The Sanctuary Experience - Farm Stay
FARMING DATES BACK ROUGHLY 12,000 YEARS TO THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION, AND WE CAN THANK THE EGYPTIANS FOR PLANTING THE SEEDS.
FARM STAYS DATE BACK TO THE 1980’S…AND WE CAN THANK THE ITALIANS FOR LAUNCHING WHAT WE KNOW TODAY AS AGRITOURISM.
IN THIS ARTICLE, WE’LL DIVE INTO THE HISTORY OF THE FARM STAY AND WHY IT WAS CREATED, AND HIGHLIGHT SOME FANTASTIC GLAMPTUARYS AROUND THE GLOBE THAT OFFER THE FARM STAY EXPERIENCE - MUCH TO THE DELIGHT OF THEIR ANIMAL RESIDENTS.
Feeding sheep during a Farm Stay at Paradise Country - Queensland, Australia
Growing up in Minnesota meant I had many opportunities to visit farms as a young lad. Unfortunately most of my farm visits consisted of more ‘drive-bys’ than actual visits where I may have gotten my hands dirty.
The concept of farming felt very foreign to me and yet, I have always been attracted to the imagined lifestyle. And after seeing the movie Field of Dreams, I thought it must be nice to have so much time on one’s hands to build whatever it is you feel like on a beautiful piece of land that you can call your own.
From FIELD OF DREAMS - Source - The Midpoint
Kevin Costner may not have known it at the time, but this movie provided a great example of a potential ‘FARM STAY’…albeit a very unorthodox experience.
Fictional history aside…’Farm Stays’ can be credited back to Italy who codified the term ‘agritourismo’ in 1985. Legitimizing this business operation was done in part to help support the large number of farmers who were looking for additional revenue streams post World War II. The Italian government also saw this as a great opportunity to promote farming and educational opportunities.
Agritourism started to grow rapidly in Europe after Italy made things official, and it’s now one of the most popular nature immersion experiences available at a Glamptuary.
The United States started to gain traction with agritourism after Scottie Jones created a website in 2010 called FARM STAY USA.
Scottie Jones and some farm friends - Source - Forbes
Mrs. Jones and her husband Greg had decided to make a career jump when she turned 50. The goal: leave corporate America and become farmers. Easier said than done.
You can read all about their transition in her book Country Grit: A Farmoir of Finding Purpose and Love. It’s an inspirational story which sounds very similar to many of the Glamptuary origin stories told on The Glamptuary Podcast.
Scottie decided to start inviting guests into their farm as a way to help pay the bills after she realized that the dream of owning a farm was not profitable enough to sustain her and her husband. She got the idea based on her travels around Europe, where Farm Stays had become a well established means of income for many farmers.
Being the pioneer that she is, Scottie created FARM STAY USA because she realized that for her Farm Stay to be successful, it needed a platform that helped to promote her concept, and others like it. This platform now serves as a one-stop shop for anyone interested in learning more about Farm Stays, and where they can experience them.
Source - FARM STAY USA
Nice work Scottie!
After perusing the site, we got even more excited about writing this article that features Glamptuarys who offer a true Farm Stay experience, combined with a stay in an amazing glamping structure. Some of these Glamptuarys below can be found on the Farm Stay USA site, and some are located outside the United States.
Regardless of where these Glamptuarys are located geographically, we've added them all to our bucket list - and so should you.
PARADISE COUNTRY- Queensland, Australia
EXPERIENCES OFFERED:
FARM STAY, ANIMAL FEEDING, EGG HARVESTING, COW MILKING, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, SPECIAL EVENTS
IUTA - Avola, Sicily, Italy
EXPERIENCES OFFERED:
FARM STAY, OLIVE HARVESTING, OLIVE OIL TASTING, YOGA, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, SPECIAL EVENTS
TREECASA - Rivas, Nicaragua
EXPERIENCES OFFERED:
FARM STAY, YOGA, WELLNESS, SURFING, HORSEBACK, SUPERFOOD FORAGING, ORGANIC GARDENING, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, SPECIAL EVENTS
ALABASTER ACRES - Ontario, Canada
EXPERIENCES OFFERED:
FARM STAY, SYRUP MAKING, GOAT WRANGLING, GOAT YOGA, HORSEBACK, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, SPECIAL EVENTS
TAOS GOJI ECO LODGE - San Cristobal, New Mexico
EXPERIENCES OFFERED:
FARM STAY, GOJI HARVESTING, FARM ANIMAL EDUCATION, GARDENING, BEEKEEPING, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, SPECIAL EVENTS
LEAPING LAMB FARM - Alsea, Oregon
EXPERIENCES OFFERED:
EGG HARVESTING, FARM ANIMAL EDUCATION, ANIMAL FEEDING, MUSHROOM FORAGING, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, SPECIAL EVENTS
Farm Stays are a wonderful way to learn about nature. Supporting agritourism means supporting one of the oldest trades known to humans - supplying food.
Being a farmer isn’t easy and the folks that take the extra time to educate people about sustainable living deserve a LOT of credit - and our support.
At Glamptuary, we’re proud to promote this lifestyle and encourage you all to drop into one of these farms, and learn a little whilst enjoying nature.
Namasté and safe travels everyone!
I truly appreciate your time and if you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read - please share with your network.
