diff --git a/tasks/acceptance.rake b/tasks/acceptance.rake
index 93eeaafdd..331594ca2 100644
--- a/tasks/acceptance.rake
+++ b/tasks/acceptance.rake
@@ -59,9 +59,12 @@ namespace :acceptance do
   end
 
   desc "Generates the configuration for acceptance tests from current source."
-  task :config do
-    require File.expand_path("../lib/vagrant/version", __FILE__)
-    require File.expand_path('../test/acceptance/support/tempdir', __FILE__)
+  task :config, :box_dir do |t, args|
+    require File.expand_path("../../lib/vagrant/version", __FILE__)
+    require File.expand_path('../../test/acceptance/support/tempdir', __FILE__)
+
+    # Get the directory for the boxes
+    box_dir = Pathname.new(args[:directory] || File.expand_path("../../test/tmp/boxes", __FILE__))
 
     # Generate the binstubs for the Vagrant binary
     tempdir = Tempdir.new
@@ -80,8 +83,9 @@ namespace :acceptance do
       "vagrant_path" => File.join(tempdir.path, "vagrant"),
       "vagrant_version" => Vagrant::VERSION,
       "env" => {
-        "BUNDLE_GEMFILE" => File.expand_path("../Gemfile", __FILE__)
-      }
+        "BUNDLE_GEMFILE" => File.expand_path("../../Gemfile", __FILE__)
+      },
+      "box_directory" => box_dir.to_s
     }
 
     File.open("acceptance_config.yml", "w+") do |f|
diff --git a/test/acceptance/box_test.rb b/test/acceptance/box_test.rb
index 9a02f458c..13e57a1f3 100644
--- a/test/acceptance/box_test.rb
+++ b/test/acceptance/box_test.rb
@@ -3,12 +3,6 @@ require File.expand_path("../base", __FILE__)
 describe "vagrant box" do
   include_context "acceptance"
 
-  def require_box(name)
-    if !config.boxes.has_key?(name) || !File.file?(config.boxes[name])
-      raise ArgumentError, "The configuration should specify a '#{name}' box."
-    end
-  end
-
   it "has no boxes by default" do
     result = execute("vagrant", "box", "list")
     result.stdout.should match_output(:no_boxes)
@@ -18,7 +12,7 @@ describe "vagrant box" do
     require_box("default")
 
     # Add the box, which we expect to succeed
-    result = execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "foo", config.boxes["default"])
+    result = execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "foo", box_path("default"))
     result.should be_success
 
     # Verify that the box now shows up in the list of available boxes
@@ -52,7 +46,7 @@ describe "vagrant box" do
 
     # Add the box, remove the box, then verify that the box no longer
     # shows up in the list of available boxes.
-    execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "foo", config.boxes["default"])
+    execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "foo", box_path("default"))
     execute("vagrant", "box", "remove", "foo")
     result = execute("vagrant", "box", "list")
     result.should be_success
@@ -62,12 +56,12 @@ describe "vagrant box" do
   it "can repackage a box" do
     require_box("default")
 
-    original_size = File.size(config.boxes["default"])
+    original_size = File.size(box_path("default"))
     logger.debug("Original package size: #{original_size}")
 
     # Add the box, repackage it, and verify that a package.box is
     # dumped of relatively similar size.
-    execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "foo", config.boxes["default"])
+    execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "foo", box_path("default"))
     execute("vagrant", "box", "repackage", "foo")
 
     # By default, repackage should dump into package.box into the CWD
diff --git a/test/acceptance/ssh_test.rb b/test/acceptance/ssh_test.rb
index 8ede322d3..8e9ae295f 100644
--- a/test/acceptance/ssh_test.rb
+++ b/test/acceptance/ssh_test.rb
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ describe "vagrant ssh" do
   it_behaves_like "a command that requires a virtual machine", ["vagrant", "ssh"]
 
   it "is able to SSH into a running virtual machine" do
-    assert_execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "base", config.boxes["default"])
+    require_box("default")
+
+    assert_execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "base", box_path("default"))
     assert_execute("vagrant", "init")
     assert_execute("vagrant", "up")
 
@@ -24,7 +26,9 @@ describe "vagrant ssh" do
   end
 
   it "is able to execute a single command via the command line" do
-    assert_execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "base", config.boxes["default"])
+    require_box("default")
+
+    assert_execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "base", box_path("default"))
     assert_execute("vagrant", "init")
     assert_execute("vagrant", "up")
 
diff --git a/test/acceptance/support/config.rb b/test/acceptance/support/config.rb
index 6e1772ba2..894464293 100644
--- a/test/acceptance/support/config.rb
+++ b/test/acceptance/support/config.rb
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ module Acceptance
     attr_reader :vagrant_path
     attr_reader :vagrant_version
     attr_reader :env
-    attr_reader :boxes
+    attr_reader :box_directory
 
     def initialize(path)
       @logger = Log4r::Logger.new("acceptance::config")
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ module Acceptance
       @vagrant_path    = options["vagrant_path"]
       @vagrant_version = options["vagrant_version"]
       @env             = options["env"]
-      @boxes           = options["boxes"]
+      @box_directory   = options["box_directory"]
 
       # Verify the configuration object.
       validate
@@ -34,10 +34,8 @@ module Acceptance
         raise ArgumentError, "'vagrant_path' must point to the `vagrant` executable"
       elsif !@vagrant_version
         raise ArgumentError, "`vagrant_version' must be set to the version of the `vagrant` executable"
-      end
-
-      if !@boxes || !@boxes.is_a?(Hash)
-        raise ArgumentError, "`boxes` must be a dictionary of available boxes on the local filesystem."
+      elsif !@box_directory || !File.directory?(@box_directory)
+        raise ArgumentError, "`box_directory` must be set to a folder containing boxes for the tests."
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/test/acceptance/support/shared/base_context.rb b/test/acceptance/support/shared/base_context.rb
index fa0f48ea4..905b0cd25 100644
--- a/test/acceptance/support/shared/base_context.rb
+++ b/test/acceptance/support/shared/base_context.rb
@@ -48,4 +48,18 @@ shared_context "acceptance" do
     assert(result.success?, "expected '#{args.join(" ")}' to succeed")
     result
   end
+
+  # This can be added to the beginning of a test to verify that the
+  # box with the given name is available to a test. This will raise
+  # an exception if the box is not found.
+  def require_box(name)
+    if !File.exist?(box_path(name))
+      raise ArgumentError, "The tests should have a '#{name}' box."
+    end
+  end
+
+  # This is used to get the path to a box of a specific name.
+  def box_path(name)
+    File.join(config.box_directory, "#{name}.box")
+  end
 end
diff --git a/test/acceptance/up_basic_test.rb b/test/acceptance/up_basic_test.rb
index bf2829412..3f1d6524e 100644
--- a/test/acceptance/up_basic_test.rb
+++ b/test/acceptance/up_basic_test.rb
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ describe "vagrant up", "basics" do
 
   # This creates an initial environment that is ready for a "vagrant up"
   def initialize_valid_environment
-    assert_execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "base", config.boxes["default"])
+    require_box("default")
+
+    assert_execute("vagrant", "box", "add", "base", box_path("default"))
     assert_execute("vagrant", "init")
   end