500 acre Intentional Community in the Blue Ridge Mt's, Homestead, Garden, Cattle, Chickens, Bees
Virginia
Looking for 2026 farm visits. First open time for a farm visit will be Sunday, March 7th through Saturday, March, 28. Then open again for another 3 week stay - Sunday, April 5th through Saturday, April 25. Four week stays in May and June. Starting Sunday, May 3 through Saturday, May 30th and Sunday, June 7th through Saturday, July 4th. If possible I prefer to have farm guests come in on a Saturday and leave on a Sunday. There is room for flexibility, especially if you are a couple or pair of friends and you would be arriving and leaving on the same dates.
I will be closed July and August, starting up again in September and running through the end of November of 2026. Fall dates and length of stay are pretty flexible, especially if made well in advance.
We are not your typical American family, farm stay or community. I garden extensively vegetables, flowers, berries, mushrooms; I have chickens, cattle, bees - somewhat like a homestead. I am a self taught mechanic, house builder, potter, and crafts person. I am also a mushroom hunter, pretty knowledgeable about flowers in particular, weeds, edibles, trees and ecology. I am not a commercial farmer, but use organic farming principals. Activities are very varied and no experience is necessary. You will get to do lots of different garden, animal, project things! We live in an intentional community of 60 adults and a few kids and teens. We own about 500 acres of land together. Our community has been going strong for 51 years. We are based on co operative living and decision making principals, taking care of our beautiful land and promoting land stewardship and harmonious relationships. We live in owner built homes that range from rustic cabins through larger homes with all the amenities. We try to encourage energy efficiency and sustainability. Most members make a living out in the community, in town, telecommute or are retired. We tend to be left of center politically and progressive thinkers.
We are open to singles or couples, straight, LBGT or however you identify yourself, as long as you consider yourself a good, kind and caring person. You will be living with me and my family in our home. Two adults, myself and husband live on one side of a duplex we built. My daughter and her partner, live on the other side. We share bathrooms, laundry the basement work spaces, studio and come and go pretty freely. We are an irreverent and sometimes boisterous bunch. Colorful language abounds, silliness and good conversation are to be had. We are peaceful, pacifists, politically progressive, and nonreligious. Most of us read widely and love meeting new people.
We live in a gorgeous area only a short drive to two locations where the Appalachian trial crosses an accessible road, many local hikes in the area and along the Blue ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive as well as walking trails in our backyard. Hiking and camping areas abound, with fantastic views, waterfalls, creeks and trails in our area. Charlottesville and Staunton, about a 30 mile drive, both are small cities with universities and all the accoutrements that provides.
We like to have two wwoofers at a time, but can accommodate 3, if 2 are willing to share the larger guest bedroom space. Each will need to fill out an application. If you are a single person, I will try to line up another farm guest to be here at the same time. I do have two spare bedrooms, one double room and one single. So with two, you can each have your own bedroom. Couples or friends usually share the larger bedroom. You will be provided with bedroom space, food, bedding, towels and share our home with us. We will have several shared meals each week and food to make all other meals. If you are vegan, gluten free or have a restrictive diet, you may have to provide foods to fulfill your dietary needs. You will be welcome to all food we do generally carry in our home. We do projects from 9 am to 3 pm with an hour off for lunch, Monday thru Fridays. Every day is varied, you will not be bored! In the summer we might start at 8 am, due to the heat, then end at 2 pm. This schedule can be flexible.
Please read my reviews, they will give you a good idea of what we do here at different seasons, as well as how much my wwoofers have helped me and enjoyed their stay here.
With the new character limit on profile details, I have truncated my somewhat long and detailed profile description. Please read what is here and then message me on the Wwoof site, I will send you the remainder of my description and what to expect during each month . My past wwoofers, agreed it was long, but said they liked reading all the details and that I should keep the description rather than shorten it. So if you like I can send you the balance of my rpofile.
Now for the Nitty Gritty.......
Please note - no pets we have 2 dogs, 2 cats, chickens, cattle here already, and do not invite farm stay guests with pets, my apologies. You must be fully vaccinated and booster-ed, and be willing to take a covid test if you have any symptoms while here. While covid has subsided, there is still a fair amount out there and we want us all to not get it. So far neither my husband or I have had covid, despite living in community and having farm guests again these two past years. We hope to keep it that way.
I have been a host for eleven years, please read my many reviews. If interested request a visit from among the dates given, or ask any questions you might have. I will respond to your request and send you an application. Since the new limitation on length of profile, I have a load more information on what you could expect as a farm guest here at Shannon Farm, I will send that to you upon request.
Happy Wwoofing to you!
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Poultry farming
Cattle farming
Beekeeping
Wild foraging
Flower farming
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Traditional crafts
Mechanics / tools / technology
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
Regenerative agriculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Nonprofit / Community
202.3
Hectares
|
500
Acres
Virginia
Member since 2014
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 1 day
Virginia
CHO - Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport, AMTRAK/Greyhound Bus, Charlottesville, Va
Reviews
Aliya
United States
•
December 2025
I stayed with Virginia for a very short period, figuring out how to balance my life, and I'd absolutely recommend her as a host!
