Clark’s Elioak Farm, 10500 Route 108, Ellicott City, Md. 21042, 410-730-4049, 410-465-8858, www.clarklandfarm.com. 2 miles west of Route 29 on Route 108 near Columbia. Petting Farm is open April 1 thru Nov 2nd. 10am-4pm Tuesday-Sunday. Farm animals, pony rides, hay rides, hay bale maze, birthday parties, scout and church groups, picnic area, special weekend events, restored Enchanted Forest attractions for the whole family to enjoy, local artists. In Sept. and Oct. they also have a pumpkin patch, and cider. The Market is open mid July thru Sept. 1st, 10am-6pm. In season home grown fruits and vegetables, sweet corn, tomatoes, cantaloupes, watermelon, peaches, plus honey and cut flowers. Attractions available daily include admission to the petting farm with the new baby animals, hay rides, pony rides, hay bale maze, picnic area, country store, birthday parties. Special Events include
:April 5-6, Spring Opening weekend! See the new animals and visit your old friends at the petting farm. Goats, sheep, calves, chicks, piglets, bunnies, ducklings, donkey, turkeys, ponies and horses. Come celebrate Spring at the farm!
Enchanted Forest Weekend April 12-13, see the new items they have received from the Enchanted Forest and restored and installed around the petting farm. They are so excited to have these wonderful memory-filled items from the past here to delight and enthrall a new generation of Marylanders. They will have special activities including costumed characters, story times, facepainting, and Enchanted Forest memorabilia, original artwork and painted Enchanted Forest stones for sale.
Sheep and Wool Weekend, April 19-20, Daniela Anderson will show us fibers from raw to finished, different types and qualities of wool and do spinning demonstrations. Kids of all ages will get a hands-on opportunity to experience the art of spinning. Also come see Border Collie sheep herding demonstrations at 1:00 PM both days with our resident shepherd, Janet Harvey.
Grandparents Weekend, April 26-27, Free hay rides for all grandparents accompanied by a child. A great time to see the Enchanted Forest treasures you remember, and
Teddy Bear Farm Visit, May 3-4, Bring your bears! Free hayrides for all children who bring a teddy bear. Teddy bear contest at 1 and 3pm. See website for details.
Green Meadows Petting Farm, “Touch the Wonders of The Farm”, May 3-10,
and June 20-29, 301-865-9203, 10102 Fingerboard Rd., Ijamsville, MD
21754, www.greenmeadowsevents.com. They offer an ideal learning environment where
people of all ages can interact with farm animals. Have fun exploring the
website! Admission includes :Get up close and personal with the animals. Touch
'em, feed 'em...and everyone milks a cow! Be entertained by the interactive
animal show. The pig races are a definite favorite! Have lots of fun in the
barnyard maze & pumpkin patch. Everyone takes home a free pumpkin! Enjoy seeing
the farm on our tractor-drawn hay ride! Souvenirs, beverages and snacks
available for purchase.
Hard Bargain Farm, 2001 Bryan Point Rd., Accokeek, Md. 20607, 301-292-5665,
www.fergusonfoundation.org. This farm is not normally open to the
public but each spring on May 3, 11am-4pm, they open the gates for the
annual Spring Farm Festival. Go enjoy the view, the natural areas, and the
lively barnyard that is a living laboratory for thousands of children each year.
Brighten up your garden with bargains from the plant sale, go on barnyard
adventures, including cow milking, sheep shearing, butter churning, spinning,
and much more. Hop on the hay wagon for a ride to the Potomac River. Enjoy a
delicious picnic lunch from the food hut at the top of the hill. Browse and
purchase local arts and crafts. Take home a delicious home baked cake from the
cake walk. Listen to live music performed by area musicians in the Ferguson
Garden. Try your hand at environmental crafts in the log cabin. And enjoy the
beautiful vista of Washington D.C. and Mount Vernon and just have fun at Hard
Bargain Farm. Hard Bargain Farm is available to schools and other organizations.
Jacob’s Ladder Farm (own by Baugher’s), 3320 Offutt Road, Randallstown, Md.
21133, 410-655-6777, www.jacobsladderfarm.com. Kids learn best hands-on, so they do start-to-finish programs that allow kids the joy of insight into farm creatures, mastery of nature-based skills, and creativity through cottage-industry projects. In Sheep-to-Shawl: How Cloth Was Made, kids cut their own wool off a sheep; comb, dye, and spin wool; weave projects on their own small take-home loom; and operate the shuttle and harnesses on a 10-treadle floor loom set up just for kids! In other programs, they milk a sheep or goat, then learn to make Kick-the-Can Ice Cream or Microwave Mozzarella. Grinding grain for pizza-dough, metal-smithing, and candle-making for kids round out the hands-on experience. These are just some of the hands on experiences for the kids. Visit their website for a complete listing.
MJ’s Animal Sanctuary, 301-262-9458, 240-432-8976, 14600 Old Stage Road, Bowie,
Md. www.mjsanimalsanctuary.com. Pony rides on a small pony or large horse.
Mini-zoo includes a miniature horse, miniature donkey, rabbits, chickens, ducks,
geese, goats, guinea pigs, and baby animals. Most of the animals are in the
petting zoo. Certain times puppies, kittens, pigs, llamas, and other visiting
animals. They rescue pets, horses, farm animals, birds and exotics.
National Colonial Farm, 3400 Bryan Point Road, Accokeek, Md. 20607,
301-283-2113, www.accokeek.org. The Accokeek Foundation occasionally offers
round trip ferry service to and from Mount Vernon during the Summer months.
Tickets for the ferry service, as well as tickets to Mount Vernon, can be
purchased at the Accokeek Foundation's Visitor Center, Skilled interpreters lead
tours highlighting the colonial structures, fields, gardens, and animals.
