DEL.ICIO.USSecond Home: The Club at Spanish Peaks, Montana
Wildlife and starry skies whisk Atlantans out west
For the AJC
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Dr. Regis Haid, wife Betsy and their six kids spend holidays and other breaks at their vacation home in western Montana, which he thinks could serve as his full-time residence when he retires. Haid, a neurosurgeon and spine specialist for Atlanta Brain and Spine Care, chatted about their The Club at Spanish Peaks getaway.
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The Haids were among the first to buy in The Club at Spanish Peaks, where the log cabins have multiple decks and porches with views of ‘snow-capped peaks,’ he said.
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Dr. Regis and Betsy Haid’s children live everywhere from New Mexico to New York to Illinois to West Virginia, and often gather at their Montana vacation home. ‘They all like coming back here,’ he said.
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One of the amenities at The Club at Spanish Peaks is an 18-hole Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course.
Why there: Haid has been visiting Montana for years to hike, fish and ski. “It’s less developed than Colorado and less pretentious than Colorado,” he said. “They’re not interested in if you belong to a country club or not or what school your kids go to. Everybody is sort of judges by the type of person they are, by their personal integrity.” Plus, the peaceful setting reminds him that he’s “out of the rat race, out of the traffic” that he experiences in Atlanta.
Their home: The log cabin has decks and porches for taking in the scenery and is appointed with features such as slate and wood floors, fireplaces, and top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances and granite countertops in the kitchen. When Haid and his children, ages 13-31, are not using it, they let friends stay there and offer it to organizations such as The Link Counseling Center, The Lovett School and the Boy Scouts of America for fund-raising auctions.
How far from home: A 4-hour flight from Atlanta.
How often they’re there: Four to six times a year.
What they do when they’re there: “It’s a year-round vacation. The summer times are beautiful with hiking and fishing. The winter times are skiing.” Other activities include mountain biking and golf, and they’re 45 minutes from Yellowstone National Park.
What they love about it: The setting, since the home is at 7,300 feet. “When you look out the window, all you see are snow-capped peaks. There’s wildlife all around. There are moose and bear and elk and fox,” he said. “The night sky is fantastic. You can see the Milky Way like you can see it nowhere else because you’re out in the middle of nowhere. It’s just beautiful.”
Advice for buying a vacation home: Ascertain your particular needs and what do you enjoy doing, and look at it as an investment. They got in the early part of development at Spanish Peaks, when homesites and prices were discounted. “It’s some place we’d like to live someday, if it fits in our budget,” he said. “We think it’s a good long-term investment, and the whole family enjoys it.”
At a Glance
The Haids’ home has 4 bedrooms and 6 baths. They purchased it about 2 years ago.
Community Overview
The Club at Spanish Peaks is a 3,500-acre community in southwestern Montana with plans for 850 residences. Home sites start at $700,000 and cabins begin at $2.2 million. The elevation ranges from 6,000-9,000 feet. Amenities include an 18-hole Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course, which was ranked No. 2 in Golf Digest’s annual “Best New Private Courses” issue in December 2008. There also are private ski lifts to Big Sky Resort and fishing on nearby rivers, including the Gallatin River (where “A River Runs Through It” was filmed). The nearest airport is Gallatin Field Airport in Bozeman, 50 minutes away.
Recent sales
$1.32 million: 74 Tanager Fork, Big Sky, Mont. 59716. A 3-bedroom, 3 -bath cabin located on the golf course.
$3.61 million: 820 Elk Meadow Trail, Big Sky, Mont. 59716. A 5-bedroom, 5 -bath partially furnished cabin located on the golf course and with a game room on the lower level.
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