sea2sea

My daughter wants to visit a small country town in the U.S. Where she can ride horses and feed chickens. Somewhere that is still small and not "touristy". Any suggestions?

cmcfong

try this to narrow your search.
http://www.sleepinthehay.com/

I can tell you none of the towns in the NC listing are touristy and they are all small. I hope you enjoy your visit to the USA.

nytraveler

Don;t know what you mean by "ride horses" do you mean sit on some random horse - or a stable that runs regular rides of an hour or more. Most farms do not have horses and most stables are not on working farms - although they may have other animals around.

And what parts of the country are you in or will you be in?

Also - how old is your daughter?

Any more specific info will help people guide you.

janisj

The USA is a pretty big place. Can you at least give us a region?

sea2sea

I live in SoCal, my daughter is 14. She is interested in a small, country town possibly in the Midwest or the South. A lake would also be nice. Nothing touristy. A small town with a general store and not a "bedroom community" that relies on a big city nearby if any such place exists anymore. . I will look at the link cmcfong, thank you. Nytraveler: She wants to actually go on a trail ride. It doesn't have to be at the working farm but somewhere in town. Thank you.

SAnParis2

http://www.horseandmuletrails.com/Nc.htm

SAnParis2

http://www.vrbo.com/260586, http://www.visitnc.com/journeys/arti...n-a-farm-in-nc

obxgirl

General store? Seriously?

sea2sea

Thanks, SAnParis2. Sounds like NC is the place to go.

starrs

If you are going to NC, the best general store IMO is the original Mast in Valle Crucis -

http://www.mastgeneralstore.com/Comm...general-store/

Nearby is good horseback riding -
http://www.vcfarm.com/HorsebackRiding.html

Can't help you with the chickens

starrs

SAnParis' link includes two options with chickens near Waynesville. Here's one -
http://www.frogholler.net/welcome.html

Not too far away is a railroad she may enjoy riding -
http://www.gsmr.com/reservations/excursions.php

That area is a really pretty area of the mountains. You could fly into Atlanta, GA, Asheville, NC or even Greenville, SC and drive to the farm/area you choose.

starrs

Ah! Here are chickens on a farm not too far from Valle Crucis. There's a note there about a fair. That would be a great idea - to time your visit to a state fair or similar.

http://www.applehillfarmnc.com/events.htm

SAnParis2

There is another working farm near Hot Springs that has chicken & sheep & such but I can't put my finger on it.

starrs

Is it -
http://www.briarrosefarm.com/activities.html

travelerfromtx

No experience with but have read about this place in Arkansas: http://www.barfiftyranch.com/

I have stayed at the nearby DeGray Lake State Park. www.degray.com It's lovely and would be great to combine the two places for a visit.

AAFrequentFlyer

Mid Florida has many horse farms and the little towns are not touristy.

Ocala, Florida comes to mind

AAFrequentFlyer

here is a link

http://www.wildwesthorsetours.com/

nytraveler

Um - I don;t want to deter you - but chickens are incredibly stupid and feeding them will get boring in about 5 minutes. Typically children;s zoos - but I think your daughter is too old - have farm animals and other baby animals for the kids to interact with (lambs, calves, foals etc) - but I think the cut off is 10 or 12. And not sure if they have any in your area.

divineMissM

California is actually full of little towns like that.

Leona Valley might not be exactly what you're looking for, but it would make a great day-trip from So Cal.

Google "Leona Valley Trail Ride" and you should find some ideas.

cmcfong

Mast General Store is the motherlode, but NC has quite a few general stores. Rockford General Store, Rockford, NC and Todd General Store, Todd, NC are lots of fun and full of "treasures". The Todd store is a personal favorite because they have a very good little cafe perfect if you have just cycled the portion of the New River Trail from Fleetwood to Todd.

Perhaps you could find some issues of "Our State" magazine and check out the gorgeous state of North Carolina and her many attractions.