If you’ve ever fantasized about living on a farm where your wake-up call is a rooster and your meals come straight from the garden, you aren’t alone.
Many of us consider leading simpler lives far from the madding crowds, especially now.
Well, it’s easy to at least dip into the dream.
Retreats at working farms where guests can simply enjoy the farm-to-table offerings or roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty can be found in some of the world’s most beautiful destinations.
Even better: There’s no need for a luxury trade-off, as these retreats also pamper with the best of them.
No need to leave America to live out your farm fantasies.
Deep in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, nestled on a pastoral, 4,200-acre estate, is sumptuous luxury (think feather beds with high-end linens in impeccably designed rooms) with a down-home spin.
Renowned for its mix of outdoor activities, including horseback riding, paddle sports, fly fishing and, in season, truffle hunting, you can also take a Farmstead tasting tour, and join in activities with the garden manager and farmstead educator to learn about the farm’s gardening techniques and philosophy.
Sample the garden’s goods at the award-winning The Barn at Blackberry Farm, which serves up seasonal dishes including cheese, fresh meats and produce from other local farms (from $895/night).
Its immaculately tended spread includes an 8-acre vegetable and fruit garden, bees for pollinating, geese, roosters, chicken, donkeys and more.
Guests can work alongside gardeners to harvest fruits, plant and prune, while kids can collect chicken eggs and feed the resident donkeys.
Want to learn more about medicinal herbs and plants?
One of the newest additions is a healing garden. The original farm buildings have been turned into luxe, stylish cabins by co-owner and local style guru Karen Roos. Feel achy from your labors? Enjoy the farm’s spa (from $320/night).
An elegant Irish country house on a 100-acre organic farm, Ballymaloe, in East Cork, will spirit you away to a more refined time. Family owned and managed, its farm-to-table philosophy results in exquisite, fresh meals, and guests have ample opportunity to add to the bounty, from making Irish soda bread with the pastry chef (you’ll have to be up with the roosters), to collecting eggs from the henhouse.
Should you choose, you can attend the renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School for afternoon demonstrations or 12-week certificate courses.
Summers, guests might be treated to a boat ride where they can fish for mackerel (from $227/night).
There’s more to a Caribbean island escape than its beaches. Four-hundred acres of organic farmland and tropical forest on Kittitian Hill in St. Kitts, this resort was built around a sustainable philosophy that extends to its ties to the community (in addition to its own farm, it works closely with nearby suppliers who also care about responsible fishing, farming and animal husbandry).
Throughout the property, guests will find “pick me” signs signaling fruit ready for eating, and its “edible” golf course, which threads through farmland and fruit orchards, encouraging players to pick ripe fruit on the links.
Delivered to your room — the secluded spaces with rainwater showers and wraparound porches are designed to feature the views of ocean and forest — are fresh boxes of fruit and surprises such as pieces of aloe to soothe skin after a day in the sun (from $700/night).
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