Beautiful in all seasons, Floyd’s vibrant agritourism scene offers a plethora of unique farm experiences where you can explore, learn, and engage all your senses up close. Floyd Farm Trail allows you to experience the best of Floyd in a convenient manner. Currently, the Floyd Farm Trail hosts 29 local participants including farms, wineries, farm stores, on-farm lodging, and more.
On the trail they strive to offer a sample of the types of experiences available for your trip to Floyd. There are so many options, every time you visit Floyd can be a different experience. You might begin your adventure on a Saturday morning at the Floyd Farmers Market. There you can meet local farmers, makers, and bakers and dance to some sweet local tunes while gathering seasonal veggies and fruits, locally raised meat, artisan bread, and more.
Perhaps you will visit one of the three wineries on the trail. Dobbins Hollow Winery, enjoyable in all weather, is a wonderful place where you can grab a bottle of wine and enjoy a picnic at one of the many peaceful sitting areas with breathtaking views of the ridge. This solar powered farm winery and cidery cultivates wine grapes, a variety of berries, apple and pear trees, all of which are used in the production of delicious wines and ciders. A nine-hole disc golf course adds fun for the whole family.
Interested in learning something new? Several venues offer workshops, which are listed on the Floyd Farm Trail calendar. Broadened Horizons Teaching Farm is dedicated to practicing and teaching sustainable ecological and agricultural methods. When you visit be sure to say hello to their cows, honey bees, and free-range chickens. Additionally, you can spend a beautiful afternoon in nature with the bees at Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary. Make sure to bring all your buzzing questions and curiosities to these experienced beekeepers. This flower filled sanctuary promotes sustainable and biodynamic beekeeping to help restore the health and vitality of the honeybees worldwide. I-Tal Acres is the place to go if you want to learn the secrets of medicinal and culinary herbs. Register for all these classes and more on-line.
Overnight accommodations are available for those who need them. Crooked Mountain, located on the historic Crooked Road Music Trail, just half a mile off the Blue Ridge Parkway and four miles from the town of Floyd, is a great place to take a break, pitch a tent, and soak in the overnight farm experience. Enjoy waking up to the sounds of the creek bubbling and the wind rustling through the sunflower fields that surround you. There are also four farmstead Super Airbnb’s listed on the trail. From modern yurts, to cozy cabins, to sleeping in a train caboose, no matter where you choose to stay, you’ll be cradled in Floyd’s home-style hospitality.
Riverstone Organic Farm is one of seven local farm store locations on the Trail. It is a certified organic farm with an on-site honor system store. Find organic vegetables, frozen soups, and artisan products along with local eggs, cheese, honey, krauts, bread, snacks, coffee, tea, and more from regionally based farms and artisans for your family picnic. Then, take a stroll on their walking trail along the banks of the beautiful Little River.
Before you leave town you might want to learn about the old moonshine culture of Floyd. 5 Mile Mountain Distillery is Floyd’s first distillery since Prohibition. Here you can taste old recipes still being made with traditional copper stills on open flames. Their batches of whiskey are kept small, bottled with love, and the magic of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Visit the Tasting Room to enjoy the latest and greatest award-winning spirits. You could grab dinner from a local food truck right outside of their door or check the Visit Floyd website for a full listing of local eateries, many of which are proud to feature some of our local farm products.
Looking for a gift or souvenir to take home from your trip? The Farm Trail has incredibly talented artisans ready to share their wares. Our farmers have unique, handmade products made with high quality, local ingredients including soaps, candles, herbal remedies, and more! Check the farm trail website to learn how to take home your new treasure.
Floyd is fortunate to have a vibrant community of agritourism venues rich in fresh food and unique experiences such as these. A few locations are mentioned here, but there is so much more of the Floyd Farm Trail to explore. You are welcome to craft your own agritourism adventures today. To map your visit and learn more about all the locations on the trail, please visit www.floydfarmtrail.org
The Floyd Farm Trail project is an initiative of SustainFloyd, a non-profit organization that undertakes and supports projects that enrich our environment, agriculture, renewable energy, and community well-being. www.sustainfloyd.org