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Pizza Farms Are the Freshest New Agritourism Trend

Grab a homegrown slice full of local ingredients

Berit Thorkelson,

AARP

Published July 17, 2026

At pizza farms, dinner’s ingredients are grown and raised on the surrounding land. Entertainment often includes lawn games, live music and meeting the resident farm animals.

Stephanie Salisbury/Heritage Prairie Farm

Key takeaways

Pizza farms turn fresh crops into on-site wood-fired meals that draw travelers to working farms.
The experience blends food, scenery and activities such as music, markets and tours.
Interest in agritourism is growing, especially among older travelers seeking a relaxed time with loved ones.

Thanks to the ingenuity of Midwestern farmers, there is such a thing as farm-fresh pizza.

That’s the draw of so-called pizza farms, born in Wisconsin in the late 1990s. It’s a new version of the traditional farmer-to-customer script. Rather than bringing the bounty to market, it all happens on-site, wood-fired pies luring travelers down country roads. The farm becomes an open-air dining room, typically with views of crop fields and grazing animals. Toppings depend on the harvest, and live music, markets and other types of entertainment round out the experience.

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“There’s a feeling of adventure because … you’re on a working farm. There are birds and bees flying around, and it’s part of the fun,” says Eric Olson, 54, who lives in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and has visited a handful of the state’s pizza farms. “And then that connection to the people, right?… The guy taking your order, he could have very well planted what you’re going to eat on your pizza.”

Agritourism’s popularity continues to grow, particularly among older adults, according to the marketing and consulting firm Grand View Research. Visiting pizza farms is also a great place to relax with family and friends, the top travel motivator for those 50 and over, according to AARP’s 2026 Travel Trends survey.

The concept has begun to spread beyond its upper-Midwest epicenter. These five pizza farms are top-notch options to taste the trend.

Note: At some farms, you’ll need to bring your own plates and seating, which might run from simple picnic blankets to table-and-chair setups with tablecloths and portable lighting.

a split image of goats and a woman smiling and holding a pizza

A restored century barn, gardens and goats are part of the experience during pizza night at 40-acre Good Roots Farm in South Dakota. Here, owner Julie Ross shows off a fresh wood-fired pie.

Courtesy Good Roots Farm and Gardens

Good Roots Farm and Gardens

Brookings, South Dakota

About 10 years ago, Julie and Bill Ross were brainstorming what to do with their inherited family farm. While vacationing along the Upper Mississippi River in Minnesota and Wisconsin, they heard about pizza farms. “We went and saw a whole new world,” Julie says. The version the Rosses created is action-packed. Pizza-night performers include musicians, storytellers and aerialists, and there’s disc golf, an art room built into the granary and a little store to sell surplus veggies. Julie says, “We consider ourselves part of the slow-food movement because you have the whole evening to relax and enjoy yourself on the farm.” Along with the traditional pizzas, dessert pizza selections include chokeberry, courtesy of the farm’s Aronia orchard.

If you go: Pizza night is on Sundays from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., early June through mid-October. Reserve your pizza and time slot starting on Tuesdays at 3 p.m. Pizzas cost $22. Bring your own utensils and seating (limited loaner chairs available). goodrootsfarmandgardens.com

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a split image of a woman walking with a pizza and a pizza on a plate

Visitors pre-order crusts for the popular twice-weekly pizza nights at Alpha & Omega Farm in Minnesota, owned by Kim Hayes (pictured here) and her husband, Brad. You can also reserve overnight stays at one of the farm’s glamping sites.

Mariah Elise Photography/Alpha & Omega Farm

Alpha & Omega Farm

Princeton, Minnesota

Among the pizza-night seating options here: chef’s tables overlooking the wood-fired pizza ovens or seating in a restored and screened-in corn crib. A variety of musicians provide the musical backdrop. No need to go home post-pizza if you reserve one of the farm’s glamping sites. They include queen-size beds, access to a wood-fired sauna and cold plunge, and the option to bring your dog (otherwise not allowed during pizza night). The farm hosts goat yoga too.

If you go: Pizza nights are Thursdays and most Saturdays from 4:30 to 8 p.m., from May through September. Preordering crusts is recommended. The crust costs $10 and serves as a down payment on the pizza, which costs $24 and up. Bring your own utensils. Consider bringing your own seating if you don’t reserve an upgraded option. alphaomegafarm.co

a person cutting a pizza near a fieldstone oven

Farmer Tony Schultz, shown here, even grows the wheat for the pizza crust at Stoney Acres Farm in Wisconsin. Pizza nights are supported by a trio of fieldstone ovens and a beer garden serving Stoney Acres’ brews.

Courtesy Stoney Acres Farm

Stoney Acres Farm

Athens, Wisconsin

Stoney Acres has drawn Olson, the Stevens Point resident, back for repeat visits over the years. He appreciates the laid-back atmosphere and the dedication to local ingredients. “It’s not just ‘Do you want sausage? Do you want cheese?’ It’s going to be Wisconsin-made sausages and cheese,” Olson says. “They produce their own flour too.” Even beer to pair with your pizza is brewed on-site, including the Barnhouse Saison, sweetened by honey produced by the farm’s bees.

If you go: Pizza nights are on Fridays and Saturdays from 4 to 8:30 p.m., from early April through mid-November. Pizzas cost $15 and up. The on-site beer hall has indoor seating for 170 people. stoneyacres.farm

people talking and eating while sitting at a table

Relatively new to the pizza-farm scene, Tennessee’s multigenerational Turner Angus Farm features a barn-turned-pavilion with plenty of space for visiting and dinner views of the Turner family’s heritage Angus herd.

Courtesy Turner Angus Farm

Turner Angus Farm

Covington, Tennessee

Heritage Prairie Farm

Elburn, Illinois

At regular Wednesday social nights on this organic farm outside Chicago, the farm-fresh theme changes week to week. Live music, lawn games and a magician provide entertainment on wood-fired pizza nights, and a bar serving wine, beer and handcrafted cocktails operates out of the five-peak century tent. The farm’s social night’s other main feature: Farm Bites, with boxed meals from the farm’s kitchen instead of pizza. The farm also hosts farm dinners and plant sales.

If you go: Farm Social Nights are Wednesdays from 5 to 8 p.m., from June through September. Preorder dough online for $22, including tax and service fee. Limited indoor seating and picnic tables are available. Picnic blankets and lawn chairs welcome. heritageprairiefarm.com

The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Berit Thorkelson is a travel writer and editor for aarp.org. She has also written for publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Better Homes & Gardens and The Minnesota Star Tribune’s travel section.

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