Houston’s only bed-and-breakfast – Pond Trail Farm Guest House – was established in 2007, and owner Barbara Hughes said 2017 was the facility’s best year yet.
Located on Fisher Drive just north of town, Pond Trail Farm offers three rooms, each equipped to sleep two people. Two of the rooms are connected by a doorway, one with a queen bed and one with two twin beds, while the third room also has a queen bed. All three rooms have their own bathrooms.
Each of the rooms at Pond Trail Farm Guest House in Houston, Mo. is equipped to sleep two people and has its own bathroom.
Guests are provided a full breakfast by Hughes, and she said she can cook to accommodate virtually anyone, including people on gluten-free and diabetic diets, vegetarians and vegans. Numerous on-site chickens provide farm-fresh eggs.
Fresh linens are provided in each room and a laundry area is available. Deer and other wildlife are often visible in the open space adjacent to the rooms.
“I’ve had people tell me, ‘thank you for letting me get away from it all,’” Hughes said. “I used to have a business card that said, ‘where nature meets nurture.’ I think it’s a very therapeutic way to relax.”
Hughes recently listed Pond Trail Farm on Airbnb, an increasingly popular overnight rental website.
A gathering room at Pond Trail Farm Guest House includes comfortable furniture and wooden tables.
“That has been an absolutely fantastic experience,” she said. “All the information someone would want about the place is on their website, and people don’t even have to call me to make a reservation; it’s all done online.”
Hughes also has Pond Trail Farm Guest House and an accompanying home listed for sale to the right buyer.
Owner-operator Barbara Hughes stands in the kitchen at Pond Trail Farm Guest House in Houston, Mo. Hughes is hoping to sell the business to the right person or people.
“I’m not getting any younger and I think I’m ready to retire from this,” she said. “There is so much that could be done with this, like maybe adding on more rooms. I would love to see this keep going, but it needs to be done by someone younger than me.”
For more information, call Hughes at 417-967-6231.
“There’s nothing packaged and it’s all home-cooked and natural,” Hughes said.
The kitchen at Pond Trail Farm Guest House in Houston, Mo.
Pond Trail Farm also offers a four-stall horse barn, feed room and a kennel, and guests are welcome to board their horses or dogs at the “animal friendly” destination. There is also a large, insulated shop building with electricity.
The 52 acres Pond Trail Farm sits on includes two ponds, a seasonal waterfall and about two miles of hiking trails.
“There’s one that’s a mowed path on level ground that goes along the edge of the forest and through some big pastures I’ve let grow up,” Hughes said. “In the spring, it’s surrounded by wildflowers. If you’re a serious hiker, there are also ravines back there, and many old trees. There are also rock formations that were not put there by nature, they were placed there by someone – maybe Indians.”
Hughes said the proximity to Montauk State Park, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the Piney River Brewing Co. and other attractions draw people to Pond Trail Farm, and visitors often arrive to attend family gatherings, funerals and other events, or to hunt, fish or enjoy floating a river or two. Guests have come from all over the U.S. and several other countries, including Sweden.
“The location of the place serves a lot of purposes in the community,” Hughes said, “and if you’re an outdoor person, it’s just ideal. There is so much to be found within a 40-minute drive, and there are now several places nearby where you can eat a good meal.”
The view from the porch at Pond Trail Farm Guest House, in Houston, Mo., features expansive forested and grassy areas.
Pond Trail Farm Guest House features a four-stall horse barn where guests can board their horses.
Pond Trail Farm Guest House (in Houston, Mo.) can be found online at Airbnb and Trip Advisor.
Owner Barbara Hughes can be reached by phone at 417-967-6231.