Remember that visit to a Petting Farm your kids enjoyed on their school field trip, before you heard about agritourism? Or how about those visits to the pumpkin patch and corn maze that became an annual fall tradition? And those wine tastings, followed by sitting at a table next to the vineyard,  sipping your favorite vintage, and listening to music?

At the time, those were just activities enjoyed by many families as part of their routines.

Photo: Meritt Thomas

But they all fall under the umbrella of an exploding category called Agritourism – a path many farms, dairies, food processors, breweries, and wineries have taken to bring in extra income and share their products and passion with visitors, many of whom travel from state to state seeking such experiences.

And a perfect way to explore? By RV, of course!

Roadside stands selling produce or eggs, Farmers Markets, Pick-Your-Own berries or peaches — all are ways for travelers to interact with the people who provide our food and help them supplement their incomes.

We can’t possibly cover every state and every option, so here’s a sampling of places we know personally:

Artisanal cheese. Photo: Lee Milo

Pacific Northwest Picks

In our RV travels, we were surprised — don’t know why — to find some of the best Farmers Markets we’d ever been to in Oregon, in the wine country and on the coast, especially McMinnville’s and Newport’s.

The Rogue Valley in Oregon is home to several artisanal cheese makers, as is the Willamette Valley, where you can sometimes greet the cheese source in the milking barn as you walk to the tasting room. The Willamette, of course, is famous for Pinot Noir, but we also found good wines in Roseburg and the Umpqua River Valley.

Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Photo: Hiroko Nishimura

In neighboring Washington, Seattle’s Pike Place Market is famous and fun, but the neighborhood Farmer’s Markets — especially in the University District — were so much more intimate and engaging. Washington wine deserves your attention. On your way to the southeastern wine regions, drive through the Yakima Valley to see fields and fields of hops and orchards full of the famous Washington apples.

A wine event in Northern California. Photo: Oleksandr Gamaniuk

California Bounty

California is a mecca for wine, cheese — especially in the coastal hills north of San Francisco — and five-pound apple pies in Apple Valley east of Sacramento. Be sure to try some of the lesser-known wine regions near the coast and in the Sierra Nevada foothills, as well as Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, and Paso Robles. And the San Joaquin Valley is known for its peaches, apricots, almonds, olive oil, and fantastic Farmers Markets. Date lovers can head to Southern California and sample multiple varieties.

Arizona: Land of Plenty

In Tempe, Arizona, Hayden Flour Mills grows non-GMO ancient and heritage grains. They sell flours, pancake and cake mixes, and much, much more. They also hold classes and events.

In Apache Junction, Queen Creek Olive Mill produces and sells multiple flavors of olive oil and related gift items.

Generic potato chips with a key ingredient. Photo: Generica

Great Grains in VA

The Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia is not only home to distilleries, breweries, and wineries, but also to grain mills where visitors can take home freshly milled grain.

And, while it’s not exactly agritourism since it’s a producer, the Route 11 Potato Chip company Kettle cooks small-batch chips and offers tours, tastings, and sales of multiple flavors and sizes of bags. The factory was built to be green and uses the kettle heat for building heat and recycles its peelings into cattle feed. And, with the generous amounts of samples, the company hands out to visitors.  It’s a very popular stop just off Interstate 81 in Mt. Jackson.

Photo: Charles Deluvio

Louisiana Yields Flavor

In New Iberia, Louisiana, the Conrad Rice Mill — on the National Register of Historic Places — is the oldest rice mill in the country and still produces rice that is sold in hand-tied burlap bags. You can take a tour and see the wooden mill parts working away, as they have for more than 100 years,  watch a video about rice and rice milling, and buy rice and  Cajun gift items.

Nearby, visit Avery Island and learn the story behind Tabasco Sauce — created by Edward McIlhenny in 1868. Tabasco still is family-owned, with the fifth generation carefully guarding the secret sauce recipe. And judging the peppers’ color to make sure they are at the perfect stage for harvesting. Tour the factory, watch the famous sauce come off the line with labels in 50-some languages, sample multiple flavors, and dine in the café. Drive the grounds and be careful of the gators sunning by the waterways.

Pumpkins for sale. Photo: Ginger Jordan

Agritourism, USA

And to states not mentioned, our apologies. There’s a space limit. But just about every state in the U.S. offers agritourism of some sort — from Florida to Maine and west along the Gulf Coast and up through the Midwest, Great Lakes region, and the Prairies. You can eat and drink your way across the country, having fun and helping the growers. You’ll meet a lot of interesting people along the way — we sure did.

Many agritourism stops offer RV parking, and you can also find a Good Sam park nearby to make multiple visits from a home base. Hours of operation can be found online. And,if you are staying at a park, ask the staff for help in finding nearby agritourism destinations.

Among the parks welcoming you are:

River Bend Resort in Forestville, California
Shenandoah Valley Campgrounds, Mt Jackson, Virginia (Very near Route 11 Potato Chips)
Angel of the Winds RV Resort in Arlington, Washington

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