Local Stays
Just down the road are a variety of unique Airbnbs for all price points
PHOTOS BY JORDAN RANDALL
Just a few miles from I-4 and less than five miles from Downtown is a piece of farm livin’ that might make guests think they took a wrong turn and ended up in Waco, Texas.
Waco is the home to the farm chic revolutionaries of the Magnolia Market—the brainchild of reality TV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines—and Lakelanders Laura and Richard Kiddey have created a retreat on their 12 acres in North Lakeland that rivals those aesthetics and comforts.
The couple transported a silo frame from Arkansas along I-75, with the original grain storage container measuring more than 18 feet tall.
With the 650-square foot silo that sleeps five—thanks to a loft that includes two beds and two small sitting areas—the couple has transformed a piece of the property they call home into a place that locals and out-of-towners alike come to get away from the daily grind, and yes, to feed cattle.
“We try to leave them cattle cubes so they can interact with the cows, and it’s a big hit with them,” Richard says. “Especially those coming from the city, not having cows, if they can feed a cow, man, that’s made their day!”
Richard jokes that his wife and Hobby Lobby became best friends last summer when the couple hauled the silo home. Kidding aside, the home also boasts an impressive variety of custom woodwork decor that makes it stand out.
The home includes Blue Stain Pine from Montana, reclaimed barnwood from Missouri and eye-catching cabinets built by Richard’s brother, Clayton, a Lakeland Fire Department employee with a gift for woodwork.
Depending on the time of year, guests might see pigs and other animals alongside the staples, cattle and chicken.
The couple, who has two sons —RL, 9, and Boone, 6— has thoroughly enjoyed helping visitors find respite, giving them a first-hand look at farm life without the long to-do-list.
The Sleepy Silo
Richard and Laura Kiddey and their sons, RL and Boone, stand outside their one-of-a-kind Airbnb in North Lakeland.
Personalized touches adorn every room
The silo is nearly 18 feet tall, and includes a loft with two beds
House Details
1 bedroom/4 beds | 1 bathroom | Up to 5 guests | Cattle cubes to feed | On-site cattle
The Hollingsworth House
The enchanting charm of Lake Hollingsworth’s oldest home, now fully restored, can be enjoyed by Lakelanders and visitors alike. Owners Matt and Courtney Wade tell us about its storied past, the restoration process, and their decision to now rent it as both an Airbnb and event space.
As though standing sentry over the calm of Lake Hollingsworth, manifesting the august history of Lakeland’s centerpiece, the Duff home at 154 Lake Hollingsworth Dr. harkens to a time when the views from the magnificent wrap-around porch included more horses than cyclists and more citrus trees than neighbors. Built in 1907, the home is ostensibly the first near the shores of the lake. Its early inhabitants could never have fathomed that it would become among the city’s oldest and most coveted addresses.
With only a handful of owners over the years, the home retained its character, eluding the enthusiastic modernization—including demolition—that’s befallen so many of its ilk. By the 1920s, Fred and Sarah Duff owned it, followed by the McClellans, then the Waters family who purchased it in 1955 and spent 30 years there. A five-year ownership by a doctor in the mid-to-late 1980s ended when the Shannon family acquired the home. When John Shannon died tragically in a plane accident in 2017 a surviving family member put the home up for sale.
Having raised their children just around the corner on Euclid Ave., Matt and Courtney Wade were quite familiar with the graceful beauty of 154. When they toured the home they quickly moved from semi-interested to fully invested. “We’re convinced that our offer was accepted, at least in part, because we were committed to restoring rather than tearing it down when there were other potential buyers who planned to,” Matt says. Since the property spans three lots, it could have been a lucrative opportunity for a developer. “We felt a deep sense of responsibility to preserve the house,” says Courtney. “It’s such an intriguing place.”
Of course, as anyone who’s ever purchased an old home knows, the work had only just begun. The Wades gutted the house to the studs. Although determined to recover its original form, The Wades saw there were critical updates that had to be made. “It still had knob-and-tube wiring as well as very old plumbing,” Matt recalls. “The structure off the pool had been a pump house from which the citrus was irrigated with Lake Hollingsworth’s water. But when we bought it, the roof was caving in—it was in rough shape. We were afraid if we tore it down we might not be able to replace it, so we refurbished the building into a guest cottage.” Now the main house and guest cottage open up to the resurfaced pool.
The house is filled with modern updates that stay true to its original 1907 aesthetic
The Wades were able to salvage most of the original windows as well as the doors, floors in the main house including the porch, and both fireplaces. “The downstairs bathroom is in its original form, as is the upstairs bath with the addition of a shower done by a previous owner,” Courtney says.
In keeping with the spirit of the 1907 construction, the structural changes they chose to make were scant. “We took down two partition walls that bounded the formal dining room to make an open floor plan with the kitchen,” Courtney says.
So it begs the question: how do you do a tasteful job restoring a home like this without losing the integrity of the original, and giving a nod to its rich history? The Wades enlisted Kristina Jesse of Kristina Kreations to bring the house up-to-date with features that are new but appear as though they could have been there all along. The new vanities, cabinets, tile, and trim match the aesthetic of the outside of the house, allowing you to envision what it looked like more than a century ago.
