At first glance, spending a wet and cold October Saturday at a dairy farm might not sound like fun. But for one grandmother, a day at Country Dairy was the perfect way to celebrate her birthday with her grandkids. A visit to the farm might be just the thing your family needs to perk up an otherwise glum weekend.
Arriving at the farm
Alicia Schaub and her daughters, frequent visitors at Country Dairy, arrived at the Farm Store on a rainy Saturday with their cousins and grandmother. Just inside the store, the kids immediately spotted the ice cream counter. Full of homemade flavors like Amooretto Cherry, Simply Cow-conut Cream, and Mookies ‘N Cream, the selection made the young cousins want to eat dessert first! Their mothers knew better, however, and promised ice cream at the end of the trip. Instead, they ordered lunch from the delicious burger, sandwich, and salad menu on offer. The real treat is, every meal comes with a bottomless cup of chocolate milk!
As they waited for their food, the kids talked excitedly about what they were looking forward to at the farm. “My favorite part is the baby cows,” says Julie, age seven. “They suck your thumb!” Younger sister Caroline, age four, says her favorite part of visiting Country Dairy is the Simply Supercow ice cream, which includes homemade flavors Blue Moo, Wild Cherry, and Lemon. But it was easy to tell that for both girls, the real excitement of the day was the fact that they got to show their cousins this place that they love.
Fun farm activities
Besides the delicious food, Country Dairy has many ways for families to have fun. A playground sits adjacent to the Farm Store and café, allowing antsy kids to burn off some energy while their parents sit at nearby picnic tables. Not far beyond the play equipment is a pasture that features the stars of the show – the Country Dairy cows. Sometimes they come right up to the fence and you can pet them! Just be sure not to share your delicious meal – everything the cows need to eat is raised right on Country Dairy’s farm.
Farm tour
If you really want to experience all the excitement the farm has to offer, a wagon tour should be part of your visit. Julie and Caroline were eager to show cousins Brendan, age three, and Jackson, age seven, around the farm. The tour started with a kid-friendly “moovie” about the history of the family-owned farm. Next, the cousins were pulled by horses Daze and Dan to the first stop on the tour: the calf barn. The kids ran eagerly from stall to stall, petting the calves heads and, as Julie had predicted, letting them suck their fingers. Luckily the wagon comes equipped with hand sanitizer, and a roof to shelter guests from the rain.
After the calves, the tour continued past cows that were eating, resting, and being milked. The cousins’ grandma smiled big as she watched the little ones press their noses to the glass to better see the indoor automatic milking machine at work. The kids were full of good questions, like “How do you keep the milk cold?” and “How old do cows get?” The tour concluded with good old fashioned hand washing and a bottomless cup of chocolate milk back at the Farm Store.
What are you waiting for?
Despite the wind and rain, it was clear that the young cousins and their grandma had made a memory that will last a lifetime. Everyone was all smiles as they warmed up in the Farm Store, sharing things they had seen like cow eyelashes and laser beams tracing an udder. The family got ice cream before heading home, and when asked about Country Dairy, the kids gave it a big thumbs up.
Plan your visit
As you can tell, a bit of wind and rain couldn’t stop the fun for these sweet cousins and their grandma. Pick a date for your own family to visit Country Dairy, and don’t worry about the forecast. Schedule a tour for your family and friends. If you’re interested in seasonal specials, come by on a Saturday to sample the latest offerings. You may want to bring tote bags to take some farm fare home to your own kitchen, too. Finally, don’t forget to take pictures while you visit, so you can capture the lifelong memories you’ll make as a family.