Our readers love taking trips to their favorite farms and orchards. Here are just a handful of their top agricultural adventure picks.
Photo Above: Winchester Creek Farm in Waynesville, North Carolina, offers interactive tours and alpaca yoga classes. © Winchester Creek Farm | Facebook.
Winchester Creek Farm (Waynesville, North Carolina). Established in 2020, Winchester Creek Farm offers 20 acres framed by the Smoky Mountains. Their 45-minute interactive tours give visitors the opportunity to learn more about the farm and meet their alpacas as well as some of their miniature farm animals. Winchester’s alpaca yoga classes are designed to accommodate a variety of skill levels.Vacation rentals overlook the property. winchestercreekfarm.com
Jeter Mountain Farm (Hendersonville, North Carolina). The 400-acre Jeter Mountain Farm opens each July and gives visitors the complete u-pick experience. Orchards are filled with over 20 different apple tree varieties as well as blueberries, peaches, flowers and more. When your basket is full, head over to Jeter’s taproom and enjoy a hard cider made from the orchard’s own apples. jetermountainfarm.com
Sweetwater Valley Farm (Philadelphia, Tennessee). This family-owned dairy farm is known for its farmstead cheeses. In 2018, Sweetwater became Tennessee’s first Lely XL dairy farm, using robotic technology to milk 500 of their Holstein cows. The farm offers tours of the state-of-the-art milking facility. Stop by the shop afterward and enjoy a complimentary cheese tasting. sweetwatervalley.com
Sky Top Orchard (Flat Rock, North Carolina). This family-oriented orchard offers pick-your-own Asian pears, apples, peaches, cherries and grapes, plus numerous attractions children will love, including a playground, tractor rides through the orchard and the opportunity to pan for gems at the new Gold Rush Gem Mine. Finish the day with one (or a dozen!) of Sky Top’s fresh, “made-while-you-watch” apple cider donuts. skytoporchard.com
The story above first appeared in our July / August 2023 issue.
