Magnalia Homestead & Farm
Located in Stokesdale, North Carolina
For more than two decades, our humble home and surrounding acres have brimmed with the lives of 11 children, and a weekly stream of guests. In time, it became a homestead. And then it became a farm, too.
Nowadays, people too seldom take time to wonder at the beauty of the Lord surrounding all of us — what the Puritans called the Magnalia Dei — or to experience the common miracle of a meal at Table with people new or different to them. We’ve set ourselves to the vision of creating a place that runs against the currents of our increasingly transactional culture.
So please come visit soon. RSVP for an event, co-create a private event, or book a stay with us. And if you’ve just visited, please rate us on Google and give us your feedback in a brief survey so we can fulfill our mission better. Thank you!
With anticipation,
Magnalia Community Meals
We delight in the ways that God has made Magnalia Homestead & Farm a “shelter and a beacon” for so many. We host regular community meals here with unique and thoughtful cuisine and ambiance, and with themes that animate the table conversation.
2nd Annual Homestead Labor Day Pickleball Tournament Championships
Magnalia Homestead & Farm
420 Hilton Road Stokesdale, NC 27357
Magnalia Farmstead Harvest Festival
Magnalia Homestead & Farm
420 Hilton Road Stokesdale, NC 27357
250th USMC Birthday Celebration
Semper Fi Hall
420 Hilton Road Stokesdale, NC 27357
Homestead Lodgings
Our lodgings are connected to literature and history, and the theology behind it. Why? Because life is about story: your story, the stories of others, and the Story behind every good story.
Narnia House
Narnia House is an “experience destination,” welcoming guests from all around the world — especially those who’ve been blessed by the writings of C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia. Designed to replicate elements of Lewis’s one-and-only home in Oxford, Narnia House is full of artifacts from Narnian lore and from the world of C.S. Lewis. Exquisite craftsmanship includes hand-distressed wood floors, real stone countertops, a spectacular kitchen with a Viking oven, manufactured slate and copper roofing, historic gas lanterns, a 1910 spiral staircase, and much, much more.
Rooms include Kirke’s Quarters, complete with a Cambridge-styled fireplace and a magical wardrobe, the nautical-themed Caspian’s Quarters, and The Wood Between the Worlds Room, with access to a private deck overlooking a horse pasture (where you can see Bree and Puzzle grazing). Overlooking a pasture of sheep and goats, the grounds for Narnia House include a private pickleball court. Guests have stones-throw access to a period blacksmith shoppe, to Walden Cabin and Pond, to a 22-box community garden and garden shoppe, to special seating areas perfect for a good read — and to nearly two miles of walking trails and forest bathing sites. Follow all that with a good bath in the English-style clawfoot tub. It doesn’t get much better.
Narnia House will stir your theological imagination with its art, its books, and its maps and quotes. Plus, you’ll find a passageway and hidden reading nooks and rooms — and of course a lantern in the woods nearby.
Narnia House
Narnia House is an “experience destination,” welcoming guests from all around the world — especially those who’ve been blessed by the writings of C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia. Designed to replicate elements of Lewis’s one-and-only home in Oxford, Narnia House is full of artifacts from Narnian lore and from the world of C.S. Lewis. Exquisite craftsmanship includes hand-distressed wood floors, real stone countertops, a spectacular kitchen with a Viking oven, manufactured slate and copper roofing, historic gas lanterns, a 1910 spiral staircase, and much, much more.
Rooms include Kirke’s Quarters, complete with a Cambridge-styled fireplace and a magical wardrobe, the nautical-themed Caspian’s Quarters, and The Wood Between the Worlds Room, with access to a private deck overlooking a horse pasture (where you can see Bree and Puzzle grazing). Overlooking a pasture of sheep and goats, the grounds for Narnia House include a private pickleball court. Guests have stones-throw access to a period blacksmith shoppe, to Walden Cabin and Pond, to a 22-box community garden and garden shoppe, to special seating areas perfect for a good read — and to nearly two miles of walking trails and forest bathing sites. Follow all that with a good bath in the English-style clawfoot tub. It doesn’t get much better.
Narnia House will stir your theological imagination with its art, its books, and its maps and quotes. Plus, you’ll find a passageway and hidden reading nooks and rooms — and of course a lantern in the woods nearby.
Guest Journal
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Walden Cabin
Inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s legendary 1845 cabin at walden pond, this studied replica was built over a 10-month period with careful attention to detail. Featured woods were locally harvested, the nails were smithed to 1850-era specs, recycled products were used as possible, and framed quotes and historical artifacts are aplenty to help our guests step back in time. There is a single bed in the cabin and a queen-sized mattress in the garret. Firewood and kindling are provided. Books from the period are on hand. Hiking trails and pastures surround the cabin. Guests make reservations direct, or through Airbnb or Vrbo.
Walden Cabin
Inspired by Henry David Thoreau’s legendary 1845 cabin at walden pond, this studied replica was built over a 10-month period with careful attention to detail. Featured woods were locally harvested, the nails were smithed to 1850-era specs, recycled products were used as possible, and framed quotes and historical artifacts are aplenty to help our guests step back in time. There is a single bed in the cabin and a queen-sized mattress in the garret. Firewood and kindling are provided. Books from the period are on hand. Hiking trails and pastures surround the cabin. Guests make reservations direct, or through Airbnb or Vrbo.
