MomSkoop
Forget roller coasters and cartoon characters – farm stays are becoming the ultimate family vacation destination! Children trade screen time for collecting eggs, feeding animals, and experiencing authentic country living. These working farms offer hands-on adventures that create lasting memories while teaching kids about food sources and sustainable living. The genuine connections with animals and nature provide something that manufactured entertainment simply can’t match.
1. Liberty Hill Farm: Vermont’s Dairy Wonderland
Cows greet visitors with curious moos at this 7th-generation family dairy farm nestled in Rochester, Vermont. Kids become honorary farm hands, helping with milking sessions and feeding calves their morning bottles.
The farmhouse dates back to the 1800s but offers comfortable rooms where families gather for home-cooked meals featuring ingredients from the property. After chores, children explore meadows, splash in the White River, or help bake cookies in the country kitchen.
Evening brings storytelling around the fireplace, with tales of farm life through the generations. Many families return year after year, marking their growth against the barn door.
2. Hull-O Farms: New York’s Time-Travel Adventure
Tucked away in the Catskill Mountains, Hull-O Farms has been operated by the same family since 1779. Children wake to roosters crowing and spend mornings bottle-feeding baby goats or collecting still-warm eggs from the henhouse.
The farm’s seasonal activities change with nature’s rhythm – hayrides in summer, pumpkin picking in fall, and maple sugaring demonstrations in early spring. Accommodations range from rustic cabins to renovated farmhouses, all with views of grazing animals and distant mountains.
Farm-fresh breakfasts fuel days of exploration, while evening bonfires become the perfect setting for making s’mores and counting stars rarely seen in city skies.
3. Leaping Lamb Farm: Oregon’s Animal Paradise
Nestled in Oregon’s Coast Range, this working sheep farm transforms city kids into confident farm helpers. The resident border collies eagerly show off their herding skills while lambs frolic in green pastures, often becoming children’s first animal friends.
Families stay in a cozy cottage with a fully equipped kitchen, though most meals happen outdoors under apple trees or beside the creek that runs through the property. Morning chores include feeding chickens and collecting eggs, with rewards of fresh berry picking afterward.
Afternoon hikes through the surrounding forest reveal hidden waterfalls and wildlife sightings. The farm’s sustainable practices provide endless learning opportunities about responsible farming.
4. Farm Sanctuary: California’s Rescue Animal Haven
Unlike traditional farms, this special place in Acton, California focuses on rescued farm animals living out their lives in peace. Children connect with animals on a deeper level, learning their individual stories and personalities while understanding compassionate farming practices.
Families stay in tiny homes overlooking the sanctuary, where roosters replace alarm clocks and pig belly rubs become morning rituals. Kids help prepare special meals for animals with unique needs and assist with gentle grooming sessions for elderly farm residents.
Educational programs teach about factory farming alternatives and plant-based eating, often inspiring young visitors to become advocates for animal welfare. The experience creates lasting impressions about kindness toward all living beings.
5. Inn at East Hill Farm: New Hampshire’s Four-Season Playground
Snow or sunshine, this New Hampshire farm welcomes families year-round with seasonal activities that showcase rural life through changing seasons. Kids rush to morning chores, eager to milk cows, collect eggs, and bottle-feed eager lambs and kids (baby goats, that is!).
The farm’s pond transforms from summer swimming hole to winter ice-skating rink, while hiking trails offer wildflower viewing or snowshoeing depending on the month. Family-style meals in the farmhouse dining room feature vegetables from the garden and maple syrup from the farm’s sugar shack.
Evening activities include square dancing in the barn or star-gazing from Adirondack chairs. Many children leave with newfound confidence after mastering skills from horseback riding to bread baking.
6. Blackberry Farm: Tennessee’s Luxury Homestead
Nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains, this working farm blends country living with upscale comfort. Children participate in the Junior Farmhand Program, collecting eggs from heritage-breed chickens and harvesting vegetables alongside master gardeners in the heirloom garden.
Families stay in elegant cottages scattered across the 4,200-acre property, with views of misty mountains and grazing sheep. The farm’s cooking school offers kid-friendly classes where young chefs learn to make pasta from scratch or turn fresh milk into homemade ice cream.
Afternoons might include horseback riding through wildflower meadows or fly-fishing in mountain streams with patient guides. Evening brings firefly chasing and stargazing from rocking chairs on private porches.
