Visitors in search of a peaceful oasis, “heirloom” livestock, or simply an interesting organic experience will enjoy Stillwaters. Owned, lovingly restored, and operated by Valeria and Rich Pitoni, two transplanted Floridians, Stillwaters Farm offers a variety of farm activities suitable for life at a slower pace — just right for those seeking to unplug from their digital lives for a day or a week.
Cottage Accommodations
A two-bedroom cottage with a lanai porch looking out upon a butterfly garden and hummingbird feeders comes with a full kitchen and outdoor barbecue. However, this particular farm experience is not a bed and breakfast, guests are required to bring their own food (complimentary coffee and tea are provided).
The cottage has plenty of personality, with whimsical photos of some of the resident animals complementing the local antique furnishings, which include a restored circa 1917 claw-foot tub and antique rosewood piano. A small in-house library and DVD collection are also available, but in keeping with the tempo of life on this farm, there is no cable.
Farm Animals to Meet, to Pet, or for Sale
The animals, vegetable garden, and “back 100” acres are the big attractions at Stillwaters. Where Rich handles the mowing and heavy machinery, Valeria raises a variety of livestock as well as purebred AKC-registered Great Pyrenees dogs. She is particularly fond of the small breeds, as there are miniature horses, donkeys, and cattle. Other animals include the occasional rescue, APHA-registered horses (for sale when available), goats, sheep, friendly bulls, the requisite barnyard cat, and occasional visits from a a tame deer. Seymour the deer was rescued by one of the Great Pyrenees after coyotes attacked its mother in 2008. The little one was raised and weaned by Buttercup, the mother of most of Stillwaters’ Great Pyrenees litters. After a year of life on the farm, Seymour left to find his kind in the wild, but he will forever be known as the Great “Deerenees.”
Since Stillwaters is an exhibition farm, raising its livestock primarily for the enjoyment of visitors and the animals themselves, a personal introduction to the animals is part of the experience awaiting every guest so inclined. Other activities include hiking, birding, or riding a golf cart through a mix of hay pastures, woodlands, ponds, and meadows, to the still waters of Jack's Creek.
Aside from the on-site petting zoo, children will enjoy learning to make butter (though don’t picture a huge wooden churn; think instead of shaking a Tupperware container), picking blueberries, and climbing trees.
History and Handmade Crafts
Stillwaters opened to the public in May 2008. Valeria and Rich purchased the 130-acre farm in 2006, then worked for the next one and a half years to restore the cottage, bring acreage back into cultivation, and configure their livestock pastures. They are living their dream at Stillwaters, having traded a fraction of the acreage in Florida for a much larger spread in Tennessee.
Caring for her animals is not all that occupies Valeria’s time. Making use of her home-grown produce and livestock, she produces a line of products available for purchase at the Farm as well as area fairs and markets. They include
- all-occasion blank note and greeting cards featuring her prize-winning rural photography
- 5"x7" matted photographs-most of which are taken at the farm or nearby in the West Tennessee area
- handmilled goat's milk, shea butter, and natural glycerin soaps--all made at the farm
- hand poured soy candles--made at the farm
- gourd art, hand painted gourd bird houses, and keepsake boxes, cheese wheels, and garden art, all painted at the farm.
West Tennessee Regional Attractions
Nearby Henderson, Tennessee is a very small town with antique shops for the treasure hunter. Five state parks, Chickasaw, Pickwick, Big Hill Pond, Pinson Mounds, and Natchez Trace, are all located within an hour’s drive. Civil War buffs may wish to visit Shiloh National Military Park or the Civil War Interpretive Center in historic Corinth, Mississippi. Area attractions offer something for just about every type of outdoor enthusiast. Stillwaters Farm itself is an attraction for its animals, its charming accommodations, and the natural pace of life on a farm.
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