If you prefer the plush amenities of a canvas bell tent over a basic sleeping bag situation, Liz Dwyer and Curtis Weinrich’s Pony Hill Glamp is furnished with a full-size bed and linens, as well as solar lights, rugs, battery-operated candles and a seating area. Not to mention a picnic table, fire pit, camp chairs, propane stove, and all the pots, pans, utensils, and dishes you’ll need for a moonlit meal. Preferably one made with chicken, goat, lamb, or other harvested and washed ingredients straight from the couple’s farm. 

Five different state parks are within an hour’s drive of Feathered Acres, making it easy to build a long weekend out of its regenerative farm classes and outdoor rec ops. Anyone staying at Nolan and Trisha Zachman’s converted milk barn or two-bedroom O’Halloran House is also welcome to take a free tour that features quality time with the couple’s sheep, pigs, ducks, geese, and chickens and a crash course in everything from rotational grazing techniques to biodiversity.

Family reunions, campout classes and team-building trips don’t get much more restorative than the programming offered by Peace Mitchell and Michael Birchard at Minnesota’s oldest multi-generational Black-owned farm. The couple's extensive background in education and event planning is poured into tours that tackle edible mushrooms, sustainable farming, and the towering Norway pines Mitchell's parents planted back in the ‘70s. Frog Tree also cultivates a deep-seated connection to not only the land and her family’s legacy, but the broader community it's building one retreat at a time.

Anyone who’s ever been wooed by the warm chocolate chip cookies at DoubleTree’s check-in desk needs to book at night at Gerdes Fresh Farm. Jonathan and Liz Gerdes bake straight-outta-the-oven batches with freshly ground wheat flour for all the guests on the second floor of their fully restored Harvestore silo. The ground level is home to a store that sells the perfect pairing for purists, too: raw milk produced by the couple’s fourth-generation dairy farm.

First things first: Yes, the large party lodge at Heart & Soil Ridge can fit up to 10 people and includes a heated indoor pool, hot tub, and an eight-foot dining room table made from a slab of upcycled bowling alley. That's not its biggest draw on the farm stay front though;  Heart & Soil Ridge sees your farm tour and raises it with pony rides, activity kits (stargazing, art, snowshoes), horse grooming hangouts, playtime with puppies, and a workshop built around brash flower arrangements and the peerless oil paintings of Jackson Pollock, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and George Seurat. 

The luxe treehouse at Hope Glen Farm landed on the cover of Minnesota's biggest alt-weekly back in the day, making a case for why it's one of the state's most picturesque honeymoon suites. Michael and Paula Bushilla's postcard-worthy property dates back to 1860 and excels at wedding parties and private events thanks in part to a big ol' barn that boasts a loft, corn crib cottage, and large pavilion area.

You don't have to be getting hitched to spend the night, of course; the off season and weekdays are prime time for planning a storybook stay within its 1200-square-foot, seven-room space. 

If Nicole and Kirk Leand's only plans for Klårhet were to pair their "regenerative food forest" with four distinct geodesic domes that look out on Lake Superior, they'd already have one of the North Shore's most unique stays. Stress-reducing goat yoga and forest bathing sessions are just the beginning of a big picture that'll soon be painted with a natural food marketplace, integrative health classes, and a small farm-to-table restaurant helmed by former Lutsen Resort Lodge chef Jennifer Guerra.

This one's a wild card worth keeping an eye on. 

Jason and Lucie Amundsen celebrated the 10th anniversary of their Penguin-approved egg company by upping the ante on agritourism with “AirB-n-BAWK!” Guests can get up close and personal with the couple’s fun-loving flock by staying in a farm-side treehouse or private, solar-powered bunk that’s plopped right on the pasture itself. (A “hen-aquarium,” according to the Amundsen's.) Your stay can also include such hands-on activities as gathering, washing and packing eggs, or feeding, watering and putting the birds to bed.

Mucking coops is optional but encouraged if you want to know what being a farmer is really like.

Up to five people can fit in Hannah Bernhardt and Jason Misik’s fully salvaged timber barn, which provides guests with vibrant pastoral views; a gas fireplace and in-floor heating; a kitchen including modern appliances, cookware, utensils, and several pantry staples; and all the exposed beams and clapboard walls one would expect from the ag stay of their dreams.

For a slightly more rustic, budget-friendly stay, check out a remodeled camper trailer that puts you in eye and earshot of wandering cows and sheep.

Between its breathtaking location within the Driftless Region and all the trout streams, horseback trails, and underground Mystery Cave tours at Forestville State Park right next door, Schmidt Farm has no shortage of ways to spot wildlife and embrace the outdoors. Hosts Paul and Karen Schmidt are also happy to give you a tour of the farm that’s been in the family since 1901, as well as talk about growing organic vegetables, hunting for fossils, and producing fiber art from Icelandic sheep, llamas, and alpacas.

The Women’s Environmental Institute grows more than 150 varieties of fruit and vegetables at its fully organic Amador Hill Farm and Orchard, which gives its guests a choice between “an active farm vacation or a more restful private retreat.” The former is epitomized by an annual farmer training weekend and classes with incredible names like Women and Chainsaws, Foraging and Herbal Magic for Summer, and our personal favorite: Fantastic Ferments! 

To get truly off the grid just off the Willard Munger State Trail, consider spending a weekend at the log cabin run by Y-Ker Acres owners Joshua and Alison Stamper. While it has no electricity, running water or Wi-Fi, gas appliances, composting toilets and a wood stove keep things more along the lines of a serene park stay. Firewood is provided, but you’re going to want to bring your own charcoal for grilling what Y-Ker Acres is especially known for: some of the state’s best Swedish-style sausage, along with specials like Iron Range Porketta and Northcountry Ham.