Visit the Farms of Manatee County
October 2023The Charms of the Farms in Manatee County
By Visit Florida
Imagine what it’s like to drink milk fresh from a cow, taste sweet honey from local bees, sip wine where the grapes were grown, and sink your teeth into a just-picked peach or an ear of corn so juicy and tender that it’s delicious even raw.
Learn from farmers how cheese is made and from vintners how grapes are processed. Meet magnificent horses and bears. You can do it all here, at Manatee County farms. With even more agricultural attractions than beautiful beaches, our county overflows with country charm. Simply head inland. Here are some great places in Manatee County to visit:
Dear Dairy
Holy cow! A visit to Dakin Dairy Farm is not only fun, it’s good for you. Learn about the health benefits of milk, visit the farm market every Saturday, take a cow train or hayride and pet fuzzy farm animals.
Grape Expectations
Manatee County boasts not 1 but 2 world-class wineries. Bunker Hill Winery is environmentally friendly and offers complimentary tours and tastings of its handcrafted wines. Bunker Hill grows its own muscadine grapes, rents out a peaceful cottage on property and is even purported to have a resident ghost!
Rosa Fiorelli Winery has a 10-acre muscadine vineyard, and its wines have won more than 100 awards. Tours include your choice of an authentic Italian lunch and wine in a complimentary souvenir glass to take home. Free tastings are also available.
Bear it All
Catch the Bear Show at Bearadise Ranch. These talented creatures are featured in movies, commercials and festivals. Trained with respect and affection, the animals are encouraged to express their lovable personalities. Johnny Welde founded the ranch to conserve and preserve all bear species. Following a summer tour, the bears resume local shows in October.
Fresh is Best
The kids will get a kick out of King Farm Myakka, with its sheep, horses and cows roaming around and monthly events in season. Blueberries are yours for the picking, and a large open-air market presents a wonderful array of fresh produce. King Farm is open from mid-October through mid-June. When planning your trip to any Manatee County farm, check its operational schedule.
Horsing Around
Seize the opportunity to witness the beauty and grace of The Original Lipizzan Stallions of Austria at Herrmann’s Lipizzan Stallion Farm. Shows resume this December, but you can visit year-round on Saturdays.
Once you’ve experienced our great agricultural outdoors, take the family indoors to The Manatee County Agricultural Museum. Located in Palmetto, it features five rooms of exhibits, special programs, tours and a terrific array of children’s activities, including storybooks about farming, vegetable puzzles, mazes and citrus tick-tack-toe for hands-on learning.