What are her golden stars, you ask,
1. She has a schedule for wwoofers (make sure your host prioritizes this and follows through)
2. She sits down and plans activities for the week; there's a clear instruction of daily & weekly activities
3. Prioritizes a communal wwoofing experience where each member and she take a turn cooking throughout the week! She's generous and welcomes spontaneity on weekends with sharing food or eating a meal together, especially if you help cook or wash the dishes, which she mentions in her description!
4. Friday cleanup in common areas like the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. Adds a homey feeling!
During my winter stay, I stacked wood, fed chickens, weeded the garden, removed landscape fabric, folded fence lines, deconstructed worn pallets, and raked leaves by the electric fence wiring. Another wwoofer who was there at the same time, stayed longer, and has done fermentation projects too!
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Victoria
United States
•
September 2025
This summer, I spent three weeks living in Virginia's home. Her kindness and enthusiasm are infectious, and she is an amazing teacher who truly wants to share her skills and passions with others. The farm itself could not be a more beautiful location. Even in the blistering heat of the summer, I was happy to be working outside surrounded by lush green trees and views of the blue ridge. The heat leant itself to spending a lot of valuable time bathing in the lake and river that run right through the property. In terms of the work, we weeded, put up fencing, helped with planting, and did other general maintenance tasks around the farm. We also had opportunities to connect with community members and attend community dinners. I felt welcomed by everyone in the community and extremely at home by the end of my stay. I loved this farm so much that I went back to spend 2 more weekends there at the end of the summer. If you like the outdoors, meeting new people, and learning new skills, I guarantee that you will enjoy your stay with Virginia :).
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Monica
United States
•
August 2025
Virginia is a great teacher! She is very patient, and was flexible with my work schedule. She’s fun and easy to talk to. I learned how to make yogurt, can jam, mushroom foraging. It was great to live in her community and meet and work with her neighbors. We worked in the gardens, picked fruit, and adjusted the cattle fencing for new grazing areas. She sent me home with some yogurt starter, and I’ve already made my own batch! I would def recommend this experience to others!
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Antonia
United States
•
April 2025
I had a great time staying with Virginia! It was my first time wwoofing and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about gardening in a low-pressure way. It will also be interesting to folks who want to learn more about Intentional Communities, because Shannon Farm is one of the many different options of them out there. While I was there in mid March/early April we did a lot of garden set up, chicken chores, some planting, cooking, and other various tasks. Here and there we also did gardening/other projects for neighbors in the community which added a nice variety. Overall Virginia is a super welcoming individual and a great teacher. 5 stars! Also, this farm is absolutely beautiful-lots of woods to explore, a fun lake to hang out by, and mountains in view.
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Jacob
United States
•
April 2025
I really enjoyed my time wwoofing with Virginia. This was my very first experience with wwoof and it definitely set a high bar! I stayed here for a longer period of time, about a month and a half from mid February to early April. During this time we did a lot of garden prep for the growing season: planting, weeding, tilling, etc.
Virginia is a very kind and welcoming person. I knew very little about farming when I arrived and she was understanding of that. The work was enjoyable and not too demanding. Virginia knows so much about gardening and is happy to answer any questions. I feel like I learned so much about gardening during my stay.
We also had some interesting experiences outside of work including making cheese and kimchi.
I also really enjoyed connecting with the wider Shannon community. It's very kind and welcoming. They have social events fairly often. I'd recommend any wwoofer here try these out as they were a lot of fun.
Lastly, if you're an animal person she has some absolutely adorable cats and dogs. I already miss them!
I'd definitely recommend Virginia to anyone interested in learning more about gardening, intentional communities, or someone who just wants to find a nice relaxing place in the mountains. I'm hoping to make it back there some day!
Jacob
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Jessica
United States
•
October 2024
My experience and stay as a first time WWOOFer with Virginia could not have been any more memorable:) It was informative, easy paced and allowed for room to learn and grow. My host Virginia was very patient and I am thankful that she created a learning environment for her volunteers. A couple tasks/duties while on the farm were: going out to pick blueberries, wedding/transplanting/sowing and picking vegetables/feeding the chickens and collecting eggs. If the weather did not allow for outdoor work she found something productive for us to do indoors:) She showed me the process on how to make and store canned fig jam. She also showed me how to prepare cottage cheese and how to season and cook chicken of the woods mushrooms.We also had the opportunity to help her neighbor Dan who is paralyzed from the waist down once a week with fixtures and organization around his house. Dan is a wonderful person with tons of knowledge on solar/thermal energy. He is well experienced in that field and has implemented some of those practices on his own home. On days when I was done with my tasks, I would head down to the lake to freshen up & soak up some sun or go pick some sweet apples at the orchid. On weekends we had the Farmers Market and a community center to try new food, meet people and connect. Virginia's home was such a welcoming place, she is loved and adored by many and her home has become a revolving door for friends/family to visit. I felt satisfied and would LOVE to return.
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