Earthship Tours

Time to invest in experiences – so come join us for a tour of the first Earthship built east of the Mississippi.

Note: As of 2022, we have moved to a very limited open tour schedule. We are trying to cut back a bit and smell the flowers. After all, this is all about sustainability. We will accommodate a limited number of group tours (see below).

If you are unable to come in person, or want an advance look at the site, join us online for a virtual tour (free).   Online Tour

Tentative 2025 Tour Dates (all Saturdays):  I guess to be honest, everything is tentative

• May 3rd, 2025 – (Spring Gardens)
• July 5th, 2025 – (Reuse and Repurpose)
• October 11th, 2025– (Harvesting)
• November 15th, 2025 – (Sustainable Holidays)

What you will see:

At least 14 buildings made of repurposed materials, a solar array, a wind turbine,
gardens, greenhouses, and more.

A portion of the Earthship – the 2,200 sq. ft. homemade of tires, cans, bottles,
salvaged lumber, mud, sand, sweat and tears. We will explain the various construction
techniques and how the building uses the earth and sun to provide a comfortable place
to live.

• -The vaulted Straw Bale “Chicken Chalet”, which houses our peacocks and peahens. It is built with a pounded tire foundation, straw bale walls, beer bottle front and back walls, and a mud plaster finish.
• The straw bale sleeping cabins, some with living roofs.
• Low-cost tiny house construction.
• Earth plaster designs with just a bit of whimsy.
• Various innovative water collecting systems.
• The plastic bottle greenhouse, made of over 1,000 2-liter plastic bottles.
• The solar shower, heated by the sun and powered by gravity.
• The rocket stove, an amazing, wooded heater that incorporates a pizza oven, a
  sleeping bench, and an under-floor radiant heat system into this inexpensive and very effective heating system.
• The rain garden.
• The “under $5,000” Tiny House project.
• Our solar array, built in 2014 and expanded in 2019, which provides electric power to
  Blue Rock Station.
• The wind turbine tower, built in 2016.

You Will Learn:

• About natural gardening. First, we will explore various creative and common-sense
  gardening methods. Secondly, learn to work with nature, not against it, and discover
  how we keep our plants growing year-round in our wetlands and pop-bottle
  greenhouse.
• Some neat good old common-sense practices like composting, cooking in a solar
  oven, weaving fences from brush, making maple syrup, or whatever else we happen to
  be doing at the time.
• Discover how inexpensive solar generators can help you through those annoying and
  potentially dangerous periodic power outages.
• Homestead milk production, making cheese, yogurt, and other healthy natural
  products.
• Ideas on how to create a sustainable way of life or marvel at the various construction
  techniques.
• In conclusion, enjoy the tranquil peace and pleasant feel of Blue Rock Station.

Open tours:

When people heard we were building a house out of tires, many wanted to see it for themselves. Literally, hundreds of people showed up at all hours, making it hard to get any work done. So, we set specific hours for public visits to keep things organized. 

Well, literally thousands of people have visited (we estimate about 40,000) and to tell you the truth, it became a bit overwhelming. So, we decided to cut back and offer only infrequent tours or group tours by appointment. We believe this is necessary to retain our sanity. 

What’s new in 2025:

In 2025, we plan to offer only 4 open day tours, each limited to 25 people. These tours will include a visit to the Earthship and various other sustainable buildings and features of Blue Rock Station. We will also explore specific issues related to the time of year/season. Several times a year, we will be open to the public (sign up for our newsletter to receive notice of these other dates or check our site periodically). Other than these rare occasions and occasional workshops, you will need to schedule a private group tour to see the first Earthship East of the Mississippi (and we don’t plan on doing many of those). One foundational building block of sustainability is the ‘philosophy of enough’, so we are trying to practice what we preach.  

Open day tour fees are $20.00 per person (infants and toddlers under 5 are free but this is really not an event intended for children). Tours take about 3 hours (sometimes longer if there are lots of questions) and will include some light refreshments. Tours begin promptly at 1 p.m.

 Open day tours are limited to 25 people (we can handle larger groups for a private group tour but really would rather not). Please ensure you will be able to go on the tour before purchasing your ticket. Most tours sell out well in advance and if your plans change and you can’t make it, let us know so we can give someone else a chance. 

If you have questions about tour availability or problems registering, call us at 740-674-4300. Ensure your spot by registering through the date link above.* Tours begin at 1 pm and usually end around 4 pm. 

$20.00 per person (children 5 and under free, although this tour is not designed for children)

(* by registering, you agree to the terms outlined in the Waiver of Liability)

Blue Rock Station, repurposing for the future from Jorge Castillo-Castro on Vimeo.

Blue Rock Station, repurposing for the future from Jorge Castillo-Castro on Vimeo.