We have stayed here before and is one of our favorite places to stay. The history of Butternut
Is one of a kind. A wonderful beautiful cozy
experience.
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Our family loved all the memorabilia of Bette Davis. We enjoyed reading up about her life and watching her old movies. We look forward to staying here again.
Amazing week at the Butternut Cottage. Beautiful surroundings and a wonderful place to totally disconnect. Historic home with all the modern updates to make it comfortable. Perfect location to explore the White Mountains and North Country. The owner was very attentive and communicative before and during our stay. The Bette Davis history was the cherry on top of a one of a kind stay.
We were delighted by the detail, comfort, and history of the cottage. Every sitting area was interesting, comfortable, and relaxing. The kitchen is superb and could easily support an ambitious meal prep. We enjoyed walking in the neighborhood and taking in the peaceful surroundings of the cottage. Look for to staying again in the summer months!
Our family spent 4 days at Thanksgiving at Butternut cottage. We loved every minute we were there, drinking in the history, cooking up big meals in the well stocked kitchen and sharing stories next to the gas fireplace. Well appointed rooms, comfortable beds, plenty of spaces for people to gather in. Thank you for sharing this Sugar Hill treasure.
We love the Franconia/Sugar Hill area have stayed in many different rentals, and this was by far the best. So amazing to experience the history of this house and see the beautiful way it has been cared for and restored. It's fun to see a picture of Bette Davis sitting right on the hearth in the living room! We spent some cozy nights by the wood stove watching her movies too. We had one minor issue with the house, and Marion could not have been more responsive and helpful. Loved our stay, and hope to be back!
I meant to write this a few weeks ago. This is a great historical house that is well maintained with a nice mix of modern amenities.
It was exiting to learn about Bette Davis, the house was very comfortable and relaxing. The area is very chill great hiking and nature activities without the traffic and bustle of North Conway.
The host was responsive and cared that we had a great time and we did. We will be back
Better than the pictures; incredible updates & reno
One of the most lovingly updated historic properties I have stayed at! The location is beautiful and silent but convenient to 93. The building retains every ounce of its charm, original carpentry and trim while offering responsive, zoned climate control, a high-end chefs stove and hood, powerful water pressure downstairs, and comfortable bedding. Marion is a very responsive host who was helpful throughout minor hitches (like upstairs sheets that the cleaner mightâve overlookedâ the only issue in an otherwise spotless, faultlessly clean home). I am a little ashamed to admit as a child of 1992 that I had never even heard of Bette Davis before staying hereâ I enjoyed learning about her through her old home and would also not hesitate to stay at this property regardless of that added historic value. I look forward to coming back.
Amazing part of Hollywood history meets peaceful, North Country New Nee Hampshire beauty
We absolutely loved our stay at Bette Davisâs Butternut Cottage. More than just a cottage, itâs reminiscent of 19th century farmhouse with exposed wood beams in the ceilings and rooms throughout. With 5 fireplaces and 2 wood stoves, rumor has it Warner Bros studio craftsmen built the cabinets throughout the home for Ms Davis. Extremely private, the property is tucked away from the rarely traveled main dirt road and I was able to walk my dog for miles off leash without seeing another soul on many a morning. Sugar Hill and itâs sister community Franconia Village sit at the northern end of Franconia notch just south of the quaint 1950âs style Main Street of Littleton, NH, a must see. The views in the area are the best New Hampshire has to offer. We particularly loved the Bette Davis room where we watched her movies provided by the host on VHS. Nostalgia on all levels while surrounded by 30 photos of magazine covers, historic scenes, wedding photos and more. (There is streaming and an dvd available as well.) Even if I had never heard of Bette Davis I would want to stay in this lovingly cared for property. It is evident the owner has taken pride in restoration and upkeep of the property; no easy task. I would highly recommend a visit here if for only a weekend, a week, or, as in our case, an entire summer season.
This property is spacious, well appointed amenities, & located on a beautiful property. If you are a fan of Bette Davis you will enjoy all the memorabilia and rustic interior.
This was our third stay at this wonderful
home. Warm and comfortable with plenty of room for just watching TV or
reading and playing games.
We even experienced the first snowfall
of the season. Was magical.
Thank you Marion for sharing your wonderful home.
Carol B
We stayed at this wonderful cottage in October and it had everything that we could imagine. The house was very clean and well stocked to cook our nightly dinners. We enjoyed a Bette Davis movie every night along with a campfire in the evening. The area is quiet and peaceful, but still close enough to places to explore. Marian was a wonderful host and we would love to return to this special place in NH.
A wonderful experience. Not only is the home everything described, but it is so much more. Quiet, secluded, comfortable. The history added so much to the stay, and if you have knowledge of historical New England the artwork, heirlooms, woodwork, decorations and nearly every piece of furniture is something to take a long look of appreciation. It's far enough away to feel away, but close enough to access services and enjoy the whites. Our children loved the home and experience and we were sad to go. Hope to come back in the future.
