Approximately 26 acre farm raising 60+ llamas with the Smoky Mountains in full view.
Tennessee
We are open again for woofers after being closed since January 2019 due to temporary family needs in our house, Covid,, and moving to & building a new llama farm. We are excited to welcome new woofers to stay and enjoy the llama life with us!
Our farm is located in a quiet farming community just outside Greeneville, Tennessee, in the northeast corner of East Tennessee, near the borders of North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia. We are in the final stages of completing our dream Barndominium and farm of approximately 26 acres, with breathtaking, full views of the Smoky Mountains.
We are Jerry and Carolyn, both retired educators. Jerry spent many years as a high school principal and retired in June 2017. Carolyn taught elementary school for 15 years before becoming a high school art teacher, retiring in May 2021. Retirement hasn’t slowed us down—in fact, it’s allowed us to fully embrace the farm lifestyle we love.
Over the years, we’ve raised many kinds of animals, including goats, sheep, pigs, cattle, and horses. In 1998, we purchased our first llamas, and that decision changed our lives forever. Carolyn, originally from Jacksonville, Florida, was very much a city girl and rarely ventured into the barn unless baby animals were being born. That all changed with llamas.
The running joke on the farm is:
“Before llamas, Jerry couldn’t get Carolyn to come to the barn. Now he can’t get her to come back to the house—so we built a Barndominium to house us and the baby llamas.”
Carolyn has truly become a farm girl and would happily spend every waking hour with the llamas if she could. Our shared passion for these incredible animals has helped us reconnect deeply, especially now that our two children are grown and we are retired. We don’t have time for “empty nest syndrome”—there’s far too much life and joy here.
The Farm & Animals
Our current animal family includes:
Approximately 60 llamas
Chickens
Two indoor/outdoor cats
Bernie, our Anatolian Shepherd llama-guard dog
Milow, our new baby Dachsund
Visitors must not be allergic to dogs or cats. Llamas are hypoallergenic.
Our Home & Guest Accommodations
In 2017, we built and opened a small RV campground beside our former farm. After operating it for four years, we sold the campground so we could refocus fully on the llama farm. We also sold our original farm and are now completing our new Barndominium (home + barn). The main living space is complete and includes a large open-concept living room, dining area, and kitchen, along with our master bedroom and bathroom on the main floor.
WWOOFers' accommodations are upstairs in a private guest suite, which includes:
A bedroom with a king-size bed
A full private bathroom
A lounging area with a stunning, “million-dollar” mountain view
We can accommodate 1–2 WWOOFers at a time. If two visitors know each other (same gender or a couple), they will share the bedroom and have their own private bathroom and lounging area.
All sheets and linens are provided.
No children or pets at this time.
Food & Daily Life
Breakfast and lunch items are provided for visitors, and we share a family dinner most evenings. We enjoy relaxed meals, good conversation, and connecting with the people who come to stay with us.
Farm Activities & Creative Offerings
Life on the new farm includes:
Sustainable gardening
Hiking with llamas
Agritourism events such as farm visits, hayrides, birthday parties, and family reunions
Carolyn is an artist working in several mediums and offers:
Spinning and weaving classes (she will teach woofers to spin & weave if interested)
“Sip & Paint” painting parties
A children’s summer camp in June called “Art at the Llama Farm”
WWOOFer Expectations
WWOOFers work no more than 5 hours per day, 5 days per week. Saturdays and Sundays are off to rest or explore the area, though days can be flexed to accommodate farm needs and visitor plans.
Typical work includes:
Feeding and grooming llamas
Halter training baby llamas
Barn & pasture maintenance
General family farm chores
Seasonal projects may include:
Building raised garden beds
Constructing an old-window greenhouse
Painting projects
Maintaining llama trails
Gardening and landscaping
Mowing
Assisting with agritourism events
House Rules & Stay Length
We are a non-smoking household and do not accept smokers, as we share our home with visitors.
No drugs.
Alcohol (beer or wine) is allowed in moderation for guests 21+, per Tennessee law.
Visitors may stay 1–4 weeks, with longer stays possible if it’s a good fit. We do not schedule WWOOFers more than 120 days in advance.
Location & Transportation
We are close to Hiking and biking trails, Whitewater rafting, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Virginia Creeper Trail, and Davy Crockett Birthplace Park.
