Entire home

Large Shadywood Cottage with Wrap Around Porch

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Exterior
Exterior detail
Exterior
Terrace/patio
Terrace/patio

Reviews

9.6 out of 10
Exceptional
5 bedrooms2 bathroomsSleeps 14

Popular amenities

  • Parking available
  • Dryer
  • Washer
  • Pet-friendly
  • Kitchen
  • Barbecue grill

Explore the area

Map
Mount Gretna, PA
  • Mt. Gretna Lake & Beach
    ‪14 min walk‬
  • Clarence Schock Memorial Park at Governor Dick
    ‪20 min walk‬
  • Mount Hope Estate & Winery
    ‪7 min drive‬
  • Lancaster, PA (LNS)
    ‪27 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

5 bedrooms (sleeps 14)

Bedroom 1

1 Double Bed and 1 Crib

Bedroom 2

1 Single Bed and 1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 3

1 Double Bed

Bedroom 4

1 Double Bed

Bedroom 5

2 Single Bunk Beds and 1 Double Bed

2 bathrooms

Bathroom 1 Upstairs

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Bathroom 2 Downstairs

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Dining area

About this property

Large Shadywood Cottage with Wrap Around Porch

Shadywood Cottage was built by Susan Welker Adams in 1903 and has been owned by the same family through four generations. Take a trip to a more peaceful time in this charming, campmeeting community filled with many Victorian gingerbread-trimmed cottages and quiet walking streets. Mt. Gretna is a storybook lake community only 14 miles from Hershey, Pennsylvania. The town has a world-renown summer theater, an equally famous concert series, and is host to one of the best art shows of the summer.

This spacious Cottage has 5 bedrooms, 2 baths (1 upstairs / 1 downstairs), washer dryer on the first floor, and wifi. There is private covered parking for up to 4-5 cars and a gas grill. The cottage is not air conditioned, but has ceiling fans in every room upstairs and down, and on the wrap around porch.

The first floor has a fully functional kitchen with dishwasher, large living room and a dining room with seating for up to 10. The huge porch wraps around the cottage and includes a swing and many rockers to enjoy the sights and sounds of those warm Mt Gretna nights.

Upstairs has five rooms with a full sized bed in each, plus 2 sets of bunk beds and a crib. The cottage comfortably sleeps 14, perfect for large family gatherings. There are ceiling fans in every room. Towels and bed linens are provided.

The walls in the bedrooms only rise 7 feet so the old-time roof structure is exposed. Guests say they love lying in bed looking at the old wood and hearing the kids' conversations in the next room. Mostly all the cottages in Mt. Gretna have 5/8" old chestnut or hard pine interior walls (wood no longer available) so sound does travel freely. If you're bringing uncle George who snores like a freight train going up an Allegheny Mountain you might not want to stay in Mt. Gretna (or get him a hotel room) as all cottages were originally built as summer cottages from 1892 through 1915.

There are three restaurants and an ice cream parlor within walking distance. The Jigger Shop Ice Cream Parlor has been in operation since 1895. The Porch & Pantry is open from 8am to 1pm every day except Monday. The Mt. Gretna Pizzeria is open Wednesday through Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday. There is also a nostalgic roller rink, miniature golf, and Mt. Gretna lake that are seasonally open.

Please make sure to check that you don't leave any of your belongings before you check-out. We are not responsible for anything lost or stolen, and do not ship any accidentally left items.

Property manager

Holly Payton
Premier Host

Languages

English

Add dates for prices

Amenities

Kitchen
Washer
Dryer
Pet-friendly
Free WiFi
Parking available

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House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM
Minimum age to rent: 21
Check out before 11:00 AM
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Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17
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Events

No events allowed
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Pets

Pets allowed: dogs (limit 2 total)
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Smoking

Smoking is not permitted
Mt. Gretna Campmeeting is a smoke free community
Do not park in front of trash cans - trash is picked up every Monday
Trash must be put in trash cans, and the lid must close (otherwise animals get into the trash)

Important information

You need to know

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
On-site 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 that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher

