Whether you’re looking for apple orchards, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, or something else, fall is a great time of the year to explore Wisconsin’s agritourism destinations! The Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection defines agritourism as any agricultural-based activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch — and there’s no shortage of opportunities for rural fun here in Wisconsin. Autumnal agritourism opportunities are sure to keep you busy, but the fun certainly doesn’t stop there. Christmas tree farms, breweries, strawberry patches, farm to table events or restaurants, and interactive locations like the Food and Farm Exploration Center in Plover can inspire your travels and satisfy your taste buds all year round!
The popularity of agritourism destinations has ebbed and flowed over the past 100-plus years, but has trended upwards. According to the University of Tennessee, “Farm-related recreation and tourism can be traced back to the late 1800s, when families visited farming relatives in an attempt to escape from the city’s summer heat.” By the 1920s, visiting the country was easier and more popular than ever with the widespread use of the automobile, while the stresses of the Great Depression and World War II brought renewed interest in “rural recreation.” This interest led to the expansion of agritourism activities such as petting zoos, horseback riding, and other farm-related nostalgia in the 1960s and ’70s, leading to commercial farm tours, bed and breakfasts, and farm vacations growing through the ’80s and ’90s.
Wisconsin’s agritourism trends have closely echoed national trends over the decades. After the jump in the 1990s, the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association (WATA) was created. WATA is a non-profit organization open to agritourism-related businesses in Wisconsin, welcoming growers, farmers, farmers markets, bakeries, breweries, wedding venues, petting farms, farm-stay vacations and more. In addition to helping Wisconsinites better find agritourism events and locations near them, WATA also provides their members with promotions, resources, educational workshops, networking, and learning sessions. WATA invites everyone to visit a local agritourism destination as they celebrate Wisconsin Agritourism Week the last week of September. To find an agritourism opportunity or special event near you, visit wiagtourism.com.
In my year ahead as Alice in Dairyland, I look forward to visiting different destinations around the state. As someone who wasn’t raised on a farm, stopping at agritourism destinations was one of my favorite ways to spend time on a farm and learn more about Wisconsin agriculture. Even as I began to get more involved in agriculture, I always looked forward to fun ways to learn about the diversity in our agriculture industry! So, grab your family or some friends, put on your coziest sweater, and enjoy the fun activities and tasty foods that Wisconsin agritourism has to offer this fall and beyond!
— Halei Heinzel is the 77th Alice in Dairyland, Wisconsin’s agriculture ambassador who works with media professionals to educate consumers about the importance of agriculture to Wisconsin’s economy and way of life. She can be reached at halei.heinzel@wisconsin.gov.
