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Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Faul Family Riverside Farm. It is a local farm in Henry County, that is trying to improve the quality of meat products in our area. It is a sprawling farm with 100 acres and several different types of livestock, including cows, chickens, laying hens, turkeys, pigs, and sheep. Apart from animals, they also have a gorgeous barn that is available for wedding ceremonies, special events, or barn parties.
The owners, the Faul family, along with their son Andre Faul being the chief farmhand, are trying to make clean and healthier made more accessible in our community. I am fortunate that I know Andre personally because we went to high school together, and we’ve kept in touch with each other over the years. Since I moved back to Kentucky, I had wanted to go and check out his farm. I saw posts from the farm on the internet, and he and I had talked back and forth about some of the things he was doing, so my curiosity was peaked. Since there is nothing better than seeing for yourself, I asked Andre if it would be ok for me to come out and take a tour of the farm.
The drive to the farm from Louisville is around 30 minutes, and the roads to get there are a little curvy, but besides that, it’s an easy journey. Once I arrived on the farm, the first thing that I noticed was the massive barn and the quilt on top of the barn. For those who don’t know, it is a widespread practice for barns in Kentucky to have quilts painted on wood at the top of them. It isn’t a concept original to Kentucky, but Kentucky loved the idea, and most barns around here have one at top. The reason why the Faul family’s quilt stands out is that it has the colors of the South African flag. You may ask yourself why the colors of the flag for South Africa would be on a barn in the middle of Kentucky. The answer is that the Faul family is originally from South Africa.
In 2001, Andre’s mom received a job offer at the University of Louisville, and the family decided to pack up and move halfway across the world. The next question you may be asking yourself is, “How does a family from South Africa end up with a farm in Henry County, Kentucky?” The answer was a bit surprising to me, but it once I heard it, I was inspired.
Andre’s grandfather was a citrus farmer in South Africa. He said that hearing his dad’s stories about growing up on a farm and farming the land inspired him and made him want to experience it for himself. His parents decided to buy the farm in 2015 and then offered him the opportunity to turn his dreams into reality.
Andre previously worked as a fish farmer in Miami, and he didn’t enjoy his job whatsoever. (We’ve all been there at least once.) So when his parents offered him the opportunity to run the farm for him, he gladly accepted. Although he traded warm weather and beautiful beaches for the bluegrass and the very brown Ohio River, he did bring back a part of Miami with him. See the Faul Family farm is one of two local farms that harvest shrimp. Andre runs the only farm that supplies fresh shrimp to the local Jefferson, Oldham, and Henry Co. communities and also a local Louisville restaurant, Harvest.
This year alone, they are on track to harvest about 300-350 lbs. of shrimp, and while visiting the farm, he showed me the new expansion that they are working on. Currently, the shrimp are harvested in a building that contains two huge saltwater tanks. Once Andre and his help finish building the new enclosure, he plans to have at least eight containers filled with saltwater shrimp. It will allow him to distribute his product to more local restaurants that are interested in purchasing local, organic harvested shrimp.
The fact that they harvest shrimp isn’t the only thing about the farm that makes them stand apart from others. It’s the way that Andre farms that truly sets them apart. They use a style of farming called ‘Regenerative Agriculture.’ When I asked Andre to explain this type of agriculture to me, this is what he said, “The farming we do has a positive impact on our land, as opposed to most farming practices that destroy the area. We mimic nature in how we move our animals around our pastures, i.e., wild herds of ruminants are always on the move, not staying in one area for more than a couple days. Moving the animals gets them off their manure and decreases the likelihood of them getting sick from constant exposure to parasites and bacteria, and it gives them continuous access to fresh grass. “
According to Andre, all of their animals play vital roles in maintaining the farm, and they all have specific jobs. “The laying hens move around the pasture and scratch through sheep and cow droppings, picking out any parasites and working the manure into the soil. They also leave behind nitrogen-rich manure that benefits the soil. The cows and sheep graze the pastures and promote grass growth by consuming the grass, and they also leave behind beneficial manure that feeds the soil microbes. Our pigs help us in clearing brush and thickets and digging down to disturb the seedbed underneath the pasture, thereby promoting different grasses and legumes to grow once they move on. And our turkeys are efficient grazers and love to graze on grasses, legumes, and even take care of some weeds in the pasture.”
