Black Hills National Forest AirBnB - Nemo Farmhouse

I absolutely love the Black Hills of South Dakota. There is always something new to experience, and the activities we do every time never seem to get old. We try to go at least once a year. Typically we have gone during the winter months, but recently took a trip during the fall month of October, staying at the Nemo Farmhouse near Nemo, South Dakota. This farmhouse was built in 1898 by Edward Knowlton, and renovated in 2021. Originally, the barn was used as a stagecoach stop to rest the horses traveling on the Ft Pierre to Deadwood line. The house is believed to have been the place where the stagecoach travelers stayed.

The farm as had many owners over the years. During the 1930s until late 1940s, it was a dairy farm that supplied the town of Nemo and neighboring people with dairy products. The milk, cream, etc was kept cold in the natural spring that runs under the creamery building. The original wood milking stanchions are still in the lower level of the barn. In the 1990s, the farm was purchased and rented out to various ranchers. One of the groups even raised ostriches and another raised llamas.

Today, the current owners rent out the property via AirBnb for all to enjoy! This 4 bedroom/1 bathroom farmhouse feels like a step back in time but is also impeccably maintained and perfect for the 21st century family vacation. The place is clean, cozy and decorated with antiques and refinished furniture that adds to the charm. The original wood floors are Douglas fir which leads the current owners to believe that Edward Knowlton must have been a wealthy man as this type of wood would have been transported by a rail car to Nemo from Montana or the Pacific Northwest.

The farmhouse sits nestled into the Black Hills National Forest, with the Centennial Trail, a 123-mile trail that winds through the Black Hills of South Dakota, traversing right behind the large red barn. Hiking this trail was by far one of my favorite amenities of staying at the Nemo Farmhouse.

The kitchen was well equipped and had tons of morning light streaming through the windows and glass door since it faces East. Every morning I would wake up and open the curtains so that I could watch the deer in the yard from my bed. There were always at least a handful of deer in the mornings and evenings. One of my absolutely favorite spots in the house was the coffee bar with multiple varieties of coffee and so many options for you to choose your favorite way to brew - from pourover, to French press, to drip and single serve K-cups. It is coffee heaven!

The hosts provide ample options for yard games to play during the day, as well as indoor board games for the evening hours by the fireplace. They really thought of everything. We spent one of the evenings watching college football, cooking dinner and playing Connect4 - the kids couldn't get enough of the large wooden Connect4 game and always asked to play each night.

We really enjoyed our time at the Nemo Farmhouse and highly recommend this AirBnb to anyone looking for a Black Hills getaway. The kids never even begged to leave and go do other activities because this home was so well equipped (including ingredients for s'mores and a fire pit!) for us to just enjoy down time as a family. We never felt rushed to go DO activities, because all we needed was right there to appreciate - leaving us with more time together. And isn't that the ultimate goal of every family vacation?

You can follow Nemo Farmhouse on instagram at www.instagram.com/nemofarmhouse and book via AirBnb by clicking here.