Homestead Animal Farm

We visited Homestead Animal Farm in Merton to get our pumpkins this year.  It is an awfully cute farm!

The petting zoo, kiddie play area, and hay ride were each $2.  The corn maze was $6 (woah!).  We didn't do that one.  They do offer a bundle price if you are planning to do it all.  It saves you a buck.

The petting zoo area was a lot of fun.  We could get as close to the animals as we wanted, and they were all pretty tolerant of lots of hands.  We even got to hold a baby chick!  The kids got a pretty big kick out of the chickens running loose around the farm.

The kiddie area was pretty small, but they did pack a lot in there.

 Not much for large motor, traditional playground activities, but there were lots of fine motor building and ball games.  They had a nice variety for little tyke experiments.  One of my pet peeves is when places make adults pay to supervise, and I definitely felt like this was not worth my entrance fee.  But the kids had a good time.

 

Our favorite was definitely the hay ride.  It was a small, cozy wagon, and the man running it was great.  We even had to stop for deer on our trail - twice!  It does not take you out to the pumpkin patch like we have been used to, but it was a nice length and a pleasant ride.

 

It seemed to me like the pumpkins were a bit pricey ($9 for a large one?), but these are the only pumpkins we've purchased this year so maybe I'm just out of touch with the going rate.

I was glad we went right away in the morning.  We spent about 2 hours there, and by the time we left it was starting to get pretty crowded.  It is a spacious farm, but the activity areas had a limited amount of participation.  I think it would have been frustrating with a lot more people.

There were port-a-potties available.

Homestead Farm
 W320 N9127 Hwy. 83 ~ Hartland, WI ~ (262) 966-3840

Preview Post: Plamann Park

While Plamann Park in Appleton does not have a playground, they offer quite a bit in its place.  One of the park's main features is its trail system.

Another more seasonal attraction is the beach.  There is a small lake with sand beaches open for swimming in the summer.

In the summer, they also house a petting zoo with animals from area farms.

Plamann Park
1375 East Broadway Drive ~ Appleton, WI ~ (920) 832-4790
Admission: Free, fees for beach: free/seniors, $3/Ages 16&up, $2.50/Ages 4-15, free/under 4

Preview Post: Special Memories Zoo

Special Memories Zoo is a privately-owned zoo in Greenville.  They owners started it as a hobby and have expanded it through the years.  It seems like they have a wide array of animal species.  They have a petting zoo and a train ride.  Has anyone been to this zoo?  I have never even heard of it before now, but most of the reviews I have seen were from people very impressed!

Special Memories Zoo
W7013 Spring Road ~ Greenville, WI ~ ​(920) 757-9695
Admission: $9 ages 13&up/ $7 ages 6-12/ $5.50 ages 2-5/ under 2 free; train ride extra

Busy Barns Adventure Farm

This year the Wisconsin for Kids family decided to try pumpkin-ing at Busy Barns Adventure Farm.  It is located near Fort Atkinson, right on the highway.

We went the first weekend in October, and while there were a lot of people there, there was also a lot to do.  It felt busy, but not overcrowded. 

Our adventure started with the animals.  The kiddos loved the baby animals.  They got to climb right into the pen with them!

We also had fun trying many of the physical activities around the farm.

From coffee can stilts, to underground slides, the possibilities felt endless!

Busy Barns also has an obstacle course you can race.

I was a bit surprised at how well the kiddos were able to tackle some of the activities.  I would say they definitely provide fun for a broad range of age groups.  On the tricycle track, there are regular-sized trikes and over-sized.  The tractor tire play area can be climbed on or through.  The hayloft has big slides and little slides.  Busy Barns does a really nice job of making sure there is something for everyone.

The part I was less impressed with was their food selection.  There was really not anything special, and they had NO CARAMEL APPLES!!  Personally, that is my favorite part about our annual pumpkin trip.  But, honestly, if you just need a snack or a bit of lunch, you could.  We chose to leave a little earlier than we might have and eat lunch a little later than usual - we just stopped and got something in town.

While we did enjoy ourselves, it felt a little expensive.  Adults and kids all had to pay, and the QUANTITY of activities was definitely not lacking, there wasn't really anything that stood out to us as special or outstanding.  It was the first time I remembered feeling like it was really expensive to visit the pumpkin patch, even though it's in the ballpark for other similar places in the area.  Maybe if the kids were a little older, and we spent the whole day there it would have seemed better?

