Bio-farm with cheese dairy, ideal location for a beautiful Black Forest vacation - FeWo Talblick

Ask our kids what their favorite thing about our 10-week European tour was, and they'll quickly answer, "Staying on the dairy farm!" Our kids LOVED all the animals (cats, pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits, and cows). They loved helping milk the cows. In fact, we had to be home by 5:00 each day to ensure they could help with the milking. They loved seeing cheese made. And they LOVED jumping on the trampoline!

As adults, we loved nearby hikes through forested areas, adorable cities, wonderful artisanal cheeses and meats, and biking along the river. It was a relaxing and enjoyable stay for all of us!

We stayed in the bigger of the two apartments. It was a really nice sized apartment - 2 bedrooms, living room, bathroom, and kitchen. The kitchen was completely outfitted for cooking - ample pots/pans, dishwasher, regular sized refrigerator. It was convenient and inexpensive to buy meats/cheeses from the dairy farm's store, add a few additional items from the Elzach grocery store, and wah-lah - dinner is made!

The dairy farm owners could not be nicer. They were so patient with our kids. They gave them "jobs" to do during the milking, answered all their questions, and gave us a personal demonstration of how they make cheese. As a parting gift, they gave us a homemade jar of jam!

Do be aware that this is a real working farm. There is cow poop that they shovel out of the way daily in the barn and flies in the barn. I grew up on a farm, so I wasn't surprised. It is a very educational experience for all about where our food comes from and the hard work that goes into preparing it!

Our kids are already asking when we can return:) It is definitely a stay we will never forget:)

After a beautiful drive through the forest, we arrived at "Dorerhof", just outside Elzach. We were greeted by a very friendly Frau Winterhalter and shown to our apartment, where we spent the next 3 days; over those days, we found the entire Winterhalter family to be friendly and inviting. "Dorerhof" is a working farm, and populated with a variety of free-roaming animals (e.g., cows, goats, chickens, ducks, pigs...), with which we could interact, especially at feeding time. It is interesting to watch the cows being put out to pasture each morning, and being returned to their stalls each evening. The cows provide the milk from which "Dorerhof" produces its own cheese, and guests are encouraged to participate in the milking process. The farm sells its products, including wood-oven bread, cheese, eggs, smoked meat, and brandies distilled from various fruits. This is the perfect situation for children to learn about "farm life", and "Dorerhof" is definitely "family-oriented".

"Dorerhof" resides on the main road from Elzach, and is very easy to find and access, and parking is directly in front of the lodgings. We were a party of 6 (4 adults and 2 children), and our 2-bedroom apartment accommodated us very nicely. The apartment was clean and comfortable, and included a spacious, well-equipped kitchen. The large living room included a couch that converted into a bed, and a large flat-screen TV. The free WiFi had signal strength enough to stream Internet movies. From the living room, we could access the balcony that looked over the valley, and the patio in front of the apartment provided a table and chairs to enjoy meals in the open air. On one side of the kitchen, a window looked out onto a large herb and vegetable garden. From Elzach, walking paths lead up into the surrounding hills, so nature can be enjoyed in the "Schwarzwalder" way.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay on the farm. The owners were very friendly and welcoming and our kids had loads of fun playing on the farm and with the owner's sons.

The property itself (the bottom floor of a two-story cottage), was ample for our party of six (with one rollaway and one foldout bed in the living room). It had everything we needed - including wifi. We loved the location and only wish we'd had more time to spend in Elzach itself.

Our week stay on this family run farm was fantastic. The apartment was very spacious, clean and well appointed with everything one could need. The beds and bedding were high quality and very comfortable. The garden area, with ample seating, playground and bbq was the perfect spot to relax. The kids were encouraged to "help" with farm chores, like feeding the goats and milking the cows, which they looked forward to everyday! We even got to witness a calf being born! The farm shop has many lovely and tasty products from the farm itself, and from the area. The cheese of course was the highlight, but we also enjoyed fresh eggs, milk, cured meats, butter and local wine. There are may things to do in the area, we visited a few local villages, waterfalls, Freiberg and Europark. Our hosts were gracious and thoughtful, and made us feel very much at home. We look forward to our next visit!!!

The guest cottage was roomy, comfortable, and clean and had all the essential amenities. The down filled duvets were heavenly! We ate delicious fresh eggs, butter, cheese, bacon, all made on the farm, and milk straight from the cows, even homemade noodles made by a near by farm. Watching how to make butter and cheeses was informative and interesting. With feeding the chickens, geese, pigs and sheep as well as watching the children play, it really is a fun place. Day trips to larger cities, cuckoo clock making and sight-seeing, waterfalls and mountain tops, made the trip even more memorable. Our hosts were wonderful. The Elzach farmhouse is highly recommended for anyone wanting to experience the picturesque charm of the Black Forest region of southern Germany.