Agritourism Destinations

story by GLENDA WINDERS

Studies show that the farther we get from our agricultural past, the less people — and especially children — know about where their food comes from. Agritourism has provided one way to counter this, by letting you experience rural life, culture, and food. Taking the family to a farm, orchard, or garden is an outing that can result in better eating habits, respect for the people who produce our food, and a desire to care for the environment. Many such destinations around the state are waiting to welcome travelers who want to learn — and have a whole lot of fun while they’re at it.

A good place to start is Fair Oaks Farm in Newton County. The kids might think they’re at a theme park, but in fact they are at a working farm where they can learn about many facets of agriculture. The Dairy Adventure shows you how a modern dairy farm operates. Here you’ll see how cows are fed, housed, and cared for, and have a stop at the barn to watch how they are milked — some by robots.

Nearby is the birthing barn, where visitors can watch new calves being born every day. Finish off the experience at the Dairy Adventure Museum where you can try out the milking machines, watch a 4-D movie, explore an indoor forest, and meet a real dairy farmer.

The Pig Adventure teaches how to raise and care for pigs, and also winds up at a museum where you’ll learn the importance of pork in medical research as well as our diets and new ways to prepare it. The Crop Adventure takes you underground to learn about plants and soil as well as to learn the global importance of what farmers do.

While you’re in this part of the state, head over to Johnson’s Farm Produce in Lake County. Pick your own produce during festivals that celebrate strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, melons, sunflowers, and pumpkins. At those times the Fun Farm is also open. Take a turn on the Spin Chairs, Pipe Swings, Straw Mountain, Barnyard Twister, Stevie Spiral, Pedal Karts, and much more.

At the Chesterton European Market and Coffee Creek Market, you can shop for fresh produce, local meats, and homemade bread. Other homemade goods are also available, and a list of vendors is posted each week. For a bottle of wine to go with your meal — or a hearty snack they can box up for you right there — the family-owned Four Corners Winery in Valparaiso is the place to go. Note, the European Market is hosted on Saturdays, while the Coffee Creek Market takes place Wednesdays.

Does your taste run to harder spirits? Make a stop at the Journeyman Distillery in Valparaiso. The Farm Bourbon, Farm Rye, and High Rye Bourbon you’ll sip here were made from organic kosher grains carefully grown on a family-owned farm in Putnam County.

Fannin’s Elk Ridge in Rochester invites you to tour their property to see Indiana’s “alternative livestock,” elk. Watch their life cycles from babies to bulls in a herd that Brandon Fannin began with only two animals. At the White Oaks Bison Farm you’ll have the opportunity to interact with animals in their native habitat that are raised with regenerative farming practices. Shop in their store for what they call “the healthier choice of meat.”

When you need to get away from the bustling urban life, Heritage Farm, near Kokomo, is the perfect place for a relaxing and fun getaway without traveling too far. Known for its stunning rural views, warm hospitality, and adorable alpacas this locally-unique farm transports you to a place where families can make wonderful memories. You can interact with the alpacas as you learn about Heritage Farm’s holistic approach to raising livestock. Visitors can also embark on an
enjoyable adventure with one of these alpacas as part of the farm’s Alpaca Trek, where you can stroll through the farm with a fluffy companion.

In Grant County, you’ll find the most delightful flower stand just outside of Marion. The Farmwife Flower Patch is a small flower farm specializing in seasonal, locally-grown floral arrangements. They offer subscriptions and custom orders, as well as wedding and event florals. On Saturdays through the flower growing season, their flower stand is open for self-service bouquets.

On any Saturday between May and October in Lafayette, you’ll be able to indulge in some of the finest and freshest produce around at the Lafayette Farmer’s Market, which at 186 years old is one of the oldest markets of its type in the state. It’s not the only one in town, however. The Purdue Farmers Market on the Memorial Mall offers the opportunity to stroll through the campus as you make your selections, and the West Lafayette Farmers Market offers pork, beef, produce, and eggs in the parking lot at Cumberland Park. If you’d rather pick your own, Annie’s Orchard, Hillside Acres and Huffman Berry Farm are the places you’ll want to go.

Also in Tippecanoe County is the Wea Creek Orchard and Lavender Bee Co., where there is no charge to wander through the peach and apple orchards and along Wea Creek on this registered archeological site. Pick your own sunflowers, visit a beaver dam and pop into their shop for apple, peach and pumpkin butters and jellies along with plants for sale. Occasional bee presentations teach how honey is made.

At Conner Prairie in Hamilton County you are invited to “Step Into the Story” as you explore historic exhibits and meet with Native Americans. But did you know that you could learn about
farm animals here, too, and that Conner Prairie has the largest stock of some rare heritage breeds?