About the area

Lebanon

Lebanon is home to this cottage. Spooky Nook Sports is worth checking out if an activity is on the agenda, while those wishing to experience the area's popular attractions can visit Hersheypark and Hershey's Chocolate World. Looking to enjoy an event or a game? See what's going on at Hersheypark Stadium or Giant Center.
Map
Mount Gretna, PA

What's nearby

  • Mt. Gretna Lake & Beach - 14 min walk - 1.3 km
  • Clarence Schock Memorial Park at Governor Dick - 20 min walk - 1.7 km
  • Mount Hope Estate & Winery - 7 min drive - 6.1 km
  • Hersheypark Stadium - 24 min drive - 22.8 km
  • Hersheypark - 29 min drive - 25.5 km

Getting around

  • Elizabethtown Station - 21 min drive
  • Lancaster, PA (LNS) - 27 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪McDonald's - ‬10 min drive
  • ‪Starbucks - ‬10 min drive
  • ‪McDonald's - ‬17 min drive
  • ‪Panera Bread - ‬11 min drive
  • ‪Quentin Tavern - ‬7 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Large Shadywood Cottage with Wrap Around Porch pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows dogs (limit 2 total).

What time is check-in at Large Shadywood Cottage with Wrap Around Porch?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Large Shadywood Cottage with Wrap Around Porch?

Checkout is at 11:00 AM.

Where is Large Shadywood Cottage with Wrap Around Porch located?

Situated in Lebanon, this cottage is within a 15-minute walk of Gretna Theatre and Mt. Gretna Lake & Beach. Clarence Schock Memorial Park at Governor Dick is 1 mi (1.6 km) away.

Reviews

9.6

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 37 out of 47 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 10 out of 47 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 47 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 47 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 47 reviews

9.6/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

10/10

Location

9.6/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

chad s.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Weekend at Mt. Gretna

This old house was very neat. You can tell the family is trying to preserve the history of the place while also making it more modern. We loved the porch! Just a very nice place to stay. Would love to do so again.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2024

8/10 Good

Dria B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Ren faire

Mt Gretna is a great place to stay and this house was very nice for our large group. Only a 10 min Uber to rent faire
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2024

10/10 Excellent

jjrohde9@verizon.net R.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

My. Gretna Art Show Trip

The house, located in the charming Chautauqua community, was just a short walk to the Mt. Gretna Art Show. The house was just as described, a no-nonsense sort of place with a huge front porch. It felt like stepping back in time. Lots of fun.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Mary G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Family Vacation

This beautiful cottage served our purpose well with 5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, as we were a group of 8. Check-in and check-out process was very easy as we were given well explained communications. The location was good (close to Hersheypark) and it was in a quiet neighborhood. Kitchen was well equipped as well as well stocked with essentials. I thought maybe no air conditioning would be an issue, but it wasn't. The ceiling fans were plenty. Would stay there again.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

kevin l.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

vacation

the house was perfect for a family. Plenty of space for everyone to relax and enjoy Mt Gretna. Would definitely stay here again.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Debbie H.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Family Vacation

We had a very relaxing time. It was very quiet and peaceful. The wrap around porch was really enjoyable. The whole family enjoyed eating and playing games. We spent almost all of our time out there.
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

Alice M.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location
Disliked: Listing accuracy

2024 Family Vacation

The property was easy to access with instructions emailed by the owner. The porch had plenty of seating for the whole group. The bedrooms were as described. The kitchen and bathroom were fully stocked. There was even complimentary laundry soap. This property has quiet hours similar to campgrounds but for approximately 6 weeks the quiet hours are 24 hours not just at night time. This did not affect our stay however is not listed in the description.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Michelle S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect Homebase for a Hershey Trip

The perfect place for our small group of families. The property was close to Hershey Park and hiking. The town of Mt. Gretna was quaint and welcoming. A highlight was playing games and building puzzles on the beautiful wrap around porch after a busy day. Adults and kids had a wonderful time.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Relaxing family time

Everything is exactly as posted. Plenty of room, kitchen had everything we needed, enough room for everyone around the dining room table which doubles as a game table and the Perfect Porch! Host was quick to respond to and resolve smoke detector issue. Our family favorite was all the seating and rockers on the porch, a great place for sharing all those old family secrets! Thanks you Holly for opening your home so others may enjoy!
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Bridget B.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great experience

