Stop By The Farm
Stay On A Farm In NC
Have you ever wanted to get away from the city for a week or a weekend and enjoy the simple pleasures and fresh air of farm life? In North Carolina, there are a multitude of places to do just that. Whether you’re looking to stay in the mountains or the Piedmont or along the coast, whether you want to experience a farmer’s chores or just enjoy his view, NC has plenty of places for you to stay on a real-life working farm. Here are a few places where you can explore your agricultural side in North Carolina:
Springfield Bed & Breakfast Inn, Hertford
Springfield Inn is a classic Southern bed & breakfast inn set in a relaxed country setting just outside Historic Hertford. Whitewashed fences and hundred-year-old pecan trees accent this house, built in 1896, that features relaxing porches, clapboard siding and a tin roof. The Inn is set in the middle of a working farm that boasts an original barn and historic farm equipment. The property has been in the White family since 1891 and was recently renovated by a fourth generation family member.
Barnhouse at Genesis Farm, Chapel Hill
A ten-minute drive from Chapel Hill will find you off the beaten path and onto a twenty-acre farm that uses organic methods to grow vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. Enjoy the sunsets on the deck overlooking the barnyard, gardens and pastures. This unique farm offers visitors the opportunity to help with the daily chores right along with the farmer: gather eggs, care for the critters, and work the gardens. Those looking for a little more ‘down time’ can simply choose to relax on the deck, dip their toes in the pond, take a nap, or go for a walk and enjoy the scenery.
Fickle Creek Farm Bed & Breakfast, Efland
This bed and breakfast near Chapel Hill is only five minutes from the interstate, but once you’re there you’ll find yourself in rural bliss on a 61-acre working farm. You’ll find a market garden, laying hens, sheep, goats, steers, & pigs. Guests also will enjoy their breakfasts fresh from the farm, with seasonal fruits, vegetables, cheeses, eggs, & meats.
The Inn at Celebrity Dairy, Siler City
Sheltered on a gentle knoll under 250 year-old oak trees, the Inn is actually two buildings: a modern Greek Revival farmhouse skirted by wide porches, and the original settler's 1800 log cabin. The two-story atrium joining the two serves as the farm's gathering room. Surrounding outbuildings attest to the farm's past and present: an original log hay barn and granary, the 1880's smoke house, tobacco barns from the 1940s, and most recently - the farmstead goat dairy that produces award-winning goat cheese.
Blueberry Cottage at Mountain Farm, Burnsville
A visit to this hilltop farmhouse is like a step back in time, complete with huge plank floors, a fireplace and wood stove, old-timey quilts, and rockers on the wrap-around porch. From this agricultural outpost, you can enjoy the clear starry nights and the views of the highest mountains east of the Mississippi. A trail from the cottage leads down through the woods and wildflowers to a pond with a fire ring, picnic tables, and a dock with a paddleboat at the deep end.
Old Orchard Creek, Lansing
This 100-year-old completely renovated Appalachian mountain cabin is perfect for a mountain vacation. Built on the old Virginia Creeper Railway line (the tracks were removed in 1977), high above Big Horse Creek, this cabin is a perfect place to base your exploration of the Blue Ridge. Enjoy the relaxing sound of the creek as it rushes by this 25-acre farm. Hiking, trout-fishing and star-gazing opportunities abound.
Morningside Farm, Brevard
Nestled in the French Broad River Valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Morningside Farm is located on one of the most beautiful pieces of land in Brevard, North Carolina. There are more than 80 species of birds right on the grounds of the farm, and plenty of open space for you to explore… all within a few minutes of historic downtown Brevard.
Laurel Oaks Farm, Bakersville
Located in the middle of Mitchell County at an elevation averaging 2,600 feet, the quiet seclusion of Laurel Oaks Farm makes for an ideal getaway location. The farm is a beautiful, mainly wooded sheep farm on the banks of the Toe River. There are numerous trails to explore and two ponds for you to to sit by, relax at, and fish in. Farm tours for guests and children can be arranged, as can spinning demonstrations for those interested.
Briar Rose Farm, Hot Springs
A true farm experience is what the folks at Briar Rose Farm offer to their guests. Enjoy cool evenings, sunny days, blue skies, and a choice of adventures just outside your cabin door... or relax and just soak up the peaceful quiet of this rural setting. Be as active or as lazy as you wish.
The Gardener’s House at Frog Holler, Waynesville
Recently renovated to include all of the comforts of home, the Gardener's House at Frog Holler (built in the 1920s) combines a beautiful farmhouse with gardens, ponds, breathtaking mountain views on all sides and farm life to it’s fullest. Experience real "country living" while cows, horses and chickens lazily graze on neighboring mountainside pastures. Be lulled to sleep by the night sounds of the frogs’ lullabies and the waterfall outside your bedroom window. You may even hear the mournful wail of a coyote in the distance.
Bedford Falls Alpaca Farm, Warne
Bedford Falls Cabin is located between the creek and the farm’s alpaca pastures. The area offers golf, white water rafting, fishing, shopping and much more, but the cabin offers peace and calm in comfort. Come and enjoy the sights of alpacas playing in the pastures and the sounds of a nearby babbling stream.
Tender Mercy Retreat, Waynesville
A seasonal rental vacation cottage sits on this farm overlooking the infamous Cold Mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains. Here you’ll find llamas, chickens, horses, dogs, cats, and a pond stocked with fish. The vegetable garden is available for picking, the eggs for cooking, the fish in the pond for catch and release or for dinner. Schedule a gourmet lunch llama trek on the 36 acres, or just go for a hike with one of these friendly and fascinating animals.
For a complete listing of North Carolina’s agritourism accommodations, go to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services web site at www.visitncfarms.com and click on “Farm Bed & Breakfasts, Country Cabins, and Retreats”.
added: May 22, 2009
updated: April 3, 2012
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http://www.visitnc.com/journeys/articles/stop-by-the-farm/1/stay-on-a-farm-in-nc
