The 2016 Tour de Farms will be held in Bristol on Sunday, September 18th.

Early Bird registration has closed - but you can register the day of!

Tickets are $60/adults and $25/students and kids under 18.

You asked, we listened! We have four new additions to this year's Tour de Farms, one of Vermont's oldest cycling farm tours.

New this year:

The first ever tour de farms farm bus! share the on-farm experience from the comfort of the bus.

TWO routes: the flagship 28-mile route and a brand new, family-friendly 13-mile route.

A Farm Bus is available for those who choose not to ride a bike. Share in the experience of sampling delicious, farm fresh food while enjoying the beauty of the landscape from the comfort of the bus. The Bus will follow the 28-mile route and leaves at 11 AM. You must register in advance ($45), and space is limited.

A concierge Farm Van will deliver purchased farm products to the Bristol Rec Field so riders don't need to carry extra weight with them. Please bring extra cash to purchase items direct on the farm to take home!

A tasty Farm Stop on the 2015 tour de farms. it was a gorgeous day!

Tour de Farms After Party- We'll have live music from The Doughboys, a food truck, FREE Farmhouse ice cream for ALL RIDERS, and drinks for sale by Shacksbury Cider, Hogback Mountain Brewery, Lincoln Peak Vineyard and Savouré Soda. Bring cash so you can enjoy these awesome food and drink vendors!

The 2016 Tour features a 28-mile route with 9 farm stops and a 13-mile route with 5 farm stops. Over 30 local farms, food businesses and restaurants will be participating. Sample everything from organic fruit smoothies to pulled pork to maple scones!

We are limiting riders to 400 people. The base ticket price for adults is $40 in advance / $60 day of. Kids under 18 and students are $20 in advance/ $25 day of.

The Tour de Farms was featured in Outside Magazine in 2015 when listing Middlebury as one of the 16 best places to live in the U.S.!

Fundraiser

Did you know the Tour is ACORN's #1 fundraiser?

We set the ticket prices to make the Tour as accessible as possible for everyone and to cover our costs of organizing the event.

Join us in promoting the value of local food throughout the year by making a donation in addition to the base price of the ticket.

For a donation of $50 or more, you'll become an ACORN member and receive an ACORN Passport card which entitles the holder to discounts at local food and drink businesses around the Champlain Valley. See more details here.

It is part of ACORN's mission to encourage the growth of local food to build a stronger local economy and the health of our community, and we can't do it without you.

25% of all pre-registration proceeds go directly to the participating farms.

Tour Details

This annual fundraiser supports the work of ACORN. Thank you for helping us promote healthy local foods, transportation and recreation!

DATE & LOCATION – Sunday, September 18th, 2016 at Bristol Rec. Field, Bristol, VT (next to Mt. Abraham High School)

RAIN OR SHINE – hope for shine! Please come prepared for sun, wind and rain.

You may cancel your pre-registration at any time before September 9th at 5 PM for a full refund. There will not be any refunds after September 9th. We do not share your personal information with any other nonprofit organizations or businesses nor do we store your credit card information. Please arrive for registration on September 18 between 8:30 - 9:30 AM for the 28-mile route and 10 - 10:30 AM for the 13-mile route. The Farm Bus will leave at 11 AM. At a pace of 10 miles/an hour, please plan at least 4.5-5 hours for the 30-mile route.

If you missed early bird registration, you can register the day of!

Don't forget about the After Party at the Bristol Rec Field, with live music by The Doughboys, free Farmhouse Ice Cream for all riders, food trucks, and local craft beverages by Savouré Soda, Lincoln Peak Vineyard, Shacksbury Cider and Hogback Mountain Brewery! The party will be held 1 PM - 5 PM. The Party is open to the public!

Participating Farms, Businesses and Restaurants:

Golden Well Farm & Apiaries
Kimball Brook Farm
Blank Page Cafe / Bread and Butter Farm
Layn Farm
New Leaf Farm
Queen Bee Creemees
Vermont Smoke and Cure
The Bobcat Cafe & Brewery
Orb Weaver Cheese
Almost Home
Shacksbury Cider
Hogback Mountain Brewery
Savouré Soda
Farmhouse Chocolates + Ice Cream
Fuego Food Cart

Four Hills Farm
Vermont Tree Goods
Little Hogback Maple Syrup
Olivia's Croutons
Misty Knoll Farm
Lester Farm
Tourterelle Restaurant
Harvey Smith Farm
Boyer's Orchard
Vermont Vinegars
Willowell Farm
Wild Roots Farm
Norris Berry Farm
Last Resort Farm
Better off Bread
Old Road Farm

What to Bring:

A helmet is a mandatory requirement to ride the Tour.
Please wear BRIGHT CLOTHING for higher visibility on the roads.
A mountain bike or road bike with wide tires is STRONGLY recommended. On the 30-mile route, there is 11 miles of gravel road, which can be rough or soft and slippery.
Cash to purchase foods at farms to take home (there will be a food pick-up van so you won't have to carry items with you), and at the After Party.
Make sure your bike is in good mechanical condition.
A couple of extra layers of clothing so you are ready for the (fabulous but unpredictable) weather.
A water bottle. There will be water available along the route at farm stops designated on map.
A spoon and fork (or a spork!), a cup and a bowl for sampling food. This will help us cut down on waste!
A camera to help us document the day.

The Route:

The 28-mile route features 16 miles of paved roads/ 12 miles of gravel roads. The 13 mile route has 10 miles of paved roads/ 3 miles of gravel roads. We strongly recommend mountain bikes or road bikes with wide tires due to the often slippery and soft gravel. The terrain is hilly with some short steep rises. While we recommend the Tour for children over 14 years old, children under 14 should be experienced road riders and must be accompanied by an adult as we are sharing the roads with vehicles. A sample of the 28-mile route can be found here and the 13-mile route can be found here. A map of the final route will be provided at registration on September 18.

After Party

We're continuing the day of good food and fun with the FIRST EVER Tour de Farms after party!

Stay for live music by The Doughboys, FREE Farmhouse Ice Cream for all riders, food trucks and local craft beverages for sale by Savoure Soda, Shacksbury Cider, Hogback Mountain Brewery and Lincoln Peak Vineyard.

The after party is open to all riders and the general public. Make sure you bring extra cash so you can enjoy all of these great local food and drinks vendors.

It will be open from 1 PM - 5 PM, rain or shine. Plan to relax, listen to some good 'tunes and enjoy more great, local food and drink!

T-Shirts

Show your love for the Tour de Farms and support ACORN by purchasing one (or more) Tour de Farm shirts! We have sizes for the whole family in three awesome colors:

Sale! Yellow and Blue T-shirts are on sale: Buy 3, Get 1 Free!

The blue and yellow shirts are $10 in advance, and $15 day of.

Red T-Shirts are $20 in advance, and $25 day of.

Add shirts to your order when you register and purchase your tickets here. They can be picked up at the registration tables the morning of the Tour.

Rider Safety

Please remember to obey the Rules of the Road:

If riding in a large group, you must ride single-file! We are sharing the roads with vehicles and pedestrians. Please Do NOT ride two, three, or four abreast.
Wear a helmet that fits.
Obey all traffic signs and signals.
Use hand signals to communicate intentions to turn or stop.
Move bicycle well off the road when stopped.
Ride on the right in the direction of traffic.
Be in control of bike at all times.
Yield to pedestrians and those on horseback.
Look carefully before entering intersections.
Make eye contact with motorists.
Show respect and courtesy to all roadway users.
Be sure children on their own bikes have previous road riding experience.