I need at least four more days... truly. But this weekend was a nice glimmer of relaxing. In fact, it turned out to be a bit different than we expected, in a good way. The guesthouse at Tryon Farm was indeed an 1896 dairy farm -- 175 acres of woodlands, ponds, dunes... the land was just gorgeous. It was 2 minutes from Lake Michigan and the dunes, and you could bop up to Michigan Harbor country in less than 15 minutes. We did both of those things and also spent some time behind the barn throwing ball for the dog, taking an evening walk in the forest and seeing a whitetail doe in our path.... enjoying a glass of wine on the swing on the huge front porch, peering into the chicken coop to see the hens roosting... Everything you'd expect in a country b&b.
But here's the unexpected part-- you could actually live here. It's a conservation community -- and apparently there are only a very few places like that in the United States. A blend between communal living and new development, it's a concept to move away from urban sprawl, and allow reforestation and conservation of natural spaces. So, the landowners had 175 acres that used to be a dairy farm, and of that, they are only developing 50 acres to be clustered homesites, which they call settlements. There is one near a pond, one near the farmstead, a dunes settlement, and other sites they are still working on. And while there is your little cluster of 'neighborhood'- you can look out for acres and not see another house. Community with privacy. The old dairy barn holds a community movie night-- projected on the side of the barn. There are happy hours, community garden plots, hayrides, organic gardening lectures... I mean... wow. The houses are something else.... 
Some we loved, some we stared at for awhile-- some were just way too small or odd. At $168-488,000 the price wasn't that staggering, given that it includes 1/150th of the acreage-- and of course the right to roam across all of it... it's yours.
I'm not sure why I just can't stop thinking of it.
There are definite drawbacks. The community outside the farm is ... not what we're used to... there doesn't seem to be much opportunity there, and most of the population in the community are 'green' Chicago-exports who have the money to afford second homes and hybrid cars. Roads are narrow, garages sparse...
But there were a few full-timers. You could see them out with their kids planting in the garden boxes. Or the couples reading books under the tree, or biking the trails...
It just seems like such a smart idea for development. And while it requires making sacrifices-- the lawnmower being the first to go... it just makes sense. And the thought of walking the trails at night, or having a huge party out in the meadow just makes me take in a deep breath of clean, fresh, woodland air.
Hi Alyssa: you are going to crack up but Tryon Farm was the closest farm to our house. I grew up on the lake just a mile west of this place in Long Beach. It was a huge farm and the only place I could see cows and horses up close! There used to be the most huge tree out in the middle of one of their fields, and lightning hit it and split it in two. Very dramatic to a 6 year old. I am glad to see it's really taken shape as something different, and I am glad you enjoyed yourself.
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