All said and done, I don't think it's the first place I would think of, but if someone says they're going, I wouldn't try to talk them out of it!

One other word of warning: our GPS did not drop us at the right spot!  We had to go a few extra miles on Hwy 12 to find it.

Be sure to visit their website for dates and a complete list of available activities!

Busy Barns Adventure Farm
W7675 Highway 12 ~ Fort Atkinson, WI ~ 920-691-6742
Admission: $10 per person, under 1 free; some activities cost extra

Preview Post: It's All Good Farm

It's All Good Farm is a farm stand and petting zoo just outside of Antigo.  It sounds like they have all your standard petting zoo animals, as well as opportunities to feed some of them.  They have pony rides and supposedly COW rides!  Plus, they have some really cool events; I am so disappointed I can't get to their Super ZOO Splash Weekend.  They are setting up pools and slip'n'slides!

If you are in the area, be sure to check them out.

It's All Good Farm
2 miles North of Fleet Farm (seriously, that's the only address they'll give!) ~ Antigo, WI ~ 715-701-0713
Admission: $2/over 6, $4/family, extra for rides

Glacier Rock Farms

Glacier Rock Farms is a petting zoo outside of Lebanon.

There were lots of animals to pet - you could feed some of them too!

The farm has a separate area for small animals.  When we were there, they also had some ducklings that the kids could try holding.

They also had some extra activities (for an extra price).  We went on a hay ride, and my kiddo was pretty thrilled to use her own money to ride the pony.

You can also pan for gems and try milking a cow.

Glacier Rock Farms also frequently holds events on the weekend.  We went for Mother's Day, so they had a craft for the kids.

There are port-a-potties.

Glacier Rock Farms
N1255 Hoard Rd ~ Lebanon, WI ~ 920-273-0612

Grampa's Farm

Looking for some old-fashioned, fall family fun? (Try saying that three times fast!)  Head over to Grampa's Farm!  Grampa's Farm is actually a deer farm that pulls out all the stops for a few weekends every autumn to throw a big, down-home experience especially for families who don't have their own grandpa's farms to visit.

When you get to Grampa's Farm, be sure to check in to get a map and a line-up of the day's scheduled activities.

Our first stop was the logging camp.  The kids get to stamp their initials in the wood - just like the lumberjacks used to do!  The best part is they end up with an awesome souvenir to take home with them.  My kiddo is excited to display hers in her bedroom :)

Well, the next stop OF COURSE had to be the horse ride!  Let me tell you, the trip would have been worth it for her if that was all she had gotten to do.  They even get to choose from a small, medium, or large horse to ride.  So cool!

After she rode her horse, we spent some time climbing the giant haystack...

 and playing on the tire playground. 

Lots to climb on!  There were even those fun see-saws that you can't seem to find much anymore. 

When Mommy and Daddy were ready for a change of scenery, we headed to the petting area.  There were lots of farm animals to touch and feed.  Some were caged, but some wandered freely, which was pretty fun.  My little man got a kick out of touching the sheep.

Make sure you are around for the milking demonstration.  Your kiddos may get to try their hands at it themselves!

There are also apple cider and ice cream demonstrations in the barn where you can see and explore what Grandma & Grandpa's houses and schools would have been like back in the day.  It actually really did make me feel like I stepped back into my grandparents' old house from when I was growing up.  The top hit for both my kiddos inside the barn, though, was the GIANT rocking horse.

Since the farm is only set up for this event a few weeks of the year, they bring in port-a-potties and temporary sinks.  I was pretty excited, though, to see they had a special baby care room set up in the barn.  It is a cozy (yes, cozy) little spot with a real old-school changing table, high chair, and rocking chair.  It is not always easy to find a spot to nurse the baby in places like this, and it was great to have a place to change diapers other than the ground.  Super awesome touch!

The only thing I would caution is that when we were there the lunch line was super long and slow, so plan accordingly.  One of us held our spot in line while the other took the kiddos to look at more animals.  The food was delicious though - my hubs couldn't get over how good the fries were!

All in all, we had a great time!  The kids got to do lots of things they have not had a chance to experience elsewhere.

