Ocala · South of town · Gypsy Vanner horse farm tours
Gypsy Gold Horse Farm
Meet the Gypsy Vanner horses on the Ocala farm that first brought the breed to America, on a guided tour led by Dennis Thompson, who helped name it.
Opens the farm’s tour page, which links to online booking. Tours start promptly, so arrive a few minutes early.
Details checked October 2026
Type
Horse farm tour
Guided tours Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat
Admission
$30–$55 tours
Kids 2–12 $25 on the 2-hour tour; under 2 free
Hours
Tours 10 am & 1:30 pm
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat; book online ahead
Time needed
1 or 2 hours
Walking tour 1 hour; history tour 2 hours
Parking
Farm lot
No RV rules posted; call ahead
First imports
1996
The first Gypsy Vanners reach the U.S.
What you’ll see
Feathered horses and the story behind them
The tour is part history lesson and part farm walk: you hear how the breed came to America, then meet the horses in their paddocks.
Photo: Oleg Yunakov on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Start here
The Horses & History tour
The two-hour tour starts at 10 a.m. with a talk by Dennis Thompson on British and Irish Gypsy culture and on how he and his late wife, Cindy, found the breed in England in 1995. Then you walk the farm to meet the mares, foals and stallions under old oaks hung with Spanish moss. Adults pay $55, seniors and military $45 and children 2–12 $25.
RV tip: the tour is mostly outdoors on sand and grass, so wear closed-toe shoes and bring water and sunscreen. The farm suggests bringing apples, carrots or horse treats, and a camera.
More to see
- The one-hour Walking TourAt 1:30 p.m. on the same days, $30 for all ages. The farm recommends it for returning visitors, families with small children and Spanish-speaking guests.
- Donkeys, mules and parrotsThe farm is also home to mules, donkeys and rescued parrots and macaws, and reviewers describe petting the horses and mules on the walk.
- A 40-acre farmGypsy Gold covers 40 acres, with 21 paddocks under old oak trees and a 14-stall show barn. More than 30 Gypsy Vanners live here.
- The gift shopBooks, jewelry and Breyer model horses. In 2001 Breyer made a model in the likeness of the farm’s stallion The Gypsy King.
Why go
Where America’s Gypsy Vanners began
In 1995, on a trip to Great Britain, Dennis Thompson and his late wife, Cindy, spotted a small black-and-white stallion in an English pasture and learned it belonged to a Gypsy family. The breed had been developed over generations by British Gypsies.
The Thompsons imported the first Gypsy Vanners to North America in 1996, helped name the breed and founded its registry, the Gypsy Vanner Horse Society. Today Dennis and his wife, Erin, run the 40-acre farm, and his talk is the heart of the tour.
It ranks first of 99 things to do in Ocala on Tripadvisor, with more than 1,100 reviews, and it sits about 8 minutes from Ocala Sun RV Resort. Book ahead, because tours run only four days a week.
Photo: Thomas Quine on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Why it made our list
- The farm that brought Gypsy Vanners to America
- A talk by breed pioneer Dennis Thompson
- Mares, foals and stallions up close
- First of 99 things to do in Ocala on Tripadvisor
- About 8 minutes from Ocala Sun RV Resort
For RVers
Visiting Gypsy Gold with an RV
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Book before you go
Both tours are booked online through the farm’s website, and groups should call the office at (352) 307-3777. There are no tours on Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday.
Parking a bigger rig
The farm doesn’t publish parking or RV rules. A Tripadvisor reviewer found plenty of parking and motorcoach tour groups visit, but call ahead before bringing a motorhome or trailer, or come in the tow vehicle.
Leave the dog at camp
The farm doesn’t post a pet policy; tour resellers say service animals are allowed. With horses, mules and birds on the tour, plan to leave pets at camp, and never in a hot rig.
Walking and accessibility
Tour resellers list the tours as not wheelchair accessible but stroller friendly. Reviewers describe easy walking on sand and grass, and one says a utility-vehicle ride was offered to a guest who needed help.
What visitors say about Gypsy Gold Horse Farm
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 25–28, 2026.
The informative two-hour farm tour includes a lecture by Dennis Thompson, followed by a walking tour.
Gypsy Gold, describing its tour · gypsygold.com
What visitors often mention
Recurring themes in Google’s review topics
The tourGypsy VannersEducational
Google’s review topics point to the tour itself (71 reviews), the Gypsy Vanner horses (66), how educational it is (61) and the donkeys (37). Checked October 25, 2026.
Tour prices per person
Prices from the farm’s tour page, checked October 25, 2026. Kids, seniors, military and adults are for the 2-hour Horses & History tour; the 1-hour Walking Tour is $30 for all ages, and children under 2 are free.
Good to know
Horses & History tour$55 adults, 2 hours
Seniors and military$45 2-hour tour
Walking Tour$30 all ages, 1 hour
The 2-hour tour includesTalk by Dennis ThompsonWalking tourMeet the horses
Prices from the farm’s tour page, checked October 25, 2026. Children 2–12 pay $25 on the 2-hour tour, and children under 2 are free. Tour resellers such as Viator sell the same tours with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Gypsy Gold Horse Farm
- Address12501 SW 8th Ave., Ocala, FL 34473
- HoursTours 10 am & 1:30 pm
Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat; book online ahead - Phone(352) 307-3777
- ToursBook online; groups call the office
- Getting thereThe farm is a few miles east of I-75 Exit 341, south of Ocala. Use 12501 SW 8th Ave. in your GPS.
- ParkingParking on the farm; no RV or trailer rules are posted, so call (352) 307-3777 before bringing a big rig.
Tours run Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The farm’s events page wasn’t loading when we checked, so confirm the schedule when you book.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Gypsy Gold Horse Farm
These are the Ocala-area parks we have visited and written up, closest first. Ocala Sun RV Resort is just a few minutes away.
Ocala Sun RV Resort
A social, all-ages resort south of Ocala with 387 grassy full-hookup sites and 100 ft pull-thru super sites.
Ocala RV Camp Resort
An older, budget-friendly park beside I-75 Exit 350 with shady grass sites, ponds and a big pool.
Southern Springs RV Resort
A new, gated 55+ resort off I-75 Exit 352 with landscaped concrete sites, a heated pool and pickleball.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Tours Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat
Ready to meet the Gypsy Vanners?
Book the 10 a.m. Horses & History tour online, bring carrots and a camera, and wear shoes for sand and grass.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos: Oleg Yunakov (Gypsy Vanner horse; CC BY-SA 4.0) and Thomas Quine (mare and foal in England; CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons; neither photo was taken at Gypsy Gold, and the images were resized. Video: Mindset Equestrian on YouTube. Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Gypsy Gold Horse Farm unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including the farm’s published materials and publicly available sources. Hours, pricing, rules and other details are set by the farm and may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly with Gypsy Gold Horse Farm at gypsygold.com or (352) 307-3777. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
We will always do our best to keep this page up to date. Thank you to everyone who contributes; we truly appreciate your help and support.