USA · FARMS
Good farms tours fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 11 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Spend about 90 minutes at a working pineapple farm in Haliimaile. Your guide, possibly Shilo, Colton, Rudy, or Brian, explains pineapple growing, leads you through the fields and packing area, and serves samples at different stages. Each person takes home a fresh, airport-ready Maui Gold pineapple.
“It’s a good tour and you get a pineapple at the end. Probably the best pineapple you could get. It is a bit pricey.”
Spend about 3.5 hours touring Lexington’s horse country in a 14-passenger van. Visit Keeneland and one or more working thoroughbred farms, where guides such as Tim, Vicky, Mark, and Richard explain breeding, training, racing, and aftercare. You may meet horses up close, depending on farm access and the day’s schedule.
“Great tour! Vickie, our tour guide, was great! She knew all about horses, horse farms, and horse racing. Told great stories and was thoroughly entertaining. Also spoke with horse trainers and owners about what they do. Fascinating discussion about the breeding process.”
Explore Lancaster’s Amish countryside by minibus, visit two farms, tour an 1805 farmhouse, and walk through a 15-acre farm with a schoolhouse, animals, and craft market. Guides such as Cindy, Debbie, Charlie, Lisa, and Mark are praised for clear, friendly explanations, though the house tour can feel crowded.
“Tour guide was incredibly helpful and friendly. The Amish people were so friendly and interesting Incredible experience”
At Kona Sea Salt’s seven-acre oceanfront farm, your guide explains the ocean water source, Hawaiian salt-making traditions, drying process, and deep-ocean mineral products. Guides including Candy, Candee, Mari, and Ipolani have led tours. The visit lasts about 45 minutes to an hour and ends with a tasting of several salt varieties.
“Very informative about the salt refining process. The tour guides are knowledgeable, friendly, and can answer all questions beyond the set tour information.”
Spend about three hours at Lydgate Farms with guides such as Mason, Jess, Sheri, Brooke, and Jenna. Walk through cacao gardens, taste rare cacao fruit, Hawaiian apple bananas, honey, vanilla, and several chocolates, then learn how cacao becomes a finished bar. This English-language tour allows children over 7 and ends where it begins.
“It was wonderful with great information and lots of fruit and chocolate tastings! We highly recommend it. Brooke was a great guide!”
Spend about three hours with Greg Colden and the Kona Natural Soap team on a working farm above Kona. You’ll walk among coffee, cacao, fruit, and other plants, learn about biodiversity and island farming, taste coffee and chocolate, and see how natural soap is made. The tour ends with a shop full of handmade gifts.
“A very informative tour with an excellent host! My husband is not a coffee drinker but after tasting this Kona coffee he now is.”
At Elijah Mountain Gem Mine and Goat Farm, you wash buckets of mine dirt through covered flumes, keep your crystals and fossils, visit goats and an aviary, and browse a large crystal and fossil store. Plan on about two hours at this family-friendly Hendersonville stop, with indoor and outdoor mining areas.
“We had a wonderful time at this cute little farm. We found lots of beautiful gems and saw some really interesting farm animals.”
At Alpacas of Montana near Bozeman, you’ll feed, walk, pet, and learn about alpacas and llamas with guides such as Sarah, Jenna, and Fiona. You may also meet Anatolian guard dogs, chickens, horses, and Jill the cat. The relaxed outdoor visit lasts about 1 to 1.5 hours, with a keychain or ornament included.
“A must do if you're in Bozeman! We'll visit Sarah and her farm every time we come to Montana. The alpacas, lamas, and Marley, the Antolian Sheppard, were super sweet and very photogenic 😀 loved walking Billy, the Alpaca.”
Spend a full day crossing the Big Island with guides such as Kawika, Mia, Chris, or Henry. Visit Waipio Valley, Akaka and Rainbow Falls, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Punalu’u Beach, a lava tube, and Bay View Farm, with lunch, snacks, coffee, and park admission included.
“It was a really great experience, our guide Henry, explained everything perfectly, we enjoyed the tour a lot”
Spend 3.5 hours with guides such as John, Vicky, Tim, or Nicholas learning how Kentucky’s Thoroughbred industry works. Ride in a 14-passenger van, visit one or more working horse farms, and tour Keeneland when available. You may see mares, foals, studs, and training horses, plus film locations from Secretariat, Seabiscuit, and Dreamer.
“Good value for the money. I would rate the overall experience as a 5. The scenery, horses and info were wonderful. Our only complaint is that the sound system in the van was inadequate. We missed 50% of what was being said, in part because of chatter from other passengers but also our guide, John, who was knowledgeable, needed to talk louder for us in the back. I think most of the issue was the 1 speaker in front. They need to add an additional speaker in the rear of the van. Overall, it was a great experience.”
Travel from Kona or Waikoloa with a guide such as Katie to coffee country, Punaluʻu Beach, and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Taste coffee at Greenwell Farms, look for sea turtles, walk through Thurston Lava Tube, and watch steam rise near Kīlauea. Lunch, dinner, snacks, water, park fees, and hotel pickup are included.
“Katie was super helpful and informative! This memorable experience was one of a kind! A full day of learning about volcanoes and the history of Hawaii!”
Pick a skyline, a canyon or a stretch of water.