It took a year but the result is stunning; dignified, strong, and anachronistic in the best sense of the word. The Wades, who moved into the house in 2019, credit Wayne Bunch Construction for the flawless execution of their vision. If the restoration was the end of the story, the photos might be satisfying enough. But the Wades felt so honored to own and refurbish 154 that they’ve decided to share it with Lakelanders and visitors alike. “We love Lakeland. It’s such an amazing place to live with so many wonderful things—Bonnet Springs, Mayfaire, Sun ‘n Fun—we thought that offering the home as a combination Airbnb and event space would be a great way for us to contribute to what the city offers,” Courtney says. Matt adds, “Not only can you enjoy Lakeland but now you can stay in some of its history.”
Not only can you enjoy Lakeland but now you can stay in some of its history.
The property is well-suited to such a purpose. There is a large amount of parking space for events as well as an ample yard for a tent facing Lake Hollingsworth. The home has only been listed as an Airbnb rental since March, but it has had several bookings, including a baby shower. “The great thing about the combination space is that you can enjoy a stay at the home and also host an event,” Courtney says.
The Wades hired Amanda Bass of Leaf and Light Design to embellish the already stunning property for Airbnb guests, repainting a few things for an older, cozier feel, adding wallpaper, and even some more furniture. They’ve entrusted Brittany Burkett of Lakeland Hometown Properties (www.wearelakeland.com) to manage the bookings for both stays and events.
“It’s remarkable how many prospective guests have indicated they wanted to visit to sit on the porch—the sunsets are absolutely amazing,” Matt says.
Courtney agrees and adds, “People want to stay because of the history, too. It’s like a boutique bed and breakfast—chic, fun, and unexpected.”
Depending on your dates, the two-night minimum starts around $500 a night to stay in 154.
The Lakelander would like to thank the Kathleen Area Historical Society for providing information for this article.
House Details
4 bedrooms / 6 beds | 3.5 baths | Up to 10 guests | Waterfront with lake access | Private pool
Midcentury Modern Home
It’s close to Downtown, Lake Hollingsworth, Cleveland Heights Golf Course and Common Ground Playground, but as newlyweds in 2018 Tim and Julie Czernek were already thinking how it might be the perfect home for someone else down the road.
“Every now and then we just mentioned to each other kind of nonchalantly, ‘Like, we can’t really have a lot of kids here, but it seems like it would be a super cool Airbnb.’”
Their foresight was right, as their still perfect customer rating on their impeccably acquainted mid-century modern home suggests.
As many as six guests at a time, of all ages—from old friends in town for their 50th college reunion at Florida Southern College to parents of newborns—appreciate modern amenities like a 65-inch smart TV and in-home washer and dryer to go along with carefully curated furniture and artwork from local favorites like The Curated Collective and Bump Galletta.
What might surprise some, including Julie’s girlfriends, is that Tim is mostly responsible for the cohesive elevated style, calling it a creative outlet away from his wealth management career.
Tim says he has enjoyed engaging with guests who vary from parents of local college students to a food videographer who calls the home his “go to place” in Lakeland to a recent group of four adult males from New Jersey who were in town for a soccer tournament in Auburndale.
House Details
3 bedroom/4 beds | 2.5 baths | Up to 6 guests | Dedicated workspace
Downtown Luxury Home
This rental is located less than two miles from Downtown Lakeland
Guests at Stephen and Madalyn Batman’s Airbnb home on Lincoln Ave. step into a space that merges Lakeland’s past and present so well that they might just want to consider being part of the city’s future.
The custom home was built by Hulbert Homes last year and it features high ceilings, an open-concept floor plan, granite countertops and “wood” tile on a fenced in lot that is less than two miles to Downtown and blanketed with mature trees.
It’s homes like this in the Batmans’ rental portfolio that have eventually turned some short-term renters into local buyers.
“It has more of a suburban family feel than downtown Tampa or downtown Orlando does,” Stephen says. “We try to maintain a little more elevated luxury feel for our property so that people have a nice option in our town where they don’t have to spend $400 or $500 per night.”
Local builder Hulbert Homes ensured custom touches abound throughout the home
Stephen, a Florida Southern College graduate, and Madalyn, a Lakeland native who graduated from George Jenkins High School, entered the real estate profession in 2014 with Keller Williams. They own six rental properties and manage roughly 10 others. It wasn’t until 2021 that the couple ventured into the short-term rental market, and they have found it to be more rewarding than they expected—even with some of the stigmas surrounding short-term rentals in some neighborhoods.
“Everybody has this connotation that Airbnbs are going to ruin their neighborhood and ruin their home values and such,” Stephen says. “But we’ve had so much positive feedback from people that stay on our properties…and [they tell us] not only are the properties great, but they walk the neighborhoods, they get to meet some of the neighbors and they truly fall in love with the city.”
House Details
3 bedroom/4 beds | 2 baths | Up to 8 guests | Private patio with fenced-in backyard | Dedicated workspace