We can provide pickup from the Tri-Cities Airport or the Johnson City, TN bus station, or you are welcome to drive your own vehicle.
Final Thoughts
We have hosted over 25 WWOOFers in the past and took a break beginning in January 2019 . We are now ready and excited to welcome help again and to share both our love for llamas and the rewarding hard work that comes with this lifestyle.
We look forward to meeting you.
Warm regards,
Jerry & Carolyn
** Certifications: We garden organically using composted llama manure, but are not certified organic.
** You will have the opportunity to learn spinning, weaving, drawing & painting as Carolyn is an artist & a certified art teacher.
** Excellent Internet access is available.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Poultry farming
Raising of other farm animals
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Traditional crafts
Methods or systems
Rotational grazing
Host type
Production farm
10.5
Hectares
|
26
Acres
Jerry and Carolyn
Member since 2017
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 1 day
Tennessee
The nearest Airport is Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TN/VA) (TRI). The nearest bus station is Greyhound or Trailways at 137 W. Market St., Johnson City, TN 37604. We can pick you up at either location.
Reviews
Katherine
United States
•
March 2026
My stay with Jerry and Carolyn was really wonderful. It was my first WWOOF experience so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they were both so welcoming and kind I quickly felt totally at ease. I worked roughly 5 hour days with a break for lunch, and the work expectations were always totally reasonable. It was a good mix of garden work and llama care- helping to halter train the crias was definitely a highlight! They were flexible with days off. I wasn’t expected to work outside in inclement weather, and could choose to do my own thing, join them in their plans for the day, or help with knitting.
Staying with Jerry and Carolyn, I got many opportunities to go on outings with them and get to know them more. It definitely feels like you’re part of the family! I highly recommend staying with them, especially if you’re newer to WWOOFing and want to be somewhere easygoing and with a pretty light workload.
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Cayleigh
United States
•
January 2026
I highly recommend staying here! It is a very comfortable place to stay, Jerry and Carolyn are gracious hosts. You also have the opportunity to learn about more than llamas.
Nora
United States
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January 2026
I stayed with Jerry and Carolyn for about three weeks in the winter months and enjoyed every day. Some chores I did included feeding the llamas, halter training, mulching and putting the garden to bed. I had no previous experience working with llamas, but I was taught everything I needed to know. They are very flexible about the hours you work and never want the WWOOFers to work in rain or cold. Jerry and Carolyn have a lot to teach not just llamas, but gardening, and running a business. Carolyn also taught me how to spin and to weave a hat out of llama fiber. She is patient teacher and an excellent artist. Jerry always has lots of stories and will keep you laughing. I ate dinner with them almost every night, but they make meals very flexible, so it’s really up to the WWOOFers preference . There were always lots of delicious food to eat! Jerry and Carolyn were amazing host and I recommended them to all!
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Charles
United States
•
November 2025
Jerry and Carolyn have created one of the nicest farms and most hospitable environments on WWOOF. I had arrived after camping and traveling for some time and could not have felt more welcomed or found a nicer place to work. The farm has all the amenities you might want, all the animals are friendly and it is located in a beautiful part of Tennessee. I’m so glad I got to meet Jerry and Carolyn and stay at their home.
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Andrea
Brazil
•
June 2018
These two people are some of the kindest, most interesting people I've ever met. I was welcomed with open arms and treated like family. They take such good care of their animals and their WWOOFers! I learned so much from this experience, and really got to get my hands dirty. I got to be around llamas, donkeys, emus, cats and a cute little dog. I learned how to make a beanie hat out of yarn, and I learned a little something about apple trees. The land is beautiful, the animals are beautiful, and the experience was incredible.
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Jud
United States
•
April 2018
Walnut Ridge was my very first WWOOFing experience, and I couldn't have asked for a better introduction! Jerry and Carolyn are some of the nicest people you could hope to meet, and really go out of their way to make sure you feel at home in their space. They also have a campground full of great people, almost a surrogate family at times, and there are frequent opportunities to get to know them (and play ping pong with them!). The farm is also full of animals, with over forty llamas, three cats, two donkeys, three emus, a dog and a mini-horse! There's so much to do on the farm, and in your downtime you can go hang out with the animals and take in the gorgeous views from the hilltop that the farm is perched on. I can't recommend Walnut Ridge enough, especially if this would be your first WWOOFing experience!
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