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Take Your Family on an Unique &
Unforgettable Vacation: Visit a Farm!
by Marcia Passos Duffy
Unforgettable Vacation: Visit a Farm!
by Marcia Passos Duffy
As you are planning your next vacation do you get sticker shock from the cost
of accommodations, airfare and meals? Are you tired of the usual resort or
theme-park destinations where you are passively entertained (and constantly
opening your wallet)? Are you searching for a vacation that will be relaxing for
you and an unforgettable experience for the kids? Do you want to be at a place
that is real and not manufactured?
What you need is a good old-fashioned farm vacation.
Staying at a farm – even if you just stay a weekend – is an experience your
family will never forget. If you have kids, it is a chance for them to experience
firsthand where food comes from and even help with farm chores, such as
feeding baby lambs and collecting eggs. It is a way out of the hustle and bustle
of modern life; it is a retreat that brings you and your family back to America’s
farm roots and a calmer, simpler way of life.
Farm vacations are not new. In fact, 50 years ago city dwellers who needed a
break would call their country cousins for a respite from urban life. However,
today, with less than 2% of the US population now living on working farms,
finding a relative with a farm is unlikely for most people. But now more than
ever -- with the frenetic pace of suburban and urban life at full tilt -- we all
desperately need a vacation “away from it all.”
Luckily there still many farmers who, in addition to farming, love to play host
to their urban “cousins.” These farmers are part of an ever-growing trend of
agri-tourism. According to a recent article in the Boston Globe the farm
vacation is increasingly becoming a popular getaway among suburban
families. This trend is being fueled by a surging interest in environmentally-
conscious tourism and the increased enthusiasm for local organic food among
suburbanites and urban dwellers – who rightly believe that children ought to
know and understand where food comes from.
What’s it like to stay on a farm?
Imagine for a moment waking to the sound of the rooster crowing and
chickens clucking. How about rolling out of bed and collecting fresh eggs with
your kids for your breakfast? You can then stroll around the farm, go fishing,
milk a cow, sip lemonade on the rocking chair on the porch, feed a baby lamb
out of a bottle, or go for a hayride.
The pace and pressures of everyday life slip away. This is a place you can
really “let go” on vacation, participate in some real down-to-earth activities,
eat wholesome home-grown and cooked meals, and probably have the best
sleep you’ve had in years.
Many parents who have taken a farm vacation report that it is more relaxing
than a traditional vacation plus farm vacations promote simpler values they
want to instill in their children – like hard work and respect for nature.
A farm vacation is not only relaxing, but it is a true bargain. The average
middle income American family spends hundreds of dollars annually in its
two weeks' pursuit of fun and relaxation. You probably lay out even more
money on camping equipment, special vehicles, boats, motorcycles, gasoline,
motels, restaurants, camping fees, portable TVs, movies, liquor, repair bills
and more. Sometimes you need a vacation after your vacation to recover from
the stress of spending all that money and not really having a relaxing time.
Your farm vacation helps not only your family, but small family farms.
Taking a farm vacation not only benefits you and your family – but farmers as
well. For farmers – the influx of guests who are willing to pay for lodging and
the “farm experience” is becoming vital to their economic survival and
preserving the rural landscape. In fact, farms who include some kind of
“agri-tourism” (such as farm stays) are managing to stay afloat and even
thrive.
With many independent farms on the verge of extinction, cash-strapped
farmers are finding a good stream of income hosting urban/suburban
guests…who actually want to milk their cows and gather eggs!
So this season, instead of taking your usual vacation, pack your bags, your
muck boots, and your sense of adventure and head for the nearest farm. It will
be an experience you and your kids will be talking about for years to come.
About the author:
Marcia Passos Duffy is a the publisher of
The Heart of New England online magazine
and author of the e-book,
Farm Stays: Northern New England.
Your Guide to an Unforgettable Farm Vacation
Click here for free excerpt from the book
and purchasing information.
of accommodations, airfare and meals? Are you tired of the usual resort or
theme-park destinations where you are passively entertained (and constantly
opening your wallet)? Are you searching for a vacation that will be relaxing for
you and an unforgettable experience for the kids? Do you want to be at a place
that is real and not manufactured?
What you need is a good old-fashioned farm vacation.
Staying at a farm – even if you just stay a weekend – is an experience your
family will never forget. If you have kids, it is a chance for them to experience
firsthand where food comes from and even help with farm chores, such as
feeding baby lambs and collecting eggs. It is a way out of the hustle and bustle
of modern life; it is a retreat that brings you and your family back to America’s
farm roots and a calmer, simpler way of life.
Farm vacations are not new. In fact, 50 years ago city dwellers who needed a
break would call their country cousins for a respite from urban life. However,
today, with less than 2% of the US population now living on working farms,
finding a relative with a farm is unlikely for most people. But now more than
ever -- with the frenetic pace of suburban and urban life at full tilt -- we all
desperately need a vacation “away from it all.”
Luckily there still many farmers who, in addition to farming, love to play host
to their urban “cousins.” These farmers are part of an ever-growing trend of
agri-tourism. According to a recent article in the Boston Globe the farm
vacation is increasingly becoming a popular getaway among suburban
families. This trend is being fueled by a surging interest in environmentally-
conscious tourism and the increased enthusiasm for local organic food among
suburbanites and urban dwellers – who rightly believe that children ought to
know and understand where food comes from.
What’s it like to stay on a farm?
Imagine for a moment waking to the sound of the rooster crowing and
chickens clucking. How about rolling out of bed and collecting fresh eggs with
your kids for your breakfast? You can then stroll around the farm, go fishing,
milk a cow, sip lemonade on the rocking chair on the porch, feed a baby lamb
out of a bottle, or go for a hayride.
The pace and pressures of everyday life slip away. This is a place you can
really “let go” on vacation, participate in some real down-to-earth activities,
eat wholesome home-grown and cooked meals, and probably have the best
sleep you’ve had in years.
Many parents who have taken a farm vacation report that it is more relaxing
than a traditional vacation plus farm vacations promote simpler values they
want to instill in their children – like hard work and respect for nature.
A farm vacation is not only relaxing, but it is a true bargain. The average
middle income American family spends hundreds of dollars annually in its
two weeks' pursuit of fun and relaxation. You probably lay out even more
money on camping equipment, special vehicles, boats, motorcycles, gasoline,
motels, restaurants, camping fees, portable TVs, movies, liquor, repair bills
and more. Sometimes you need a vacation after your vacation to recover from
the stress of spending all that money and not really having a relaxing time.
Your farm vacation helps not only your family, but small family farms.
Taking a farm vacation not only benefits you and your family – but farmers as
well. For farmers – the influx of guests who are willing to pay for lodging and
the “farm experience” is becoming vital to their economic survival and
preserving the rural landscape. In fact, farms who include some kind of
“agri-tourism” (such as farm stays) are managing to stay afloat and even
thrive.
With many independent farms on the verge of extinction, cash-strapped
farmers are finding a good stream of income hosting urban/suburban
guests…who actually want to milk their cows and gather eggs!
So this season, instead of taking your usual vacation, pack your bags, your
muck boots, and your sense of adventure and head for the nearest farm. It will
be an experience you and your kids will be talking about for years to come.
About the author:
Marcia Passos Duffy is a the publisher of
The Heart of New England online magazine
and author of the e-book,
Farm Stays: Northern New England.
Your Guide to an Unforgettable Farm Vacation
Click here for free excerpt from the book
and purchasing information.
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