NC State Tourism Extension

Don't miss the Piedmont Farm Tour this weekend! Make sure to buy your tickets while they last!

📣 The hay ride is leaving the station: last call to buy your Piedmont Farm Tour passes online!

In just a few short days, 30 small-scale, sustainable farms nestled across the Triangle will open their gates for the weekend and welcome you to explore, learn about local food and farming, and soak in the springtime season. 🌻 If you haven't bought your tour pass yet, now's the time to act, because online pass sales close this Friday, April 24th!

➡️ Buy your pass: carolinafarmstewards.org/piedmont-farm-tour

Day-of, onsite passes will be available for $40, so save $5 by buying your pass online now! One pass grants you access to the tour for an entire car of family and friends to visit as many farms as you choose on both Saturday and Sunday. Farms will be open from 2-6pm, with select "Kickoff Farms" opening early at noon.

There’s no better way to celebrate Earth Month than by visiting small-scale sustainable farms: the Piedmont Farm Tour is the perfect outing for families, foodies, gardeners, and everyone else who's ever wondered, "where does our food come from?" 🌎🫐

Make memories. Thank a farmer. Celebrate all things local. There's something for everyone on the Piedmont Farm Tour! See you soon!

Thanks to the sponsors who make this event possible:
Event partner Weaver Street Market
Farmside Kitchen
Country Farm & Home
Tangaza.io
Chapel Hill Farmers' Market
Brooks Contractor & Compost

Next week, we are back for our second webinar, the Destination Ready Series, with two fantastic speakers!

First, Dodie Stephens with Explore Asheville will share their efforts following Helene to support small businesses, artists, and the community.

Then, Gladys Sosa Jones, MHM, with VisitGreenvilleSC, will tell us about their À la Heart GVL program, launched in partnership with the local Restaurant and Lodging Association chapter to support tourism workforce members.

Register for this and the other upcoming sessions at go.ncsu.edu/destinationready26

We are excited to announce that our Tourism Extension Faculty, Dr. Carla Barbieri, has recently published her book, Rethinking Agritourism. Grounded in years of research and extension work through the Agritourism & Societal Well-being Lab, Barbieri brings together global knowledge and leading practices in agritourism. By positioning agritourism as a farm diversification activity deeply connected to communities, this book highlights its contribution to farms, vibrant rural communities, and societal well-being.

Learn more here:

www.e-elgar.com

We are kicking off a new webinar series next Wednesday, Destination Ready: A Virtual Forum for Tourism Stakeholders.

We hope you'll join us on March 4 at noon EST with the NC State Climate Office, State Office of Resilience and Visit NC!

Learn more and register here:

New Webinar Series - Destination Ready: A Virtual Forum for Tourism Stakeholders As destinations face increasing disaster risks, it is important to put plans in place and know the available resources. NC State Tourism Extension is launching a webinar series to provide destination leaders and tourism stakeholders with valuable resources and perspectives from those who have faced....

Join us with the Nash NC Cooperative Extension, Nash County Center on Friday, March 13 for an agritourism workshop!

Register today:

Agritourism...is it right for your farm? Discover the secrets of turning your farm into an agritourism hotspot and reap the benefits of rural tourism!

The 2026 World Agri Tourism Awards are now open!

The awards recognize outstanding achievements across multiple categories, honoring individuals and organizations that have made a meaningful contribution to the sector across the world.

Application Deadline: 25th February, 2026.
Application Form: https://www.worldagritourismday.com/world-agri-tourism-award-2026/

Contacts: Mr. Pandurang Taware ([email protected]) and Ms. Revati Murkute ([email protected]).

WORLD AGRI TOURISM AWARD 2026 – worldagritourismday Why the Application deserves the Award in the Selected Category: Please mention in detail of the Work / Research/ Others in the years 2024 and 2025

Farmers in the Harnett County area, we are headed your way on Thursday, January 29, for a half-day agritourism workshop!

Register today:

Harvesting Opportunities: Leveraging Your Farm Assets for Agritourism Join us in person to learn how to turn your farm assets into fun and profitable agritourism adventures!

The Global Agritourism Network will have a webinar today to share their long effort to define agritourism. Agritourism is defined in different ways around the world, which can lead to confusion and miscommunications in practice, policy, and research.

Register to join and learn more here:

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: A Wor(l)d of Agritourism: Definitions and Values Identified by the Global Agritourism Network. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Agritourism is defined in different ways around the world, which can lead to confusion and miscommunications in practice, policy, and research. To provide clarity and consistency, the Global Agritourism Network (GAN) Definitions and Standards Committee has been meeting regularly for three years, bri...

The Global Agritourism Network is holding its conference in Scotland in June 2026. Scholarships are currently available, and we would love for some of our North Carolina agritourism leaders to take advantage of this opportunity.

Learn more about the conference and scholarships:

SCHOLARSHIPS | Global Agritourism Conference 2026 The call for Scholarship Applications is now open, with the hope that all continents and many countries within them can be represented with one or more scholar.

Our friends with Uplift NC have two programs this month that might be of interest!

1. Regenerative Tourism Initiative - where we explore how visitor activities can enhance ecosystems, strengthen communities, and boost local economies.

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2. Wildlife Wednesdays - a two-part webinar series discussing the role of animals in tourism and learn how to create a responsible wildlife tourism experience

Learn more: https://www.uplifttourism.com/regenerative and https://www.uplifttourism.com/wildlife-tourism

Regenerative Tourism Initiative Join us for a webinar series on Regenerative Tourism, where we explore how visitor activities can enhance ecosystems, strengthen communities, and boost local economies.