Entire apartment·Private host

The Family Wagon (Sleeps 4)

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your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for The Family Wagon (Sleeps 4)

1 bedroom, iron/ironing board, WiFi, bed sheets
Outdoor dining
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Golf

Reviews

9.8 out of 10

Exceptional

Entire apartment

1 bedroom1 bathroomSleeps 4

Popular amenities

  • Parking available
  • Washer
  • Barbecue grill
  • Air conditioning
  • Fireplace
  • Dryer

Explore the area

Map
Melrose, FL
  • Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park
    11 min drive
  • Gold Head Branch State Park
    11 min drive
  • Palatka Station
    27 min drive
  • Gainesville, FL (GNV-Gainesville Regional)
    37 min drive

Room options

Similar properties

About this property

Entire place

You'll have the entire apartment to yourself and will only share it with other guests in your party.

The Family Wagon (Sleeps 4)

Luxury Covered Wagon Animal Experience at a Sanctuary for Farm Animals
Bring the family and come back in time to a simpler life. Unplug from the demands of work. Relax and enjoy the peace and tranquility of a private, country stay. If you love animals and nature, a stay at our sanctuary for rescued farm animals is perfect for you! You'll be staying in a unique, comfy, stunningly beautiful, luxuriously appointed REAL covered wagon! Wake up in the country surrounded by the sounds of nature and friendly farm animals. You won't find anything like it anywhere else.
The covered wagon for 4 is a country escape with beautiful scenery, a pond with a fountain, a stunning butterfly garden and friendly, adorable animals. Enjoy feeding the animals treats, shop in our gift shop, talk turkey with the gobblers, you won't find this much fun in one place anywhere else on the planet! Admission to the sanctuary is included! ($45 per day value)
Your beautiful covered wagon will have the finest linens, a premium king-size mattress and twin bunk beds. The furniture is all handmade. And YES, there is a full bathroom with a shower and even hot water as well as central heat and air and other special touches to make this the experience of a lifetime.
Your wagon is equipped with a mini fridge, microwave, coffee pot and toaster. There's no roughing it here! Beautiful picnic areas with small grills are available for cooking out but if you could be respectful and eat meat at a restaurant, out of respect for our mission, we sure would appreciate it. We offer a grill kit with everything you need to grill up and enjoy your favorites for only $25 per stay. (charcoal & lighter, foil, skewers, grill utensils, compostable plates and cutlery). Firewood is available for a donation of $15 and includes a fast start log.
Enjoy breakfast while taking in the peaceful beauty of the sanctuary. Your wagon overlooks a beautiful pond with ducks. Our curious cows and mini horses might even join you, their pasture is right next door. Maybe you'll get lucky and spot our bald eagles dipping into the pond for their meal.
Our magnificent butterfly garden is teaming with native butterflies, beautiful flowers and and two beehives. It is a sight to behold for butterfly lovers (in season).
The best part is that ALL proceeds go to charity to help care for the rescued animals who live at Rooterville Animal Sanctuary so you not only get a great stay, you support a great cause! We are conveniently located less than an hour away from Jacksonville's Airport and 30 min from the Gainesville Airport. The location is excellent! We are nearer Keystone Heights than Melrose. Every convenience is within 8-15 miles.
Want to explore? There is a bike trail only 2.5 miles away and plenty of lakes to visit, Goldhead State Park is a hop skip and jump away. We are less than an hour from Jacksonville, High Springs, St Augustine, Ocala and Gainesville if you have business to conduct or want to enjoy attractions in any of those places. Going to a Gator Game? Rooterville Animal Sanctuary is an easy 30 min drive to campus with no traffic on scenic roads. Don't stay in a crowded town when you can enjoy peace, privacy and tranquility at a much more affordable price!
There are plenty of restaurants nearby, too. Whatever your preference, there is a place nearby to get it- Except Burger King, the closest one is in Middleburg, about a 30 min drive. Other than that, all fast food is within a 15 min drive as well as grocery stores.
You have yard darts and badminton games in your deck box at the wagon, bee tic tac toe and we have other board games available, just ask. There is NO TV in the wagons, WIFI is not guaranteed. Wav-link piggies23 is the login info. Some days, the signal doesn't make it to the wagons but if you sit at the picnic table near the router, you should get a good signal, we are installing a more powerful extender asap to hopefully remedy this issue.
If you love nature and animals, a stay at Rooterville will be a dream come true.
No smoking or pets are allowed in our wagons. We love animals and we hate it that we cannot let them enjoy your stay too. This is our animal's home and our Anatolian Shepherd guard dogs could maul your pet, please don't bring your babies it into their home. This includes service animals, we don't want to risk a tragedy.
You're welcome to bring treats for the animals or buy them in our gift shop. Make sure to pick up a Roovenir too! All of the bedding and some of the furnishings in the wagon is for sale in our gift shop should you fall in love with anything during your stay.
Please note: You are here to relax and enjoy yourself, please don't worry about washing mugs or making the bed. We strip the room and clean/sanitize everything. So don't go through any bother to tidy up, we'll take care of that.
We can't wait to be your host and make your stay AMAZING!
  • Air-conditioned apartment with washing machine, fireplace, and refrigerator
  • 11 minutes by car from Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park and 11 minutes from Gold Head Branch State Park
This apartment offers its guests barbecue grills. The front desk is open around the clock.

