If you want to get away from it all, you can't beat returning to the farm. The experience is about getting in touch with America's roots.

Watching a new-born calf take its first steps, or smelling the earth as a farmer plows the land, or picking fruit side-by-side with workers - it's what staying at a bed and breakfast farm is all about.

Many of us never had the opportunity to grow up on a farm, but often wondered what it would be like. Or, at some point, we had forgotten what it was all about. Spending a few days at a bed and breakfast with acres of hay and a barnyard full of animals can give you a taste of farm life.

Why not try out the following.

Howard Creek Ranch

Far from the urban scrawl, north of San Francisco and on the Mendocino coast, the Howard Creek Ranch is a 40-acre farm with a sweeping view of the Pacific. Most people come for the view, but there is plenty of farm life to sample. The farm, which is in Westport, California, is just south of the Sinkyone wilderness area. Innkeeper Sally Grigg says guests can see plenty of wildlife and more than 100 birds have been identified on the property.

A 75-foot bridge spans a creek that flows past barns and outbuildings to the beach, which is 200 yards away. There's also a 10-mile trail for walking or bicycling. The farmhouse is surrounded by green lawns, an award winning flower garden, and grazing cows and horses. Children can help feed the animals. Although you may find yourself in a rustic, rural location the comforts of modern life - like a hot tub and sauna - add enjoyment to your stay.

Contact details: PO Box 121, Westport, California 95488, www.howardcreekranch.com. Cost: Rooms from $75.

Berry Hill Gardens B&B

A different kind of farm can be found in Bainbridge, New York, a town on the southern tier of the state near the Pennsylvania border. Instead of a barnyard full of animals, you'll find acres of flower and herb gardens at the Berry Hill Gardens B&B. The gardens provide more than 100 varieties of annuals and perennials. The fruit trees bloom in May and flowers include tulips, poppies, lilacs, and sweet peas.

By advance reservation you can arrange for a horse-drawn wagon to take you through the 100 acres of woods and meadows. For those who choose to go on foot, there are also all kinds of trails to go looking for plants.

Contact details: 242 Ward Loomis Rd, Bainbridge, New York 13733, www.berryhillgardens.com. Cost: Rooms from $110.

Olde Fogie Farm

The innkeepers at Olde Fogie Farm in Marietta, Pennsylvania, know their farm holds an attraction for people which can best be felt as a hands-on experience. Tom and Biz Fogie encourage guests to help with the chores and they ring the bell to remind you. There's goat milking, bottle feeding the calves, gathering eggs, feeding the turkeys, guineas, pot-bellied pigs and a peacock.

The Fogies would like you to know that this not a jacuzzi-restored farmhouse experience, but rather, a real, working, organic farm operation. You may choose accommodations from the two B&B rooms (Sunny Room or Pig Pen) or efficiency apartments (Chicken Coop or Hayloft).

Contact details: 106 Stackstown Rd, Marietta, Pennsylvania 17547, www.oldefogiefarm.com. Cost: Rooms from $95.

American Historic Inns, founded in 1981, has more than 19,500 properties in the US to choose from. Visit www.iloveinns.com for more information.

The article America's best B&B farms originally appeared on 999 Today