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On sixty-six acres in the heart of Florida’s Nature Coast, Wonderfield Farm is quietly redefining what a working farm can be.
Once known as Banes Grove, one of Citrus County’s historic commercial orange groves, this landscape has lived many lives. After years of cultivation, loss, and more than a decade of stillness, the land has been lovingly restored by Tara Hubbard, her family, and a growing community of volunteers, farmers, and educators committed to regeneration.
Today, Wonderfield is far more than a farm. Heritage citrus groves share space with regenerative gardens, food forests, honey bees, grazing animals, towering cypress trees, and wetlands connected to the Flying Eagle Nature Preserve and the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Every season tells a story of renewal, not only of the land, but of the people who come to spend time here.
For Tara and her team, forest therapy wasn’t something they set out to create. It was something they realized had quietly been happening all along. As Tara shared:
“The land already held something… a presence, a slowness… that we had always felt, but struggled to name. When we discovered ANFT’s framework for nature and forest therapy, it felt like the right language for something the land has always been off ering.”
Long before certification, Wonderfield welcomed retreat groups, wellness programs, and agritourism guests who consistently left feeling calmer, more grounded, and more connected. In 2023, the farm even hosted a clinical wellness retreat, seeking to better understand what they had been witnessing for years. The experience reinforced what they already knew: the land itself was playing an active role in people’s wellbeing. Partnering with ANFT to certify a Forest Therapy Trail became a natural next step.
Designing a Trail That Honors the Land
Working alongside ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide and Trails Consultant Donna Mansbart, the certification process centered on listening to the landscape rather than reshaping it.
Donna’s own journey into the Trails Program began years earlier during her Forest Therapy Guide immersion in Tennessee, where she experienced a certified trail firsthand. She was struck by how a gentle walk over such a short distance could create such a meaningful experience. When the opportunity arose to become a Trails Consultant after the program was reimagined and expanded, she joined immediately.
Together, Donna and the Wonderfield team designed a trail system that reflects both the character of the land and the many ways visitors may experience it. Three interconnected loops allow guests to choose an experience that fits their time and energy.
The journey begins in the regenerative garden, where a jasmine-covered arbor welcomes visitors into a living story of transformation. Here, guests can touch fragrant herbs, compare the farm’s original sandy soil with the rich, living soil created through years of regenerative stewardship, and witness the remarkable renewal that has taken place beneath their feet.
From there, each trail off ers its own rhythm. Some wind through flourishing gardens. Others meander past grazing livestock before entering the cool shade of towering cypress trees. Along the way, simple invitations encourage visitors to pause, notice, and spend time in relationship with the landscape. Rather than directing attention, the trail gently creates space for the land to become the guide. As Donna reflected, the process wasn’t about adding something to the forest. It was about recognizing what was already present and creating thoughtful invitations for others to discover it.
A Landscape That Nourishes Community
Wonderfield Farm is a place where regeneration extends far beyond the soil.
Fresh food is grown for guests and the local community. Native habitats are restored. Pollinators are welcomed. Retreats, workshops, and gatherings bring people together to learn, reconnect, and celebrate the rhythms of the land.
Guests may encounter sandhill cranes, great blue herons, red-shouldered hawks, butterflies, honey bees, heritage citrus trees, goats, chickens, rabbits, and perhaps even a Florida alligator from a respectful distance. Every season off ers something diff erent to notice.
One of Donna’s favorite memories captures the spirit of Wonderfield perfectly.
Walking the farm with Tara, she watched her casually pluck a stem of Bidens alba, smile, and say with a laugh, “It’s edible too.” It was a simple moment, but one that reflected the generosity and curiosity that seem woven throughout the farm. Knowledge is shared freely. Questions are welcomed. Every visit becomes an opportunity to deepen one’s relationship with the living world.
Looking Ahead
Wonderfield’s vision continues to grow. Plans are underway for seasonal Forest Therapy programming, expanded sensory spaces, additional native plantings, organic art installations, and a wellness space overlooking the farm. Future possibilities include a labyrinth, guided forest therapy paddles, and continued research exploring measurable changes in wellbeing through nature connection.
The farm is also collecting wellbeing data using validated research tools, with the hope of contributing to a growing body of evidence supporting nature connection as an accessible, community-based approach to health.
Their vision reaches beyond their own property. Wonderfield hopes to demonstrate that working farms, regenerative agriculture, ecological restoration, and Forest Therapy are not separate endeavors, but complementary expressions of caring for both people and place.
As this remarkable landscape continues to evolve, it off ers a simple reminder.
Regeneration is never only about restoring the land. It is also about restoring our relationship with it.
