Working Farm Lodging

Farm Stay Getaways Turning Vacations into Hay-cations

City dwellers looking for a unique and rustic vacation destination are packing up their bags and heading for the country to become camping farmers for a week.  "Farm Stays" are nothing new for people who live in Europe where sleeping and eating among the animals and haystacks is common, due to the lack of hotels in between remote villages and wide swaths of rolling hillsides.   The concept has been catching on here in the United States over the years.   More and more farmers are opening up their barn doors and rolling out tents, to not only make a few extra dollars, but also to help educate curious adventure seeking holiday travelers about the way food is produced, and what it takes to maintain a real working farm.

According to Farm Stay U.S., there are currently 905 farms and ranches across the country that offer lodging, with the largest number, 304, in the Western region of the U.S.  169 Farm Stay properties are scattered throughout  the South, 134 in the Midwest, 125 in the Mid-Atlantic, the Northeast boasts 104 farming vacation spots, while the Southwest has 69.

The agritourism business generated over $566 million in income for farms which offered agritourism activities in 2007 according to the latest U.S.D.A. Census of Agriculture (conducted every five years).  For farmers Dan and Kate Marsiglio, who operate the family owned Stony Creek Farm in Walton, New York, hosting Farm Stay guests not only brings in extra cash but helps grow interest in farming.  Dan Marsiglio tells Fox, "We can educate from the farm as opposed to the somewhat empty space that is the farmer's market setting where we sort of have to fabricate something that is reminiscent of the farm."  His wife Kate adds, "I think more and more people are starting to ask where their food comes from, and I think more and more people are realizing that they are disconnected, from those things.  So when you come to a farm and you see a working farm, maybe you milk a cow, maybe you collect eggs, and you start to realize, these food things, you know, these products come from somewhere and they are realizing a true connection."

Making that connection in comfort is a big selling point of staying on the Marsiglio's farm, now that they have partnered with Feather Down Farms, a Dutch company that has been promoting farm stays with shabby-chic furnished tents.  For the price of a hotel (costs range between $525 dollars for two nights, $685 for four nights and tents accommodate up to 6 people) guests can sleep next to a babbling brook, wake with the chickens, collect their eggs, cook them for breakfast, and take part in as little or as many farm chores as they choose.   Feeding pigs, pulling vegetables from the garden, baling hay and milking cows are all on the menu of a day’s work.

Abbey Road Farm B&B in the Rolling Hills of the Willamette Valley ...

The B & B is located on an 82 acre working farm in the middle of Yamhill County's wine country.   After purchasing the farm in March of 2003 the Stuart's needed to create a plan of action and decide what their "crops" would actually be.  The property came with 2 acres of Queen Anne Cherries, a delicious variety used principally in the making of maraschinos, so that choice was simple. Next, with 60 acres of open ground it seemed appropriate to consider a low maintenance perennial like fescue grass. Today, grass seed has become Oregon's primary field crop. The side benefit is that they now have what amounts to a huge lawn!  Their third "crop" would be dairy goats. In January of 2005 they initiated the process of converting the old grain silos on the property into the unique Abbey Road Farm Bed & Breakfast "Silo Suites".   Each room has a spectacular view of the valley, wetlands, pastures and/or gardens.  And although this is a working farm, the accommodations are more like what one would find at a resort.  Get to know our State like a local; stay with one of our near 100 hosts in any one of our many regions. Experience romantic getaways, historic treasures, and tucked away rustic retreats. Whether your trip is for a quiet escape to a quaint rural or coastal town, for a World Class City experience or for a new spin on business travel, you can be assured of combining gracious hospitality with ambiance by staying at an inspected and approved Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild member Inn.

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