While on the farm, we discussed his schedule and how he has a set amount of days for each enclosure. The most impressive part about their operation is that it is just Andre and a family friend are the only ones working at the farm. His friend is only here temporarily, so once he heads back to South Africa, Andre will be a one-person show again. That means one man will be in charge of taking care of ten cows, one hundred turkeys, ten pigs, three hundred chickens, and ten sheep. Honestly, I don’t know how he does it because I can barely take care of myself, let alone a 100-acre farm with so many animals. Not only does he take care of the land and the cattle, but he is also in charge of taking their animals to their local USDA approved poultry and meat processor. Once they get the meat processed, he also sells it online and at the local Farmer’s Market in LaGrange, KY.
After discussing the entire process of how the farm starts with tiny hatchlings, baby pigs, and shrimp and Andre takes care of them until they are ready to be processed, it makes me have more respect for organic farmers like him. It’s a long process and not an easy one. The number of hours and work that goes into maintaining their farm is crazy, but in the end, it is worth it. As Andre said, when he can have a meal with his family that he knows were raised organically and processed in the least cruel way possible, it creates a sense of accomplishment. It also makes you respect your food, and in turn, you waste less.
The farm typically does a monthly event from spring until fall. Their “Chat & Chews” are where you can take a tour around the farm and have a meal featuring their final products. It’s a great way to educate children and adults on organic farming, and the positive effects that it has on the land. It is also an excellent opportunity to taste the hard work and labor of the farm. Andre also allows people to come out and walk around the farm during the day as long as they contact him prior and give him a heads up that they want to come out.
If you are looking for a taste of what the Faul Family Riverside farm produces, all of the poultry, meat, and shrimp products can be purchased online or at the local Farmer’s Market in LaGrange, Kentucky, from spring until fall. You can also try some of the Faul Family Riverside chicken at Grassa Gramma in Holiday Manor in Louisville, and the shrimp can be found at Harvest on Market St. in Louisville. Don’t be surprised if you start to see the Faul Family Riverside farm name start popping up on more menus around Louisville as they are currently in the talks for being a feature in other local restaurants.
Faul Family Riverside Farm is just another example of a local business that is trying to have a positive impact on our community through hard work, respect, and love for the environment. Their goal is to have a positive impact on the environment and a healthy product on your plate. To find out more about Faul Family Riverside Farm or to plan your visit, you can contact Andre directly at riversidefarmky@gmail.com. While you visit, you can purchase their products, and you can always buy their products online on their website below.
A special thank you to Andre and his family for allowing me to tour around their farm and for taking the time to explain the process to me. It was a great experience!
Andre and I outside of the barn which is also available for event rental.
Andre outside of the chicken enclosure.
This guy will soon be on your plate for Thanksgiving dinner!
I wanted to play with the cows but as you can tell from this one’s face, they weren’t having it.
I was born and raised in Louisville the majority of my life, and I had no clue that we have a waterfall known as “The Niagara of the South.” Nor did I know how easily accessible it is. It is an easy drive from Louisville, around two and a half hours depending on the driver. It may or may not have been a little quicker in my case. š I used the GPS app Waze on my phone to guide me, but once you have been there, it is very easy to find.
I will say that I was a little nervous traveling to a part of Kentucky that I have never been to. I know this may sound ridiculous to some people, especially those from around here, but going to the country is intimidating to me. I’m always worried about having car problems, running out of gas, or not having a cell phone signal and being stuck in the middle of nowhere. It’s not fear, but those thoughts do pop up when I’m planning on going somewhere that I haven’t been. Luckily, after arriving in Corbin, Kentucky, the location of the falls, I realized that there were gas stations, restaurants, and I wasn’t in the “middle of nowhere Kentucky.”
