Discover “Agritourism” in Kentuckiana

We have all just recently gone through the life experience of going to the grocery store to shop for items to purchase, but find they are unavailable on our store shelves. This may have caused you to have given more thought to our food supply than maybe ever before. We are understanding more about the term “supply chain” and where our goods come from. Many of us have considered planting our own gardens now to become more self sufficient. And if that seems too daunting and intimidating, or until you get good at it, another alternative is to consider our local producers.

When Kentuckiana opens up again and we are free to travel to local attractions, maybe you will have a new appreciation for our local producers and what you can learn from them by visiting their location for events, tours, and purchasing local products.

What is Agritourism?

St Matthews Farmers Market

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture shares the definition of agritourism and the impact in Kentucky on their Kentucky Farms are Fun website. Agritourism is defined as "The act of visiting a working farm or any agricultural, horticultural, or agribusiness operations for the purpose of enjoyment, education or active involvement in the activities of the farm or operation."

Why is agritourism important to local tourism?Agritourism offers an opportunity to build relationships between the agricultural community and the local tourism industry by incorporating tour groups, educating school children and hosting civic events. This increases rural economic development dollars in areas with agritourism venues. The ultimate goal of an agritourism venue is to increase net farm income by filling customer needs for education and recreation on the farm.
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Why is agritourism important to all Kentucky citizens?Today most Kentuckians have no direct connection to farm life, even in rural areas. Agritourism gives people an opportunity to better understand the skill and hard work that go into producing the food and fiber we all enjoy. It's also a chance for great food and clean country fun at destinations that are close to home.

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Baby Steps Back Out in the World of Local Tourism

Gallrein Farms

The first thing that comes to mind to check out are local farmers markets. This link is a great way to search for what is available in your area and you can refine your search by category of products that interest you. Not only are they a good source of locally grown produce, you will find meat and poultry producers as well as custom craftspeople. And when you have the opportunity to speak to these vendors in a convenient location, they will gladly tell you if they welcome people to their site for a closer look. 

Check with your local farmers market, as many of them have lists available for you to pre-order and have safe pick up procedures in place while we are coming out of this COVID-19 time of shelter-in-place. You can learn more about markets that are operating successfully with CDC guidelines in place here.

If after you have taken that baby step and you are feeling more comfortable to venture out, we have plenty of beauty and agricultural resources to take in.

Maybe you will be up for a local orchard visit like to Gallrein Farms. They offer many seasonal products, activities, and events for the whole family. And I would love to go to their annual Sweet Corn Festival. There are some great farms and orchards where you can pick your own and you can find them here. And another way to introduce agriculture to your children is through interaction with animals. Reach out to Farmer Steve's Children's Barnyard for more information.

And don’t forget that when we can dine in restaurants again, we have many farm to table restaurants that deserve our patronage. Such as Freight House in Paducah, Local Feed in Georgetown, Barn8 in Goshen, as well as others listed here to support local farmers.

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Local Feed

Kentuckiana is the new Paris, France

Well Kentucky has locally produced wine and cheese just like France, so when it comes to a staycation, how do you beat that? A visit to Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese, not only gives you access to their specialty cheeses, they have onsite Airbnb options. How cool is that? They are a great testimony to local food producers. Boone Creek Creamery is another local producer of cheese that offers tours of their cheese making process, where you can buy their products. And then there are farm tours at Goat Milk Stuff which is a great agri-experience for the whole family and they have some great goat cheeses to offer as well as other food products to tantalize your taste buds.

And what fun it would be to pair that with your favorite local wine. You can find a map on our website here of our local wineries. And you can learn more about the sweetness scale here.
Another resource for winery details can be found on the Kentucky Farms are Fun Website here.

Kenny's Farmhouse Cheese

Kentucky Proud

LM Sugarbush

Lavender Hills of Kentucky

Prayer Mountain Farms

Kentucky is rich with products both edible and not, that you can enjoy and learn more about. Establish and connect with your local supply chains. Not only made in America, but made in Kentuckiana supporting your local communities.
One of the earliest agri-events of the year is the Annual Maple Syrup Festival in Southern Indiana where you can learn about how it is produced and have a tasty delight of your own to take home with you. And from there many other seasonal events to follow.
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Any mushroom lovers out there? I ordered the sampler from Prayer Mountain Farms. And they distribute locally as well. I also hope to be able to attend the Mountain Mushroom Festival next year in the early spring. 

What about honey? Find local honey bee related products here.

Lavender? Learn the many wonderful ways to enjoy lavender at the Lavender Hills of Kentucky And events they offer here. A great stress reliever.

Provided events remain as scheduled you can look forward to the Kentucky Wool Festival this fall. Scheduled for October 2-4, 2020. You can familiarize yourself with the vendors from last year’s event here. Video overview here.
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I hope that one thing we all have learned as a result of travel restrictions and social distancing  is that the simple things of life have great value. While not all the possibilities in Kentuckiana have been mentioned here, I hope you are inspired to raise your awareness of what is all around us that can add vitality to our lives. Show some love to local agritourism while we come out of an experience that has made me appreciate more of what is right in our own backyard to experience. Start planning your outings today. 

More resources for Agritourism agencies can be found here. If you have a great agritourism experience in Kentuckiana to share please share it on social media with the hashtag #kytravel

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Lynette Marie Smith is the Director of Design and Marketing for Kentucky Travel Guide. She has been involved in highlighting tourism and economic development promotion on the local level since 1989