Absolutely delightful! It is rare to find a truly unique experience in these Midwestern getaway…read moretowns (charming as they are), but Hoof It certainly qualifies. "We took a hike with goats!" has become the leading highlight of all of our vacation stories. The hike itself is quite mild, relatively flat and mostly shaded. The guide will stop and talk for a minute or two, three or four times. It's very casual. The goats will walk among, around, and occasionally under you (if you're tall enough). They will nudge, brush, budge, and nuzzle you...and perhaps nibble, if the hem of your shirt or shorts is interesting enough. It's all totally harmless; they range between friendly and indifferent, a couple dozen of them in all sizes and colors. It was amazing to watch the larger ones "climb" a tree with their front legs to reach higher branches: stretched out like that, they seem enormous. They also do their business anywhere and everywhere, which our son dubbed "the poop and walk" and "the pee and walk". At the halfway point, there is a longer stop for photo opportunities, and everyone who wants to can hand-feed carrots to the goats. Primo experience and lifetime memories achieved. All thumbs up.

What could be better than walking in a beautiful wooded area with a herd of goats? The only thing…read morebetter is doing it with friends! Was that too (goat) cheesy?! Seriously, though, my friends and I were looking for fun things to do in Galena for our weekend trip and this experience came up! Only about 15 to 20 minutes away from the main street, the business is up a rocky road, so take your time and drive slow. You reserve and pay in advance, so once we showed up and checked in, it was basically time to start our one hour walk with the goats! I loved hearing stories of how the business got started, all of the goat names, seeing their personalities, and feeding them some carrot bits and taking a picture with them at the end! My group had a wonderful time, and I was even excited to see that it was wheelchair accessible because another party had someone in a motorized wheelchair. The pace was very calm and the trees and fall atmosphere was so beautiful! We didn't add on the dinner or other extras after the walk, but those were options. I recommend everyone check out Hoof It and walk with goats; it was even more fun than I thought it would be!

We loved our time at the GalPaca Farm and seeing these mystical creatures. Pronounced Gal-Paca, not…read moreG-alpaca! The owners (2 Gals) were super friendly and interactive with us on any questions we asked. We loved hearing their story and how close the community around them is. On this street alone, you can hit a pumpkin patch and an apple picking farm all 5 minute drive from one another. They currently had a 'Yarn Hop' going on which we thought was so fun. With that, they really put standards in place for COVID safety precautions. At the front entrance, there was someone waiting to understand how many people were in your car (and if there were any children) so that they could contain crowds. Masks were worn and there is specific areas for parking marked. When we arrived, we were given a couple of carrot bags to feed the alpacas. They were all roaming, minding their own business eating the grass, but once you shake your plastic baggy of carrot goodness, they'll start walking to you instantly. They eat with their bottom teeth and are just the cutest things. I'm also extremely jealous of their eyelashes, extensions can't get you that amount of volume! Right next door, they have a another barn with their shop of goods, including honey/bee products. My friend got the alpaca gloves, another got the body butter, and I snagged a GalPaca shirt. There's lot to choose from and they're all labeled nicely. The cutest thing is, if you purchase yarn, there are the names of the specific alpaca it came from. So cute! Even though it's getting a little chillier, I would make my way out here to explore! A short 30-40 minutes from Madison and lots of other farms to see. You can also then go to more of the city area of Mt. Horeb afterwards.

Loved my time at GalPaca alpacas! We went during the local Yarn Hop even though my friends and I…read morearen't avid knitters. It was well worth it to spend some time there and watch the alpacas! Right away as we pulled in, we were given a baggie of carrots and the alpacas perked right up and came straight to us at the gate. Seeing and feeding the alpacas was so much fun! GalPaca Farm Alpacas was very conscious of the pandemic and made sure to ask about the number of people we had in the car and to limit the amount of visitors to make the experience fun and safe for all. Definitely check out the store inside, they have a full variety of items like alpaca wool gloves, socks, and dryer balls. I picked up some wood cutting board balm and some solid lotion bars made in-home and I love using both on a daily basis. Hope to get back out there when the weather is warm again!

