Family bookings surprise owner of 1852 farmhouse rental near Starved Rock

Sarah Walczynski expected Lazy 8 Ranch to attract groups of friends seeking wine country trips. That prediction has not held. Since she began renting out the 1852 farmhouse in December, family groups have booked the most stays. The property sits on a rural side road in Tonica, Illinois, with the closest neighbor located roughly half a mile away. The three-bedroom house sleeps six guests and features a full kitchen, dining room, living room, and a furnished patio.

Walczynski, who grew up on the farm, initially marketed the space for weekend getaways for women in their late twenties and early fifties. The reality differs from that plan. "I thought I was going to have more of the girl and buddy weekends to go to the wineries and Starved Rock, more of that late 20s to early 50s gals getaway," Walczynski said. "Instead, I’m getting a lot of families."

The shift aligns with the property's long history. Walczynski spent her childhood in a family of ten on the land. Her parents named it Lazy 8 Ranch in the 1960s while raising American saddlebred horses. In recent years, Walczynski and her husband, Mark, used the home as a guesthouse for relatives. The transition to a public rental preserves the layout and inventory that supported large family gatherings for decades.

The interior reflects that legacy. A library cupboard holds dozens of board games and puzzles. Video game consoles sit in the basement. Outside, the grounds offer croquet, bocce, and volleyball equipment. A specific cabinet contains feather boas, an item Walczynski notes guests frequently use. "I always find feathers," she said. "Everybody plays with the boas."

Mark Walczynski, a regional and Starved Rock historian, contributed seven of his own books to the home's library. The collection also includes westerns, mysteries, and science fiction. One wall displays a height chart marking family members' growth over the past 60 years. Guests are invited to add their own names and heights to an adjacent wall. "I put a note up that we encourage the kids, although the adults love to do it, too, to put their name on the new wall," Walczynski said.

The structure combines original 1852 woodwork with a 2025 addition. Antique farm items like horse collars hang next to leather couches and fur accents. A hand-hewn beam from the original kitchen floor now serves as an outdoor bar on the patio. Cast-iron cauldrons used for butchering livestock function as flower planters near the shed. The couple also maintains three resident animals on the property: two horses named Rein Dance and Contessa, and a miniature pony named Thor. Guests may view the animals from outside the fence, but physical contact is restricted to times when Walczynski is present.

Lazy 8 Ranch is located at 2135 E. 675th Road in Tonica. Additional details are available at lazy8ranch.com.