If you were to name 10 fun facts about me, two of them might be that I love supporting local businesses and that I do NOT enjoy shopping. Those two facts don’t always get along. But there is an obligatory gift-giving holiday coming up, and small businesses need our support more than ever, so this one felt important to write.
This year marks the tour’s 21st season of The Country Roads Holiday Tour. From November 7 through December 6, 2026, twenty-one family-run farms, shops, and eateries across Winchendon, Templeton, Phillipston, Petersham, Barre, Hubbardston, and Gardner are inviting people to wander their back roads and do some of their holiday shopping close to home.
How it started
The Country Roads shops first joined together in 2005, wanting to promote and support the local community. The idea is simple. Each stop is a one-of-a-kind country business — farm stands, craft shops, orchards, antique dealers, a sugar shack, a butcher, a bagel shop — and together they turn what might otherwise be a list of errands into a day trip. Expect trees, wreaths, local food, baked goods, handmade wood crafts, antiques, fabrics, handcrafted garments, and the kind of gifts that don’t come with a tracking number.
The shops are about 25 miles from Worcester, so for most of Central Massachusetts this is a very manageable Saturday (or two).
How to join in
Pick up a stamp card at any of the 21 participating shops and get it stamped at each stop you visit. There are two ways to win:
- Grand Prize: Collect all 21 stamps to be eligible for a $50 gift certificate from every shop on the tour — a $1,050 value.
- 21 Second Prizes: Collect at least 4 stamps for a chance at a $50 gift certificate to a single shop.
So you don’t need to finish the whole tour to be in the running. When you’re done, turn in your card at any of the 21 shops or mail it to CRC, PO Box 396, Templeton, MA 01468. Cards must be received by December 12, 2026. It’s one stamp card per person, and participants must be 18 or older (per the Massachusetts State Lottery charitable gaming policy).
You don’t need to do it all in one day. The tour runs for a full month, which helps, because hours vary quite a bit from shop to shop and a few are open only part of the week. Hours below come from the printed tour brochure. The tour website has phone numbers and directions if you want to double-check before heading out.
Most shops are also running a special or raffle during the tour, noted below.
The stops, town by town
Hubbardston
For readers coming from the Wachusett area, Hubbardston may be a natural place to start.
- Giacomo’s Gourmet Foods — 32 Main Street. Gourmet foods, prepared meals, and a bakery. Tues–Fri 11am–6pm, Sat–Sun 10am–3pm. Tour special: Raffle for a $75 gift basket with a $10 or more purchase, one entry per day.
- A Thyme & A Place — 52 Gardner Road (Route 68). Gifts and refinished finds. Thurs–Sun 10am–4pm. Tour special: In-store raffle.
- Plain View Farm — 130 Gardner Road (Route 68). Alpacas and alpaca-fiber products. Fri–Sun 10am–5pm. Tour special: Spend $100, get a $10 gift certificate.
Barre
- Hartman’s Herb Farm Bed & Breakfast — 1026 Old Dana Road. Gift shop and wreaths, with UPS shipping available (useful for the relatives who live too far away to visit). Every day 9am–5pm; Wed. 11/11 and Fri. 11/27 10am–5pm. Tour special: A bag of cinnamon with purchase.
- Sheldon Farm Baskets — 587 Sheldon Road. Handmade baskets and basket-making classes. Wed–Sun 9am–5pm. Tour special: Raffle for a handmade basket.
- The Commonplace Market — 56 Common Street. Antiques, vintage, local art, houseplants, and handmade goods. Wed–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 11am–4pm. Tour special: Raffle basket, plus daily light refreshments.
Petersham
- The Country Store — 2 North Main Street (Route 32). General store and eatery. Mon–Sat 8am–7pm, Sun 9am–5pm; Fri. 11/27 8am–3pm. Tour special: Raffle basket of local artisan goods.
- Petersham Art Center — 8 North Street. Fine art and crafts. Thurs–Sun 12–4pm. Tour special: Free drawing for artwork.
- Petersham Leathers — 202 Popple Camp Road. Handcrafted leathers. Thurs–Sat 10am–5pm; open Wed. 11/11. Tour special: In-store raffle.
- Valcourt Sugar Shack — 67 New Salem Road. Maple syrup. Sat–Sun 10am–2pm; also open Wed. 11/11, Thanksgiving, and Fri. 11/27. Tour special: Half-pint jugs on sale for $6 (usually $8), plus a raffle for a half gallon of maple syrup.
