Big Sky Barnhouse: Where Rustic Charm Meets Modern Family Fun!
Are you ready for a vacation experience like no other on your next getaway? Imagine combining the rustic charm of a traditional barn with all the modern amenities and spaces designed for family fun — that’s the magic of a stay at one of the incredible Big Sky Barnhouse properties. Unlike cramped hotel rooms, a barn vacation rental offers high ceilings, wide-open common areas, and enough space for everyone to spread out. This makes it perfect for family gatherings or group vacations. Think indoor play areas, mini-theaters, game rooms with pool tables or foosball, and outdoor spaces for sports, BBQs, or even stargazing. Some barns are even equipped with fire pits, large kitchens for family meals, and outdoor patios perfect for evening gatherings. It’s a setting where kids can play, adults can relax, and everyone can make lasting memories.
Below we have put together a list of all of the Big Sky Barnhouse properties. Currently you can find one of these beauties in Wisconsin, Michigan, or Kentucky (more states coming soon!) With each listing, we will include a short detail about the property, where it is located, and how many folks can stay there. We will also include a link where you can find more photos, read about the full list of amenities, and of course book these barns for your family! At the end - we have put together an interview we conducted with Kyle Miklasz, the creative mind behind these breathtaking creations!
Big Sky Barnhouse Michigan!
Marcellus, Michigan. 5 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms, Sleeps 16+
Welcome to Big Sky Barnhouse Marcellus, where history meets the extraordinary! Hosting 16+ guests across 5 stunning bedrooms and an expansive 4,800 square feet, this retreat is packed with endless amenities. Tee off on a top-tier Golf Simulator or challenge your friends on the 5-hole mini golf course. Head down to the custom-designed basement bar, complete with a pool table, darts, and seven arcade machines, plus a bunk room featuring a one-of-a-kind University of Michigan Slide. Step into the vast 3-acre backyard to discover a hexagon pergola firepit, a hot tub nestled under a covered pergola with a built-in bar, and a cozy outdoor dining area right next to the grill. Check out this link to see more photos and availability of Big Sky Barnhouse Michigan!
Big Sky Barnhouse Merrimac!
Merrimac, Wisconsin. 5 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms, Sleeps 12.
No, your eyes are not deceiving you! This barn comes with a beach room, complete with a SAND FLOOR! This epic barn turned vacation rental will surely be the perfect home base for your entire family on vacation! Speaking of family, this place is perfect for kids, and kids at heart (did we mention the catwalk, or slide down into the living room?!) and it’s even pet friendly! This place truly has too many amenities to list but some of our favorites are the 4 person Sauna, 8 person hot tub, swings, and large deck furnished with bar, sectional couch, bean bag chairs and padded chairs, as well as the 3rd floor loft with it’s cozy entertainment space, and 75 inch TV! Check out this link to find more photos and availability of Big Sky Barnhouse Merrimac!
Big Sky Barnhouse Mount Pleasant!
Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin. 6 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Sleeps 20
Welcome to Big Sky Barnhouse, where history meets the extraordinary! This massive 5,000 sq ft retreat comfortably sleeps up to 20 guests with 6 bedrooms, 11 beds, and 3 full baths. Get ready for endless fun with an indoor basketball court next to a custom 24ft barnwood sports bar and mini golf course. The entertainment continues with a pool table and a game lounge featuring shuffleboard, pinball, skee-ball, Pac-Man, darts, and giant Connect Four. Unwind in the private movie theater or enjoy an unforgettable meal in the stunning indoor barnwood pergola dining area. Outside, you'll find a Tiki bar, hot tub, Weber grill, and outdoor lounge, plus a peaceful walking trail on the secluded back acreage. Check out this link to find more photos and availability of Big Sky Barnhouse Mt Pleasant!
Big Sky Barnhouse in Arena!
