Vacation Homes: One for the Generations

With nine children, 56 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, Jon and Karen Huntsman know all about family. They also have a good sense of what today’s families need: a place devoid of crowds, electronic gadgets, and other distractions, where children, parents, and grandparents can spend quality time together. Such is the philosophy behind Huntsman Springs, the Huntsman clan’s new private resort community outside of Driggs, Idaho.

"This whole community is about family," says Jon, founder of the Utah-based chemical firm Huntsman Corp. "There will be something for everybody, but mostly things for the generations to do together."

Located on 1,350 acres on the western side of the Teton Mountains—roughly 45 minutes from Jackson, Wyo.—Huntsman Springs offers plenty of opportunities for family fun. The community is within easy driving distance of the Grand Targhee ski resort and Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, and the surrounding Teton Valley is a haven for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and fly-fishing. On-site activities include fly-fishing on the community’s stocked ponds and golfing on its newly opened David McLay Kidd–designed course, which abuts Huntsman Springs’ nearly 500 acres of protected wetlands.

The Huntsmans began developing the pastureland around the wetlands in 2006, and their community will eventually contain some 650 homes. Current offerings include four-bedroom Park Homes and four- to six-bedroom Mountain View Lodges, each designed by architect Larry Berlin. The wood-and-stone structures, which are priced from $900,000 to $1.9 million, feature Sub-Zero refrigerators, Wolf ovens, fireplaces, and open spaces ideal for large family gatherings.

Huntsman Springs is also offering homesites ranging from .4 acres to .75 acres and priced from $285,000. The purchase price for sites and finished homes covers the initial membership fee for the property’s golf club. In time, Huntsman Springs will expand its offerings to include a clubhouse that functions like a town center, cooking and photography classes, and museums to house the Huntsmans’ personal collections of classic cars and Native American artifacts.

In addition to automobiles, art, and family, Huntsman Springs will support another of the owners’ passions: "All [of my] profits go to the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City," says the 73-year-old Jon, a four-time cancer survivor. "And our name is on the door, so we’re in it for the long haul."