“Dear Elena, we have read about your many trips involving farm stays in Lower Austria back in 2017… would you like to come and visit our farm, too?” This is Birgit Gruber reaching out to me earlier this year, Birgit who with her family runs Ofnerhof farm, a member of the Austrian Farm Holidays association. Like a hotel, she has been awarded “four flowers” as in a distinct quality label for Austrian farms welcoming visitors. Sure enough, I am all ears! What is more, Ofnerhof farm is located only an hour’s drive south of Vienna, our home town, and likely right now among the most prominent villages across Austria: The town is indeed named Sankt Corona am Wechsel!
“Hard to imagine what the media hype around this town must have been”, I think whilst driving my little family towards Birgit’s farm. It is also our very first holiday break since the worldwide Corona pandemic! The “Wechselland” region at the foothills of the Eastern Alps lies at 840 metres above sea level, providing for much treasured fresh air as we arrive. It does already feel like coming home, as I tuck Liam under my arm and walk through the farm house’s front door, where Birgit already waits to welcome us with a smile.
Hello, new home for the weekend! Liam, our little #BabyTraveller, takes to feeling happy here immediately.
Birgit loves to take time to introduce Georg, Liam and me to her house and farm estate …
… later on, she even offers to lend us this personal baby carrier for a little hiking trip up the mountain …
… and we just love the welcome, including fresh fragrant flowers and a really nice bottle of red wine at our room …
… the apartment we stay in is quite large and well-equipped, also for families travelling with young children …
… love the comfort here …
… as well as the views from our balcony across the surrounding area.
Things to see & do: The local “family arena” offers mountain activities for kids and adults of virtually all age groups.
Birgit and her husband Manfred have been renting out guest rooms and holiday apartments in addition to their agricultural business for many decades. For 25 years they have been part of the Austrian Farm Holidays association called “Urlaub am Bauernhof”. The so-called family arena, which they have built up from scratch together with other local business partners, includes the so-called “Corona Coaster” (a summer toboggan run), a spacious mountain bike park, the little “Wexltrails” (a kind of mini-bike park with safe routes for even the smallest of the little ones!), a themed forest trail about ants, and much more. The local owners’ own forests and meadows have provided the land for building much of these amenities. Birgit is passionately committed to promoting regional development in the area and tells us: “The combination of agriculture and tourism offers a multitude of possibilities. In this context, we can achieve greater understanding among our guests for all aspects of local food production: Cheese, meat, juices, etc. And even smaller farms are able to provide full-time employment through this combination of income.”
Let’s take a closer look at the result of these developments, then!
Let’s go: We just love chasing down the mountain with the “Corona-Coaster”! Liam, of course, is still too young to go: We have to come back and take him there again (kids are allowed to go with their parents aged 3 and above, at 8, they can go on their own).
Along the forest trail, it is also mostly daddy who is up for game with the local sports facilities …
… and it seems as if Liam was saying, “Daddy, take me back for a trip up the adventure fun park when I’m a little more grown up!”
Close to where we are staying, there is a huge playground suitable for Liam also, it is part of a local ice cream manufacturer …
… do make sure to come out here, too: The “EisGreissler” creates all kinds of different ice cream varieties using mostly local, organic produce (fresh farm milk from their own cows, as well as fresh fruit, tasty herbs, organic chocolate, etc.). Their ice cream parlour in downtown Vienna is one of my favourite addresses for great ice cream in town!
More on Birgit’s farm, as we discover the farm animals and playground facilities!
Finally, it’s all about “me”! At the Ofnerhof farm, children are welcome everywhere. There is a large family room with tons of toys and games (Liam loves watching and chasing after the elder kids), a “children’s barn” with climbing and other sports facilities, several different outdoor (and indoor) playgrounds, and you can even walk right into the stables meeting all the animals there are: Chicken, rabbits, cats, cows and goats.
I just love tossing around toys in the big family room …
… right next to it, a small library corner welcomes book worms like myself …
… while Liam is happy to meet Lotte, the goat’s daughter just as playful as he is …
… so playful (and chasing the fresh sprouts of the apple tree) that Birgit has to put her on a leash, even …!
The playground right behind the farm is really nice and inviting …
… and here is the very large indoor playground, again for slightly older children that Liam will love when we visit again.
Hello, cows …
… and rabbits! WOW, mummy! I have never seen anything like that before.
Every day, Birgit collects fresh eggs off her chicken for breakfast …
… and don’t they just appear to be straight from heaven?! They are, if you count all the fresh flavours of a typical farm’s meal here.
Mum, dad, let’s come back soon!!
Check out all our family pictures from this little trip to the Ofnerhof farm:
Disclaimer: We have been invited by Birgit Gruber and her family to come and stay at their farm. All opinions are my own.