01Engage with Farmer Mark, Growing in the Florida climate
Explore the planter beds and learn how healthy soil and pasture begin the story of good food.
The Irish Acres Farm Experience
Come spend a little whilein another world.
A private, hands-on journey through the animals, gardens, dairy, and old-fashioned pleasures of a working family farm.
Call Farmer MarkMore than a tour
Leave the noise of the day at the farm gate.
Our Brooksville farm tours do not keep visitors behind a rope to simply watch. You wander, discover, ask questions, meet the animals, and try the work with your own hands.
For a few hours there are no screens ringing, no schedules pressing, and no need to hurry. Walk through the planter beds, look for fish around the pond, visit the Chicken Hotel, collect eggs, meet the Jersey girls, and discover why Farmer Mark calls himself a grass farmer versus a dairy farmer.
The experience is educational, but it is also intentionally whimsical. We want young people and adults alike to forget today’s frustrations and remember the simple pleasure of being outdoors, learning something real, and laughing together.
A day shaped around your group
Learn it by living it.
No two visits need to be exactly alike. These are some of the experiences we may share together.
01
02Visit the Chicken Hotel, Now that is an experience
Meet the flock, see the hatchery, hold a chick when possible, and search the nesting boxes for freshly laid eggs.
03Milk a Jersey Cow
Step into the milking parlor and experience what it takes to bring milk from the cow to the family table.
04Separate the Cream
See how cream is removed from fresh milk and learn how it becomes butter and other foods made on the farm.
05Meet Piggly Wiggly
A firm favorite with the children, Piggly Wiggly brings plenty of personality to every visit.
06Meet the Jersey Girls
Step into the pasture, meet our Jersey girls by name, and discover the gentle personalities behind the milk made at Irish Acres.
Created with homeschool families in mind
A classroom with grass underfoot.
Homeschool groups are at the heart of our farm experience. Families travel from Brooksville, Hernando County, and across Tampa Bay for homeschool farm tours where lessons are lived, not merely explained. The photographs on this page show real homeschool families learning here at Irish Acres.
Lessons come naturally when a student can touch, observe, question, and participate. Animal husbandry, food production, stewardship, biology, responsibility, and practical life skills all become part of one memorable day.
Tell Farmer Mark what your group hopes to learn, and we will shape the experience around it.
Perhaps your students want to focus on making butter. Perhaps they want to understand why healthy milk begins with healthy grass. Perhaps the chickens, garden, dairy, or animal care fit a subject you are already studying. Call us and we will build the visit around your group.
Clear and simple
Plan your farm experience.
$39per visitor for groups of three or more
For one or two visitors, the total price is $100. Children under 3 visit at no charge.
$100 totalOne or two visitors
$19.50The fourth visitor in the same immediate family
1 freeChaperone for every 10 paid students in an organized group
Under 3Children under three visit at no charge
Tours are arranged Monday through Saturday, generally at 7:30 AM or 5:00 PM. Reservations and closed-toe shoes are required.
Call Farmer Mark to ReserveRequest a date
Begin planning your farm experience.
Choose an available time and tell us a little about your group. This is a request, not a confirmed reservation. Irish Acres will speak with you, settle the details, and then send the Stackle payment step.
- 1Request a date
- 2Plan it with the farm
- 3Confirm and pay
Approved ProviderVisit the official Step Up for Students websiteFor eligible homeschool families
Use Step Up for Students funds.
Irish Acres is an approved Step Up for Students provider. Eligible families may use available scholarship funds toward qualifying group farm experiences and animal husbandry learning.
Click the Step Up for Students logo to visit their official website. For eligibility, group planning, and current availability, please telephone Farmer Mark.
Call to Plan Your Group VisitEveryone is welcome
Not only for school groups.
The Irish Acres Farm Experience is for homeschool groups, families, couples, friends, and anyone looking for a genuine family farm experience near Tampa. It can even be a wonderfully different date for a young man who wants to bring his girlfriend somewhere genuine and unexpected.
Each visit is arranged personally. Most tours last two to three hours, and Farmer Mark can shape the experience around the people coming and what they most want to discover.