Unique places to stay: An onion farm in Ames
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Onion Creek Farm owners Joe Lynch and Lonna Nachtigal. Photo: Courtesy of Onion Creek Farm
If you're looking for a unique weekend getaway, stay at an enchanting vegetable farm in Ames dedicated to sustainability.
Flashback: For decades, a piece of land by Onion Creek was grazed by cattle, leaving little vegetation on the forested floodplain.
- In 1975, Joe Lynch acquired the land and built a house on it, but decided to leave the floodplain alone.
The result: Forty years later, a thicket of wildflowers and trees that looks similar to a "dense tropical forest," is now known as Onion Creek Farm.
- "That's literally by doing nothing except leaving it alone," Lynch tells Axios.
Zoom in: Lynch's wife, Lonna Nachtigal, loves growing vegetables and started raising crops for the local farmers' market in 1998.
What you'll find: Onion Creek offers a single room with a queen bed or a two-room suite and kitchenette with a shared bathroom.
- Outside, visitors can look at onion, leek and garlic crops, as well as sheep.
The intrigue: Guests use a compostable toilet inside the home, which is then used for compost on the farm.
- It's mostly similar to any other toilet, except guests add a handful of pine wood chips after using it and the waste is removed regularly to compost.
Price: $80/night for a single room, $140/night for a two-room suite. Limited availability during the summer.
- Reserve a room by calling or emailing Joe and Lonna.
