Meet the Farm Animals of Hunterdon County: Family Fun on the Farm!

Family Fun on the Farm!

Hunterdon’s farms offer visitors a variety of experiences from wineries, to farm stands, to u-pick, and more.  But it also offers families a chance to mix n’ mingle with gentle farm creatures of all shapes and sizes! Check out these locations where you can make some friends for the day!

Gorgeous Goat Creamery is a small-scale commercial goat dairy, offering some of the freshest goat dairy products in the area. They make all of their cheeses and bottle their milk right on the farm. Of course, they need goats to make that happen and they have plenty of them! Be sure to schedule time to meet the goats and take a farm tour while you’re there.  You can even take the goats on a hike or enjoy a picnic with the herd!

WoodsEdge Farm is a vertically integrated textile business specializing in breeding quality fibers used for designer yarns, which can be bought online or when their farm store is open.  But for the purpose of THIS blog, it’s also the home to alpacas, llamas, and yaks… all of whom you can meet! When the farm store opens for the season in November, you can visit with all the animals, or you can take advantage of WoodsEdge’ s popular Lunch with Llamas event.  But act fast when tickets become available, they sell out fast! When there, you’ll definitely want to visit with the famous Larry the Llama, who has been entertaining visitors for years.

Bubbly Goat makes high-quality goat milk products such as soaps and lotions but also host Goat Events in season on a regular basis that are fun for the whole family!  There’s baby goat snuggling, educational events, goat cheese-making classes, and much more. You can even host a birthday party with the goats! Check out videos of the frolicking herd here and begin your goat adventure today!

Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse is a regenerative & sustainable, 100% grass-fed family farm that makes award-winning cheese, breads, and offers fine meat products as well. But the beautiful and friendly herd of cows are the stars for many folks. Be sure to check out their events and tour schedule for a chance to tour the farm and visit and learn about the herd.

Mad Lavender is, as you might expect, a 10-acre u-pick lavender farm that offers a wide array of classes and activities. It also offers goat yoga, which is a growing nationwide phenomenon! Goat yoga has been shown to be beneficial to both mind and body, plus you make a furry new friend along the way. Classes taught by certified instructors are usually held on multiple dates throughout the summer season.

Deer Run Hay Company is located in the heart of Hunterdon County!  They have recently welcomed “mini” cows – Mini Highland Cattle to their farm.  There are several options to meet the cows.  The Farm Tour will allow you to explore the farm, learn about hay operations and meet all of the mini cows and calves.  Another option is the “Meet a Mini Cow” class.  It starts inside the cow pasture where you will meet and interact with the miniature cows & calves. You’ll learn about the breed and have the opportunity to pet or brush the cows while you are visiting.

Readington River Buffalo Farm is the sole commercial bison farm in New Jersey and has approximately 80 bison roaming around 110 acres of the farm’s pastured land, famously outnumbering its 15 chickens, 14 beef cattle, 3 pigs, and an odd number of barn cats and dogs.

Aside from the quality meat products, the farm offers opportunities from time to time to view the animals, including on Red Dog Day and Hay Day.

The owners state that they “want the farm to be the farm that everybody wants to come and take a picture of. Beautiful pastures, healthy animals on those pastures, and nice buildings that make it worthy of a coffee table book. So be sure to check their site often to find a time to plan a visit!

Find more Family Fun here!