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AirBnBs Near Gordyville USA

Where to stay near Gordyville

People often land at Gordyville USA for a few days for a horse show or rodeo or flea market–lots of kinds of events in this great space. There are several small towns nearby and really Rantoul is the only ome with hotel space and this is limited.

Right near Gordyville are the two comfy AirBnB homes hosted by the Hensleighs. Here is the Info:

Hensleigh Wren House

This cozy home has warm floors, AC, a loft and a great quiet view of the wooded valleys along the Middlefork River. <<Click>> here to reserve on AirBnB.

HensleighOwl House

The Owl House offers a very comfortable option for those who like something unique—<<Check it out>> on AitBnB.


AirBnB Near the Rantoul Sports Complex

kitchen AirBnB in Illinois near Champaign, Danville, Urbana and Potomac and middle fork river

This lovely AirBnB sits just 20 minutes from the Rantoul Family Sports complex. This Wren House will accommodate 4 people and the nearby Owl House will be a great weekend home for 2 people.

Both homes feature a full kitchen, complete bathroom, in floor heat and AC, and a lovely setting in the woods along the Middle Fork River.

AirBnB near Rantoul IL
The comfy Owl House is a vintage 1963 Shasta imbedded in a fully equipped home.

New AirBnB in Central Illinois!

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The last few days we have been dreaming about–no I will say planning another home on our Middle Fork River property…and we are having some fuuuuun with it.

AirBnB in Illinois near Champaign, Danville, Urbana and Potomac
Our projects come after years and years of rehabbing and building—and they start as scratches on paper.

So I was walking around with coffee early this morning. I watered a mass of flowers up front that in the early hours was already crowded with butterflies and all kinds of pollinators. One of the growthy fennel plants had a swallowtail larva crawling and eating on it. The peewees and towees were whistling. And I thought again of how much we love sharing this river property and deep woods with our Illinois AirBnB guests. The Wren House AirBnB is full almost constantly and people rave about the easy going, quality, comfy design as well as the outdoor wonder that surrounds it.

So now we are planning another home–might be called “Owl House“–not sure. It will incorporate some of the favorite features of the Wren House like lots of cedar inside, a loft, nice complete kitchen (gas range, dish washer, microwave, full sized sink plus a washer and dryer), roomy bathroom, and a big open screened porch with hammock chairs. But it will have it own character….coming soon!


Bird List

We have so many birds here…and a few days ago a guest left this list of his observations from a three day stay.


The Wren House is WARM

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AirBnB in Illinois near gordyville USA, Champaign, Danville, Urbana and Potomac
Right now the warm floors at the Wren House have it at the “comfortable” setting.

February Cold in Illinois

We have gone through one of our coldest spells at the Wren House along the Middle Fork River in central Illinois. Snow and snow and more snow, many subzero days and nights, wind, and frost. But all through this time the temp in the Wren House remains about the same–from time to time it goes up a bit due to sun streaming on through the south windows.

This home- your home from AirBnB— was built to stay toasty all winter and to do that efficiently. These photos show the design/construction that make it an ideal winter getaway:

AirBnB in Illinois near Champaign, Danville, Urbana and Potomac
First of all we put down insulation and poured concrete around tubes that carry warm glycol and warm the floor evenly from your feet upward.
Foam and spray cellulose insulation was meticulously applied and every crack was caulked to keep the place tight.
kitchen AirBnB in Illinois near Champaign, Danville, Urbana and Potomac and middle fork river
All of the Wren House windows are double glass, high E —warm in winter, cool in summer.

Pileated Woodpecker

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This morning this giant was outside the window at our home near the Wren House. The picture is not great–but this guy is so shy it is not easy to catch good photos.

Pileated Woodpeckers are big–like 12″ tall and they have a distinct call. The hammer away at old trees in the woods and leave large rectangular holes.

Birdnet.com is a great way to id birds–especially by their call.


Spring is Coming!

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Yes it is winter—but day by day we get closer to those wonderful warm green days. Just this morning we heard new birds in the trees. We planted asparagus a few days ago and more garden will get started soon.

AirBnB in Illinois near Champaign, Danville, Urbana and Potomac

Welcome to the Wren House!

wren houseAirBnB in Illinois near Champaign, Danville, Urbana and Potomac

We are Dave and Debbie Hensleigh–and we welcome you to our “Wren House” in the oak/hickory woods along the Middle Fork River in central Illinois. This lovely home is offered through AirBnB.

The great room of the Wren House.