See inside the Vermont home of 'Jungle Book' author Rudyard Kipling

The author of one of the best-known children’s books of all time had a house in Vermont that’s open for tours this month.

British author Rudyard Kipling wrote his most-famous story, “The Jungle Book,” as well as “Captains Courageous” when he lived in the ship-like house “Naulakha” from 1892-1896. The Nobel Prize winner also began work on the “Just So Stories” in the house in Dummerston, outside Brattleboro.

The Landmark Trust USA, which oversees the home, is offering self-guided tours of the property for three days starting Sunday, June 5. Here are a few details you might want to know before you head out on your Kipling adventure in southern Vermont.

More: Burlington is home to many historic sites. Here are the stories behind a few of them

More: Who’s the most famous canine in Vermont history? Meet Bud the Cross-Country Dog

More: Spring road trips: You haven't really seen Vermont until you've explored these 5 routes

Rhododendrons are in full bloom

The grounds at Naulakha include a lush tunnel of rhododendron bushes. Those flowering plants have a lot to do with the timing of the tours, as the rhododendrons are likely to be in full bloom for the occasion, according to a news release announcing the tours. If you tire of looking at pretty flowers, sweeping views of the Connecticut River valley might catch your eye.

Kipling’s horses, Nip and Tuck

The grounds include the Barn Museum. The building was an actual barn that housed Kipling’s horses, named Nip and Tuck. The structure now serves as a mini-museum telling the story of the life of Kipling and his family in Vermont. Also on the grounds are gardens, a stone pergola and a clay tennis court.

Stay at Naulakha

Visitors on these tours can see the Carriage House, where Kipling’s coachman Matthew Howard lived. Guests can also stay there. Not surprisingly, stays at the Carriage House are popular, so book well in advance. Lodging at the Carriage House is $270 a night, and requires a three-night minimum stay. Naulakha itself is available as well, for $470 a night.

Kipling’s bio

If you’re not that familiar with Kipling or only read “The Jungle Book” many years ago, here’s the quick rundown of his life. Born in India and raised mostly in England, Kipling became a journalist before achieving fame as a writer of fiction. Praised for his vivid writing style, Kipling has also been “variously labelled a colonialist, a jingoist, a racist, an anti-Semite, a misogynist (and), a right-wing imperialist warmonger,” according to an article from The New Yorker cited by the Poetry Foundation.

‘I’ve never kippled’

Kipling indirectly generated what the Guinness Book of World Records has called the most-popular postcard ever created. A man and a woman are sitting beneath a tree, and the man asks “Do you like Kipling?” The woman responds, “I don’t know, you naughty boy, I’ve never kippled!”

If you go

WHAT: Self-guided tours of Naulakha, the home of author Rudyard Kipling

WHEN: 2-5 p.m. Sunday, June 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, June 6 and Tuesday, June 7

WHERE: 707 Kipling Road, Dummerston

INFORMATION: $25 admission in advance. https://landmarktrustusa.org/rudyard-kiplings-naulakha

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com. Follow Brent on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BrentHallenbeck.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Rudyard Kipling's home in Vermont is open for tours