Before leaving my friend and I decided that we would stay the night in Corbin and that way we could have two full days to explore. We chose to stay in the Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, which I found on booking.com. The Cumberland Falls State Resort is quaint and has country charm, but if I were to go back, I would probably stay somewhere else. The convenience factor of the State Resort Park is that it is a 2-minute drive from the actual falls. If you want to catch a glimpse of this natural beauty in the morning, afternoon, and evening, it is incredibly convenient. The reason why I probably opt out of staying there in the future is that the rooms are very outdated. It was like traveling back in time with a very sixties feel. Considering the facilities, I feel as though it is overpriced, but it is a State Resort Park, so you help maintain the Park while taking advantage of the location.
Once we arrived, we decided to check off our main object, the falls. Cumberland Falls is one of the most accessible waterfalls I have ever been to, besides Niagara Falls. Anyone can access the different viewpoints except for one which is not wheelchair accessible, but the rest are wheelchair and stroller accessible. I saw every age group while I was there, young children, their parents and grandparents, and then people like us, young travelers. The actual falls are immense and impressive. Kentucky is currently experiencing an awful drought, so I can only imagine what they look like when it rains. Although they weren’t as grand as what they are typically supposed to be, I was still surprised by the size of the falls. Drought or not, they are a sight to be admired.
After taking our pictures of the falls and seeing a rainbow over it for a few minutes, š we headed to the gift shop to see if they had any maps or suggestions for what to do in the area. The workers at the gift shop provided us a map of the falls, and surrounding hiking trails and they suggested that we explore the Eagle Falls trail. we decided to head to the recommended trail, Eagle Falls. We drove from the visitor’s center to the beginning of the trail. If you leave the parking lot and take a right, cross the bridge, you will see a small parking area on both sides of the road. The one to your right is the trailhead for Eagle Falls.
The trail is marked throughout the entire path. The trail is an easy walk but can be challenging at times, considering there is a lot of going up and downstairs. I’m not a professional hiker, I enjoy hiking for fun, and I found the trail to be easy. The trail leads down to the banks of the river and wind around to a waterfall that has plenty of boulders around to it lay down and relax. The entire time huge trees and boulders surround you. I went on September 16th, 2019, and was surprised to see that the majority of the leaves haven’t changed colors yet, but there were a lot of leaves falling while we were there. The entire loop is 1.8 miles, according to the app AllTrails. My phone said that it was 2 miles back and forth.
We came across other people while on the trail, and there were several locals who gave us tips on other places to check out in the area. One of the places that were mentioned several times is a trail called Dog Slaughter Falls. The name is totally awful, and the reason for the name is even worse (you can just imagine based on the title alone), so I’m not going to get into that, but it was a name that we heard repeated several times. We decided that we would check out Dog Slaughter Falls the following day and that since we completed the Eagle Falls Trail pretty quickly, we would head back to the tourist information center and choose another trail.
We chose to check out the #2 Trail. It is approximately 5 miles, and it follows the shoreline throughout parts of the trail. It was more difficult than Eagle Falls, and at times it was confusing. Several paths intertwine with each other, so we found ourselves on other trails at some points. Apart from the track not being as clearly marked, some parts were more complicated due to the terrain and them being downhill. We were able to manage, but I wouldn’t recommend this trail to someone inexperienced.
My worst nightmare also almost became a reality while on this trail. I almost stepped on a snake. As we were walking and taking in the views, I looked down and thought what I saw was a stick but quickly realized that it had a head. Luckily, I stepped back and allowed the snake to continue on its merry way while I stood a few feet away, trembling in fear. I love mother nature and respect all of its creatures, but I have a horrible fear of snakes. I know it is irrational, but I’ve been afraid of them since I was a child. It doesn’t help that my stepdad used one to scare me while I was young. (Inserts childhood emotional trauma here, lol.) Thankfully both the snake and I were able to continue on our peaceful ways without any issues.