7. Philo Apple Farm: California’s Orchard Getaway
Surrounded by apple trees in Anderson Valley, this organic farm celebrates the simple joy of growing food. Children wake to the scent of baking apple muffins and spend mornings helping harvest whatever’s ripe – from crisp apples to juicy berries.
Families stay in colorful cottages nestled among the orchards, where farm cats often become temporary pets. The teaching kitchen becomes the heart of the experience, where kids learn to transform fresh ingredients into memorable meals under the guidance of the farmer-chefs.
Afternoon explorations lead to the nearby river for swimming or to redwood groves for nature scavenger hunts. Evenings bring communal farm-to-table dinners where children proudly serve dishes they helped prepare from ingredients they harvested themselves.
8. Fat Sheep Farm & Cabins: Vermont’s Wooly Adventure
Perched on a hillside with stunning Green Mountain views, this working sheep farm and maple sugaring operation captivates children with its fluffy residents. Kids join farmers for morning and evening chores, learning how to check for fresh eggs and provide hay to hungry sheep.
Modern cabins with floor-to-ceiling windows keep families connected to farm life even during downtime. The farm’s garden provides a rainbow of vegetables that children help harvest before cooking family meals in well-equipped kitchens.
Seasonal activities range from watching sheep shearing in spring to learning how maple syrup is made in late winter. Many children become so attached to certain animals that they follow their progress through the farm’s social media updates long after returning home.
9. Hamakua Chocolate Farm: Hawaii’s Sweet Escape
Chocolate grows on trees at this tropical farm on Hawaii’s Big Island! Children’s eyes widen at their first sight of colorful cacao pods hanging directly from tree trunks, beginning a delicious education about chocolate’s journey from bean to bar.
Families stay in open-air bungalows surrounded by fruit trees, where picking breakfast might mean reaching up for papayas or bananas. Kids participate in every step of chocolate making – harvesting, fermenting, drying, and grinding cacao beans before tasting the results of their labor.
Afternoon adventures include exploring nearby waterfalls or black sand beaches. The farm’s sustainability practices provide valuable lessons about tropical agriculture and environmental stewardship that stick with children long after the chocolate is gone.
10. MoonRidge Farms: Oregon’s Berry Paradise
Berry stains on fingers and faces become badges of honor at this organic farm nestled in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Children race between rows of blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries, filling baskets (and mouths) with sun-warmed fruit.
Families stay in charming cottages overlooking ponds where ducks paddle and frogs serenade at dusk. The farm’s commercial kitchen becomes a laboratory where kids transform their harvests into jams, pies, and ice cream toppings under the guidance of patient farmers.
Afternoons might include goat milking lessons or cheese-making workshops. The farm’s location offers easy access to Oregon’s coast and mountains, though many families find themselves reluctant to leave the peaceful property even for day trips.
11. Toddy Pond Farm Cottage: Maine’s Lakeside Dairy
Perched beside a pristine Maine lake, this small dairy farm specializes in Jersey cows and goats that produce milk for the farm’s award-winning yogurt and cheese. Children become dairy apprentices, learning to milk goats and helping make simple cheeses that they proudly serve at family meals.
The lakeside cottage features a dock where mornings might begin with canoe rides and wildlife spotting before farm chores. Kids develop relationships with individual animals, often naming calves born during their stay and receiving updates as they grow.
Woodland trails lead to wild blueberry patches and secret swimming holes. Evening brings firefly chasing and storytelling around campfires, where farm-made ice cream often makes an appearance for dessert.
12. Red Daisy Farm: Colorado’s Mountain Retreat
Surrounded by Rocky Mountain views, this high-altitude farm introduces children to farming in harmony with mountain seasons and wildlife. Kids help tend alpacas, collecting their soft wool and learning how it becomes yarn through spinning demonstrations in the farm’s craft studio.
Families stay in solar-powered cabins built from locally harvested timber, where large windows frame mountain vistas. The greenhouse extends the growing season, allowing children to harvest vegetables even when snow dusts the mountain peaks.
Afternoons might include guided hikes to spot eagles and deer or lessons in fly fishing on the property’s stream. Many families time their visits to coincide with seasonal events like the lavender harvest or the fall apple pressing that produces the farm’s signature cider.