10 Farms Where You Can Work and Stay
Learn while you relax at these farm stays that encourage their guests to get their hands dirty while having fun.
By:
Steve Larese
Photo By: Only the Best :-))
Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm, Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico
This historic farm in the Albuquerque area is known for its lavender fields and products. Stay in a Southwest-style room with a "kiva" fireplace and lavender-infused amenities, and enjoy meals using produce grown on-site on one of several patios and dining rooms. Guests are invited to help out on the farm, from harvesting lavender to learning how to compost, and volunteer days are available on Wednesdays and Saturdays, during which participants learn about various farm duties.
Flint Hill Farm AG, Coopersburg, Pennsylvania
Learn how to make cheese, milk cows, collect your own eggs for breakfast and other farm skills at this 26-acre dairy farm that dates back to 1850. A certified raw milk dairy, Flint Hill Farm produces both pasteurized and raw milk and pasteurized cheese, butter and yogurt. Guest may stay in the farm house or the farm’s RV. Horse riding lessons are also available, and the resident draft horse team is also a favorite with visitors.
Mariposa Retreat at Earth and Sea Farm, Summerland Key, Florida
Located in the Florida Keys near the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge, Earth and Sea Farm harvests sea salt and grows bananas, papayas, soap nuts and many indigenous crops. Bees are also kept on property. Guests may pay to stay in the bed and breakfast, or stay in exchange for work through the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms program. Farm tours are available for groups of three to seven and include a Florida Keys Sea Salt tasting.
Feather Down Farm, Kinnikinnick Farm, Illinois
Glamp in a canvas tent with running water and a nearby bathhouse and learn about farm life as you help gather eggs, feed animals, milk goats, take a hayride and harvest dinner from the acres of fields and orchards on this organic farm located 90 miles northwest of Chicago. Not hungry for a fresh salad? Enjoy a wood-oven pizza you create using farm ingredients, and save room for s’mores afterwards.
Cold Moon Farm, Jamaica, Vermont
Wake up with the roosters and milk goats, collect eggs, pick vegetables and help with other farm chores at this farm/B&B 15 miles from Manchester, Vermont. Five plush guest rooms in the main house each have a private bath, and share the dining room where farm-to-table meals are served. Take cooking classes, go hiking or enjoy a spa treatment after learning about the daily routine of farm life.
Ridge to Reef Farm, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
With the goal of producing one percent of the U.S. Virgin Islands’ food, the Ridge to Reef Farm invites guests to visit for the day or stay in one of their stilted cabanas and get their hands dirty learning about organic farming. When you’re not helping with the farm, hike the rainforest, visit the ruins of a Dutch sugar mill or explore the shops in nearby Frederiksted.
North Country Farms, Kauai, Hawaii
Farm in paradise at this Kauai organic farm just east of Kilauea. Stay in a farm-stay cottage surrounded by fruit trees and organic gardens from which you can pick your meals. The three-acre farm includes a pineapple field. Tours are offered during which the farm’s organic and sustainability practices are shared.
Ewe Bet Farm, Cave Springs, Arkansas
This sheep farm just 15-minutes south of Bentonville and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art specializes in raising all-natural lamb using humane husbandry practices, and grazed in managed pastures. Guest stay in a large suite in the main house that has its own kitchen, fireplace, and deck overlooking apple and peach trees, and are welcome to help feed the sheep and lambs and learn about the daily routine of the farm. Breakfast is delivered to the room each morning and features homemade muffins, fresh eggs and fruit from the orchards.
Nettles Farm, Lummi Island, Washington
Nestled on Lummi Island west of Bellingham, Nettles Farm focuses on raising Sulmthaler, Poulet Bleu and Poulet de Bresse chickens and supply neighboring renowned Willows Inn Restaurant with meat and produce. Guests at Nettles Farm may help with farm activities and take the “Butcher Your Own Chicken” workshop during which they prepare their own dinner. Guests also have first option to book a table at the in-demand Willows Inn Restaurant.
The Inn at Valley Farms, Walpole, New Hampshire
Stay in a 1774 Colonial home and enjoy a candle-lit farm-to-table, multi-course breakfast on this 105-acre property in Walpole, New Hampshire. Tour the farm and pitch in with chores that include gathering eggs, feeding the beef cows, pigs and goats, learning about sustainable farming, picking herbs and crops, and any other work that needs to be done. After, have an in-room massage, hike the property or explore the agriculturally rich area and the charming town of Walpole.