2025 Farm Tour Dates Announced:
- Spring: Saturday May 3rd
- Fall: Saturday Oct 25th
- Plus our Open Campground day is scheduled for Sunday June 1st.
Time: Morning Tour: 10 -11:30am; Afternoon Tour: 1-2:30pm
Tour Costs: Adult $20 / Children under the age of 10, $10.
Family Bundle available for 2 adults and up to 3 children.
The Winding Stair Farm Mountain Location is located 12 miles west of Franklin at 7984 West Old Murphy Road, Franklin. It is also home to our Campground.
You and your group will be guided through the the working farm, which currently comprises Icelandic Sheep, our chickens, ducks and other fowl, and donkey, as well as our (NEW) mill.
What to expect:
The Sheep:
Our Icelandic sheep roam freely across rotational pastures, contributing to sustainable land management while producing high-quality wool, occasional lamb meat, and registered breeding stock. These intelligent, friendly animals are a joy to interact with, and guests can feed them grain, apples, and other treats—provided by us!
You’ll also see our heritage poultry flock, which includes chickens, ducks, and other fowl, all raised on organic, sustainable feed and free to forage on our land.
The Mill:
Our mill was constructed over a number of years and is now fully operational. It was also featured in the prestigious Old Mill News in the summer of 2020 (read the article here).
The building design has a cantilever beam roof – an inspiration from buildings in the area from pioneers of the past. The extended roof perimeter would provide shelter for the family’s livestock without support posts. More than 50% of the timber used in the construction were felled and milled on site. Various pulleys and gear sets were acquired over time as they were advised of their existence from word of mouth or internet searching. The water wheel itself, bright red in color and 18 foot in diameter and powers two stone-burr mills.
The tour will include a working demonstration, including turning the water bypass on from Trough Branch (and highlighting the fish ladder that was incorporated as part of this project), experiencing the power of the water fill the wheel and see it begin to spin. We will also show you the inner workings of the various mills.
And more:
The farm and adjacent campground originally formed a logging site. We have transformed this pristine land into a thriving, sustainable retreat. Our tour includes historical insights and archival photos, showing how this land has evolved over time.
Make sure that you sign up to our newsletters to ensure you get tour confirmation and update information. You can always unsubscribe later – but we do not send out a lot of emails, so hopefully you’ll be glad you did!