Dude ranches in the USA

How to find dude ranches, guest ranches, and other working farms with hospitality in the United States

Guest ranches in...
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It’s tough to draw the line between a dude ranch or guest ranch and a "farm stay"—though, in a very broad and general sense, that line very well could be the Mississippi River.

Out West, many (but not all) accommodations found on working, um, let's lump all categories together as "agricultural ventures" are run as dude or guest ranches.

To over-simplify matters: Farm stays are B&Bs that happen to be part of a small, family working farm. Dude ranches are more holistic back-to-cattle experiences where you go specifically to play at being a cowboy, sort of like the cattle drive camp the characters in City Slickers had so much fun with, only most dude ranches don't feature Jack Palance as a trail boss or Billy Crystal for comic relief.

That’s not to say many dude ranches aren't family-run, but a dude ranch or guest ranch is run a bit differently from a farm stay—a bit more commerically and professionally. At a guest ranch, there are often more activities designed specifically for the guests, from horseback rides and BBQ meals to farm activities and cowboy lessons on everything from lariat twirling to cattle rounding-up.

Well, my sad struggles to define a difference between what is really a continuum of agritourism choices won't help you find the perfect place to swing up into the saddle, but these resources can:

Resources for dude ranch stays in the United States

You could keep trolling the Web 'til the cows come home and still have difficulty ferreting out farm stay opportunities. Here are the shortcuts to agricultural bliss.

Dude ranches in ALABAMA

AgriTourism in Alabama (www.alabamaagritourism.com) - 37 farm B&Bs in Alabama.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Alabama dude ranches: www.horseandtravel.com.

Dude ranches in ALASKA

Travel Alaska (www.travelalaska.com) - The official state tourism site lists both "Wilderness Lodges & Resorts" (not quite farms, but in a similar spirit) and links to lots of individual B&Bs and state-wide and regional B&B associations, among which you may find some farms.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Alaska dude ranches: www.horseandtravel.com, www.guestranches.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in ARIZONA

Arizona Tourism (www.arizonaguide.com) - The official state website has a "Hotels & Lodging" section letting you search "Guest Ranches."

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Arizona dude ranches: www.azdra.com, www.arizonaguide.com, www.duderanch.org, www.duderanches.com, www.guestranches.com, www.ranchweb.com, vacationranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in ARKANSAS

Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism (www.arkansas.com) - Breaks out "Dude Ranches" in Arkansas under "Places to Stay." (Also has an agrotourism section, but it's mostly u-pick farms.)

Bed & Breakfast Association of Arkansas (www.arkansasbedandbreakfast.com) - Limit your search to "Geographic setting: Rural" and a number of the two-dozen results will be farm stays.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Arkansas dude ranches: www.arkansas.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in CALIFORNIA

University of California Agricultural Tourism Directory (calagtour.org) - Under "Activity Search" is a section on "Accommodations" with sub-sections on farm stays, farm/ranch vacations, guest ranches, camping or RV facilities, and others with nearly 100 listings, from ranches to wineries to orchards with a B&B.

Ag Adventures (www.agadventures.org) - Agricultural Adventures along California's Central Coast—from farm stays to trail rides and cattle drives.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» California dude ranches: calagtour.org, www.agadventures.org, www.duderanch.org, www.duderanches.com, www.ranchweb.com, www.guestranches.com, vacationranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in COLORADO

Colorado Department of Agriculture (www.colorado.gov) - Click on "Agrotourism Directory" on the right to get a list, by county, of various farms open to tourism in Colorado and what services each offers—many of them including B&B rooms. (If you click on "Bed and Breakfast Inns" in that right column, it just takes you to www.innsofcolorado.org, which is a fine lodgings resource, but doesn't differentiate farm stays from other types of B&Bs.)

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Colorado dude ranches: www.coloradoranch.com, www.dude-ranch.com, www.colorado.com, www.duderanch.org, www.duderanches.com, www.ranchweb.com, www.horseandtravel.com, www.guestranches.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in HAWAII

Hawaii Agritourism Association (www.hiagtourism.org) - A goodly pick of farm tours on all the Hawaiian islands, but so far only one (www.mangosunset.com) offers B&B stays.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Hawaii dude ranches: www.horseandtravel.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in IDAHO

Visit Idaho (www.visitidaho.org) - The official state tourism website lists 54 Guest Ranches.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com.

