AGRITOURISM CREATES A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE WITH A NOSTALGIC FEEL

By Jane Eckert - Eckert AgriMarketing

If you look beyond the typical tourist attractions, beyond skyscrapers and super highways, you'll find an unusual destination that creates unique experiences for group travelers.

You'll find it at the intersection of a beautiful country road and a white picket fence, by the wagons and piles of pumpkins and horses grazing in the field.

You'll find yourself at a working farm, ranch or winery that's been transformed into a tourist destination as part of one of the travel industry's fastest-growing trends called agritourism.

What agritourism offers - entertainment, adventure, shopping, country dining and education - is exactly what visitors want as an escape from their stressed urban lives of traffic jams, office cubicles and ringing cell phones.

I know from first-hand experience why visitors love coming to a farm because I grew up on Eckert's Orchards, just outside of St. Louis, as the sixth generation on that land. As a farmer's daughter, I played amidst acres of fruit trees and farm animals. I remember taking my red wagon up the hill to my grandmother's house every Saturday to help her bake cobblers and coffeecakes. I know the thrill of watching a baby goat taking its first steps.

Each year Eckert's Orchards hosts 400,000 guests who want a slice of what I experienced as a child. Especially since 9/11, visitors want a taste of nostalgia in a place that makes them feel good and reminds them of how our grandparents lived: growing crops, raising animals and living a simple life.

So what does agritourism offer? Whether it's a tour for seniors or a grandparent/grandchild group, there's something special to experience: country-themed stores, platters of homemade fried chicken served family style, bakery goodies made with strawberries or apples picked that morning, tours through the dairy barn or maple sap house, wagon rides through beautiful orchards, a corn maze to get lost in, trips to the orchards for picking succulent fruit, calf roping and trail rides, gardening and craft classes, hot air balloons lifting off, fishing for trout, racing pigs that make children squeal, antique shows, festivals for every season and so much more.

Best of all, you can plan an agritourism visit as a stop between cities, as a day trip during a multiple-day city tour, or as the only destination.

I have greeted hundreds of motor coaches as they drove onto our farm. With pride I would give them the Eckert history. But the highlight was when the guests returned to the bus, chatting enthusiastically, delighted with what they had done and seen, arms filled with packages from the store and baskets of luscious peaches! Then I felt the real pride of growing up on a farm and being a farmer's daughter.

Now, as the principle of Eckert AgriMarketing, I work with the agricultural community and the travel industry to promote agritourism. I help tour operators choose the best agri-destinations for their groups, and I help Convention and Visitors Bureaus develop special agritourism products and packages.

What I know for certain is that agritourism will continue to grow. And, I can promise that taking your group to an agri-destination will create a nostalgic, exciting and enjoyable trip that could only come from this unique American experience.

Jane Eckert is owner of Eckert AgriMarketing, a full-service marketing firm that works with the travel industry and the agricultural community to promote agritourism. She can be reached at 314-862-6288 or by visiting www.eckertagrimarketing.com