Arena, Wisconsin. 6 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms, Sleeps 20+
Welcome to the Big Sky Barnhouse, a fusion of history and extraordinary luxury. This expansive barn accommodates over 20 guests with its 6 bedrooms and 12 beds, and spans 4 floors and over 7000 square feet. Enjoy a tube slide and an array of amenities that redefine comfort and entertainment. Inside, discover a 9-hole indoor mini golf course, a theater, home gym, and a game room featuring pool table, ping pong, darts, skeeball, and arcade machines. Step outside to find an in-ground heated pool, a spacious hot tub, sauna, 3 office spaces, a bunk room with an indoor basketball hoop, a patio, pergola, 3 decks, and a bonfire pit. Immerse yourself in the ambiance of local Amish barnwood furniture, black walnut doors, custom stonework, and the comfort of heated floors throughout. The Big Sky Barnhouse promises an unforgettable retreat with unparalleled luxury and charm. Check out this link to find more photos and availability of Big Sky Barnhouse in Arena!
Big Sky Barnhouse Lancaster!
Lancaster, Kentucky. 6 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bathrooms, Sleeps 20.
Welcome to this beautiful barn on the bourbon trail! This sprawling 7,000 sq. ft. estate sleeps up to 20 guests with 6 bedrooms and 12 beds across two beautiful barns. Packed with endless amenities, you’ll enjoy a state-of-the-art golf simulator, a private movie theater, a relaxing hot tub, and a custom sports bar with a stunning 30-foot Bourbon Trail Mural Map! Host unforgettable gatherings around the bourbon barrel high-top tables, challenge friends in the game room or arcade, or unwind by the hexagon pergola fire pit. Located near Lexington, you’re just minutes away from the iconic Bourbon Trail and breathtaking views of Bluegrass Country! This is luxury country living at its finest! Check out this link to find more photos and availability of Big Sky Lancaster!
Big Sky Barnhouse Mount Sterling!
Mount Sterling, Kentucky. 7 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, Sleeps 30.
This ultimate getaway sleeps 30 guests with 7 bedrooms, 19 beds, and 4 baths across 5,000 sq. ft., plus a private 5-acre sports complex in the fenced-in backyard! Challenge friends on a 2-hole golf course featuring two 90-yard par 3's, a full UK basketball court, and a regulation wiffleball field complete with a home run fence and scoreboard. Dive into friendly competition on the 3v3 soccer field, flag football setup, or the pickleball court! Relax in not one, but two hot tubs, gather around the pergola fire pit, or enjoy the custom speakeasy bourbon bar. There’s even a 30-person movie theater, arcade, pool table, and more! Check out this link to find more photos and availability of Big Sky Barnhouse Mount Sterling!
Now that you have seen all these amazing spaces have to offer, we know that you are curious how they came to be. We were too, so we sat down with Kyle Miklasz, owner and operator at Big Sky to talk about all that really goes into creating these amazing spaces for families!
1. Your amazing barns are almost an actual destination in themselves, much more than a standard hotel or Airbnb. Tell us how you got started. Where did the ideas for these amazing vacation rentals come from?
I grew up in a big family with 5 siblings and about 25 cousins. Our grandparents had a family farm in Viola, Wisconsin. Every summer growing up we would spend weeks at the farm together - Anywhere from 20-40 family members at a time. It was a blast. The Driftless Region of Wisconsin is beautiful. We would hike the caves, ride the tractors, mess with the cows, jump off the boulders into Kickapoo Creek, and tell scary stories at the bonfire pit. We even had a zip line and a basketball hoop for even more fun times. As our families grew, we ran out of sleeping space for everyone to have a comfortable and accommodating time. There was always talks of possibly adding a bunk shed or another building - but everyone was fine with cots, air mattresses, tents, or sleeping in their car - if all the beds were taken. The farm also had a huge old dairy barn with the iconic big "M" for our last name above the basketball hoop mounted on the front of the barn. I wouldn't necessarily say the idea for Big Sky Barnhouse was created then and there, but a seed was certainly planted that would inspire my creative vision and execution for the mega-barn vacation home model 20 years later down the road. When designing the barns today and setting them up, I find myself quite frequently teleporting back in time to 1999 - Why didn't we just renovate that old dairy barn on the family farm and turn it into extra sleeping space that also had fun amenities? What would 8 year old Kyle and all of his siblings and cousins completely geek out about if they were all at the farm together? A mini golf course? A pool? A tube slide coming out of the barn loft? A wiffleball field? A movie theater? A lot of my inspiration today comes from all of those fun and memorable experiences - And now redefining them for other folks with large families and making their vacations even more memorable.
