I recently visited my first Farm Stay. A Farm Stay is for those wanting to escape city life and get up close and personal with country living and life on a farm. It’s a great get away for couples, singles and girl friends wanting to scrapbook or just get away from every day life. Farm Stays are found throughout the country and are listed on FarmStayUS. There are dairy farms to coffee farms, to miniature horse and cotton farms. You can experience tropical farm stays on the Hawaiian Islands as well as farm stays in the heartland of the Midwest.
My Farm Stay took me to Indiana, where I visited Mirror Lake Farm a 150 acre farm with dairy cows, and crops. The farm sits on beautiful land, surrounded by the Amish countryside. When you visit you’ll see Amish families in their horse and buggies driving by the property. Kathy and Jed Fought own Mirror Lake Farm located on a small lake outside Rome City and Topeka, Indiana. Here you’ll experience farm life. Guests can watch and participate in the daily milking of the farms 85 cows or take a combine ride through the fields or a gator ride through the 25 acres of trails that have been created by Kathy and Jed. There’s also the option of taking a canoe or kayak out on the river that runs through their property or out on the lake in front of the cabin. All of these activities are included in the cost of your stay and allow you to really get a sense of country living. Hunting and fishing can be added for an additional fee.
Feeding one of the Mirror Lake Farm baby calves.
On my visit the property was serene and beautiful. From the guest cabin visitors have a full lake view as well as view of one pasture. It’s truly relaxing and gorgeous. Kathy is welcoming and down to earth. When I arrived she welcomed me with a warm Chai tea latte freshly topped with whipped cream and cinnamon. Kathy’s home is a historic 1830 Greek revival that they have lovingly restored and made welcoming for visitor breakfasts and group activities such as scrap booking or genealogy events.
Mirror Lake Farm Stay
Mirror Lake Cabin Living Room
Mirror Lake Cabin Bedroom
The guest cabin sleeps seven and comes complete with a fireplace, an antique claw foot tub and a small cooking area where guests can use a microwave, coffee pot and toaster oven. The cabin living room has a lake view and two sleeper sofas for additional guests. The bedroom offers a large double bed as well as a single twin. Outside visitors can build a fire in the fire pit or cook on the provided grill. If guests want to unwind in the evening after a day of exploring they have access to the farms hot tub located in the main house.
There were many welcoming and sweet touches throughout the property and house. On Kathy’s table are gratitude stones which have the words Thankful, Grateful and Blessings. She uses these stones at Thanksgiving so that family and friends alike may share memories of gratitude and thanks. Her living room has become a gift shop showcasing primitive crafts, which are items such as old windows which have been repurposed to be beautiful home accessories. She makes handmade Christmas light sets as well as an assortment of other handmade treasures.
Each November a group of twelve crafter families hold a crafting fair at the farm. Two of the crafters do wood working and the others do an assortment of Victorian crafts, primitive crafts and quilting. At Christmas Mirror Lake Farm participates in a Christmas Walk. This is an event in which visitors can enjoy five different farm stay/B&B’s in the area. They are welcomed with holiday snacks and drinks and can enjoy both old fashioned Country Christmas as well as Victorian Christmas as they tour the five participating Bed and Breakfasts for a single fee.Within a short driving distance of the farm are two small towns with Amish restaurants and country cooking as well as an old time soda fountain with real vanilla cokes. Visitors can experience Amish auctions throughout the year in this area. A little further away is the town of Shipshewana which has a world class flea market, an enormouns Amish community and many country craft and gift shops as well as Amish carriage rides.
Mirror Lake Farm offers the following;
Guest Cabin sleeping 7
Primitive Cabin sleeping 4
Weekend Scrapbooking Packages
Weekend Genealogy Packages
Fishing and Hunting for a fee
Pets are welcome
A view of the primitive cabin
The Primitive Cabin
This cabin is in the woods and has an out house and a campfire for cooking. Pots, pans and cook ware essentials are provided as well as wood, a lantern and a propane heater. Bedding should be brought with you. The primitive cabin is not rented during hunting (gun season).
The primitive camp offers the option of a group stays, 12 total. The cabin sleeps four and the remaining guests may tent camp.
A Farm Stay vacation is a delightful way to get away from it all and rediscover the joys of nature, sunsets on the lake and country living.
Mirror Lake Farm
11463 N 150 W
Rome City, Indiana 46784
260-854-4675
