This tour of local farms has a petting zoo, apple cider, crafts and wine tasting
If you haven’t had the chance to check out the farmland on the Key Peninsula, your chance is coming in October.
The Key Peninsula Farm Tour & Harvest Festival returns Oct. 1 and 2. It’s free to attend for all ages.
The festival allows visitors to tour local farms, craftsman workshops, and harvest events on the Key Peninsula.
There are 10 farm locations to visit this year.
- Gateway Park, 10215 state Route 302, Gig Harbor
- Grand Farm, 17616 S. Vaughn Rd. NW, Vaughn
- Sound View Camp, 8515 Key Peninsula Highway S., Longbranch
Four Winds Riding Center, 10012 Creviston Dr. NW, Gig Harbor
Red Barn Youth Center, 15921 84th St. NW, Lakebay
Key Peninsula Community Services, 17015 Ninth St. Court NW, Lakebay
Grateful Goat Farms, 7816 Herron Rd. NW, Lakebay
Two Fox Winery, 17812 18th St. NW, Lakebay
Key Center Fire Station, 8911 Key Peninsula Highway N., Lakebay
Minter Creek Hatchery, 12710 124th Ave. Court NW, Gig Harbor
Each location offers different activities. There will be music, food trucks, animals, booths and more. The tour website has more information, including an event map that details which days each farm will be open. Additional information about directions to the festival, overnight stay options and shuttle hours can be found on the website.
Key Peninsula Farm Tour activities for 2022
Gateway Park is the place to go for food trucks during the festival. On Sunday only, the Apple Squeeze event will also be there. Visitors can purchase fresh squeezed apple cider, fresh apple fritters, and apple cider floats with sparkling cider and vanilla ice cream.
Grand Farm will offer a walk-through preview of their haunted forest both days of the festival.
If you’re looking for the animals, Sound View Camp’s petting zoo will be open Saturday. Over at Four Winds Riding Center you can watch vaulting demonstrations and ride ponies both days.
Crafts and games for teens will be available at the Red Barn Youth Center on Saturday, and you’ll find an outdoor market with crafts and handmade goods at Grateful Goat Farms.
Adults can visit Two Fox Winery for wine tasting.
Visitors to the Key Center Fire Station can take pictures with one of the fire trucks.
Minter Creek Hatchery will offer a tour of the hatchery and a lesson about fish life cycles.
For the fifteenth year in a row, the Fiber Arts Show will be on Saturday. In addition to the farm tours, this art show is an opportunity for dozens of artists and vendors to display their work for purchase. It will be at the Longbranch Improvement Club, 4312 Key Peninsula Highway S.
“Vendor displays include quilts, hats, bags, handwoven baskets, buttons, clothing, jewelry, rugs, wall hangings, table decorations, hand-tooled leather craft, embroidery, wearable art from silk, alpaca fur and wood, Hardanger or whitework embroidery and more,” according to the website.
You will also find Kitsap County artist Peter Rowe, known for his knitting creations. He will have his work displayed for purchase at the show.
Farm tour festival history
The Key Peninsula Farm Tour was created in 2006 by Trillium Creek Winery.
“Shortly after, local farmers set up a sub-committee of Key Peninsula Community Council (KPC) and assumed responsibility for the farm tours when government funding for the program was depleted,” according to the website.
The festival brings over 2,000 people together each year to remember the history of farming on the Key Peninsula that dates back to the late 1800s, while supporting today’s local farms, according to the website.
This story was originally published September 26, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