» Idaho dude ranches: www.visitidaho.org, www.duderanch.org, www.duderanches.com, www.ranchweb.com, www.horseandtravel.com, www.guestranches.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in ILLINOIS

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

Dude ranches in INDIANA

Indiana Agritourism and Farmer's Market Online Directory (www.in.gov) - Comb though the many many u-pick and other agri-tourism ventures and you'll find some that also operate as a farmhouse inn or B&B.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com.

» Indiana dude ranches: www.horseandtravel.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in IOWA

Iowa Economic Development (www.traveliowa.com) - It's not perfect, but under "Places to Stay" you can peruse page after page of B&Bs, most of which have brief descriptions right on the results page identifying which are on farms.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

Dude ranches in KANSAS

Official State of Kansas Travel and Tourism (www.travelks.com) - Under Places to Stay, “Guest/Working Ranches” is an option (there are also some farm B&Bs under “Other”).

Kansas Bed & Breakfast Association (www.kbba.com) - There's a "Ranches & Farms" option for your search.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Kansas dude ranches: www.travelks.com, www.kbba.com, www.duderanches.com, www.horseandtravel.com.

Dude ranches in KENTUCKY

Kentucky Farms are Fun (www.kentuckyfarmsarefun.com) - Under the "Attractions" menu is a "Lodging" option that lists 30 Kentucky farm B&Bs, guest ranches, and inns.

Kentucky Tourism (www.kentuckytourism.com) - Under "Things to Do" is a "Kentucky Agritourism" option. Search on "Type: Farm/Plantation" and many of the farms among the results will be offer B&B accommodations.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com.

» Kentucky dude ranches: www.kentuckyfarmsarefun.com, www.horseandtravel.com.

Dude ranches in LOUISIANA

Louisiana Travel (www.louisianatravel.com) - You can scroll through the 240+ B&Bs at the state tourism site's database looking for farms.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com.

» Louisiana dude ranches: www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com.

Dude ranches in MAINE

Maine Farm Vacation Association (www.mainefarmvacation.com) - Eighteen farm stays in Maine.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

Dude ranches in MARYLAND

University of Maryland Ag Extension (www.marylandagriculture.com) - A few of the farms listed offer B&B rooms.

So Maryland, So Good... (www.somarylandsogood.com) - A handful of farm stay listed, but a bug in the site makes it tricky to get to them. You have to select any random entry under the "Find a Service:Service" drop-down menu—doesn't matter which. Then scroll to the bottom of that results screen to find the "Find a service" section again. This time, under the "Service" drop-down menu, "Bed and breakfast" will be an option. (Why it is not on the main page is beyond me—not that I'm not guilty of such accidental coding omissions myself from time to time.)

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com.

Dude ranches in MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts Department of Agriculture (www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown) - Here you can download a PDF of the state agritourism brochure including, among other things, farm B&B accommodations in Massachusetts.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

Dude ranches in MICHIGAN

Michigan Farm Marketing & Agri-Tourism Association (www.michiganfarmfun.com) - It's aimed at u-pick farms and tours and such. Unfortunately, though the web version allows you to search by dozens of different farm products plus, tours, wagon rides, etc., "lodging" is not an option. However, if you look at the online PDF version of the catalog and scan each listing for the "Other Info" section, you will note that many of them also run B&Bs.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Michigan dude ranches: www.guestranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in MINNESOTA

Green Routes (www.greenroutes.org) - Interesting, map-based site covering Minnesota and a scattering of things in neighboring Upper Midwest states (Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota). Can deselect everything but "sleep" to see just lodgings, most of which are rural B&Bs and farm stay.

Green Island (greenislandpreserve.com) - This wonderfully funky, alternative preservation farm offers quirky caravan lodgings of its own, and also has an online guide to 16 other farmstay operations across Minnesota.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com.

Dude ranches in MISSISSIPPI

Visit Mississippi (www.visitmississippi.org) - Another good state tourism site resource that mixes all the historic and u-pick farms in with the few that offer B&B lodging—but the farmhouse inns are in there if you take a few minutes to scroll through results.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com.

