BIDWELL, Ohio – Without question, agritourism is on the rise. Farmers everywhere entice their urban friends with the appeal of open space, fragrant meadows, tasty farm-fresh foods and even small petting zoos. This appeal has been going on for decades now.

Food, animals and pick-your-own are the most common activities on farms in the fall months. Some, though, are adding ‘visitor involvement’ as a way to attract people to their farm.

Aimee Glassburn, of Glassburn Fun Farm in Bidwell, believes in sharing the farm experience in a fun and unique way for visitors of all ages. The past few years Glassburn, her husband and her father, have developed the “Fun Farm,” adding to existing structures and building new ones each year.

“The farm has been in our family since 1843,” she said. “It is still a working farm, but in the fall, we have added something extra for our family and others to enjoy.”

The Fun Farm includes four culvert slides, a corn maze, gravity wagon basketball, skee-ball, a corn pit, pedal car track, spider web rope climbing, duck racing, pumpkin bowling, culvert rollers, a giant sand pit and a barn slide play area. The activities are made using parts and equipment found on the farm repurposed into fun activities.

So popular is this farm that visitors come from adjacent counties in southern Ohio as well as those in Kentucky and West Virginia. Many visitors, Glassburn said, make return visits in the same month. The farm is quite a hit with 4-H groups and schools, who schedule field trips to the farm. Recently the Gallia County Board of Developmental Disabilities made a two-day trip, as did a few groups of preschoolers.

“We wanted to have a place not only for our family to enjoy, but for other families and groups, too,” she said. “There is just so much to do and see that many come back to take it all in. I just love seeing kids laugh and families spending a fun day together. It makes it all worthwhile. I don’t think anyone could ever outgrow the activities. There’s something for everyone to enjoy.”

While the Glassburn Fun Farm tests the athleticism and agility of its visitors, Russell Farms in Noblesville, Ind., has been a working farm for 50 years, utilizing the ground for such operations as a dairy farm, pig farm, miniature horse farm and raising corn, beans, wheat and oats.

The Russells have enlarged their animal exhibit to include information about the animals’ habits and usefulness on a farm. They offer Boer goats, pygmy goats, turkeys, pigs, miniature horses, peacocks and more.

While the Russells use their agritourism stop primarily as an educational one, they also get visitors involved in a number of activities, such as hay wagon rides, an 18-hole miniature golf course, bouncy houses, a human hamster wheel, duck races and pedal carts for all ages.

A highlight at this farm are mazes with two levels of difficulty. A smaller, 5-acre maze with a scavenger hunt theme tests a visitor’s ability to find their way around while searching for designated farm items throughout the maze. A larger 10-acre maze is available for those needing a much bigger challenge.

This family started its pumpkin patch in 2002, and since then this central Indiana farm has grown enormously, prompting the Russells to expand each year for educational school tours and field trips. They share their knowledge of agriculture with groups and families interested in learning more about life on the farm.

In Woodburn, Ky., the talk of Warren County is Just Piddlin Farm with its many hands-on activities on site, such as the geodome climber, straw tower, duck race, tube slide, hamster wheel, revolution spinner and four-bay swing sets.

All three venues offer edible goodies, apple cider and much more in addition to many hands-on activities.

Glassburn Fun Farm is located at 283 Church St., Bidwell, Ohio.  Russell Farms is located at 12290 E. 191st St., Noblesville, Ind. Just Piddlin Farm is located at 10830 S. Morgantown Rd., Woodburn, Ky.