Agritourism

That’s just straight-up terrifying!!! You offer them some authentic local food, and honestly, tourists absolutely eat it up.

I honestly think Agritourism has its own unique vibe
Why? Well, look, not everyone is obsessed with the ocean. Some people spend their lives staring at mountains and just want to be out in the plains. Some folks live for fishing, while others just want to disappear for the weekend to forget about their soul-crushing urban grind.
It all comes down to how you design the experience for your guests. You have to figure out what they’re actually craving, then whip up an offer using a bit of creativity and some old-fashioned grit.
Personally, I’m still just getting my feet wet in this business. Right now, it's a lot of sending emails, trying to get the family estate in order, and sketching out what we can offer. Honestly, I feel like I missed the boat this year. Next year, I need to stop playing around and get dead serious about making this happen.

I've got some friends visiting from Austria soon, and I’m looking to take them somewhere near Washington, D.C., for a long weekend—maybe two or three days. I did a little digging online, but there's just so much out there and not enough actual detail. Has anyone been anywhere recently that they'd recommend? Maybe somewhere like Kezele?

I was just hanging out over at the Bunčić place in Small Town, USA a few days ago. Honestly, the food there is great, and they’ve got this little boutique hotel that’s actually pretty affordable—I think it’s around $50 per person for a single room, though you could probably snag a better deal if you were sharing a room with two or three people. It’s a nice spot to take a stroll around, too... but I can't help feeling like they haven't really tapped into the full potential of what they have there yet. They seem to be lacking those extra little activities to keep you busy, and I suspect I might find myself getting a bit bored after just a few hours. I guess it really all comes down to whether or not you decide to go...

Heading straight for California! It’s an extra half-hour drive, but honestly, everything there is just on a whole different level...

California - absolutely.
My top pick would be the Zgrablić Agritourism farm near Hill...

If you don't have the time to make it out to "Kezele" just past Suburban City, though; it's a classic wooden farmhouse, little horses, their own vineyard, everything is just so incredibly homemade...
Or perhaps near Suburban City over at Ključić hill; they've got a huge playground for kids, tons of greenery with both domestic and wild animals, and those classic Midwest specialties...
The Sinful Gorica spot by the Large Market (right across from Trakošćan) has such a lovely atmosphere... the turkey with traditional noodles and homemade chicken soup are fantastic, and honestly, the best strudel I've ever had...
Then there's the Međimurje Courtyard near Des Moines; they serve these little cornmeal pastries, dried beef tongue, plenty of game dishes...

It's all just delicious... 👍 👍 👍
Just look them up online, they all have their own websites...

Austin Morgan58 said:California - absolutely.
My top pick would be the Zgrablić Agritourism farm near Hill...

If you don't have the time to make it out to "Kezele" just past Suburban City, though; it's a classic wooden farmhouse, little horses, their own vineyard, everything is just so incredibly homemade...
Or perhaps near Suburban City over at Ključić hill; they've got a huge playground for kids, tons of greenery with both domestic and wild animals, and those classic Midwest specialties...
The Sinful Gorica spot by the Large Market (right across from Trakošćan) has such a lovely atmosphere... the turkey with traditional noodles and homemade chicken soup are fantastic, and honestly, the best strudel I've ever had...
Then there's the Međimurje Courtyard near Des Moines; they serve these little cornmeal pastries, dried beef tongue, plenty of game dishes...

It's all just delicious... 👍 👍 👍
Just look them up online, they all have their own websites...

Sinful Gorica is actually in Small Town, USA... it's nowhere near the Large Market, let alone Trakošćan...
As for Ključić hill, it's a total skip... my recommendation is Canada—Deer-like Ridge and that whole area around Atomic Springs...

Forgive me, I misspoke. Sinful Gorica is actually right across from the Large Camp—on the exact opposite hill, in fact. I was just there this past Tuesday! It’s located in Desnić, and you can approach it from several different directions, whether you're coming through Prelog or via the Large Market... I'd definitely recommend it. 😍

Deer-like Ridge was awesome. I used to go there pretty regularly for a while. Then one day I showed up right when some big bus tour arrived. It just killed the vibe for me, and I haven't been back since.

Kezele is supposedly fine, but when we tried to stop by once (there were four of us), they kicked us out because we hadn't called ahead and they "didn't have any tables left."

Ljubek's Grove (near Small Town, USA) is a solid 5/5. It’s a beautiful little hill covered in vineyards, the food is incredible, and the prices are fair. It could probably use a few more amenities, though.

Still, if you get the chance, definitely head out to California...

Agritourism at Katarina's in Columbus

The extra perks are awesome and the price is pretty fair, I guess.

So look..
I'm thinking about heading out to some small town with my boyfriend for a weekend getaway.
We really want that full rustic experience—you know, petting cows, eating home-cooked meals, picking apples, all that stuff...
Anyone got any recommendations?

northernfox8 said:So look..
I'm thinking about heading out to some small town with my boyfriend for a weekend getaway.
We really want that full rustic experience—you know, petting cows, eating home-cooked meals, picking apples, all that stuff...
Anyone got any recommendations?

