3 Best Day Trips from Orlando, Florida | Condé Nast Traveler
"Ocala is home to one of just four major Thoroughbred breeding centers in the world, and stars like American Pharoah, winner of the 2015 Triple Crown, have grazed on its pastures. Get an inside glimpse of that and more on Farm Tours of Ocala, where true horse people take you on half-hour visits to three of Ocala’s most revered stables. Tour groups are small and cater to everyone from professional horsemen to city slickers whose experience with horses is limited to attending
Kentucky Derby parties
." - Terry Ward, Laura Ratliff
Farm Tours of Ocala – Tour Review | Condé Nast Traveler
"What’s the big picture here?
Ocala is home to one of just four major Thoroughbred breeding centers in the world, and stars like American Pharaoh, winner of the 2015 Triple Crown, have grazed on its pastures. Get an inside glimpse of that and more on Farm Tours of Ocala, where true horse people take you on half-hour visits to three of Ocala’s most revered stables. Groups are small and cater to everyone from professional horsemen to city slickers who's experience with horses is limited to attending
Kentucky Derby
parties..
What kind of information will we pick up on this tour?
You’ll learn interesting facts about Florida’s horse industry—it’s big business—and get up-close and personal with a few four-legged friends.
Anything else should we know in advance?
The tour involves a lot of standing and walking on uneven terrain, so it’s not suitable for visitors with mobility challenges. Also, despite the appeal of horses, kids won’t fully enjoy the tour—it’s educational in nature." - Laura Ratliff
We really enjoyed our farm tours with Karen! She explained so much, including the history of the farms, information about the various breeds, facts about the area, and so much more. We got to see the horses run the training track, pet various horses, and give them a few “treats”. Highly recommend this tour!!!
Rose
Google
My sister and I booked this tour and it was wonderful! Our tour guide Karen was very knowledgeable and shared many interesting stories about the area and the farms we visited. I highly recommend this tour when visiting Ocala!
Susana R.
Google
This tour is excellent. I highly recommended to everyone in the area, she's so knowledgeable and make things so enjoyable. Very well done tour
Jan-Enno F.
Google
Thank you for this entertaining, informative, and enjoyable tour of three different horse farms. Karen gave us insight into the Ocala horse scene in a very understandable and knowledgeable way.
Melissa N.
Google
We absolutely loved spending the morning with Karen recently on her “Farm Tours of Ocala”. Her relationships with the property owners, knowledge of horses and amazing depth of the history of the area and farms made for a relaxing, educational tour. Who doesn’t look forward to being driven around, past locked gates and into the horse barns of some of the greatest horses in the world! We highly recommend this tour if you are visiting the area for the first time or have lived here for years. Karen’s includes a great selection of horse farms from breeders (babies!) to racehorses in training. It was quite a treat and recommended to all.
Abbey M.
Google
This was a fantastic tour! The tour guide was warm, friendly, and incredibly knowledgeable. She made the tour interesting and fun with many facts about the horses, horse farms, and even the history of the city of Ocala itself. It was a nice blend of viewing farms from the van and of actually walking on the farms themselves. Interacting with and feeding the horses were highlights of the trip. Getting to see the landscapes was breathtaking. I would highly recommend doing this tour; it was worth every penny and then some.
Barbara W.
Google
Had such a great time on this tour! Karen is exceedingly knowledgeable about the history of all the horse farms, the horses and the history of "The Horse Capital of the WORLD!" We went to 3 farms, petted and fed many horses, learned a lot about the horse business. Horses are one of God's most beautiful creatures and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this tour! Would HIGHLY recommend!
Ellen M.
Google
We had such a great day with Karen Grimes and her Farm Tours of Ocala. Rich with personal expertise and knowledge, Karen shares it all with her groups!
Colette A.
Yelp
If you love horses, or just want to see some beautiful animals and farms and learn about the history of Ocala, this is a superb tour. Karen knows a ton about horses (she is a lifelong horseperson) and the area, and is happy to answer all your questions. It's a terrific way to spend a few hours soaking in the Ocala atmosphere and learning about horses and the horse industry in Florida. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
Krista S.
Yelp
Karen had a great wealth of knowledge of the surrounding area, history, breeders & horse community. Highly recommend her tour if you're in the area!
Denese B.
Yelp
What a great experience. Karen brings a lot of knowledge about Ocala horse farms and horses. Don't miss this tour if in the area.
Susan L.
Yelp
What an amazing way to see the true beauty of Ocala! Visiting the Horse Farms with Karen, truly helped us to understand why it is called the Horse Capital of the World! Don't miss this tour!
Sammy N.
Yelp
karen had us on the road right on-time and it was just a terrific tour .. . wished it lasted longer .. .. got to drive-by the icons of racing, dizney, live oak, kinsman, former harbor view farms .. ..
stops at nelson jones training center (meeting gayle woods), henessy arabians & pleasant acres farm .. ..
karen brings her 30 years of local knowledge and her background as an exercise rider to make 3 hours feel like 20 minutes .. ..
just a terrific tour --- thank you karen!!
Angela C.
Yelp
If you're going to Ocala don't miss out on this tour. We were able to go to farms and get a real look of what goes on in the horse farms. Karen was exceptional she have such great knowledge of Ocala and horses. She also have great restaurant recommendations.