Located in the heart of adventurous cajun country, Bonne Terre (which means Good Earth) is a sanctuary of rest and relaxation.

Bonne Terre is a certified wildlife habitat and a tranquil haven for artists, naturalists, and those just looking to get away from it all. However, it is also just minutes from historic downtown Breaux Bridge and Lafayette; so opportunities for culture, live music and local cuisine are plentiful. For bird watchers, outdoor enthusiasts and eco-tourists: the Atchafalaya Wilderness and Lake Martin are also close at hand. There is something for everyone at Bonne Terre!

Lend a Hand or Just Relax

Bonne Terre is a working farm with animals, a vegetable garden and a small orchard. When you visit at Bonne Terre, participating in farm chores is optional. You can help collect eggs, feed the animals and harvest food from the garden or orchard, if in season. Or you can do nothing but breathe, create, relax and feed your soul.

While at Bonne Terre, you can stay in one of two separate residences: the Cedar studio, or the beautiful hundred year-old Main House.  Each is nestled in a natural Louisiana landscape to provide a quiet, low impact setting for your vacation stay.  With outdoor seating areas and porches for connecting with nature and plenty of welcoming space inside too, both the main house and studio are cozy getaways. 

10-Acres of Sanctuary

The owner, Jennifer Gray, takes pride in the stewardship of her 10-acres of sanctuary by encouraging guests to minimize their impact on the environment through recycling and composting. Their gardens are organically grown, and the studio and house are equipped with eco-friendly and energy saving technologies.

Visit the Bonne Terre Farm listing here on Farm Stay USA and start planning your next getaway!

All photos courtesy of Bonne Terre Farm

The post Find “Good Earth” at Bonne Terre Farm in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana appeared first on Farmstay.

1. Could you tell us about the history of your farm?

2. Could you tell us about your animals?

I have at any time as many as 35 to 45 head of trail horses, boarding horses, rescued thoroughbreds, and I still have my old barrel mare, Star. She is 26 now and still gets excited when she hears a gate clank, like in the arena. We have several barn cats, so no mice! We have a couple of stocked ponds for the guest to fish, on a catch & release basis. We have chickens for eggs, guineas, pheasants, & turkeys for gumbos, and a pot-bellied pig, along with milk goats and sheep. If I could get my nannies to have girls instead of boys, we could make goat cheese.

3. Why did you choose to breed and raise dachshunds?

Dachshunds (long haired) are gorgeous dogs, very smart and funny. They are small for your lap, but big with loyalty. I love all hounds, but Dachshunds’ different shape and almost-shaped eyes are too hard to resist. The first time I saw a Dachshund, I was in a stationary store, and when I took a seat, the red pillow next to me moved and I jumped! I looked down and saw these gorgeous brown eyes and long flowing red coat. I didn’t even know what kind of dog it was until the owner told me. Then, a week later, I was at Louisiana Paralegal Seminar in New Orleans, and during a break I was walking through the hotel lobby and a lady came off the elevator with two long haired black & tans on a double leash. Their gait was just breathtaking for such short legs, and I was hooked. I rescue many dachshunds from animal shelters and breeders. Sometimes they simply show up in my neighborhood!

4.  Do you have a favorite vegetable or fruit, either to grow or to eat?

Strawberries and tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, hands down! We are lucky in Louisiana to be able to grow both in several plantings almost year around. A greenhouse has been a great addition to my food supply. We can start our tomato seeds in December and plant in pots in February and in the ground in early April, for early spring tomatoes in May. Strawberries are wonderful, too. Two plantings a year, and they have more vitamin C than oranges, plus they freeze outstandingly well.

5. What is the setting of your farm like?

 

Our farm is pastoral, with woods to explore and lots of animals to visit. Our farm is prettier to most guests in the spring and summer when the plants and flowers are out, but fall is my favorite time! We may not have the foliage changes like up in the northeast, but to me Louisiana is beautiful in the fall.  It could also be that after our hot summers, we are charmed by the cooler weather.

Our pool area is very nice and can feel very private, as it’s surrounded by hibiscus, but you can be floating in the pool and look out and see beautiful horses grazing 100 feet away. We have herb gardens and raised beds with seasonal veggies to admire and when we have an abundant crop, we are more than happy to let you pick some to take home with you.

6. What do most of your guests do during their stay?

They walk around the farm, get to know the petting zoo animals, pick veggies in high season, take a hike on the horse trails through the 45 acres, trail ride after breakfast, read a book on the patio, swim, fish the stocked ponds, or take a nap in a hammock (my favorite when I have time!)  They also get to choose what they are going to have for breakfast the next morning.  Every guest gets a menu with four to five items to choose from. No generic breakfast casserole is served in my dining room!

7. Your B&B includes three guest bedrooms – “The Queens’ Suite,” “La Louisiane,” and “Ponderosa.” You also offer a furnished guest apartment with six bunk beds. Could you tell us about the décor and your decorating philosophy?

My decorating philosophy is really about comfort. I use 1000+ thread count sheets, down comforters, and thick towels. We iron all the sheets. It’s luxurious even though you’re on a farm. We also offer flat-screen TVs, DVD players and board games. There’s so much to do here!

8. Anything more you’d like to add?

I am very blessed to be living my dream — being in the country, surrounded by animals, cooking for people, decorating for the seasons, and having a very wonderful husband and children who support my dream and like my mother-in-law told me, “You have vision!  I am so proud of you!”  I am proud of me, too, and of Splendor Farms!

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Photo credits: Carl Bordelon Photography

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