Also in Hamilton County, the Carmel Summer Farmers Market is a must experience. More than 80 vendors bring Indiana’s freshest and finest food available on Saturdays, through September 27, from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Carter Green. This family and community gathering also features weekly musical entertainment.

Offering some 33 varieties of apples, Dougherty Orchards, Indiana’s oldest continuously operating family-owned apple orchard, awaits in Wayne County. Enjoy strawberries, pears, and pumpkins and sip a strawberry slush in the summer, or fresh cider in the fall. Visitors can also wander through the sunflower and lavender fields, admire the butterfly garden, and engage with farm and exotic animals at a petting zoo. There’s music in the garden on Fridays in the summer, and adults can unwind with a glass of crisp apple wine at the 1883 Winery.

At Bells Strawberry Farm in Hagerstown, the owners attribute their extraordinary berries to rich clay loam, deep well water, lots of sunshine and hard work. They invite you to pick your own and make a day of it by bringing a picnic and letting the kids play on a swing set in the yard.

Also not to miss is the Jones Family Farm in Milton for seasonal produce. Wander the fields and pick the flowers you like or buy premade bouquets at their stand. Come in the fall to explore their “pumpkin paradise” and the colorful pumpkin house.

Another good place for flowers is the Barn at Helm in Williamsburg, where they grow 80 varieties on four acres that range from daffodils, tulips, and dahlias to gladiolus, zinnias, snapdragons, and cosmos — all cultivated by hand. The owners provide scissors, containers, and water and offer flower-arranging workshops in the fall. Throughout the summer they host national, regional, and local performers once a month.

For some fruit of the vine, visit the Pilgrimage Wine Company in Cambridge City. Air Force veterans Scott and Emma Eckert, who say they are Old World vintners, cultivate cold-hardy grapes that they then turn into small-batch artisanal wines. Tour the winery or just relax with a beverage in their European style tasting room.

Want to learn more about bees and how honey is produced? Richmond is also home to the Four Leaf Honey Farm, where the owners care for more than 80 hives and harvest their own honey. Their gift shop offers honey-related products, such as Bourbon Aged Barrel Honey, beeswax candles, and honey sodas, and there’s lots more here, too. They will teach you how to start your own beekeeping operation and sell you the equipment. Or just take a tour of the facility, watch how they extract honey, get an introduction to bee biology, and stick around for a honey-tasting. End your visit by making your own eco-friendly beeswax food wraps.

Another bee-related site is Hunter’s Honey Farm in Morgan County. The owners’ family has been keeping bees since 1910, and they offer tours that allow you to tour the Honey Barn and check out the beehives, bottle your own honey, and roll your own beeswax candle. A Forestry Tour takes you walking through 65 acres of hardwoods and learning to identify trees as well as how to manage them, or perhaps you’ll choose a Hayride Tour.

“Agritourism is one of the top reasons people cite for visiting Morgan County,” said Tosha Daugherty, executive director of Visit Morgan County, as she listed some local destinations. “Throw in a farmers market stop or a visit to one of several farm stores in the area and you’ve got a fun and relaxing weekend the whole family will enjoy.”

At the Willowfield Lavender Farm, for example, you’ll roam the fields freely, wander along the paths, enjoy a picnic, and browse in the shop for items such as teas, oils, and candles made from the farm’s own harvest. Owner Libbe O’Connor says she is committed to bringing the beauty and calm of lavender into the lives of her visitors and ready to answer whatever questions you have.

While you’re in Morgan County, take the kids horseback-riding at Grandpa Jeff’s Trail Rides. His prices are more than reasonable, and it’s an opportunity to get up-close with the animals and explore nature. The Morgan County Farmers Market brings area farmers together twice each week from May to October. Saturdays you’ll find local meats, produce, baked goods, soaps, and maple syrup on Main Street in Martinsville. Tuesdays finds the event moved to the Friends Church in Mooresville.

From scenic sips to goat-side stretches, Brown County invites visitors to slow down and savor its unique blend of agriculture, community, and countryside charm. Hard Truth Distilling Co. offers immersive experiences on its 325-acre wooded campus, where guests can enjoy craft cocktails made with Indiana-grown grains, take distillery tours, explore nature trails, and blending local agriculture with outdoor adventure. Two other wineries, Brown County Winery and Country Heritage Winery, offer tasting rooms where you can enjoy their wines made with Indiana grown grapes and fruits.

