Free Farms to Visit With Your Kids | Fun Places to Visit Animals in the Greater Philadelphia Area
These free farms to visit with your kids made my life as a stay-at-home mom so much fun! It’s so refreshing to get out of the house with your kids and have experiences together. We can all use a fun outing to break up the day and let the kids get out some energy while they explore. I actually helped run our local moms group, so I spent Lucy’s early years learning all the best kid friendly spots in our area. Lucy especially loves animals, so farms are always a special treat for us. If you’re looking for free farms to visit with your kids, I’m excited to share some of our favorites places to visit the animals in the Greater Philadelphia Area. And best of all, every farm on this list is FREE to visit 🙂
1. Springton Manor Farm (Glenmoore, PA)
Why I Love It
There’s something so inspiring about being outdoors surrounded by nature’s beauty. And Springton Manor Farm is one of the most beautiful farms in the area, hands down. The goats are especially friendly and often come running over the the fence to say hello when we arrive. Lucy loves watching the goats climb up and jump off the big boulders. And if your little ones are climbers like my girl, they may spend much of your visit climbing and jumping off the rocks, too! In addition to the goats, Springton Manor Farm has sheep, horses, donkeys, chickens, a peacock, farm cats, bunnies in the big barn, and sometimes pigs (depending on the season).
We usually pack a picnic lunch and wander down the path toward the pond after visiting the animals in the barn and the pastures. Lucy still asks to visit Springton Manor regularly, so we visit at least once every fall and every spring. If you want to see baby goats and sheep, visit in the springtime. Or for a special event, check the website to find out the date for their annual sheep shearing day, which typically happens in April.
Things to Consider
Springton Manor Farm is part of the Chester County public park system, so the trails are open daily from sunrise to sunset and it’s free for families to visit. If you want to visit the animals, it’s best to visit closer to the middle of the day when the Great Barn is open. This will ensure that the animals will be out in the fields and you’ll get to see them all during your visit. When you pull into the farm, drive past the first parking lot on your right (the Manor House, which is a wedding and special events venue that’s not open to the public) and continue down the long lane to park in the lower parking lot.
If you walk down the path toward the big red barn, you’ll find a bulletin board with a map of the property. Every day when they bring the animals out of the barn, they move the little animal figures around the map to show you which animals are in which pasture. Give your kids the special job of checking the map, and then let them lead the way on your adventure!
2. Dream Maker Alpaca Ranch (Douglassville, PA)
Why I Love It
All the kids in our mom’s group know their favorite alpacas by name because we visited Dream Maker Alpaca Ranch every fall and spring with our preschoolers. Alpacas are such amazing creatures that you don’t get to see often. We love farms where you can get up close and personal with the animals because these interactions are so meaningful for us and our kids. Here’s my daughter Lucy at age 2 visiting with her favorite alpaca, Santanna, and again at our recent visit giving sweet Minnie a hug.
Things to Consider
The farm offers visits by appointment only, so get a group of your mom friends together and reach out to Wendy to make your appointment. Wendy is the sweetest and absolutely loves having the kids out to visit the alpacas. They never charged us a fee to visit, but if you want to support the farm and their rescue efforts, you can stop in the gift shop and let your little one pick out a special keepsake to remember your time at the farm. Keep an eye out for special events at the farm, too! We especially love their annual Halloween party, complete with alpacas in costume. It’s always a fun time!
3. Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines (Pottstown, PA)
Why I Love It
My daughter loves horses, so I knew we had to find a local horse farm to explore. And Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines is the best! You can purchase treats for the horses when you sign in. They even have feeding bowls for little kids to borrow like the one my daughter is holding below. I think my daughter may have been too hesitant to feed the horses at first. But with the bowl, she feels like a big girl who can give the horses treats all by herself. It’s so nice not to have to worry about their little fingers getting nibbled by hungry horses. There are also a couple of big pigs who live in the barn if you follow the path all the way up around the curve to the top of the farm.
Things to Consider
Once you park, head inside the office to sign in before embarking on your adventure. There’s no cost to visit, but donations are always welcome if you want to support the many retired horses who call this farm home. If you visit in the late afternoon, sometimes you get to watch them call the horses back into the barn when it’s time for their dinner. Each horse has a buddy, so they usually run into the barn in pairs. It’s so fun to watch how they line up and wait until they get called. Once they’re all inside, you can even go into the barn (through the visitor’s center) and visit each horse in their stall before heading home for your own dinner.
4. Milky Way Farm (Chester Springs, PA)
Why I Love It
Animals and delicious ice cream, all in one trip! How could we not keep going back to Milky Way Farm? Anytime the creamery is open, you can visit the animals. They have sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, and of course cows! All of their ice cream is made from milk from their herd. And every flavor is named after one of their cows. Make it a game and have your kids try to guess which cow out in the field their ice cream flavor is named after. Joy’s Peanut Butter Fudge is my favorite, so I always order this whenever they have it. But they rotate their flavors, so I’ve been forced to branch out and try many different flavors. Every flavor I’ve tried is divine. And visiting the animals is the extra cherry on top!
Things to Consider
Milky Way Farm is closed during the winter, so be sure to check their hours for the current season whenever you’re planning your visit. This is also one of our favorite farms to visit in the fall when it comes time to pick out our pumpkins. They’re open every weekend in October like many local farms in the area. But this was one of the few farms we found that was also open on weekday afternoons to walk to the pumpkin patch, pick out a special pumpkin to purchase, and visit the farm animals. As a stay-at-home mom with a flexible schedule, I always appreciate weekday activities as I’m not a fan of the weekend crowds.
5. Upper Schuylkill Valley Park (Royersford, PA)
Why I Love It
Technically I guess this is a park and not a farm, but we love it here and it’s one of our favorite spots to visit the animals. Upper Schuylkill Valley Park is a Wildlife Center that’s home to many wild animals that are native to Pennsylvania. They have wolves, foxes, owls, a porcupine, a bobcat, a bald eagle, and a small reptile house just to name some of the animal friends who live here. This park also borders the Schuylkill River, and it has a carry-in boat ramp that allows easy access to the water. Picnic tables and a fishing pier make this a great spot for a family outing.
Things to Consider
The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset. So if you have a little one who’s up at the crack of dawn every day like I did, it’s so helpful to find a fun spot that opens early. Especially on hot days when you want to get out early to beat the summer heat, or take time for a little splash in the river after visiting the animals!
Did You Find These Ideas Helpful?
You can click HERE to check out my 5 Kid Friendly Places for Spring & Summer Flowers to learn more about some of my favorite spots I love to visit with my daughter Lucy in the Greater Philadelphia area.
Kristin Brockman Photography is a natural light family photographer based in Pottstown, Pennsylvania who serves clients in the Greater Philadelphia area. She specializes in natural, family-centered photos focused on capturing genuine and authentic moments.
kristinbrockmanphotography@gmail.com