A tip for future guests: go to the market nearby. They have everything you need and the prices are better/same for meats and vegetables. Save the drive time.
My wife and I, and our family, will always have pleasant memories of our summer visit to the Butternut Cottage. The two of us stayed for an entire month while, over that time, our son, his wife and assorted family members and friends joined us for two and three day stays. It was a wonderful place for the two of us to spend the twilight after a long hike sipping wine in the screened-in porch or, when we had guests, for a pleasant get together with loved ones. The kitchen was well equipped for both simple and more complex cooking. Each of the rooms had its own charm. Within a day or two we felt quite at home. We really appreciate the effort Marion has put into making the place welcoming and accommodating.
A must stay if you are a fan of Bette Davis! You can almost feel her presence as you enjoy your time in this lovely home. So peaceful and quiet. We loved having our morning coffee on the screened in porch, just listening to the birds chirping. Although it rained for most of our stay, there are plenty of movies, books and games to pass the time away. We will definitely go back!
We've rented from VRBO over 25 times. So, from experience, we can say this place is GREAT! Marion is excellent with all communications. You can tell she really loves this house. We stayed two months and hated to leave. The house is charming and peaceful. The pictures are accurate and the front living room is an inviting place to relax and just look outside! Plus, the Bette Davis connection and history of the house makes this rental even more special. It is rural but an easy drive in every direction, and the views around Sugar Hill are breathtaking! Would definitely rent again.
This is the 3rd time our family has stayed here and we think it's our home away from home. We LOVE it, the area, and all of the great things that we discover when we are there. We'll be back soon!
We had a wonderful time at Butternut
Cottage. This was our second time here.
It is an amazing home especially the memorabilia of Bette Davis. Our friends
joined us this time and they were equally
captivated by the history. We hope to return again in the future.
Absolutely beautiful property and the history is amazing!! Loved staying here. The house was incredibly clean and Marion was very responsive to any questions we had. Looking forward to a return visit!
I first visited the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the Summer of 1970 as a camper at the Ogontz White Mountain Camp. I fell in love with the beautiful Ogontz Lake surrounded by its idyllic hills. As a camper, I went hiking on Mount Moosilauke and climbed Mount Lafayette twice. I loved eating the freshly made pancakes topped with maple butter, syrup, and sugar at Polly's Pancake Parlor. Besides having an excuse to eat pancakes and hike around the area while I visit the house, I love hosting this house because of the guests and the wonderful experiences they share in the guest book located in the living room.
During a summer reunion in 2008, I spoke to another former Ogontz camper who had moved back to the area. I considered buying a house with a small apartment attached so I could rent the house out and stay in the apartment. In October 2008, I traveled up to Franconia to see a few houses that fit my criteria. The realtor informed me that a house owned by the actress Bette Davis had just dropped in price (remember the 2008 real estate crash?) and was within my price range. All I could remember about Ms. Davis at that moment was the scene in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" where she uncovers a serving dish to reveal a dead rat for Joan Crawford's supper. The realtor, an Ogontz Camp friend, and I went off to see this renowned house formerly owned by Bette Davis. When I approached the front of the house, I felt a strange feeling of stepping into the past. I thought the front screened porch was curious as I climbed the small steps to the front door. As I strolled through the mud room, kitchen and rest of this hand crafted house, I grew fascinated by the wide floor planks and wood beams, hand crafted built-in vanities, kitchen cabinets, and wood-paneled walls. I was admiring the photographs of Bette's career and life in the barn room when I turned to my friend and said, "I think we are done looking at houses for the day." It took me several years to insulate the walls, basement, and crawl spaces, install a geothermal heating and cooling system, install a generator (no more power outages!) and add other updates while respecting the original structure and spirit of the house.
The house was rebuilt and renovated by Bette Davis during her early years in Hollywood as an escape from the stress of making one movie after the next under her contract with the Warner Brothers Studio. It has been written that she employed some of the Warner carpenters to panel the interior of the upstairs bedrooms and craft the built-in vanities and mirrors. I discovered she employed local architects as well to attach a barn to the house, which is the current barn room. The house changed hands a few times after Bette sold it, and the owners before me found the house abandoned with raccoons living in the attic. They collected books, photographs, posters, and other memorabilia of Bette's life and displayed these in the barn room. I have added a few more photographs/memorabilia and some of my guests have graciously added to the collection. There is one plaque left by a guest that states "Old age ain't for sissies!" in the barn room. The house is surrounded by quiet woods with a view of the Bette's stable house to the east and Bette's second house to the southwest, The Butternut Lodge. The barn room looks out over peaceful woods and during the winter, snow drifts form upon the glass doors. The Vermont Castings wood stove warms up the barn room and two front bedrooms during the coldest winter nights. There is always a generous stack of kiln dried wood in the garage to keep the stove hot and the barn room and house cozy for movies, board games, or just relaxing on a winter's day.