Mt Gretna is the cutest place. We loved the cottage and the host provided everything we needed. The front porch was awesome and the cottage itself was beautiful
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Donna D.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

A great place to relax

This was my second stay at this home. A few hiccups when we arrived but they were resolved. The front porch is a wind spot to catch up with friends and family. The fans do a nice job inside of cooling the home down. I would stay here again.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Anita E.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

just Great

This was such a comfortable, welcoming, and lovely place. Everything that you needed is there. It is so cozy yet open and the porch is amazing. Eventhough there was a heatwave while we were there, the house was comfortable temperature wise. The family pictures were cool to see. You can tell that this house is loved and cared for. We are already planning next years stay.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Carissa G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great family experience and lovely community!

We stayed here with lots of family (14 of us!) and it worked perfectly for our needs. We spent most of our time at Hershey park, though we did get to walk to the Jigger Shop for ice cream our first night there. Everything at the house was as described. It's an old home with a lot of character. Reminded me of our old family hunting camp, but much more charming. We loved the porch! Definitely pay attention to the directions given by the host, because the community is made up of narrow roads, many of them walking paths only. GPS was useless. Thanks for a lovely stay!
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

felipe r.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Gretna

We will be back next year for the parade!!
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Gregg C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Family reunion

Our annual family reunion. Total of 10 of us were there.Great place. reminded us of were we grew up. Same style of house but with better finishes. great place to stay close to Hershey park and other events. Quite place to stay. very restful.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Michael W.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Mt. Gretna Vacation Experience

Great property, fun neighborhood, easy booking experience. Would do it again and recommend to others.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Diane G.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Vacation

Very nice
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer C.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Awesome place to stay

Holly had every ammendi
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2022

8/10 Good

Nellie F.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location

Nice atmosphere every relaxing

Nice property didn't like like the open ceilings could here everything in all the other rooms and the fire alarms kept going off for no reason at like 5 in the morning other then them little things had a great time
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Teresa P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Travel back to a special place and time!

We love the uniqueness of this house and the community. My children loves to coziness and my husband and I loved the beautiful simplicity.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Brenda M., Cumming, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Charming Step Back In Time

Cozy and beautiful cottages stepping into a forest filled with magnificent mature hardwood trees and blooming pink rhododendrons. A favorite part of the visit was as sitting in a rocking chair on the wrap around porch in the evening while the star lights were twinkling and fans slowly running with a glass of lemonade chatting with my family.
Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Debbie M., Woodbine, MD

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Unique, primitive cottage.

We enjoyed our stay at the Shadywood Cottage. The furnishings were dated but worked fine with the age and uniqueness of the cottage. Just as in the description, the upstairs is original with just walls separating the bedrooms with no ceilings or lights but open to the rafters. The large porch was wonderful!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2022

10/10 Excellent

Angela W.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Nice cute cottage

Cottage is cute. For sure a summer rental which the owner was very detailed about. We took our chances. Being from Florida the nights were very cold. Beds have electric blankets which did help some. Kitchen had everything you needed. One bathroom is almost outside so that was very cold in the mornings. Only suggestion would be something more cozy to relax in the living room. With 5 bedrooms there was little room to sit indoors. Only tv was in the living room and one other bedroom so it would have been lovely to have something to relax on since it was so chilly outdoors. Would love to visit when it was a little warmer overall. Very cute cottage!
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

Denise S.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Girls Weekend

We had a blast exceptionally clean This home was so quint and the family photos should us how much fun the family had through the years The porch was awesome!!!!
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

robert l.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Reconnecting

The cottage was just as described. Very quaint and comfortable. Porch is delightful! Very well equipped! It was hot but the fans helped a good bit.
Stayed 9 nights in Aug 2021

About the host

Hosted by Holly Payton

Host profile image
This property was built by my great grandmother, Susan Welker Adams, and has been passed down in my family across four generations.

Languages:

English

Premier Host

They consistently provide great experiences for their guests