Dude ranches in MISSOURI

AgriMissouri (agrimissouri.com) - Under MoFun is a category for Bed and Breakfast.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Missouri dude ranches: www.duderanches.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in MONTANA

Visit Montana (www.visitmt.com) - The official state site has listings for 183 ranch vacations across Montana.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Montana dude ranches: www.montanadra.com, www.visitmt.com, www.duderanch.org, www.duderanches.com, www.ranchweb.com, www.horseandtravel.com, www.guestranches.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in NEBRASKA

Visit Nebraska (www.visitnebraska.org) - The official state tourism website Has both a "Bed & Breakfasts" and a "Guest Ranches" search option under "Places to Stay."

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Nebraska dude ranches: www.visitnebraska.org, www.duderanches.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, vacationranches.com.

Dude ranches in NEVADA

Travel Nevada (travelnevada.com) - The official state tourism site lists 9 guest ranches across Nevada.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Nevada dude ranches: travelnevada.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in NEW HAMPSHIRE

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» New Hampshire dude ranches: www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in NEW JERSEY

Visit NJ Farms (www.visitnjfarms.org) - Wonderful for general farm tourism in the Garden State... but you have to click on each farm and read its details to see if it also offers B&B facilities.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com.

Dude ranches in NEW MEXICO

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com.

» New Mexico dude ranches: www.duderanch.org, www.duderanches.com, www.ranchweb.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in NEW YORK

I Love NY (www.iloveny.com) - The official New York State Tourism site has both "Dude Ranches" (8 of them) and "B&B & Country Inns" options under its Where to Stay section.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» New York dude ranches: www.iloveny.com, www.duderanches.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina General Store (www.ncagr.gov) - The state Department of Agriculture site lists nearly 60 "Farm Bed & Breakfasts, Country Cabins, Retreats."

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» North Carolina dude ranches: www.duderanches.com, www.ranchweb.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, vacationranches.com.

Dude ranches in NORTH DAKOTA

North Dakota Tourism (www.ndtourism.com) - The state tourist site has a "Ranch" option in its Where to Stay database search (lists 20 around the state). A few of the listings under "Bed & Breakfast" are farms, but you have to scan the descriptions to pick them out.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com.

» North Dakota dude ranches: www.horseandtravel.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in OHIO

Discover Ohio (discoverohio.com) - It takes some digging, but if you go into "Travel Tools" then "Travel Planner" then select "Family Fun" you can see a list of more than 90 AgriTourism opportunities—lots of farm visits and u=picks, but also a few with accommodation.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Ohio dude ranches: www.duderanches.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, vacationranches.com.

Dude ranches in OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma Agritourism (www.oklahomaagritourism.com) - When you click on "Find a Farm" (and it redirects you to its consumer site), two of the choices are "Country Stays" and "Guest Ranch."

Travel OK (www.travelok.com) - The state tourism website has a "Guest Ranch" option in its Hotels & Lodging database search.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Oklahoma dude ranches: www.oklahomaagritourism.com, www.travelok.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in OREGON

The Central Cascades Geotourism Project (thecentralcascades.com) - Lists 43 lodging options at farms across Oregon and Washington states.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Oregon dude ranches: www.duderanch.org, www.horseandtravel.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in PENNSYLVANIA

Visit PA (www.visitpa.com) - I'm proud of my home state for being one of the very, very few that, right there on the homepage of its official tourism web site, actually has "Farmstays" as an option under Places to Stay. Even better: when you click on it, it lists 55 options all across Pennsylvania.

A Lancaster County, PA Farm Stay (www.afarmstay.com) - The site is what it says: links to two-dozen farm B&Bs in everybody's favorite slice of rural Pennsylvania: Lancaster Country (a.k.a. Amish Country).

PA Farm Vacations (www.pafarmstay.com) - Wonderful site devoted exclusively to farm stays in PA, including tips and availability calendars along with links to about 20 options.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Pennsylvania dude ranches: www.malibududeranch.com, www.duderanches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in RHODE ISLAND

New England Farmways (www.nefarmways.com) - The nation's smallest state puts up an impressive eight farm-stay operations if you search on this site's "Find a Farm" feature (along with one each in neighboring Vermont and Massachusetts).

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com.

