Bob and Pam Tarrants recently completed the first steps of opening a winery and event venue in Utica. The venue will be geared toward agribusiness with a wine-tasting room, a spot for a wedding venue, a natural lake, and on-site lodging with up to four short-stay homes and RV parking.
The Tarrants said the idea to open a winery and venue space really has been a dream of theirs for a bit now.
“We were married at a winery,” Pam said. “That’s our hobby. We are in the process of making one at our home. I mean, it’s just something we enjoy and we don’t have anywhere like that in Owensboro at all.”
The property comprises 10 acres just in Utica at 12425 US 431. Earlier this month, the Tarrants were granted a Conditional Use Permit during an Owensboro Metropolitan Board of Adjustment meeting.
The couple said the location is really geared toward bringing in people from outside the area, especially with the RV parking only being accessible to a certain type of members in the RV community.
Bob said that the organization Harvest Hosts is a membership program that allows travelers to sign up to visit locations throughout the country as long as they are boondocking during their stay. Boondocking is essentially traveling in an RV and needing zero hookups, electricity, and water from the venue — as the campers’ resources remain completely self-contained during their stay.
“It’s strictly where they’re coming to park for one night with an agreement they’ll purchase one thing from the venue that they go to,” Bob said.
On the other side of the property, the Tarrants want to rent out the short-stay homes through services like VRBO, whether it’s for a visit to the winery or for a wedding party.
Bob said the business would give Daviess County another unique opportunity for tourism.
“Most people go to either Eastern Kentucky or to southern Indiana for the winery experience, so we want to bring that to Daviess County,” he said.
There is currently no timeline for the business to open, as there are still other process that must be completed first.