Since it was getting later in the day and I had a mini heart attack from my snake encounter, I figured it was the time that we called it a day and looked for something to eat. As I said, I was shocked that there were various restaurant options in Corbin because quite honestly, I had never really heard of Corbin before. It was Mexico’s independence day on that day, so my friend and I decided to check out a local Mexican restaurant called Santa Fe. To our surprise, the food was delicious, and the portions were huge. Neither of us was able to finish our entire meal.
We also met one of the owners while we were there who is a Cuban immigrant and has been living there for twenty-three years. Admittedly, it’s an odd place for someone from Havana to end up, but he told us that he loves the area and that the locals treat everyone as if they are family. As I mentioned earlier, I am very wary of traveling in the country, and part of it is because people in small towns are not always accepting, and they become very suspicious of outsiders. His comments took some of my initial worries about locals away. I even met another patron who told me about the app AllTrails that has maps and guides to trails that are nearby. I downloaded it and used it the following day when we went to Dog Slaughter Falls. She also gave us a lot of information about what to do in Corbin and nearby. Moral of this part of the story, never judge a book or a place by it’s cover. š
One of the places that they mentioned to us while we were at the restaurant was Sanders Cafe or otherwise known as the original KFC. I know in my previous post I slammed KFC a little bit, but I do have to recognize and be grateful that Kentucky Fried Chicken has put Kentucky on the map internationally. If it wasn’t for Colonel Sanders, I’d probably have to carry a map of the U.S.A. with me everywhere I go so I could point out where I’m from. My friend and I decided that when in Corbin, we might as well see the birthplace of the fried chicken that we dislike so much. The Sanders Cafe is the original KFC, and it has been converted into a museum and restaurant. The left side of the restaurant is a functioning KFC, and the rest is filled with memorabilia from the original design, including the Colonel’s office, the original kitchen, and bathrooms. It was a nice stop and probably something I would have never done if someone didn’t suggest it. My mom dislikes KFC just as much as I do so I decided to buy her a souvenir as a joke. I’ll include it in the photos.
After touring the original KFC, my friend and I decided that we would head back to the falls and try our luck to see if we see a natural phenomenon called a “Moonbow.” Once a month, when there is a full moon, a “moonbow” can be seen across the falls. The moonbow looks like a rainbow, only that it is white, and it only occurs during the full moon. The Cumberland Falls website has a schedule to which dates each month it can be seen. We stood outside for hours in the night sky at an attempt to catch a glimpse of the moonbow but to no avail. Even though we were disappointed that we didn’t get to see the moonbow, it was pretty cool to see the falls at night and hear the crashing of the water. Once we decided that we had waited enough, we headed back to the lodge and got some rest for the following day.
Once we were able to get up and enjoy a quick breakfast, we checked out the app that was recommended to us and saw that Dog Slaughter Falls was one of the top recommended trails in the area. Although I am not a fan of the name, at all, we decided to check it out. If you plan to go, I suggest downloading the app as well. It gave us driving directions to find the trail, which was difficult because it is not marked. Once we arrived, the app also allowed us to download a map of the trail on our phones which was awesome because I had no cell phone signal. (Thanks, T-Mobile.) Once we located the trailhead, we were on our way.
Dog Slaughter Falls is an easy trail considering there isn’t much change in altitude, and there are signs everywhere that indicate which way to go. The sign at the beginning says that it is only 1 mile, but we found out that it is 2 miles to get there and 2 miles back, making it a total of 4 miles. The trail is easy, but it does get a little complicated towards the end when you arrive at the falls. There is a downhill pitch that requires precaution, but besides that, the trail is overall easy. While you walk towards the waterfall, you are accompanied by a stream and shade provided by the many trees in the area. There are lots of stunning views along the trail and plenty of opportunities to take photographs. Kentucky’s woods/nature provides stunning views that most people (including myself) would never imagine. Once we arrived at the waterfall, we spent around an hour or so hanging out, taking photos and enjoying the fresh air. The scenery is breathtaking and relaxing and allows you to feel one with nature. Once we got enough dose of nature, we decided to go ahead and head back home to Louisville.