Dude ranches in SOUTH CAROLINA

Discover South Carolina (www.discoversouthcarolina.com) - The state tourism site lists a whopping one farm stay under "Unique Lodging" (plus an awesome canoe-in treehouse)—but, since that one is not included on the two generalist sites mentioned below, why not include this link?

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com.

Dude ranches in SOUTH DAKOTA

Travel South Dakota (www.travelsd.com) - The official state tourism site lists 20 ranches in its Lodging section.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» South Dakota dude ranches: www.travelsd.com, www.duderanches.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in TENNESSEE

Tennessee Department of Tourism (www.tnvacation.com) - In the "Places to Stay" section is an option for "Guest Ranches & Farm Inns."

Tennessee Agritourism Association (www.visittnfarms.com) - Google Maps–based "Find a farm" site. Covers all forms of farm visits, but among them are those that offer lodgings.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Tennessee dude ranches: www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in TEXAS

Travel Texas (www.traveltex.com) - 100 ranches and rodeos on the Texas tourism site.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com.

» Texas dude ranches: www.traveltex.com, www.duderanches.com, www.ranchweb.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in UTAH

Utah tourism (www.utah.com) - Under "Lodging" is a "Guest Ranches" option.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com

» Utah dude ranches: www.utah.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in VERMONT

Vermont Farms! (www.vtfarms.org) - About two dozen farm stays in the Green Mountain State.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Vermont dude ranches: www.horseandtravel.com.

Dude ranches in VIRGINIA

Virginia Tourism (www.virginia.org/site/features.asp?featureid=527) - Thankfully, the state tourism website has an entire page devoted to 22 farm stays in Virginia, from the Shenandoah Valley to the Eastern Shore.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Virginia dude ranches: www.duderanches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in WASHINGTON

The Central Cascades Geotourism Project (thecentralcascades.com) - Lists 43 lodging options at farms across Washington and Oregon states.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Washington dude ranches: www.duderanch.org, www.duderanches.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

Dude ranches in WEST VIRGINIA

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.sleepinthehay.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» West Virginia dude ranches: www.horseandtravel.com.

Dude ranches in WISCONSIN

Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association (www.visitdairyland.com) - Click on "Travel Destinations" for a chart of various farms that do agritourism indicating which offer lodging.

Travel Wisconsin (www.travelwisconsin.com) - Under "Accommodations" is a category for "Specialty," and many of those are working farms (and those that aren't are still really interesting, like a trawler on Lake Superior or houseboat on the Mississippi).

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com, www.ruralbounty.com.

» Wisconsin dude ranches: www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com.

Dude ranches in WYOMING

Wyoming Tourism (www.wyomingtourism.org) - The "Guest/Dude Ranches" option under "Places to Stay" lists 101 ranches across Wyoming.

Bed & Breakfast Inns and Ranches of Wyoming (www.wyomingbnb-ranchrec.com) - About two dozen working ranches, guest ranches, and rural B&Bs in Wyoming.

» General farmstay sites: www.farmstayus.com

» Wyoming dude ranches: www.wyomingdra.com, www.wyomingtourism.org, www.wyomingbnb-ranchrec.com, www.duderanch.org, www.duderanches.com, www.ranchweb.com, www.guestranches.com, www.horseandtravel.com, vacationranches.com, www.ResortsandLodges.com.

General farm stay sites

Farmstay US (www.farmstayus.com) - Lists 152 Farm Stays and Guest Ranches across the United States.

Sleep in the Hay (www.sleepinthehay.com) - Wonderfully straightforward and easy-to-use database of 99 farmstays in 31 states—mostly on the east coast, west coast, and southern midwest.

Rural Bounty (www.ruralbounty.com) - Has a search engine for lodging with more than 80 listings across the country.

Horse and Travel (www.horseandtravel.com) - This travel site for the horsey set includes listings of Dude Ranches all across the country as well as 245 B&Bs that take horses (which means many will be on a farm somewhere). Not all the links are still valid, but it's a decent site to search for rural B&Bs.

Organic Places to Stay (www.organicholidays.co.uk) - OK, nearly two-thirds of the listings here are lodgings that happen to offer organic food. The other third, however, are B&Bs, rental cottages, or homestays on working organic farms. There are tons of listings ranging all over the world, 20 of which are in the US.

