ALSEA, Ore. – Paco is a miniature Sicilian donkey – one of many endearing souls guests encounter when staying overnight at Leaping Lamb Farm, in Alsea.

"Farm stays," as they're called, are popping up at a growing number of farms, ranches and vineyards in Washington and Oregon. They give city folk a chance to escape urban life, learn something about where their food comes from, and commune with barnyard animals: sheep, cows, horses, chickens, pigs – and the occasional lovable donkey.

My family's introduction to farm stays came at Leaping Lamb, a small, family business run by Scottie and Greg Jones just west of Corvallis. It spans 69 scenic acres of pasture and woodlands between the Willamette Valley and the Pacific Ocean, an area sprinkled with family-run livestock and hazelnut farms.