Structures located within the colonial site and open to the public include a
circa 1780 farm dwelling, an 18th century tobacco barn, smokehouse, necessary
and out-kitchen. A public pier and riverside path provided visitors with scenic
views along the edge of the Potomac River and a beautiful view of Mount Vernon,
the home of George Washington. An extensive garden features 18th century
varieties of herbs, flowers, and vegetables, and is the source for much of the
Farm’s heirloom seed stock. Many visitors appreciate the beauty of the farm
animals without realizing their important role in farming. The Accokeek
Foundation’s Conservancy Program host selected breeds which include: Hog Island
Sheep, Milking Devon Cattle, Ossabaw Hog, Dominique Chickens and Black Turkeys.
Visitor hours are Tue. - Sun 10am-4pm from Mid March through December. Special
Events include:
Potomac River Cleanup: April 5, 9am-12N, National Colonial Farm Visitor Center: The cleanup has grown to include over one hundred sites in the river watershed from West Virginia to the Chesapeake Bay. Join us in our annual
removal of trash that has accumulated along the shore during the winter. Wear
boots—we’ll provide cotton gloves, trash bags, and a light refreshment.
Individuals, families, and community organizations are welcome.
Children's Day: April 19, 12N-4pm. Children and their families are invited to step back in time
for a celebration of colonial life. Family members can participate in 18th
century games, hands-on activities, and storytelling about our heritage breed
sheep, cattle, hogs, turkeys, and chickens.
African American Heritage Day, August 23, 12N-6pm. This event will showcase Afro-American culture and history with reenactors of the colonial and civil war period; metropolitan area museum displays, exhibits, and presentations; foodway demonstrations; storytellers; authors; musical performances; food vendors; and many more family activities!
Colonial Day, October 4, 12N-4pm. Join the colonial reenactors as they recreate a busy 18th century day on Mrs. Bealle’s Tobacco Farm.; participate in hands-on activities; observe demonstrations; and enjoy the musical entertainment. Discover Springtime in Piscataway Park Enjoy a self-guided hike on our trails and learn more about indigenous plants and animals by taking along a Discovery Pack available in the National Colonial Farm Visitor Center. The Discovery Packs are great for individuals and families who wish to explore the park at their own pace.
Old Maryland Farm, 301 Watkins Park Drive, Upper Marlboro, 301-218-6770.
Tour the garden. Enjoy a hayride. Host a barnyard party. Watch a farmer care for
livestock or feed farm animals. Ride a pony led by staff. Meet & feed the farm
animals. Old Maryland Farm offers something for everyone this month. Call the
facility for program dates, times, fees, & reservation deadlines. Special
Events beginning in April will include: Monday-Friday hayrides and/or pony rides. Pony Rides are offered year round on Sat. 1-1:30pm and Hayrides are offered year round on Sunday, 1-3pm. Inquire for special group events and call for monthly events.
Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm, 6411 Oxon Hill Road, Oxon Hill, Md. 20745,
301-839-1176, www.nps.gov/oxhi. Oxon Hill Farm is truly a historical resource,
just minutes from the Nations Capital. Here you and your family can visit a
working farm with a garden, farm house, animals and crops as they grow each
year. You can explore on your own to see the antique farm machinery, the dairy
bard and silo, the 19th century brick stable, the feed and tool sheds, and the
barnyard. Open daily from 8am-4:30pm, you can see a farm house, barns a stable,
feed building, livestock buildings and a visitor activity. It exhibits basic
farming principles and techniques as well as historical agricultural programs
for urban people to develop an understanding of cropping and animal husbandry.
Reservations are required for special programs and for popular activities such
as milking cows 10am and 3:30pm Sat. & Sun., 11:30am & 3:30pm Mon.-Fri., feed
the chickens daily at 11am, gathering eggs, and the wagon rides, offered 1:30pm
daily.
Sharp’s at Waterford Farm, 4003 Jennings Chapel Road, Brookeville, Md. 20833
301-854-6275, www.sharpfarm.com. Opening Mid April-Mid Nov. 10am-5pm, Monday
through Saturdays. Spring is the season of planting in the greenhouse, geese
hatching on the ponds, gardens and field being planted, and the farm ponds wake
up to a new year. They feature several tours in the spring. The Wonderful World of Worms, Spring is Growing, Nature Knowledge, Birds and Gourds, Ponds, Puddles
and Creeks, Oh Where am I?, and Just Visiting. All these programs offer time to feed the farm animals and most include a hayride through the farm. Craft projects can be
included as an option. Farm Educational Tours, Family Parties and Group Events.
Available mid-April to mid-November, join them for Pumpkin Picking, Corn Mazes,
Hayrides, Campfires, Nature Trails, Farm Museum, Feeding the Animals, Country
Store, Straw Maze and so much more. Each fall from mid-September to
mid-November, Spring on the Farm features greenhouses overflowing with plants
for sale at school and church fundraisers or for your visit to the farm for
herbs, vegetables and flowers for your special garden. Enjoy feeding the farm
animals while you're here. Open mid-April to mid-June, join them for a personal
hayride for your group narrated with farm and wildlife information if you choose
Conclude with a campfire prepared for you by the staff, for more fun add-on the
corn maze adventure (fall only). All campfire evening adventures include time
to feed the farm animals and an ear of popcorn for each member in your group.
Complimentary Free Hayrides are offered Saturday and Sunday during the weekend
hours in the fall. The hayrides will delight your family and offer a convenient
way for them to visit the pumpkin field. Longer hayrides are part of most of the
tour programs. These are narrated and fun hayrides throughout the farm where you
learn more about the farming community, conservation and ecology.
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