Take a hayride, feed a giraffe, tour a Victorian farmhouse--these are just some of the things your family can do at farms around the country. A farm visit is not only a lot of fun, but will sneak in some educational benefits as well. At the Adams Farm in Wilmington, Vermont, your family will enjoy a variety of unique farm activities including a traditional sleigh ride.
VERMONT
ADAMS FARM: Here's your chance to milk a goat, gather eggs from a chicken coop and bottle-feed a lamb. At their 210-acre, sixth-generation working farm in the Mt. Snow area, the Adams family provides fun farm activities year-round, even during snow days.Kids can build a hay fort, take a pony ride and watch yarn being spun directly from an Angora rabbit. After the Belgian draft horse demonstration, kids get a chance to sit on one and see firsthand what this working animal is like. Stop at the Farm Store and Quilt Loft to snack on Vermont cheeses, fudge and farm-made jam. You can also buy farm-spun hats and gloves made of Yak cashmere, Angora goat mohair, llama and sheep wool and Angora rabbit fiber.
For a real treat, go on one of the farm's specialty rides. During the summer, see the livestock on a hayride or trek through the maple sugar groves and then to the local bear caves, when the bears have already moved out. The evening hayride ends with homemade dessert. In October, go on a Haunted Hayride and experience an original New England ghost story as you travel through the woods and meet the characters from the tale along the way. From mid-December to mid-March, embark on a traditional sleigh ride to a log cabin in the woods where you'll sit by a fireplace and sip hot mulled cider and cocoa.
The farm is open every day except Tuesdays from June through October. From mid-November through May, it's open Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Farm admission is $12.95 for adults, $10.95 for children ages two to 12 and free for children under two during the Summer. Adams Farm, 15 Higley Hill, Wilmington, VT. Call 802-464-3762 or click here for updated rates and more information.
Troy Corley, a freelance writer, lives in Los Angeles.
Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change.
