As I’ve been thinking about how to begin sharing the story of Faireborough, I keep coming back to Hobbiton in New Zealand.
There’s something incredibly dreamy about the feeling created in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films—the cozy homes tucked into the hillsides, the winding paths, the gardens, and the slower pace of life. And knowing that a real place exists where people can step into that feeling is amazing to me.
What I find especially inspiring is that Hobbiton didn’t start out as a tourist destination at all. It began as a sheep farm that Peter Jackson discovered while searching for filming locations. The original village was built as a temporary movie set, but years later it was rebuilt permanently and has become one of New Zealand’s most beloved attractions.
As I’ve been dreaming about FaireBorough, that story has stayed with me. Not because we’re trying to recreate Hobbiton, but because it reminds me that sometimes magical places begin as ordinary pieces of land and a simple idea that you can’t let go of.
Over the next few weeks, I’d love to share more about our family’s land, why we’re building Faireborough, and the dream that’s slowly taking shape here in Virginia. I would love to hear from anyone who has actually had the opportunity to visit Hobbiton. What was it really like?
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