The Rural Voice, 1991-12, Page 28WISCH HURON FARMS
RETIRED FARMERS COMBINE BLOSSOMS WITH BED -
AND -BREAKFAST FOR A FUN COUNTRY BUSINESS
Thea Wisch adjusts a bouquet made from flowers home-grown on the farm.
story by Darene Yavorsky
photos by Daniel Holm
There are many good reasons for
living in the country; any rural resi-
dent could name at least a dozen. So
it's no surprise that it's not just city
dwellers who enjoy visiting the coun-
try — most farm folks can't resist
peeking over the neighbour's fence,
and exploring other rural areas is right
up their lane.
Travellers through Huron County
can consider putting Wisch Huron
Farms, near Hensall, on their itinerary.
Now retired from full-time farming,
Thea and Uwe Wisch offer a farm va-
cation service, and visitors are treated
to warm hospitality plus a behind -the -
scenes look into Thea's fascinating
dried flowercrafts business.
Thea and Uwe share a heritage of
traditional European -style vacations,
and bring that special flavour to their
bed -and -breakfast service at Wisch
Huron Farms. "The area we came
from in Germany was a holiday area
close to the North Sea," says Thea.
"Most farmers took in guests to their
homes, and I always thought I would
like to do that, too."
The time was right in 1988. Their
children had grown and moved out,
and the Wischs renovated the upper
floor of their home to make room for
family and friends coming from Ger-
many to celebrate Thea and Uwe's
25th anniversary. After the party,
three bedrooms stood vacant — but
not for long.
As a B&B, Wisch Huron Farms
soon attracted guests, with its winning
blend of comfort and hospitality, as
well as its ideal location in the heart
of Ontario's Huron County. The sur-
rounding area is a gold mine of holi-
day attractions, including live theatre
at Stratford, Grand Bend, and Blyth;
beautiful lakeshore towns to visit,
such as Bayfield, and Goderich; plus
quaint tea rooms, fine restaurants, and
antique and craft shops galore.
"We're pretty central, so people
have our home as a base," says Uwe.
"After breakfast they might go for a
drive to Grand Bend, or London, or to
Stratford or Blyth, and when they
come back later, they stroll around the
property, have a dip in the swimming
pool, and sometimes sit with us in the
evening and talk. We have a good,
deep pond, that's loaded with fish. It
makes a relaxing holiday."
Guests can roam the gardens
where Thea grows masses of flowers
for her dried flowercrafts business,
and visitors are welcome to try their
hand at making an ornamental wreath
or other arrangement.
The heady aroma of flowers greets
you at the door of their home, and
Thea's workshop overwhelms the
senses, its ceiling literally hidden by
24 THE RURAL VOICE