Remember, Grampa's Farm only happens a few weeks each year, so mark your calendar!

Oh, and don't forget to take the hayride out to find that special pumpkin!!

Be sure to visit their website for dates and a complete list of the activities available.

Grampa's Farm
N2613 Norwegian Rd ~ Merrill, WI ~ (715) 536-8909
Admission: $10 per person, 2&under free

Wildwood Wildlife Park

 We had so much fun at Wildwood Wildlife Park in Minocqua!  Our favorite part was the petting zoo area.  They had lots of barnyard animals, but they also had a few exotics the handlers rotated out of the cages to pet as well.

I learned that Wildwood Wildlife Park is actually the second largest zoo in Wisconsin.  They really did have an amazing assortment of animals and offered many ways to interact with them.  That was the best part!

The one major complaint I have is that they have NO diaper changing tables.  One of the workers told me it was because someone ripped the one they had off the wall, so they decided it wasn't worth replacing it.  Excuse me?!  You are an establishment aimed toward families and children.  Every other place we went to on our little mini-vacation had a changing station, including our other stops in Minocqua.  I'm pretty sure if almost every other business can figure out how to provide a changing station for their patrons, you can manage to do the same.  The fact that a place specifically for children doesn't have a place to change diapers is unacceptable to me.  I would probably not pay again to get in until I didn't have to worry about this for the day.

That being said, we really did have a lot of fun.

Wildwood Wildlife Park
10094 State Highway 70 West ~ Minocqua, WI ~ 715-356-5588
Admission: $16.99/adult, $11.99/child, under 2 free, season passes available; lots of extra possibilities for additional cost

Peck's Farm Market

We decided to try somewhere new this year for our annual pumpkin-ing.  My hubby does a lot of driving around the state and came across Peck's in Spring Green.  We thought it might be worth checking out.

There are actually two different, separately-run businesses in Spring Green that use the Peck's name: Peck's Farm Market East and Peck's Farm Market West.  They both have large markets selling their produce and lots of family-friendly activities.  We tried the West market first.

They have a very large, spread-out zoo-type area.  It reminded me of a petting zoo; the animals aren't necessarily to pet, although there are pellet vending machines so you can feed some of them. 

 

Intermixed with the animal pens are some wooden and metal sculptural structures my kiddo enjoyed climbing around on.  There are also a few shacks you can wander in that were all decorated for Halloween when we were there.

We had lots of fun in the playground area, too!  It is definitely a random assortment of play toys and equipment.

Along with all of those free activities, they have other things you could pay to do, including a "train" ride and a very large separate play area.  The play area did look like it has some more exciting things that would be lots of fun, but when we first got there it wasn't open, and then we were heading over to the other Peck's, so we didn't go in to try it.

Peck's Farm Market East was our second attraction of the day.  They also have a zoo area.  It is much more condensed than Peck's West, but there is a much broader variety of animals - including these large critters!

They also offer activities, such as a bounce house, "train" rides, and horse-drawn wagon rides.  Unlike Peck's West, these are mostly offered free of charge.  I believe the corn maze was the only one that costs money.

Here's my take-away from the two Peck's Markets:

Peck's Farm Market East has more to do, especially if you're looking for a free family outing, but it was also much more crowded, and there were things we may have done if the wait in line was not nearly so long.

Peck's Farm Market West was a bit more fun for my kiddo, I think, because she was actually able to just keep exploring and playing.  There was really not much waiting involved, and she didn't seem too bothered that we didn't participate in the activities that cost money.

Happy harvesting!

Peck's Farm Market East
6445 Hwy 14 ~ Spring Green, WI ~ (608) 588-7177
Admission: Free with additional add-ons available

Peck's Farm Market West
E3217 Hwy 14 & 60 ~ Spring Green, WI - (608) 583-4977
Admission: Free with additional add-ons available

Country Treasures

This actually reminds me of your old-fashioned general store.  There is a little bit of everything - Amish goods, thrift items, concrete statuary - but my tot and I went to check out the petting zoo.  It turns out the petting zoo is only officially open on the weekends, but you can go any time the store is open to walk around and look at the animals.  My kiddo got a kick out of the concrete ones almost as much as the live :)

Country Treasures
N3469 State Rd 26 ~ Clyman, WI ~ 920-696-3100