Knight's Spider Web FarmTM and Gift Shop
Spider Web Farm In The Press
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For
Immediate Release
Spider Web Farm Makes Obscure Web Site
WILLIAMSTOWN,
VERMONT -- A long-time landmark in this town, Knight’s Spider Web Farm,
has recently been listed on the Atlas Obscura travel Web site.
Spider
Web Farm bills itself as “The Original Web Site” since it has been
around since the 1970’s. The Atlas Obscura
is a new Web site,
having been founded in 2009 to feature interesting and out of the way
travel destinations.
"We got a note from one of our recent visitors that we'd been added to the site," says Will Knight, who, along with hisife Terry, operates the central Vermont attraction. "They said they enjoyed their visit so much they had added our listing."
He notes that the Spider Web Farm has also made it onto other travel related sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp. "We're also on a site connected with an Isreali TV show," he added, "They did a segment from here a couple of years ago but we are still on the site. Every year we get tourists from Isreal who say they saw us on that site.
The Atlas Obscura site started in 2009 as a place for travelers to get the scoop on "the world's wondrous and curious places." The site claims to have more than 700,000 unique visitors per month.
The founders, science journalist Joshua Foer and curiosity seeker Dylan Thuras, say they developed the site as a traveler resource that would feature things not typically shown in guidebooks. "There weren't many great resources for the kind of stuff we knew we wanted to see when traveling," according to Thuras.
Will knight says Spider Web Farm seems to be a favorite with this type of resource. He's been featured in the book Weird New England the Web site RoadsideAmerica.com and in Joe Citro's guide to strange places Curious New England.
Spider Web Farm joins nearby Vermont sites such as Hope Cemetery in Barre and the Floating Bridge in Brookfield as worthy of being in the Atlas Obscura.
"We might be described as obscure," Knight says, "but we're hardly out of the way." He points out that the farm is located right between two of Vermont's most visited sites, the Barre granite quarries and the Brookfield floating bridge. "They should come see that quick because it's becoming the sunken bridge," he says, then shrugs. "And on the way they can drop in here."
Will, who is 87 this year, started the business as a cabinet shop in 1972, then he noticed that the old farm buildings were home to a number of spiders. “I was admiring a web one day and thinking how pretty they are,” he said. “Each one is unique you know, like a snowflake. I thought maybe I could capture it on a wooden plaque.
That first one got away. He tried several methods of harvesting the webs before developing the method he uses now. He says he's the Thomas Edison of web collecting. "Like him I always had success. I was successful in finding many ways you couldn't do it before I succeeded in developing this process."
Even though he does demonstrations for visitors, as far as he knows he’s the only one doing this in the country. Knight says his web collection process is Pat Pending. "It's not that I'm going to patent it but that's the name of my lawyer - Pat Pending. Nice guy."
A visit to Spider Web Farm is humorous and educational as Knight spins out lore and facts about spiders. “You never know what vehicle will roll in here next,” He says visitors include RV’s from a nearby park, motorcycles, classic cars and even recently an ice cream truck.
You can find Will at the end of Spider Web Farm Road near the middle of Williamstown or online at www.SpiderWebFarm.com.
"We got a note from one of our recent visitors that we'd been added to the site," says Will Knight, who, along with hisife Terry, operates the central Vermont attraction. "They said they enjoyed their visit so much they had added our listing."
He notes that the Spider Web Farm has also made it onto other travel related sites like Trip Advisor and Yelp. "We're also on a site connected with an Isreali TV show," he added, "They did a segment from here a couple of years ago but we are still on the site. Every year we get tourists from Isreal who say they saw us on that site.
The Atlas Obscura site started in 2009 as a place for travelers to get the scoop on "the world's wondrous and curious places." The site claims to have more than 700,000 unique visitors per month.
The founders, science journalist Joshua Foer and curiosity seeker Dylan Thuras, say they developed the site as a traveler resource that would feature things not typically shown in guidebooks. "There weren't many great resources for the kind of stuff we knew we wanted to see when traveling," according to Thuras.
Will knight says Spider Web Farm seems to be a favorite with this type of resource. He's been featured in the book Weird New England the Web site RoadsideAmerica.com and in Joe Citro's guide to strange places Curious New England.
Spider Web Farm joins nearby Vermont sites such as Hope Cemetery in Barre and the Floating Bridge in Brookfield as worthy of being in the Atlas Obscura.
"We might be described as obscure," Knight says, "but we're hardly out of the way." He points out that the farm is located right between two of Vermont's most visited sites, the Barre granite quarries and the Brookfield floating bridge. "They should come see that quick because it's becoming the sunken bridge," he says, then shrugs. "And on the way they can drop in here."
Will, who is 87 this year, started the business as a cabinet shop in 1972, then he noticed that the old farm buildings were home to a number of spiders. “I was admiring a web one day and thinking how pretty they are,” he said. “Each one is unique you know, like a snowflake. I thought maybe I could capture it on a wooden plaque.
That first one got away. He tried several methods of harvesting the webs before developing the method he uses now. He says he's the Thomas Edison of web collecting. "Like him I always had success. I was successful in finding many ways you couldn't do it before I succeeded in developing this process."
Even though he does demonstrations for visitors, as far as he knows he’s the only one doing this in the country. Knight says his web collection process is Pat Pending. "It's not that I'm going to patent it but that's the name of my lawyer - Pat Pending. Nice guy."
A visit to Spider Web Farm is humorous and educational as Knight spins out lore and facts about spiders. “You never know what vehicle will roll in here next,” He says visitors include RV’s from a nearby park, motorcycles, classic cars and even recently an ice cream truck.
You can find Will at the end of Spider Web Farm Road near the middle of Williamstown or online at www.SpiderWebFarm.com.
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