2. How do you go about maintaining the rustic charm of the barns, while also providing so many great amenities?
Maintaining the rustic charm of the barns while also adding all of the fun amenities is always a challenge. But we have found a formula that works and have a system and process that we have been able to replicate and introduce more barns to new markets and states across the Midwest. We're now proud to have 6 Big Sky Barnhouse locations and have plans in place to get to 10 before 2026.
3. Do you have any personal favorite features or hidden touches guests need to be on the lookout for?
There's too many to choose from! We carefully and thoughtfully decorate and set up each barn with care and precision to ensure we're providing an experience for our guests that is unlike any other vacation they'll ever go to.
4. What activities or amenities do you provide that make the barns particularly great for families?
We primarily accommodate and set up our barns for the "three generational group" - This means groups of 20-30 folks, with grandparents and their kids, and their grandkids, plus friends, etc. Knowing this, we always set up the barns with activities for each person of the group no matter how old. And a lot of the activities overlap. For example, a grandparent may want to kick back and read a book by the fire, while the parents are hanging out at the tiki bar, or teeing off at the golf simulator on hole 9 at Pebble Beach, while the kids are over at the arcade, or watching a movie in the theater, or playing a game of Wiffleball. But there's also amenities that are great for everyone of all ages for the group to enjoy together, such as the pools, hot tubs, miniature golf courses, fire pits, basketball/pickleball courts, among many more.
5. What are the most challenging aspects of putting together these cool spaces?
The most challenging aspect of setting up the barns is always the same thing every time. Finding that right balance of budget and vision. Although we wish for the budgets to set the barns up we're endless, we always have a cap at what we can spend and do, and it has to be carefully thought out to ensure we are bringing the absolute best vision to life for our guests.
6. Speaking of putting together new spaces, do you have any future plans for expanding the barns you have that you want to share?
Yes and yes! We have plans to add more pools to the barns that don't have them yet. We're also actively pursuing a new barn in a new state that we have not yet entered... If all goes to plan, this one is going to be really special. It will have an outdoor in-ground saltwater pool with a silo pool house, plus an outdoor wet bar and entertainment space poolside, indoor wet bar, hot tub, ATV trail loop, basketball court, miniature golf course, arcade, sunken fire pit, 8 RV hook ups, 7 bedrooms, and accommodations for up to 30 guests. We also intend to add a 10-acre vineyard to the property with a satellite tasting room. This one's going to be a blast! Stay tuned for more details on where it's located and when it's opening - @BigSkyBarnhouse on Instagram.
7. If you had an unlimited budget and no one could say no to you, what would you like to add to a barn?
Oh boy. Where do I start? I feel like we are already slowly but surely doing this...Anything is possible, right? I've always loved the idea of an authentic indoor bowling alley with a few lanes. Or a miniature water park with a lazy river moat. -- My newest favorite current addition is something we're adding my right now to our 6th and newest barn in Kentucky near the Red River Gorge. This barn has a flat 5-acre backyard and we are turning that space into a private sports complex. It has a private 2-hole golf course (90-yard Par 3's), a regulation sized wiffleball field with authentic ball field dirt paths, a home run fence and an interactive scoreboard. Plus a full court Kentucky Wildcat Blue basketball court / pickleball court, and a 3v3 soccer field. It also has two hot tubs, outdoor lawn games, swings, a hexagon pergola firepit, a 30 person movie theater/arcade, and a garage converted to a speakeasy bourbon bar. This one's been really fun and we're excited to open our doors to the public in the back half of October! The link to that page can be found here: http://www.airbnb.com/h/bigskybarnhousekentucky
8. You must get asked this all the time - but do you have a favorite barn?
I love them all! I could never pick a favorite child - or a favorite barn :) They're all uniquely special in their own way and some have similarities, but all of them have their own thing going on. But most importantly, the underlying drive and ambition is the same for all of our barns - To create and provide unforgettable guest experiences that will last a lifetime!
Thanks so much for reading our article showcasing Big Sky Barnhouse, and our interview with Kyle! They are definitely working on some truly special places. Make sure that you follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok! You MUST check them out when you are planning a generational family retreat.
Be sure that you are also following See, Seek, Sleep on Facebook! We share some really epic Airbnb and VRBOs every single day! Scroll on down below to check out some of our other articles on the coolest places to See, the most interesting things to Seek out, the most unique places to Sleep!