The trip overall was inexpensive, fun, and exciting. I highly recommend making the trip to Cumberland Falls and checking out the surrounding hiking trails. I know that I will be returning to check out other trails. Some of the tips that I would give anyone planning to go would be to take plenty of water, (make sure you have a reusable bottle), sunscreen depending on what time of year it is, bug spray (Kentucky is mosquito heaven during the summer), and the weirdest but probably most important thing to take would be bear spray. There are black bears in this region of Kentucky and the best way to protect yourself from a black bear attack, (besides walking slowly backward and making lots of noise), is to use bear spray.
Here is a list of the trip expenses for anyone interested in how much a trip to Corbin and Cumberland Falls costs.
Gas- I used a full tank of gas which cost me $40. Gas was $2.55 at the time, and I have a 16 gallon tank. Food- Santa Fe Mexican Restaurant- $36 for dinner for two. (I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys TexMex.) Park Entrance- $0.00. That’s right. Free.99. Cumberland Falls State Resort Park- One night stay cost a total of $105.00. Found on www.booking.com. Souvenirs (optional)- $5.99 for a coffee mug from KFC and $18.99 for a T-Shirt from the Falls Gift Shop. Spending time in nature = Priceless.
Helpful apps while used on the trip: Waze (GPS) and AllTrails (Hiking App)
I’ve also created a video recap of my hikes on YouTube which can be found by clicking below.
As most of you know or have figured out by reading my about me page, I am originally from Louisville, Kentucky. When I travel, and someone asks, āWhere are you from?ā I immediately say, āKentuckyā to which their immediate response is āKENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN!ā (Cue hard eye roll) Yes, we are known for chicken, but Kentucky is more than a bucket of chicken thighs slathered in lard and dropped into a deep fryer. No offense to KFC or the Colonel, but we are a state that offers so much more. Plus, have people not heard of bourbon or the Kentucky Derby? Booze and gambling. How are these not popular? What Iāve come to learn from my extensive travels is that people, including people from the U.S., donāt know much about Kentucky and I want that to change.
When I moved back home one of the things that I quickly realized is that I (like many others) have traveled to tons of other states in the U.S. and Iāve even traveled to other countries more than Iāve traveled around Kentucky. I know that the idea of seeing different places more than your own state sounds absurd, but itās true. Iām guilty of thinking that nothing is exciting or fun to do in Kentucky because a) Iām from here and b) you donāt hear people talk about exciting places to check out. Once I realized that I donāt know many areas in my state besides Louisville (my hometown, GO CARDS!), the immediate surrounding counties, Frankfort (the capital) and Lexington (horse country). Then it dawned on me that there is so much that Iāve never seen.
Therefore, I have decided to dedicate a section of my blog to my home state. I want to show the world the adventures that anyone can experience here. Sometimes we dream so much about foreign lands and unique cultures that we forget to explore our own backyard, so that is my plan. I plan to travel to a new place around Kentucky as frequently as possible. I will post information on how to get there, what itās like, how much the trip cost and my recommendations on if itās worth the trip or not. A lot of the places that I go to will probably involve nature because Kentucky is a great state for outdoor exploring such as hiking, kayaking, and horseback riding. Besides nature, Iāll include posts about things to do in Louisville as well, because who better to tell you about the hot spots than a local. Louisville is also one of the top food cities in the U.S. right now, so any excuse to try a new restaurant is good enough for me. š
There are a lot of things that this state has to be proud of, and if more people knew about what they can experience while they are here, then we would probably be a tourism hotspot like Colorado. Hey, a girl can dream! In all seriousness, I hope to do this state justice and show others like me that there isnāt a need to forget about your own state when deciding where to travel. I hope that this section helps show not only locals but other people around the world that Kentucky has more to offer than a bucket of (awful) fried chicken. (No offense KFC, but locals do not like your fried chicken. Itās a fact.)