Eugster's is one of those pumpkin-picking-apple-orchard-petting-zoo family farms, this one in…read moreStoughton Wisconsin. Coming for "Lavender Days there was plenty of lavender around for sure. Plus goats, cats, kittens, pigs, ponies, donkeys, chickens, turkeys, sheep, etc... Wife seemed pretty happy walking a goat through the lavender field.

We spent a fun morning here this past Monday. They have so many baby goats and for $2 you get a…read morebottle of milk to feed them. These baby goats do not kid around when it comes to drinking their milk and the bottle will be gobbled up in a flash. You can also feed chickens and they have a model cow you can pretend practice milking. Plan to spend at least two hours here. Right now they have a gorgeous lavender field filled with bees. Very picturesque and looks great in photos.

The website promotes the idea of having several things to do, which we didn't find to be the case…read more We arrived at 10am which is supposed to be tours of the farmhouse, didn't happen. One lady did say that, "someone probably looked outside and didn't immediately see anyone so they skipped it." We did walk around and see pigs, pet the sheep, saw cows. The horses were off under the sheds. A 30 min walk. Tha

Had a great visit at Kline Creek Farm, an 1890s working farm. We were lucky to be there during…read moretheir annual potato-picking event, where you can pick two bags of potatoes--one to keep and one to donate to a local food pantry. We also took a guided tour of the farmhouse and explored the rest of the farm, seeing the animals and learning about life on a farm in the 1890s. It's definitely a hidden gem in DuPage County, and I highly recommend visiting. Perfect outing for both kids and adults!

We love coming to the farm every October with our friends. The pumpkins are excellent - in great…read morecondition, organized by size, and have all of the variations in color you need. I appreciate the colorful corn (though we can maybe start referring to it as flint corn these days...), and and the warty pumpkins. The biggest draw for us, though, is the new calf they usually have in the barn, and the hayride up to feed the cows. It's definitely a core memory for the kiddos.

Came here for a Christmas tree even though I'm Buddhist. As a Buddhist I appreciate how well cared…read morefor the farm animals are, the cows see hale and hearty. Actually I'm not quite sure what "hale" means, but the dairy cattle look very healthy and happy. The Christmas tree selection was outstanding, the service prompt and friendly. This giant of a fellow, must have been 7 feet tall, expertly tied the chosen tree to the top of our vehicle after a fresh cut. Very popular place, a couple days after Thanksgiving they had already sold out of trees over 10 feet tall.

I can't believe I haven't been coming here for years and just discovering this place this year…read more This place is a great family farm for anybody of all ages. Most of the things here are free. Pumpkins that you can pick are at very reasonable prices. Food and drinks are at reasonable prices too as well as other merchandise and other fall related things that go on here. They had a corn maze that I did not check out at all. Visiting the animals was probably one of my favorite things at the farm. It's not jam-packed like a lot of the popular locations. The only downside I would say was that the staff is a little bit untrained especially when it comes to money handling since the one cashier when I was paying for pumpkins didn't know how to count cash even though I gave him exact change. Overall, you should not pass up on this place at all. 4.5 Stars

Dollinger Family Farm does not charge admissions. We have visited for two consecutive years and we…read morewould spend about two hours each time. They have a huge play area with wooden structures such as a school bus, fire truck, and castle. My young girls enjoyed the pretend play on the vehicles and going on the slides. There is also a section with huge stacks that are perfect for climbing and taking group pictures. Some things to take note of: 1) There is a section with plenty of port-a-potties. We were there in the morning so the port-a-potties were all relatively clean and unused. 2) The food section isn't that big but service is quick. We tried the cheese pizza, poor boy, pork chop on a stick, cheeseburger, and donuts. We would definitely order the poor boy, a cube steak sandwich, and pork chop again. They did an excellent job with grilling the meats and both had a nice sear while retaining moisture. The donuts were mini-size and came in baker's dozen so it was easy for our young girls to dig in.