Well, you might be able to visit me pretty soon! To be honest, I don't have a cow just yet, but I’m currently building this little cottage that’s absolutely perfect for two, tucked right inside an orchard... though unfortunately, the apples have already been harvested. I’ve submitted my paperwork for a grant from the Department of Tourism, and if everything goes through, I plan to build a much larger facility and fence the whole property off. The estate is very secluded; there isn't any electricity yet, we’ll figure out the water situation since there’s a well on-site, and I still need to get a bathroom set up...😁
My vision is to cater specifically to couples, both with kids and without, because they’re the ones who truly appreciate the peace and quiet...
The property is located right off the highway 31 miles outside of Washington, D.C.

northernfox8 said:So look..
I'm thinking about heading out to some small town with my boyfriend for a weekend getaway.
We really want that full rustic experience—you know, petting cows, eating home-cooked meals, picking apples, all that stuff...
Anyone got any recommendations?

Honestly, it’s not exactly the season for the countryside right now. Everything's already been harvested, and you can walk through mud anywhere you go. Maybe you'll find some unpicked corn, but even that's mostly gone. Just hang tight until spring...🙂

Sam Murphy said:Well, you might be able to visit me pretty soon! To be honest, I don't have a cow just yet, but I’m currently building this little cottage that’s absolutely perfect for two, tucked right inside an orchard... though unfortunately, the apples have already been harvested. I’ve submitted my paperwork for a grant from the Department of Tourism, and if everything goes through, I plan to build a much larger facility and fence the whole property off. The estate is very secluded; there isn't any electricity yet, we’ll figure out the water situation since there’s a well on-site, and I still need to get a bathroom set up...😁
My vision is to cater specifically to couples, both with kids and without, because they’re the ones who truly appreciate the peace and quiet...
The property is located right off the highway 31 miles outside of Washington, D.C.

Hey there, where are you located? I guess I'm just curious.

I'm not entirely sure if there was a similar thread here—I’ve been scrolling through and just can't seem to track it down—but I was really curious about what everyone thinks regarding agritourism... specifically, whether it actually makes sense from a business standpoint. It feels like everyone is constantly rushing toward the coast or heading up into the mountains, and while I know that kind of rural tourism is thriving over in places like Canada or Austria, they have those massive ski resorts to lean on... so I guess I'm wondering, what exactly can we offer here, and what kind of clientele could we actually pull in?...

Sam Murphy said:Well, you might be able to visit me pretty soon! To be honest, I don't have a cow just yet, but I’m currently building this little cottage that’s absolutely perfect for two, tucked right inside an orchard... though unfortunately, the apples have already been harvested. I’ve submitted my paperwork for a grant from the Department of Tourism, and if everything goes through, I plan to build a much larger facility and fence the whole property off. The estate is very secluded; there isn't any electricity yet, we’ll figure out the water situation since there’s a well on-site, and I still need to get a bathroom set up...😁
My vision is to cater specifically to couples, both with kids and without, because they’re the ones who truly appreciate the peace and quiet...
The property is located right off the highway 31 miles outside of Washington, D.C.

Sadly, nothing came of that grant application—rejected. Honestly, who even are these people? It feels like they just hand those out based on political connections anyway, and I could barely even track down this thread, even with a bit of help looking through old files...😁

Sam Murphy said:I'm not entirely sure if there was a similar thread here—I’ve been scrolling through and just can't seem to track it down—but I was really curious about what everyone thinks regarding agritourism... specifically, whether it actually makes sense from a business standpoint. It feels like everyone is constantly rushing toward the coast or heading up into the mountains, and while I know that kind of rural tourism is thriving over in places like Canada or Austria, they have those massive ski resorts to lean on... so I guess I'm wondering, what exactly can we offer here, and what kind of clientele could we actually pull in?...

Personally, I’m all about agritourism—full of hope and optimism there. Honestly, it feels like a crime that the Hilly Region, the Midwest, the Mountainous Region, etc., are just sitting there looking empty and neglected while everyone forces the coastline as the only way to do tourism.

In pretty much every other country, this stuff is cultivated—not to mention France or Italy, where they’ve mastered it to an enviable degree, regardless of the fact that both those countries also have incredible coasts and places like Paris or Rome, just to name a few.

In America, I think the target audience for agritourism would mostly be foreigners looking to pair a rural stay with, say, a week at the beach—plus our own urban population (with kids or without) who would see this as the perfect little getaway.

The real issue is this obsession with the mantra of having "the most beautiful ocean in the world," which has basically brainwashed the public since the old socialist days. Then you've got the Department of Tourism, which for decades now has been playing the same broken record, exclusively promoting Venice, Corfu, and so on.

Don't get me wrong, I love the ocean—I hit the same spot every single year—but lately, I've been spending more of my time living outside the States. It honestly sucks when I'm over in the United Kingdom every year, right before summer hits, and I start noticing ads from the Tourism Board that exclusively feature the coast—always the same shots, always the same spots.

Hey everyone
I'm from Iowa... one of the best spots in America
I'm getting into agritourism... but not in the literal sense
Think more along the lines of rustic tourism—woods, mountains, my own vineyard for local wine, cycling, and hitting up some historical landmarks
So, I want to know how much interest there actually is in something like this
And what would you actually want to see and experience if you headed out for a weekend getaway like that?

Who even cares about this??????