A Family Farmstay

Some of our most beloved holiday movies take place in a rural setting, away from the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping and big city lights.

In the case of White Christmas, the 1954 classic, a four star general has retired from army life to run an inn in upstate Vermont. But without that famous Vermont snow, the inn suffers right along with the tourism industry.

In the case of some family-run farms in present-day Vermont however, the state's two highest grossing industries have been combined to create a new and very successful realm of tourism.

"Ag is still number 1 here in VT and tourism is number 2, so we've combined the two," says Jill Mancivilano, the 5th generation owner of Adams Farm, home to the very popular Farmstay Vacation.

In a recent story regarding the phenomenon of these farmstay vacations, America's Heartland, a California-based production that is committed to bringing rural America and agriculture to people all across the country, interviewed both owners and guests of Adams Farm and Shearer Hill Farm in Wilmington, Vermont.

Here, people come from all over to get away from the city and connect with life on the farm. Rather than treating vacation as an escape from reality, they embrace a return to simplicity.

Guests may start their day by sitting around the breakfast table with six couples from all over the world, enjoying walnut encrusted French toast and homegrown Vermont maple syrup, before going out to work the harvest.

Bill and Patti Pusey moved to Shearer Hill 30 years ago to connect with each other and the land. "We knew that there was more to life than what society and financial security dictates," so, Bill and Patti decided to offer others an opportunity to embrace the same experiences that had helped them.

Adams Farm just a few miles away, applies the same idea, inviting families from all over to stay and work on a farm that has been operational since 1865.

"They love getting the eggs out of the chicken house," says Mancivilano of the children that visit her farm for the first time. That's something that I never get over- seeing them pick an egg out for the first time when it's hot. And they get it—this is what I eat for breakfast"

Staying connected to our food and the land is important to remember but just as easy to forget. The next time you're planning a family vacation, consider what it is you'd like the take away to be. If all you want is a tan, then go to the beach. But you might be surprised to see all that rural America has to offer.

As Bing Crosby would say, "Vermont should be beautiful this time of year, with all that snow." Little did he know what else Vermont had to offer.