Sometimes getting away from it all is more about what you are getting to. That’s what Scottie Jones has learned from guests who visit Leaping Lamb Farm Stay, her working farm in Alsea.
“Everybody loves how quiet and peaceful it is. Things are kind of turned off, and the family gets to be a family,” she said.
Guests to the 64-acre farm often come to see the lambs, which are born in the spring. Visitors can join in with chores, like collecting eggs, feeding the sheep and horses or brushing Paco, the 20-year-old donkey.
“He is very vocal, and when he comes up to you, he leans on you and gives you sad Eeyore eyes,” Jones said. “Kids love it.”
Other visitors enjoy quiet walks along the creek and in the woods or just sitting on the porch with a book or glass of wine. Jones encourages people to graze from the large garden and wander freely. “People really enjoy eating a carrot right out of garden and blueberries off the bush and playing hay lofts,” she said.
Guests love collecting and eating fresh eggs, although Jones had to write a memo explaining that bright orange yolks and greenish shells are normal.
Other interesting Oregon farm stays include Tierra Soul Urban Farm Guesthouse in Portland’s Alberta District (with goats, ducks, chicken and honeybees) and Abbey Road Farm Bed & Breakfast in the Willamette Valley (with grain silos turned into “silo suites”).
Jones said the variety of farm stay options in Oregon really makes it stand out. “What we offer is as varied as the state itself,” she said.
