Looking for a weekend getaway or a place to host your wedding? Do you love animals, nature, and fresh food harvested from healthy local soil? Stick around to discover the wonderful opportunities for fun and exploration visiting Monadnock region farms! In addition to onsite farm stands and stores stocked with seasonal, local produce and artisan products, each farm has unique offerings, from a farm-to-table restaurant to a microbrewery to an Airbnb. Each brimming with its own personality, every farm on this list has a dedication to quality, sustainable produce, and community. Read on to discover these hidden gems!
Bring home some sweet local produce from Mayfair Farm
First, for a great farm-shopping experience, visit Mayfair Farm, located in Harrisville, is home to pasture-raised dorset cross sheep and pigs, a farmer, a pastry chef, their two kids, and furry friends. Mayfair’s products range from year-round artisanal meats to seasonal, local produce. Come here for summer blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries, fall apples and pears, and maple syrup! The farm store offers all these along with prepared food, including soups and the owner’s very own baked goods. Find Mayfair Farm products from a variety of vendors, from Whole Foods to coops and local restaurants. Mayfair also services farm-to-table catering and hosts private events including weddings. They even hold two community dinners per season inside their large barn space!
If you are looking for a longer visit, then check out Mayfair’s rustic Airbnb guest cottage. With Harrisville Pond so close by, the cottage is the perfect summer getaway for hikers, canoers, and kayaking enthusiasts. Enjoy free wifi, a fully equipped kitchen, and a peaceful deck to enjoy your morning coffee.
Bring your kids to learn about New England Farming at Stonewall Farm
Next on our list for a visit is the community farming education center – Stonewall Farm, a working farm in Keene, and a nonprofit dedicated to farming education. The farm focuses on regenerative agriculture while teaching the community to support food security and the environment! Stonewall also offers fresh seasonal produce to CSA farm share members. Visit their farm store for fresh fruits and vegetables, free-range eggs, beef, and other products made by nearby vendors like honey, coffee, and tea.
With dedication to all members of the community, Stonewall also runs the Stepping Stones Incubator Program! Fledgling regenerative farmers come here as an alternative to an agriculture degree to learn how to grow their own business! For kids, the farm offers engaging year-round camps with hiking, gardening, cooking, and games among other fun activities. Like many other farms on this list, Stonewall also hosts large events like weddings and birthday parties. Other events include hayride and farm tours, and even sleigh rides in the winter!
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Locally made brews at Nye Hill Farm
Nye Hill Farm is a certified organic farm in Roxbury. In addition to organic seasonal produce, they offer farm-fresh eggs, pure maple syrup and candy, and yarn spun from their sheeps’ wool. Resident potters craft clay and ceramic wares. Find Nye Hill produce in Keene’s local restaurants and co-op!
With a penchant for community service, Nye Hill Farm is a sanctuary to old, injured, and previously unwanted animals including horses, llamas, goats, pigs, and oxen, among others. The farm also contributes to the Keene Community Kitchen year-round, as well as various other donation services.
Not only is this a caring a creative space, but it is a brewery too! If you have a passion for beer, visit the Brewers of Nye Hill Farm! The microbrewery embraces traditional, handcrafted methods of production. The beer barn overlooks a picturesque landscape of pastures and orchards, complete with apple and pear trees, blueberry bushes, grape vines, and beehives. Try their flagship pale ale series “Nye P.A.!”
Dine and stay the night at Walpole Valley Farms
Last on our list is Walpole Valley Farms, owned by the Caserta family since 1999. It is a trio of businesses: the farm, the Inn at Valley Farms, and their farm-to-table restaurant The Hungry Diner. The farm raises pasture-based eggs, pork, poultry, and grass-fed beef and lamb on its 100 acre property. Two barns, originally built for dairy cattle, now house the farm store, a movie theater, and are used for hosting weddings and events. Check out the farm store for meat and dairy products, maple syrup, jam, honey, and even specialty gifts!
If you are looking for a rustic getaway, The Inn at Valley Farms, built as a private country home in 1774, offers romantic and relaxing guest rooms and suites. It now serves as a rustically luxurious countryside experience, complete with original antique furnishings, a library, piano room, sun room, and garden patio. But it doesn’t stop there! Take a look at Walpole Valley Farm’s two private cottages or farmhouse for a luxurious family-sized experience! Don’t want to commit for an overnight stay? No problem! Hop on over to the farm’s event calendar for live music evenings or weekend farm tours!
There are plenty of intimate farm experiences all across the region. Check out our calendar for other things to do while you’re frolicking in our pastoral landscape! Will you be visiting any of these wonderful farms? Do you have other favorites that we’ve left out? Let us know in the comments! We would love to hear about your experience!
