Clark’s Elioak Farm, 10500 Route 108, Ellicott City, Md.  21042, 410-730-4049, www.clarklandfarm.com.   2 miles west of Route 29 on Route 108 near Columbia. Petting Farm is open April 1 thru November 7. Open 10am-4pm Tuesday-Sunday plus Easter Monday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and all Mondays in October. Visit the  petting farm and see a wide variety of animals--goats, sheep, donkeys, pigs, cows, horses, ponies, turkeys, ducks, chickens, bunnies, and an emu. You can feed the animals and visit the Barnyard area where you can touch and pet them. They offer hay rides through our farm fields and a number of play areas for the children. Pony rides are available all day, every day that we are open. Play areas and picnic areas, a country store, plus an exciting new Enchanted Forest Pine Tree Maze and many beautifully-restored Enchanted Forest attractions for the whole family to enjoy. Birthday parties and group tours can also be scheduled. In Sept. and Oct. they also have a pumpkin patch and cider. The Clark's Roadside Vegetable Market is open July 1 thru Sept.6, 11am-6pm with in-season home grown fruits and vegetables, sweet corn, tomatoes, cantaloupes, watermelon, peaches, plus honey and cut flowers.

Green Meadows Petting Farm, May 2-9, and June 17-July 3, 1-800-799-1166, 10102 Fingerboard Rd., Ijamsville, MD. www.greenmeadowsevents.com. Open  May 1 to May 16, (closed Mondays & Tuesdays in May) and  June 19 to July 11, (closed Mondays & Tuesdays in June/July and closed July 4th) Gates open at 10am, arrive by 2pm. Featuring over 200 Animals, 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. Enjoy seeing the farm on a tractor-drawn hay ride.

National Colonial Farm,  3400 Bryan Point Road, Accokeek, Md. 20607, 301-283-2113, www.accokeek.org.  Skilled interpreters lead tours of the National Colonial Farm, highlighting the colonial structures, fields, gardens and animals. Structures located within the colonial site are open to the public and include a circa 1770 farm dwelling, an 18th century tobacco barn, a smokehouse, and an out-kitchen. The kitchen garden features 18th century varieties of herbs, flowers, and vegetables. Many visitors appreciate the beauty of the farm animals without realizing their important role in farming systems. Over the centuries, domesticated animals have lived here with humans and have contributed to shaping this land as we see it today. Weekend visitors to the National Colonial Farm may see sewing, cooking, spinning, dyeing, candlemaking, gardening, woodworking and colonial games. To find out which activities are happening during your visit, please call the Visitor Center.
Saturday, April 3, is Children’s Day from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Children’s Day Fee: $5 Non-Members, Members Free. Chicken and the Egg Workshop Fee: $10 Non-Members, $8 Members. Admission for Children’s Day will be waived for participants in Chicken and the Egg workshop. Come for part or all of this day full of educational and entertaining activities. Features of this event subject to cancellation due to weather.
9:00 a.m.-Chicken and the Egg Workshop, Barnyard: Tour the barnyard, talk about heritage breed chickens, and enjoy hands-on interaction with chicks. Use natural dyes to dye eggs. Workshop fee: $10 Non-Members, $8 Members. Limited to 30 participants. Pre-registration required. Call 301.283.2113 or register online.
11:00 a.m.-Performance of Wally the Water Bottle Followed by Mini River, Education Center: The National Children’s Museum returns with their puppet show of “Wally the Water Bottle” (appropriate for ages 4 and up). After learning from Wally about how damaging litter is to the river’s ecosystem, families will gather trash from the shore of the Potomac in this “mini” river cleanup.
12:00 p.m. Colonial Kids-Where’s Ben?, National Colonial Farm: Mrs. Bolton needs her son’s help, but he is nowhere to be found. As children assist with chores at the National Colonial Farm, they will gather clues to the mystery of “Where’s Ben?”, and will then embark on a guided search for Ben.
The National Colonial Farm and Visitor Center are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm from mid-March through mid-December. From mid-December through mid-March, hours are 10am to 4pm on weekends only. Guided tours of the National Colonial Farm are offered at 1pm on weekends. Visitors may walk through the site on their own. For more information, please call the Visitor Center at 301.283.2113 ext. 15.

Old Maryland Farm, 301 Watkins Park Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774 Phone: 301-218-6770. OpenTuesday-Fridays from 9 am-4 pm, Saturdays from 9 am-4:30 pm and
Sundays & Holidays from11:30 am-4:30 pm Closed Mondays. Located just a short walking distance from the miniature train station in Watkins Regional Park, Old Maryland Farm is an educational farm facility open to the public. Its agricultural exhibits, livestock, and display gardens provide a farming experience to visitors. Interpretive programs for students visiting the farm are correlated to the Maryland State Performance Assessment Programs (MSPAP). The facility offers interested visitors of all ages a variety of volunteer opportunities related to animal care, greenhouse and garden maintenance, and visitor services. Old Maryland Farm offers opportunities for birthday parties, pony rides, hay rides, and farm demonstrations. To arrange a group tour, reserve the facility for a birthday party, or learn more about upcoming events and ongoing farm programs, contact staff at 301-218-6770. For more information see www.pgparks.com/Things_To_Do/Nature/Watkins_Regional_Park.htm.

Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm, 6411 Oxon Hill Road, Oxon Hill, Md.  301-839-1176, www.nps.gov/oxhi.  Open daily from 8am-4:30pm.  Take a step back into time when life seemed more simple. Explore Oxon Hill Farm, the main feature of Oxon Cove Park, and its outbuildings, join in on the typical farm day activities, learn about the dairy cow and other farm animals, or take a wagon ride through the natural areas of the park. Check out their schedule of events and activities on the website  www.nps.gov/oxhi/index.htm. The diverse history of Maryland and our national heritage can be experienced at Oxon Cove Park. Through hands on activities, living history programs, and more, you can experience farm life and how its changed overtime.  Explore how the park evolved from a plantation home during the War of 1812, to a hospital farm, to the park you can visit today

Sharp’s at Waterford Farm, 4003 Jennings Chapel Road, Brookeville, Md., 410-489-2572  www.sharpfarm.com.   Sharp's at Waterford Farm welcomes families both large and small to come visit . here is no admission or parking fees. On April 19th the greenhouses open. What better activity to do with your family this spring, then to plan and plant your own family garden. Come visit during their hours of operation and select from a wide variety of vegetables and herbs as well as get expert advice from our staff. This can be an opportunity to spend time together as a family as well as a time to educate your children on where our food comes from and eating healthier! Check out the  special weekend events. There is Herb and Veggie weekend, Mothers Day Weekend, Herb weekend, where you can learn more about using the herbs you have planted. Bring a picnic and enjoy lunch together in our beautiful picnic site that overlooks a pond. Take a walk down to visit and feed our friendly farm animals. If you have time, hike our self guided nature trail for no charge. Come for the Orienteering weekend. Bring your children and spend the day outdoors learning about orienteering, compass and map reading. They also host Open House events for families. From June 7 - 11, each morning, we will host a different educational program. Nature Knowledge, Birds & Gourds, Spring is Growing, Wonderful World of Worms, and our Ponds, Puddles, and Creek program will be given from 10 AM. to 12 PM. In the Spring we are open 6 days a week from April 19 to June 11. Monday through Saturday the hours are 10 am. to 6 pm. Closed on Tuesdays.  Sunday hours are noon to 6pm.