This is a great new trend in country travel. Good for the farms, and great new vacation destinations for travelers looking for some down-time. Also a great opportunity to learn how much work goes into farming and into providing food for the country and your table.

Read my prior post on the subject: “Travel Wishes – Destination “F” and consider a farm/agritourism visit for your next country vacation.

“F” is for “Farm” Vacations…

Okay, I am cheating a bit by making the “F” destination a farm stay. However, when I started doing research, I quickly realized that your expectations about your farm stay need to be thoroughly identified so your vacation will not be disappointing.

Contrasting Expectations

First, many accommodations come up in an internet search under the keywords “farm” and “vacation.” A quick review of those shows that while many bed and breakfast inns are located on what was or is a farm, if you want your family to have a “hands-on” experience of farm life and farm animals, you will not find them there. While these farm destinations offer beautiful scenery and a peaceful country vacation, they will not expose you to much more than observation of animal life – which is more than sufficient for some.

The Relaxing Farm Vacation Experience…

A good example for those NOT requiring a 6am “feed the chickens and milk the cows experience”, but who want a farm accommodation might be WhistleWood Farm Bed and Breakfast, located in Rhinebeck, New York, USA.

Just two hours north of Manhattan in the historic Hudson Valley, Whistlewood Farm has much to offer the country-oriented traveler. Cozy up to the fireside with a good book, play a little tennis, tour the beautiful flower gardens, get a massage, or just sit and renew and relax in the solarium. Watch the ponies frolic in the pasture, and just be…

Feeling a bit peckish? WhistleWood Farm has that well covered!

Have a seat near the 1904 cookstove at your table adorned with fresh flowers and get ready. Homemade baked good, fresh fruit compotes, and a hearty country breakfast (included), accompanied by coffee, tea, or fresh juices, will keep you well-fed and happy. Afternoon coffee and cake are also available and included for any who manage to miss the French toast, bacon, sausages and scrambled eggs served from 8:30 to 9:30 each morning.

Have a pet of your own who likes to travel? You’re in luck. Unlike some other bed and breakfast destinations, Whistlewood Farm allows pets – well-behaved pets of course…good news for us pet owners.

Reservations are accepted by phone, (845) 876-6838. Book now for a quiet, restful, rejuvenating stay at WhistleWood Farm and welcome to your country farm vacation.

Working Farms – A Different Vacation Perspective…

Want to feed a goat, milk a cow, feed some chickens? Maybe you don’t but your kids DO! Then a working farm vacation is what you are looking for.

I grew up in an agricultural area and live in one now (neighbors shown above!), so the fact that there are so many children around who have never seen a chicken, or a goat, or a horse, or a pig, seems a little sad to me. Such is the nature of the urban and suburban lifestyle, but you can do something about it for your family.

Just 45 minutes southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA in Avella is Weatherbury Farm. With it’s 100 acres of farmland, sheep, pigs, chickens and bunnies, parents and grandparents have an awesome opportunity to teach children a respect for animals and to provide an understanding of farms and the food they provide.

Families staying more than two nights are invited to take part in the Weatherbury Farm Kids Program. Up and at’em after a hearty country breakfast, your kids can help Farmer Dale with the morning’s farm chores and they even receive a certificate at the end of their stay. If idle hands are the devil’s playthings, and the “There is nothing to do” comments are something you’ve heard on past vacations, no worries about either of those at Weatherbury Farm. Fresh air, chores, and sunshine – what better way to spend a family vacation?

You won’t be sleeping in the barn either – although I could think of worse places to sleep! Check out the many options on the Weatherbury Farm web site or read some reviews from prior happy visitors. Phone Weatherbury Farm at: (724) 587-3763 for more info on reservations and availability.

So, decide what taking a farm vacation means to you and then take full advantage of the country vacation experience. Whether to just relax and unwind or to experience rural life on a working farm, destinations are available to make this your next perfect vacation.

More farm stay ideas and info also can be found at Farm Stay USA. You’ll also find some great info on agritourism posted there.