This Melrose apartment is smoke free.

Property manager

Elaine West

Languages

English

Property amenities

Internet

  • WiFi available

Parking and transport

  • On-site parking

Food and drink

  • Fridge
  • Microwave
  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Toaster

Bedrooms

  • 1 bedroom
  • Bed sheets provided

Bathrooms

  • 1 bathroom
  • Shower
  • Hairdryer
  • Towels provided

Living spaces

  • Fireplace

Entertainment

  • Games

Outdoor areas

  • Barbecue
  • Firepit

Laundry

  • Washing machine and dryer

Comfort

  • Air conditioning
  • Heating

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Suitability/Accessibility

  • Smoke-free property

Services and conveniences

  • Iron/ironing board

Location highlights

  • On the lake
  • In a rural location

Things to do

  • Birdwatching nearby
  • Wildlife and game walks nearby

Safety features

  • Carbon monoxide detector not reported (host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector)
  • Smoke detector installed (host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property)

Policies

Check-in

Check-in time starts at 3:00 PM
Minimum check-in age: 24

Check-out

Check-out before 11:00 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions

Pets

  • No pets allowed

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.

Important information

You need to know

This property is managed by a private host (a party not acting within their trade, business or profession). EU consumer law, including the right of withdrawal, will not apply to your booking. The cancellation policy set by the private host will cover your booking.
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip
Host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property
This property is managed through our partner, Vrbo. You will receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account, where you can change or cancel your reservation
You will receive an email from the host with check-in and check-out instructions. You will also receive an email from Vrbo with a link to a Vrbo account which will enable you to manage your booking.

Property is also known as

4723

The Family Wagon (Sleeps 4) Reviews

Reviews

9.8

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 7 out of 8 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 1 out of 8 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 8 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 8 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 8 reviews" "

9.8/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Amenities

9.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Claire P.

Liked: Cleanliness
Unique
What a unique, fun and relaxing weekend. Accommodations and animals were both quite an experience. Thank you.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Mara A.

Liked: Cleanliness
Little gem
Loved our wagon stay and the animals. Elaine was lovely
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

jeffrey

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We would stay here again. Such a cool location and the wagons are beautiful
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

David

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We loved everything! Elaine was so nice. She shared so much information and history of the place. The animals were so friendly and nice to pet and play with. My wife loved this place and it was part of her birthday celebration. We will definitely come back in a year to enjoy another fun filled weekend. The wagons were so cool. So clean and just so quaint. Perfection! Glamming at it’s best!!!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Javier S., Miami, Florida

Liked: Cleanliness
Unforgettable experience.
Our family spent 2 nights at the wagons in Rooterville. No detail was spared for the accommodations. The wagons are decorated beautifully and feature luxurious sheets, towels and toiletries. This is a one of kind experience where you have a beautiful pond to sit by an enjoy your coffee, and later spend time with the rescue animals that call this place home. We will be definitely be returning to soon. Rooterville is a gem, make your over for a memorable experience.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Erica H., Orange Park

Liked: Cleanliness
Comfortable adventure!
We had an amazing time staying in the conastoga wagon on this beautiful property! The property owner couldn't have been nicer, showing us around and letting us interact with all the animals. The wagon was clean, air conditioned and stocked with a fridge, microwave, coffee maker and lots of water. We had everything we needed and had an amazing time! We'll definitely go back!
Stayed 1 night in May 2022