We are an agritourism farm in Durham County, NC sharing the bounty of the forest with our community.
The vision of Panther Creek Forest Farm is to live in a world were people and forests are reconnected. Our mission is to share the bounty of the forest with our community through education, events, and experiences. We have a passion for growing native trees & hosting you on the land! We look forward to seeing you out on the farm one day soon.
Education
As an agritourism farm, we are focused first and foremost on inviting people out to the land! We offer a variety of educational programs at Panther Creek. Our offerings are accessible, fun, and great for folks of all ages. When you visit our Education page, you will learn more about workshops, events, and farm tours!
Our style of farming is focused on agroforestry. Agroforestry consists of five farming practices: alley cropping, forest farming, silvopasture, windbreaks, and forested riparian buffers. Agroforestry is a new concept to many people, although it has been practiced around the world for thousands of years. Come out to our farm to learn more and immerse yourself in one of our many educational programs.
Initiatives
At Panther Creek Forest Farm, we seek to share the bounty of the forest with our community. Our initiatives are programs that we offer that are free of charge and give back directly to our Durham community. At this time, our main initiative is called “Panther Creek Trees”.
Panther Creek Trees is our initiatives that grows high quality, native trees. These trees are grown from local seed and then given away for FREE in our Durham community. Our hope is to continue to add native trees to our urban canopy around Durham. These trees provide habitat for wildlife, shade for humans, cooling effects to a warming climate, and many other benefits!
Common places where we donate trees are through the Durham Public School’s Hub Farm and the Durham County Library network. We also coordinate closely with Keep Durham Beautiful. Come out to volunteer on our next “Big Dig” event to support this important work!
Venue Rentals
At Panther Creek we offer venue rental space for weddings, family reunions, farm dinners, weekend retreats, and camping trips! Our 100 year old “party barn” has hosted amazing events since we opened in 2014. Our barn and lawn can accommodate large tents that can host up to 200 guests. The barn and lawn space are available for weekend or one night rentals. Please reach out to us to learn more about rates and availability of the party barn!
Our farm is also a wonderful place to rent for your next weekend camping trip. Our property is 28-acres of quiet woodlands. Around our farm are hundreds of acres of public land that border Falls Lake and the Mountains to Sea Trail. Please visit our Rentals page to learn more about our campsites, amenities, and schedule. We can accommodate individual and group camping trips.
If you are looking for another great venue rental space in Durham, be sure to check out our friends at the Durham Public School’s Hub Farm. The DPS Hub Farm has a larger facility that is also ADA accessible and all proceeds go to support agricultural education for Durham Public School students.
We are proud members of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association! Consider becoming a member and supporting important work across North and South Carolina.
We acknowledge that present day Durham County sits on the ancestral homelands of the Lumbee, Skaruhreh/Tuscarora, Eno, Shakori, and the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation. We honor the legacy of this land and its First Nation peoples; past, present, and future.
Over 30,000 acres of this region of Durham County was also once part of the Stagville Plantation. We honor the legacy of the many families who experienced enslavement in this area and uplift their stories. We support BIPOC farmers in our community and encourage all of our visitors to do the same.
We are committed to anti-racism work and dismantling systems of oppression in ourselves and within our community. We welcome all members of our community to this special piece of land. To connect with other organizations in our area doing this important work, please visit our Programs page.
We want to specifically thank the work of the Center for Environmental Farming System (CEFS) and their Committee on Racial Equity in the Food System for providing leadership in this region and training for our farm staff over the years.