Phillipston
- Red Apple Farm & Brew Barn — 455 Highland Avenue. Country store, cidery, and Brew Barn restaurant. Open daily. Tour special: Raffle for a 4-pack of Winter Lights tickets.
Templeton and Baldwinville
Templeton has the most stops on the tour, so it may be worth its own afternoon. Plus, it’s my hometown, and Jay likes when I point out all the things — that used to be my third grade building. We used to look over the Otter River bridge to see what color it was that day. That used to be the candy store I went to every day.
- The Kitchen Garden — 268 Baldwinville Road. Bakery, gifts, and ice cream. Wed–Fri 6:30am–6pm, Sat–Sun 8am–5pm; Wed. 11/11 7am–6pm, Fri. 11/27 8am–5pm, and open Thanksgiving morning 8–11am. Tour special: Book sale, 10% off all titles, including local books, children’s books, and travel.
- Country Bumpkin’ Antiques — 36 Baldwinville Road. Multi-dealer antiques and collectibles. Wed 10am–3pm, Thurs–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat–Sun 12–5pm. Tour special: 20% off Duke Cannon and Naked Bee products.
- Valley View Farm — 179 Barre Road. Specialty butcher shop, holiday meats, and in-house prepared food. Wed–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 10am–3pm; closed 11/27–11/29.
- Deer Creek Bagels — 368 Patriots Road. New York–style bagels, boiled and baked fresh daily. Mon–Fri 5:30am–12pm, Sat–Sun 6am–2pm. (An early start here could be a smart way to open the day.) Tour special: Raffle basket.
- Valley Florist & Greenhouses — 1 Valley Drive (Route 101). Florist, gift shop, and greenhouses. Mon–Fri 9am–3:30pm, Sat 10am–3pm; closed Wed. 11/11 and Fri. 11/27. Tour special: Buy one scented candle, get the second 50% off.
- Pease Orchard Gift Shop — 11 Phillipston Road. Wed–Fri 11am–5pm, Sat–Sun 9am–5pm. Tour special: Raffle for a $75 gift shop gift certificate.
- Soulful Body & Mind Apothecary — 12 Elm Street, Baldwinville. Antiques, teas, local artisan goods, and plants. Wed–Thurs 12–4pm, Fri 12–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pm. Tour special: Opening weekend door prize raffle, rotating weekly sales, and Black Friday giveaways and raffles.
- Baldwinville Station — 9 Circle Street, Baldwinville. Full-service restaurant for breakfast and lunch. Daily 5:30am–1pm.
Winchendon
- Smith’s Country Cheese — 20 Otter River Road. Farmstead cheeses, milk, and butter from the farm’s own Holstein herd, plus locally made gifts. Tues–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 10am–3pm; closed Fri. 11/27. Tour special: Raffle for a $100 gift card, weekend cheese and wine samples, Baked Bakery donuts on 11/21, and the Cousins Maine Lobster truck on 11/22.
Gardner
- The Good Earth Farm & Garden Center — 633 West Broadway (Route 2A). Pet, plant, and farm supplies, plus local gifts. Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm, Sat 8:30am–4pm, Sun 10am–2pm; Wed. 11/11 10am–2pm. Tour special: Raffle for a big blue bird feeder and a bag of mealworms with purchase.
A few planning notes
- Weekends work best for most stops. Several shops are closed early in the week.
- Holiday hours: Most shops are closed on Thanksgiving, but The Kitchen Garden (8–11am) and Valcourt Sugar Shack are open. A few shops also have adjusted hours on Veterans Day (Wed. 11/11) and Black Friday (11/27), as noted above.
- Plan your meals around the dining stops. Baldwinville Station, Red Apple Farm, The Country Store, Hartman’s, The Kitchen Garden, Valley View Farm, and Deer Creek Bagels are all marked as dining stops.
- Restrooms are listed at Baldwinville Station, Red Apple Farm, The Country Store, and Hartman’s Herb Farm — information that tends to become important around stop number six.
Full details, a map, and directions to every shop are at countryroadschristmas.com.
Touring through Central Mass, having real conversations with people, and just slowing down for a few hours — those are things I can get behind. This will be the first year I participate in the Country Roads Holiday Tour. I hope to see you out there!