The Farmstay Project (farmstays.blogspot.com) - A blog about and for farmstay operators and enthusiasts, with some good lists of links (way down on the right column).

USDA National Agricultural Library (ric.nal.usda.gov) - A long list of links to various agritourism initiatives (some of them for the vacationing public, some information to help farms increase their economic base).

Networking Association for Farm Direct Marketing and Agritourism (www.nafdma.com) - Fabulous set of links—most aimed primarily at the farmers themselves, though good resources for tourists are in there.

Agrisport (www.agrisport.com) - It's very much a homemade site, and far from the best organized around, but it's loaded with links once you drill down. These are not only to specific guest farms and dude ranches, but to other outdoors and agritourism links as well, all grouped by country or state. One annoying factor: you have to open a site in a new window to see what its actual url is (otherwise every page is masked as "agrisort.com").

Agritourism World (www.agritourismworld.com) - Ladies and gentlemen, behold: a list of thousands of farm stays around the world... in alphabetical order by name. Not even sure why I bother including this sits, since the results are nearly random—a farm B&B in rural Pennsylvania wedged between one in Italy and another in Belize. How useful is that? Still, if you just want to roll the virtual dice when it comes to location, you'll find plenty of agriturismi here.

WWOOF: The World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (www.wwoof.org) - If you really want to get your hands dirty, sign up with this collection of volunteer organizations in 50 countries around the world, from Australia to Korea, Ghana to the US, Italy to Nepal (plus "independent" members—countries with only a handful of opportunities). Each is devoted to supporting and helping teach about organic and environmentally sound farming techniques. You join the WOOF chapter in the country where you'd like to work (for roughly $10 to $40), it sends you a list of farms that would appreciate a helping hand in exchange for room and board. You must be willing to put in six hours of work six days a week to see how the farming half lives in a variety of nations.

National Dude Ranch organizations and databases

The Dude Ranchers’ Association (www.duderanch.org) - More than 100 Dude Ranches that have been through the two-year inspection and approval process to become members of the venerable Dude Rancher's Association. All are out West (Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana mostly, with a few each in New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, California, and British Columbia).

Duderanches.com (www.duderanches.com) - Some of the best ranches out there, searchable by state, type, and activities. To be listed on the site, a ranch must fulfill three criteria, being: "(a) participating member of the Dude Ranchers' Association (DRA) (b) participating member of a state or provincial association, or (c) sponsored by a member of the DudeRanches.com Advisory Board." (That six-person Advisory Board consists ranch owners and experts, including two past DRA presidents.)

Ranch Web (www.ranchweb.com) is the on-line version of Gene Kilgore's excellent and fairly exhaustive guidebook to dude and guest ranches, with hundred of properties listed, reviewed (by the site's writers as well as past guests), links to the properties, and a "space availability finder" which helps you determine if there's room at the ranch for your travel dates (though you'd then have to book with the ranch directly).

Horse and Travel (www.horseandtravel.com) - This travel site of the horsy set includes listings of Dude Ranches all across the country (as well as B&Bs that take horses—pretty much a guarantee they'll be on a farm somewhere).

Guestranches.com (www.guestranches.com) - Includes, as it sounds, mostly ranches, not small family farms, and mostly out west (though there are some choices back east in places like Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and New York)—plus a handful in Canada and Mexico.

Resorts and Lodges.com (www.ResortsandLodges.com) - Has 200 listings in its "Dude Ranches" section spread all across the country—including Back East, from the White Mountains of New Hampshire to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Most are pretty sparse on the details (they're trying to get you to book direct through this site). But you can always just cut-and-paste the name of it and do a Google search to find the ranch's own web site.

Vacation Ranches (vacationranches.com) lists some 87 properties, most of them (you guessed it) out West, with a few in the Midwest and Back East.

Farmstay US (www.farmstayus.com) - Lists 152 Farm Stays and Guest Ranches across the United States.

Sleep in the Hay (www.sleepinthehay.com) - Wonderfully straightforward and easy-to-use database of 99 farmstays in 31 states—mostly on the east coast, west coast, and southern midwest.

Rural Bounty (www.ruralbounty.com) - Has a search engine for lodging with more than 80 listings across the country.

The Farmstay Project (farmstays.blogspot.com) - A blog about and for farmstay operators and enthusiasts, with some good lists of links (way down on the right column).