Relaxing retreat

Award-winning inn offers travelers an escape from real world

Warner and daughter, Tatiana Warner Kisor, on the porch of the First Farm Inn. (Photo courtesy of Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce)

By Emily Hambidge
Journalism junior

Many students come to Purdue to make a career out of their love for animals. Most of these students, however, are studying veterinary medicine, not communication. Alumna Jen Warner found a way to combine both.

Warner and her husband, Dana Kisor, are the owners of First Farm Inn. Located just outside of Cincinnati, the 130-year-old farm house is home to more than a dozen animals and offers visitors an escape from the everyday chaos that life dishes out.

Warner, who comes from a farming family, always wanted her daughter, Tatiana Warner Kisor, to grow up on a farm, too. So she took her knowledge of animals and her multitude of classes in interpersonal and organizational communication and public relations and put them to practical use on a daily basis.

The inn, which opened in 1997, is set on 20 acres of land and offers plenty to do. There are many packages, such as the business travel special and girls weekend retreats, and other activities like horseback riding and skiing available.

Warner said the best part about having the inn is that she and her family are able to help people relax and enjoy country living.

Warner and daughter with one of the inn's horses (photo courtesy of Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce)

"This is a haven for animals and the people who want to interact with them," she said. "It is nice to have a chance to teach people about animals. Sometimes it gives them a new attitude."

For Warner, the people she meets make her job worthwhile. She said owning the inn is good for her family because they are able to learn from people from every walk of life.

Warner gets to know her guests by sitting down to breakfast with them every morning. She and her husband often sit for hours listening to the stories their visitors have to tell.

"You never know who you will meet or what you will get. Meeting people is so interesting, and when you own a bed and breakfast, the world comes to you."

She also said she hopes that her guests get as much out of the inn as she and her family do. Warner wants them to feel relaxed and have the opportunity to renew their perspective on life.

The people who visit Warner's inn often return, making her think she must be doing something right.

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First Farm Inn

Warner and her husband have won numerous awards, including the Chamber of Commerce award for being one of the top 12 small businesses in northern Kentucky for the last four years.

Warner said she feels good about her inn and what she is able to do there. She added that getting up each day and not knowing what impact you might have on someone is exciting.

"When I get letters from guests and become friends with the people who stay here, I realize how lucky I am and how rewarding the inn is," she said.