“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. … It was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort,” reads the opening lines of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic book The Hobbit. For more than 80 years people have read Tolkien’s work and longed to experience the wonders he created. Just such a chance is now available, and it’s right down Route 81.
Randy and Linda Holland, two lifelong Rockbridge County residents, opened an Airbnb listing in April of this year for what they call Hobbit’s Dream, a real-life hobbit hole on their farm in Fairfield, Virginia. The husband-and-wife duo are fans of The Hobbit—Randy admittedly more so, as he is currently trying to memorize all 13 of the dwarves who visited Bilbo Baggins in the book—and have also had a long-running interest in underground homes; they built a 2,400-square-foot home underground on their farm in 2008. When Randy heard from his son, who also offers an Airbnb in Fairfield, that many of his guests had talked about staying in a hobbit hole, the wheels started turning.
“I needed a good project to just keep me going, so to speak, so we just broke ground and started building, and that’s what we came up with,” says Randy. “It’s turned out to be a very unique experience.”
Construction began on the hobbit hole in June 2017 and wrapped up in November of that same year. Randy, a retired general contractor and craftsman, harvested and crafted all the wood to build the cabinets, trim and doors, and also took on all of the metal work while Linda made the windows. In the last weekend of April 2018, their first guest arrived.
Since then they have been pretty busy. Available every day of the week throughout the year, only a handful of days are currently open through November.
The Hollands do everything they can to make the experience about more than just the house itself. In a mailbox at the entrance of the property, which is a replica of Bilbo’s, guests will find a “party invitation” on a wax-sealed parchment paper personally addressed to them, welcoming them to their adventure. Randy and Linda will often stop by to give a tour of the grounds and the house, plus provide another parchment with tips and instructions for the house. A complimentary bottle of local wine and the hobbit favorite, seed cake, can be found inside, where guests will hear The Hobbit theme song played in Peter Jackson’s films. In the future, Randy hopes to craft hobbit pipes and hiking sticks for use during guests’ stay, and for purchase.
Hobbit’s Dream is located 8 miles from Lexington and its offerings, which include a number of hiking trails, Natural Bridge State Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway, wineries and Devil’s Backbone Brewery’s Outpost Tap Room and Kitchen. Randy and Linda are also happy to recommend some of their favorites.
“It reminds you of the Shire,” says Randy. “A lot of guests tell us they’re sitting up at the fire pit at night and they are just waiting on Gandalf or the dwarves to come up and knock on their door.” // airbnb.com/rooms/22525406#neighborhood; $167/night
