Breakfast and dinner (sigh!) is included. Beth made the best ice-cream I have ever tasted, fresh-picked raspberry. It was all I could do to refrain from falling to my knees to beg for seconds! (The only thing that kept me from doing that was the fact that Bob and sons, who work so hard, hadn't yet eaten, and I knew there was only so much, and they deserved it far more than I did.) My family and I learned so much about the people of and life in Vermont and about dairy farming. This was the kind of inside view that is difficult to get from a standard B and B. The more we talked, the more questions I had, and Beth and Bob are enthusiastic teachers. I now have even more respect, admiration, and gratitude for farmers. Activities to do: help out as much or as little as you want in the barn (just ask), tube, bike, hike, sit on the front porch and read, kids like to swing on the tire swing, explore the barn, chase kittens and bottle-feed calves, or you can go into the tiny but charming town of Rochester to sit in their two cafes (both excellent, by the way). We used it as a home base for exploring the area. AFter leaving and going to our next destination, I was struck by the contrast of checking into a very large high-rise hotel with uniformed employees reciting a script, and elevators with TV monitors urging you to enjoy your stay, and to please visit the gift shop. It felt so empty by comparison. ( I was so sad to use non-dairy creamer for the morning coffee, almost symbolic of leaving the dairy farm.)
Caution: Liberty Hill Farm is not for people that prefer larger resorts with carefully orchestrated activities, or who prefer anonymity with the other guests. Also, make sure you bring plenty of allergy medicine if you are prone to hay fever (we suburbanites aren't used to that much hay!)

My little boy and I have stayed at this real working farm 4 summers in a row for a week and love to go there. It is such a warm loving place. Somehow everyone seems to become good friends. We've always gone during school vacations and my only child has made instant friends with other guests, who come from all over,and had great fun playing outside, going down to the river, being with the animals, helping feed calves and admiring the tractors. I love being surrounded by the Green Mountains and the beautiful White River and love my peaceful walks in the early morning. The barn is a red beauty from the ninteenth century and the farmhouse too is a lovely old rambling character filled
The family, who work so hard to produce good milk for the rest of us, are great people. One truly feels welcomed into their busy and meaningful lives.
Breakfast and dinner are family style and cordon bleu delicious,plentiful, varied and wholesome with local ingredients and plenty of jovial and interesting conversation.
This experience has given me so much respect for the hard working and extremely knowledgeable folks who get food onto our tables. Its a privilege to be a welcomed guest
there and I always leave feeling enriched and renewed from within and so does my son who would love to move in there!
My 86 year old mother has stayed there twice with us and loves it there too. She enjoys the renewed memories she has of staying on a dairy farm as a girl and also loves the food and the natural beauty and the kind gracious hospitality of the farmers. Most of all she loves watching the excited , happy children playing outside and telling us about it at dinner. Beth was very helpful with some tricky dietary needs.
We are thankful we lucked into this special place. We were not awoken by any roosters and enjoy the cattle lowing though they are quiet at night.

When I arrived at Liberty Hill Farm my first thoughts were, "am I in the right place?" Although the barn looked the same from the photos on the Internet,the photos couldn't hide the dirt and worn down appearance of the farm. I think that a visitor needs to understand that you are not at a typical B& B but really staying in someone's home. There is no cell service and although there are activities, they are completely self guided because people are working. I couldn't figure out how to enter the barn and frankly don't feel comfortable nosing around other's property without a guide. I did like the calves and the owners told me a bit about them. I was uncomfortable feeling like I was intruding into someone's life. The food was good, just like a dinner at a friend's home. For cleanliness and amenties go somewhere else.