The Nashville Indiana Farmers Market takes place every Sunday from May through October at the Brown County Inn. This vibrant market features fresh produce, plants, baked goods, handmade crafts, and locally made products. The Bean Blossom Farmers Market runs weekly May through October, providing another great way to connect with local growers and artisans offering Indiana-grown fruits, vegetables, flowers, and homemade goods

The Goat Conspiracy, southwest of Nashville, is a one of-a-kind goat sanctuary where visitors can experience goat yoga, a peaceful and playful outdoor session where gentle stretches meet goat cuddles, creating a fun and uplifting connection to animals and nature.

For a truly satisfying experience and a place to find ways to care for the planet, do not miss the Sisters of Providence White Violet Center for Eco-Justice at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in Terre Haute. When you tour their farm, you’ll find a herd of alpacas whose fibers the sisters harvest, a flock of egg-laying chickens, and an organic garden that furnishes produce to their farm store. Best of all, you’ll learn their principles of caring for nature — eco-justice and sustainability — along with educational workshops and cooking classes.

“The grounds here provide a peaceful place for reflection, engaging in nature and admiring European-inspired architecture,” said Karen Dyer, the executive director of the Terre Haute Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The White Violet Center offers an immersion into the local organic farming culture as visitors interact with the animals and explore gardens.”

Cultivate Farmstead is another place to find out about sustainable farming practices firsthand. The owners teach workshops on organic gardening, and invite you to explore their lush vegetable fields and purchase their produce along with pasture-raised eggs, local honey, meat, and kombucha on tap. Enjoy a variety of animals, a playground, and a walking trail or take classes in farm-to-table living.

At the Old 40 Farm you can experience goat yoga — spending time on your mat with an instructor while friendly goats meander around you and your classmates. If you can spare the time to stay overnight, bunk in at the Goat-el barn property.

The owners of the White Diamond Lavender Farm in Hope restored an Amish barn to become the centerpiece of their farm, and then began planting lavender. Today, they use what they grow in teas, soaps, eye pillows, room sprays, and more. While the farm operates primarily as an event venue, it’s worth planning a visit during scheduled events to enjoy a refreshing lavender wine slushy or lemonade slushy, along with delicious lavender shortbread cookies

The T.C. Singleton Round Barn in Daviess County can be toured only by appointment, but you’ll be glad you made the effort. Built in 1908 during Indiana’s “Golden Age” of agriculture, the barn’s features and qualities — louvered vents, solid doors, a capacious hay loft under a three-pitch gambrel roof — are perfect examples of how farmers have always worked to improve the efficiency and productivity of their operation.

In Dearborn County folks know that fruits and vegetables come from the area’s many orchards and farms including Busse’s Farm, affectionately known as the “Big Apple,” in Aurora. For more than 30 years, their vine-ripened tomatoes have been a community favorite. Their farmstand also offers corn, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, watermelon, kale and lettuce — and the perfect pumpkin at the change of the season.

If it’s flowers you want, Bokenkotter Blooms is a specialty cut flower farm outside of Lawrenceburg. They cut flowers here daily to ensure the highest quality and longest-lasting bouquet. Enjoy workshops, pick-your-own bouquet sessions, flower arranging, and more in a beautiful rural setting.

Huber’s Orchard & Winery in Clark County has been owned and farmed by seven generations of Huber family members. Their goal has always been to “maintain a stable and prosperous farm for our family, while promoting an environmentally sound stewardship of the land, resulting in an improved quality of life for our surrounding community and customers.” Learn how they fulfill this promise and experience the fruits of their labor in their U-pick seasonal produce, homemade ice cream, fresh-pressed apple cider, farm-to-bottle wine and craft spirits, and much more.

Fun farm-focused events are also happening around the state. Experience agricultural history in Greensburg at the annual Power of the Past. Held every August at the Decatur County Fairgrounds, this event showcases antique tractors, steam engines, and vintage farm equipment, celebrating rich agricultural heritage. Enjoy live demonstrations, tractor pulls, a vibrant flea market, and family-friendly activities for all ages.

And in Jay County, the world’s largest Gas Engine and Tractor Show features over 3,000 engines and 800 tractors, 150 antique and craft dealers, and 400 engine and tractor parts dealers. Additionally, the show features a large trading post to satisfy even the most casual of enthusiasts with furniture, glassware, primitives, clocks, dolls, jewelry, watches, coins, and more.

And of course, no summer would be complete without a trip to the Indiana State Fair, the state’s largest multi-day event celebrating the Hoosier spirit and agricultural heritage. This year a new “ag-venture” is being presented. The beloved “Little Hands on the Farm” is coming to life with livestock, and visitors will get an up-close look at the behaviors and roles animals have on a real-life farm. This year’s fair runs August 1-17.