Image courtesy of TN Dept of Agriculture
|
|
A trip to the pumpkin patch has become standard fare for autumn loving locals, and this year it’s worth looking around for more than great gourds. Many farmers are expanding options for consumers to learn how and where food and home goods are grown or made.
Bountiful Acres Farm near Watertown produces a wide range of personal care products and found that customers also wanted to learn how to make their own. Owner Sue Dickhaus added a retail store in Lebanon where she hosts soap making classes using the same goat’s milk, honey bee products and herbs her family produces on the farm.
In addition to dairy and creamery tours, Noble Springs Dairy near Franklin hosts farm festivals every Saturday from September 16 through October 28. Their celebrations include pumpkin picking, food trucks at their picnic area, a bounce house and petting zoo.
Greeneville’s Two Roots Vineyard and Alpacas hosts a National Alpacas Farm Days festival September 24 and 25. Visitors can try spinning and weaving in addition to touring the vineyard, picnicking and mingling with the farm’s alpacas.
Most agritourism farms, like Falcon Ridge near Jackson, still offer farm favorites like wagon rides, petting zoos, pony rides, all kinds of fall décor, and pumpkin picking. Family movie nights in the pumpkin patch, praise and worship opportunities for area congregations, and educational corn mazes are also popular fall fare. The Plantation Barn of 1810 in Morristown is a popular wedding venue, and this year plans to host a community wide “trunk or treat” for the first time.
Find fall farm activities and products with the Pick Tennessee mobile app or online at www.PickTnProducts.org. Most on-farm activities depend on good weather, so call ahead and check the farm’s social media posts before traveling.
Pick Tennessee is the farmer to consumer service of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and offers farm, farmers market, and farm product directories as well as seasonal recipes. Follow Pick Tennessee on social media.
Fall Fun Farms:
West Tennessee
Falcon Ridge Farm
Ray or Bart Gilmer
22630 Highway 18 North, Toone, TN 38381 (Hardeman County)
Phone: (731) 658-5200
E-mail: mail@falconridgefarm.net
www.farmatfalconridge.com
Green Acres Farm
Denton Clay Parkins
158 Medina Highway, Milan, TN 38358 (Gibson County)
Phone: (731) 686-1403
E-mail: greenacresfarmmilantn@gmail.com
www.greenacresfarmmilantn.com
Middle Tennessee
Bountiful Acres Farm
Sue Dickhaus
107 W. Main St., Lebanon, TN 37087 (Smith County)
Phone: (615) 420-0345
E-mail: sue@bountifulacresfarm.com
www.BountifulAcresFarm.com
Keller’s Korny Kountry
Bryan & Tonya Keller
542 Firetower Road, Dickson, TN 37055 (Dickson County)
Phone: (615) 441-4872
E-mail: kellerklan@att.net
www.kellerscornycountry.com
Noble Springs Dairy
Dustin Noble
Noble Springs Dairy, 3144 Blazer Road, Franklin, TN, 37064 (Williamson County)
Phone: 615-481-9546
www.noble-springs.com
East Tennessee
Two Roots Vineyard and Alpacas
Brad and Ruth Anne Goss
3875 Saint James Road, Greeneville, TN 37743 (Greene County)
Phone: (256) 509-5096 256-508-6433
E-mail: ruthanne@tworootsalpacas.com
www.tworootsalpacas.com
The Plantation Barn of 1810
Alice and Mark Rogers
2505 Valley Home Road, Morristown, TN 37813 (Hamblen County)
Phone: (423) 312-0028 423-312-2668
E-mail: info@theplantationbarnof1810.com
www.theplantationbarnof1810.com