My husband and I decided to try out the farm tour at Berning Acres while we were visiting Galena,…read moreIL this summer. We had visited another dairy farm in the past and though it was interesting, it didn't hold a candle to Berning Acres. Farmer Natalie reached out in advance and let us know the "ground rules" for everyone's safety. We arrived a little before our tour and waited until it was time to go inside. We were joined by a multi-generational family group, including grandparents in their sixties, their adult children, and grandchildren aged about 2 to 10. There truly was something for everyone. Natalie was very engaging with each age group and made sure we learned all the cool things about their "girls." From the time the tour begins, you are immersed in all aspects of the farm, the cows, the fermenting hay, the workers doing their jobs and the delightful Berning family (we only met her sons but I'm confident that her daughters are just as wonderful) and their other farm animals! We were able to get up close and personal with new born cows, feed three-week-old calves and learn about all of the spoiling that goes into those mama cows as they prepare to birth their calves. We even had the chance, if we wanted to try our hand at milking. Natalie was very candid about the effort and investment involved in family farming, highlighting how advancements in technology help ensure the health and proper nutrition of cows at all ages. Aside from the farm tour, they also offer a farm camp and some really cool adult adventures with craft beers and wines (great ideas for a girls' weekend!), they have amazing Berning Acres cheeses as well. #galenaadventures #familyfarms

From the owner: We are a family-owned dairy farm located in Menominee, IL (halfway between East Dubuque & Galena)…read more We milk 400 cows, mostly Holsteins (the black and white ones.), and run about 850 acres. We're passionate about what we do, and we love educating others about what farming looks like today. We've always loved inviting people to come check out the farm and experience what farming is like in the 21st century. Our hope is that you'll visit our farm and leave with some great knowledge about agriculture, farm animals and farm life.

My sister and I had a fun time feeding the animals. The gift shop is awesome with so many beautiful…read moreand soft things. Barchetta (? The rooster) is beautiful and so friendly. Everyone their was so nice. Loved it!

What a nice family run farm Alpaca Pines is. We stopped by thinking it was Boone County Farm Stroll…read moreday. It wasn't; we were a day early. The owners Bob and Vicki Donley were super nice about it and took the time to show us around. We spent time in the back learning about the mill and yarn making process. Outside we checked out the alpacas. Interesting animals. Back in the store we browsed their finished alpaca products and we left with a couple things. This is definitely a five star destination.

I had SO much fun at Schuster's!! We came for Blooms on the Farm but really were surprised with all…read morethe fun little activities throughout the rest of the farm. You can wander around and find fun games, photo ops, and great food. The farm animals of course were adorable. I thought the entry ticket and flower ticket were very affordable for the abundance of beautiful zinneas we picked, access to fun yard games, and super kind staff. Highly recommend holding a baby goat if you can!! We also enjoyed corn hole, the "corn pit", kids playsets, and the jump pads. This is a great place to be summer or fall and there is something fun for everyone!! Worth the short drive from Madison for sure

I was there on a Saturday on October. The place was lively. There were a ton of activities,…read moreespecially for kids. Entree fee includes 2 apple cannon shots. There was hay ride, a kids train ride, corn pit etc. Couple of times a day there was candy canon, where they shoot candies to the people. Apple caramal apple slushie was my favorite food here. It comes with a caramal apple and a cider donut on top of slushie. Hot cider and pumpkin cake were good. There was pumpkin picking in the middle of hay ride. I picked a small pumpkin. Price was reasonable. People were picking huge pumpkins and in larger numbers.

My girlfriend and I visited this family run organic farm and had a really pleasant time walking…read morethrough the seeding greenhouse, the fields just beginning to sprout, and the mushroom forest. We sampled spring onions that stayed with me for the rest of the night reminding me of the simple beauty of great produce, vibrant spinach, amazingly peppery arugula, and sorrel w/ a blast of citrus. The farmers and their interns were very friendly and seemingly happy to have visitors. We are really looking forward to becoming members of the CSA and receiving amazing, locally grown produce every week. Top notch concept and execution, everyone should support something like this in their area.