sea2sea

Wow, thanks for all the replies, lots of great suggestions here! I told my daughter that there are probably small towns with horses and farm animals in California but she wants to go to the midwest or south "where the land is flat" lol and it

sea2sea

.....feels more authentic and "away from it all". Thanks again for all the suggestions, I'd better get started on all those websites.

starrs

Well, if flat land is what she's looking for...
forget NC.

HotWheels

You're describing North or South Dakota. Try discovernd.com for farm/ranch vacations. There are A LOT of small towns, farms and flat land!!

dfrostnh

sea2sea, I suggest you also look into a 4-H event for your daughter. It sounds like she would love to make contact with another teen who owns chickens and/or horses. In some states there are special interest clubs like "horse 4-H" which holds clinics, training sessions (not just riding) and quiz bowls. Sometimes there are mini fairs during the summer when 4-H members receive instruction and training prior to the real fairs and competition. I know feeding chickens might get boring after the first five minutes, but attending a clinic on what judges look for in poultry classes might be far more interesting.

btw I thought Animal, Vegetable, Miracle about a family's year of eating locally was fascinating. The daughter in the family chose to raise chickens so she could earn money for a horse. Your daughter might like to read the book. In addition to egg layers and meat birds, the family also raised some turkeys.

starrs

Great idea from dfrostnh!

This is kind of a strange idea but some places have started Urban Coop tours. Google to see if there's one in your area. Here's an example from Dallas -
http://www3.dmagazine.com/events/det...rban-Coop-Tour

If your daughter is interested in chickens it would be a great opportunity to see them in urban yards. Also check into listings from your local or state organic gardening organization. I bet there are places nearby to visit that you may not be aware of.

nytraveler

Agree that most of the south is not flat - although you can find some flat areas.

Also - is she prepared for the fact that the chickens are food - not pets? (Yes, the eggs are collected - but after the hens stop laying they go into the pot as well.)

sea2sea

Hmmm, thanks, more ideas to think about. I don't think she wants ND or SD, she doesn't want any dry, dusty or desert like places. She wants to go to a small town In The south or Midwest, where the landscape is very different than SoCal. A town that has a general store or a small main street, a town with a lake where we can rent a cottage and enjoy the simplicity of it all. Riding horses, feeding chickens, sitting by a lake, walking to the general store to get treats. I appreciate all the ideas from everyone. And yes, she knows that chickens are are for food too.

FrankS

Is there a Hobby Farm vacation directory of some kind? I have relatives who bought one a few years back, and I cant take more than 2 days there

Sheboygan Falls WI kinda has an Andy Griffith type feel to it, and there is horseback riding nearby

SAnParis2

starrs - Yes, that was it, but you don't want to go in the Summer, unless you like the smell(s). They will let you feed the animals, collect eggs, etc.

amwosu

If you decide to go to NC you might want to check out the John C Campbell Folk School (westernmost part of the state near Murphy NC) for a weekend class in folk arts. I've not been but I have several family members who travel from Ohio for classes there. Not sure how old one has to be to attend classes.
https://www.folkschool.org/index.php
Ann Marie

christy1

Try googling terms like "farm stays" and "farm vacations" in the geographic location you want. You should find some kind of directory. Though you might want to think about the requirements of being on a lake, AND being on a farm, AND being walking distance to town. I'm not sure that exists in reality. You might want to prioritize there--that would have to be an awfully small farm, right next to a town, to work (and the chance of it also having a lake? Hmmm). Also, WalMarts and other strip mall/big box stores on the edges of small towns have essentially put a lot of small town downtowns out of business.

I think if you start doing searches for farm stays you'll find something really fun, though it might not be what your daughter imagined in terms of location. Frankly I think northern CA has done a better job of keeping small, quaint towns in business than most of the rest of the county. Most farms in the Midwest are corportate owned, commodity crop farms--thousands of acres of corn, soy, etc. Not for tourists, that's for sure.

It's funny--farm stays are really big with families in Europe. There all all the activities you describe though I doubt you can walk into town from those farms either. The way Americans consider it essential to "get back to nature" by camping, visiting national parks, etc, a lot of Europeans consider it essential to get back to the farm.

christy1

Or also, what about a dude ranch? You could undoubtedly find one in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, etc, that looks different than southern CA, and I bet you can find one with cottages on a lake. You won't be able to walk to a town but I bet there will be so many things to do, she won't mind as much. And I bet the ranch will have some kind of clubhouse or something that might serve the same purpose.

sea2sea

I will definitely check into farm stays and dude ranches, although she wants nothing "touristy". I'm sure it will be difficult to find in this day and age. I still need to research all the website and towns mentioned here. Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it!

dfrostnh

For kicks I googled NH Farm Stays since NH has some nice lakes. This farm isn't in flat country. I think we may have visited it on a Christmas Cookie Tour a few years ago. The families were making gingerbread houses that weekend. Really nice, quiet area of NH but not within walking distance to town. The towns in that area, however are small. There isn't a touristy feel.
You can probably find something in the listings from all over the country.
http://www.farmstayus.com/farm/New%2...rm_-The_Inn_at

nytraveler

I think what you want doesn;t exist. My father grew up on a small family dairy farm (upstate NY) and they had cows and chickens - but no horses even in the 1920s - and the farm did have a small lake or pond.

And they did take in visitors by the week in the summer - usualy families with kids. But it was at least 5 miles to town. You simply cant have a farm in the middle of a town -no matter how small.

starrs

Hey sea,
If your daughter is interested in chickens, she may enjoy this blog by a children's book illustrator -
http://scratchandpeck.blogspot.com/