Guest Journal
There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to write one.
The Green Room
Inspired by the centuries-old tradition of naming a room for the fanciful color of green (most notably at The White House), as well as by our family’s green screen adventures in the world of film and media, The Green Room is our primary guest quarters at The Homestead. It offers its own full bath, interesting views of homestead life, a special Norman Rockwell plate collection, and a “Crack of Dawn” alarm clock from the roosters just across the way.
The Green Room
Inspired by the centuries-old tradition of naming a room for the fanciful color of green (most notably at The White House), as well as by our family’s green screen adventures in the world of film and media, The Green Room is our primary guest quarters at The Homestead. It offers its own full bath, interesting views of homestead life, a special Norman Rockwell plate collection, and a “Crack of Dawn” alarm clock from the roosters just across the way.
Guest Journal
A Place of Peace and Good Night's Rest
During my travels to L’Abri in the alpine village of Huemoz, Switzerland, I heard it said that every human being flourishes under the context of hospitality. That sentiment has stuck with me through the years, and I found it to be quite true at Francis and Edith Schaeffer’s L’Abri, but I found it to be equally true at the Magnalia Homestead where we were graciously hosted and lodged in The Green Room. My husband and I have commented to each other multiple times that we like who we are when we are at the Homestead, and I believe it is the nurturing force of hospitality which makes us feel alive and whole and at peace. As a side note and added bonus, The Green Room comfortably accommodates our family with two under 2! 😉 Our toddlers are lulled to sleep by the sound of crickets and cicadas from the outside and drowned out voices chatting and laughing into the night from the inside. How we love our visits to this place!
Camp Paradiso
Camp Paradiso is a permanent (16′ x 16′) canvas tent with a sheltered porch extension, set up on a timbered platform with slate floors and period rugs. It is a re-imagining of an extended-stay American camp in a bygone era, for “glampers” young and old alike. It is nestled into a hillside and features a glorious view from the front porch rocking chairs over a brook and on toward the Homestead’s main pastures (where cows and a resident donkey graze). It offers a queen bed with a wood-burning stove, working table, lighting, and the camp artifacts of a late 1800’s Italian immigrant: even a phonograph player! The outdoor firepit accommodates a variety of cooking options. The site interconnects with almost two miles of area trails, suitable for hiking or mountain biking, a pickleball court, community gardens, a working 1800’s blacksmith shoppe, and more. Guests can make reservations direct, or through AirBNB or VRBO.
Camp Paradiso
Camp Paradiso is a permanent (16′ x 16′) canvas tent with a sheltered porch extension, set up on a timbered platform with slate floors and period rugs. It is a re-imagining of an extended-stay American camp in a bygone era, for “glampers” young and old alike. It is nestled into a hillside and features a glorious view from the front porch rocking chairs over a brook and on toward the Homestead’s main pastures (where cows and a resident donkey graze). It offers a queen bed with a wood-burning stove, working table, lighting, and the camp artifacts of a late 1800’s Italian immigrant: even a phonograph player! The outdoor firepit accommodates a variety of cooking options. The site interconnects with almost two miles of area trails, suitable for hiking or mountain biking, a pickleball court, community gardens, a working 1800’s blacksmith shoppe, and more. Guests can make reservations direct, or through AirBNB or VRBO.
Semper Fi Hall
Inspired by Philadelphia’s Tun Tavern, circa 1775, the birthplace of the United States Marines Corp. Hand built from paper sketches by patriotic “Sons of Thunder” (and family friends) in honor of three USMC officers in our family, and in celebration of every Veteran of the nation’s Armed Forces. We celebrate the American spirit here– what it means for us, and for the world. Complimentary dinners have been served with love and gratitude for many vets in this hallowed Hall.
Semper Fi Hall
Inspired by Philadelphia’s Tun Tavern, circa 1775, the birthplace of the United States Marines Corp. Hand built from paper sketches by patriotic “Sons of Thunder” (and family friends) in honor of three USMC officers in our family, and in celebration of every Veteran of the nation’s Armed Forces. We celebrate the American spirit here– what it means for us, and for the world. Complimentary dinners have been served with love and gratitude for many vets in this hallowed Hall.
Guest Journal
Echos of the Past
I’ve taught several Concealed Carry classes in Semper Fi Hall. It is a memorable place: the slate floors, rough hewn timber, and the flames licking at the large flagstone chimney all whisper of a simpler time past. It is more than a room. It’s an experience not quickly forgotten. Semper Fi Hall is an ideal place to host up to 20 people for events with character and homage not only to the venerable Marine Corps and veterans of all branches, but also to all lovers of our great American heritage. #SemperFi
The Homestead Library
Farm Activities
“Jesus said in His kingdom, the ‘smallest of all seeds’ will leave a lasting impact much larger than expected (see Matt. 13:31–32). In the same way, the ‘smallest’ things in our lives — ordinary days and meals and homes — can have a much larger impact than you’d ever imagine when harnessed with gospel intentionality.”