" Less is more
at Weatherbury Farm Vacation.
Nestle amid the serenity of 104 acres of rolling
farmland a mere one-hour drive from Pittsburgh, Weatherbury Farm is a world
apart from the hustle and bustle of metropolitan life. Its meadows, gardens,
fields and valleys combine to create a perfect setting for tranquil relaxation.
It also teaches visitors about the basic
necessities of life.
Operated by the Tudor family -- Dale, Marcy and
Nigel -- since 1992, Weatherbury Farm is both a vacation destination and a
working beef and sheep farm. Animals are grass-fed, boisterous and everywhere.
Vacation stays at the farm range from one to six days and are designed to help
generations of family members relax together and learn about the connections
between rural and metropolitan life.
' We now have two generations of Americans who
have very little knowledge of where their food comes from,' says Dale Tudor, a
former strategic planner at a big pharmaceuticals firm who is now known at
Weatherbury as Farmer Dale. ' When families stay here, we want them to take it
easy, but also to learn how and where their food comes from.'
At Weatherbury, guests can experience farm life
without having to rough it. Vacationers can choose from five different rooms or
suites, all comfortably appointed with antique furnishings, down-on-the-farm
breakfasts, educational packets and various farm activities. Guests are
presented with personalized packages from Marcy, the bookkeeping and marketing
brains behind the operation.
' We treat out guests like family, ' Marcy says.
More than 700 customers stay at Weatherbury Farm
every year, with repeat customers accounting for about half the business.
The typical Weatherbury day begins as 8:30 a.m.
with breakfast in a charming wooden-floored and tabled livery hall. Then it's a
short walk to the barn, chicken coop and milk house to bottle-feed the sheep and
other animals, gather eggs and pump water.
And the activities are for everyone. On a recent
spring morning, this intrepid 49-year-old reporter had his ankles nipped by a
pair of playful geese as he held a bottle of formula for a famished baby sheep.
Visions of future visits with children and grandchildren are easy to imagine.
Afternoons and evenings are wide open. Fro
those who just want to hang out, a swimming pool, open-air porch and expansive,
rolling fields are just what the doctor ordered. For adventure -seekers, biking
trails , fishing streams and antique stores are only a short car ride away.
Weatherbury Farm Vacation is located just two
miles for Avella, Pa., about 30 mile southwest of Pittsburgh. Vacation season
runs from May through the end of October. Rates depend on the length of stay and
number of visitors per family. For details, call (724) 587-3763 or search
www.weatherburyfarm.com."
