Agritourism Is Booming in Greene County, Tennessee
Autumn may be the most scenic time of year to drive through the rolling hills of East Tennessee’s Greene County. In addition to the fall foliage, hiking trails and historic sites, you can also find local farms opening their doors for family fun and the chance to visit a working farm.
The Farm at Spring Creek
The overnight cabin at The Farm at Spring Creek in Greene County had only been open a year when the pandemic hit, leaving co-owner Erin Turner and her husband, T.J., to wonder: “What have we gotten ourselves into?”
“It turned out to be a huge blessing,” she says. “Everybody wanted to get away, and they didn’t want to be somewhere that was confined to a small place with other people, and our cabin is theirs exclusively when they’re here. We made lots of friends from afar with them yelling at me, ‘Hey, how you doing?’”
See more: Why These Tennessee Farms Added Agritourism
T.J. was in fourth grade when his grandparents, Lyle and Jeanne Weems, bought the 300-acre property in the early 1990s. Despite his young age, he pitched in on the farm, where they raised cattle to help maintain the sprawling land.
When Erin, a former marketing professional from Louisiana, and T.J. moved to his family’s farm in 2017, they decided to change things up a bit, she says.
Got to See Greene County
Today the couple produces grass-fed beef, teaches homesteading classes and rents out the cabin, which the do-it-yourselfers built from reclaimed logs and furnished with an old-timey fridge and other curios. They’re building a second one and hope to eventually offer four cabins altogether.
The farm is still a family effort supported by T.J.’s grandparents, his parents, Mike and Terry Turner, and Terry’s best friend “and No. 1 volunteer” Sandy Smith. Their children Ian, 8, and Alister, 5, help out, too.
See more: Still Farming at Still Hollow Century Farm in Greeneville
Turner loves hearing her guests’ reactions, especially the morning after they drive down the gravel road in the dark and wake up to see the mountains in the distance, ducks and geese meandering around a beautiful pond, and cows in the pasture nearby.
“I immediately get a text from them and they’re like, ‘This view is amazing,’” she says.
In autumn, the landscape turns into a picture-perfect wash of yellow, orange and red. Visitors can help feed the pigs, treat friendly donkeys to apples and gather eggs laid by the chickens in a hands-on farm experience that delights the little ones.
“You can sit on that front porch and not hear a car all day long,” Turner says. “I came from the city. I lived right by the airport and the police station and the train tracks, so I heard all three of those things all the time. Out on the farm, I don’t hear any of that, ever, and it’s kind of surreal sometimes. When people get out there, they just really love the peace and quiet.”
Horse Creek Farms
A self-proclaimed people person, Greene County native Emmy Armstrong loves to make visitors feel at home. “I expect that from my employees too,” says Armstrong, who co-owns Horse Creek Farms with her husband, Scott. “I hope people feel welcomed when they come here. And if they don’t, they need to come to me and let me know who I need to scold for that.”
Originally established in 1778, Horse Creek Farms has been in Scott’s family for at least 10 generations. Over the years, the 150-acre farm was split up among relatives, but the couple bought back a section of the original plot when they married four years ago. They also held their wedding on the farm, by the old tobacco barn and pond, with hay bales for seating.
Right away, the Armstrongs decided to add an agritourism element to Horse Creek Farms, a dairy farm that also grows corn and hay. Such a move would allow Armstrong to keep her young children close by during the workday. (The couple now have three kids between them: Andrew, 11; Harper, 3; and Wade, 1.)
Armstrong uses the farm as a way to share agriculture knowledge with people who don’t have much firsthand experience with farming.
“Ag education is so important. We really enjoy having people come out to the farm to learn,” she says. “The more people feel connected with the farm, the more they will trust us and not the false information that’s being spread.”
See more: 6 Agritourism Destinations to Visit This Fall
The Armstrongs planted pumpkins in the summer of 2019 and sold them out of a wagon that fall. The next year, they added a corn maze and hayrides, and in 2020 hosted their first antique tractor show. It drew 500 people.
This October, the tractor show will include blacksmith and pottery demonstrations, a bluegrass band, food trucks and, of course, vintage tractors. At the farm’s sunflower festival, visitors can enjoy the glow-in-the-dark corn maze and self-guided tours. The Armstrongs also plan to open a creamery in a former grain bin this fall, with ice cream served against a stunning mountain backdrop and cows grazing in the pasture.
“I want people to know that farmers care about them and their families,” Armstrong says. “I don’t want people to be afraid to question where their food comes from or what goes into making that.”
See more: 5 East Tennessee Agritourism Spots to Visit This Fall
If You Go
The Farm at Spring Creek
300 Spring Creek Place, Greeneville
(423) 609-3377
Horse Creek Farms
1748 Wilhoit Road, Chuckey
(865) 255-3030
facebook.com/KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood
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