Sharing my experience with Duke Petting Farm to save you from having to go through the same thing…read more I was having a big cowboy themed party for my boys joint birthday party. So I thought how fun would it be to have a cowboy horse & a petting farm. I Talked with Deb before even booking the party to make sure all the kids would be able to ride the pony. At first I asked for a horse because most of the kids would be around 10-11 years old. I was told a horse would be too hard for the little kids but she would send me a large pony that would be perfect for my age range. I told her no one would be over 120 pounds. She even asked me to put it in an email and I did. I am sharing that email in the photo section. I confirmed this with the owner several times before the party. Fast forward to party day when the problems all began. She sent 2 girls to work my one hour party. The one girl that ran the petting bunny area was EXTREMELY rude to all the little kids. Even rolling her eyes at them when they asked what kind of balloons she could make. She yelled at them multiple times when kids 3 years old were petting the baby bunnies. To a point of me and several parents going in the bunny pen to help. It was so embarrassing that people at my party were being treated this way. Several of the bunnies kept escaping. She yelled at the 3 year old birthday boy when he went to get a second handful of food from the food bucket they bring. She said "you already fed the animals." We tried to talk to her to help change her bad mood but it was the entire time and super disappointing as this was a kids party. The other thing I would like to warn you about is that TONS of the kids were turned away from riding the pony. The girl working said they were too tall. One of the girls was a tiny 10 year old weighing no more that 65 pounds. If height was a requirement I should have been told that before the party. Like I said I discussed this with her multiple times. So only a few little kids got to ride over and over. When you pay over $500 for someone to bring animals to your party you expect at least kind service. I contacted the owner before coming to social media. She said the girl working the party was only 14 years old. While she did say she would talk to her she made all kinds of excuses. I think it would be better to have an adult working something like this. She told me the bigger pony they had used at a different party that day and had problems with so they switched to this one. I understand things happen in life but those are not a customers problem. While I couldn't come to an agreement with the owner I thought I could at least warn all my friends or anyone thinking to book for a party! Stay far away. I wished I would have booked somewhere else. After having the party I had several people recommend Tyler's exotic animals. They said he is much more kid friendly. Just super disappointed that so few kids got to ride the pony & that the other worker that ran the balloons/petting area treated everyone so rotten. It was an awful experience and I have booked lots of big things for events. Never have I had to deal with this kind of unprofessionalism. Truly disappointed.

It's a bit out of the way for folks living in town but it's a farm after all!!!! Debbie and her…read moreteam of volunteers are absolutely amazing!!!!! I took my 10 year old out here for some riding for her birthday, the offer lessons for a fair price and they also do this thing called "Mini-Mondays" where younger kids get to do fun activities and dive into the agricultural world. They get up close and personal with the animals while learning valuable life lessons such as showing respect to all creatures, kindness, forgiveness and other things we all want instilled in our kids! My girls just wrapped up softball and we're so excited to sign up for volunteering at the farm!!

We visited Maybury Farms for their maple syrup tour and it was great. Took a wagon ride out to the…read morewoods and learned all about the farm and how they sustain it and then learned all about the sugar maples and how to tap the trees! We came back to the sugar bush house to hear about the process of syrup making. It definitely kept my 12 & 14 year old interested! The farm itself is also so fun to visit. And of course we bought honey on the way out since we got to see their bee grounds too! It was a really fun day out! The farmers are so passionate about what they do there. It's certainly educational but it's a really fun place to visit for events and just seeing some farm life, land, and animals

So, I've seen a few farms and petting zoos in my time working with children and a vast majority of…read morethem have been set up with the intention of letting children learn and interact with the environment, etc. and this one was no different with the exception of a lot of space with only so-many animals. There are a lot of comments on the staff being friendly and while they were, a lot of them were practically children themselves! Perhaps they were part of the camp they offer? Who knows! The sweetest young lady asked my kiddos if they'd like to pet a rabbit named Mayonnaise and of COURSE we absolutely had to! The wagon rides stopped at 12:30 so we just missed them, which was kind of a bummer since that was one of the perks the youngest kiddo was looking forward to despite the heat. Oh! We had been misinformed via LittleGuideDetroit that there was horseback riding and that in fact, seems to be down the street? In the end, we left with some peacock feathers, fresh goat milk soap and some flavored honey sticks.

Sunflower festival was really cute. Cute photo ops, cool new slide. Cons - expensive. They have…read morecertain weekends free for teachers, medical, and military. They also sell tickets 40% off a few weeks in advance. Under 23 months is free but there's still not much to justify a $20 ticket for any kid under 10. Concessions are also expensive but that lemonade was worth it .

All the employees we met and interacted with were fantastic…read more The wide array of activities was great! This is a great place to bring kids of all ages. There are enough activities to keep kids busy for a couple hours. The gardens of course were beautiful and well tended. We did have a couple drinks. Very reasonable alcohol prices. Just a side note, when at the ticket window if you are tall, make sure you duck. I slammed my head pretty hard into the eaves. Also, this was our first time but I expected there would be some kind of market. Fresh veggies and jarred goods. That would send the place over the top.

We came here with a church group and really enjoyed our time. They had a variety of animals and the…read morekids enjoyed looking at all of them and petting some of them. There are a couple of climbing structures for the kids. We did a hay ride (it was windy so bundle up if you're going in the colder months) but everyone enjoyed it. We would love to come back and experience some of the other offerings.

Kids loved it even with heat wave during week of camp. Recommended and will attend againread more

Wife and the kid had been here last year, while I was traveling internationally, and couldn't wait…read moreto take me with them this year. Turned out to be an awesome time! They said they could only finish half of one of 4 mazes because they got lost, but we were able to knock out 3 of them! They have a nice kiddy area with corn holes and mini maze, and also sell hotdogs, coffee and hot chocolates. Had I known before we got there, it would have saved me from stopping at a gas station for hot choco, since we went on a nice chilly evening around 9pm. Good times, and apparently the maze theme changes every year, so we'll be back next year to conquor all 4!

The maze itself wasn't as dense or tall as others I've seen, but it is carved annually in amusingly…read morekitschy shapes. This year, it was an homage to "American Idol" contestant Crystal Bowersox. In 2008, it was Sarah Palin. The real star of the show, however, is groundskeeper Mike. He's astonishingly friendly and helpful. He made sure we understood the maze, joked about us taking a "Skittles break" and built small fires outside the maze as the sun set and the air turned chilly. Expect to pay $7 each for adults and walk a few miles through the mazes. The total length of the four mazes is about 7 miles.

This is one of my absolute favorite cider mills around. It has so much to offer. There is no fee…read moreto come, there is a corn pit for little kids to play in, a small tricycle path to ride, several farm animals to feed and pet, a train, a carousel, hayrides through the property, a corn maze, and more. They have my favorite cider and donuts around, as well! A MUST see if you're in the area during fall!

INCREDIBLE FARM!!!! We're from out of town and we have a 15 month old and our friends brought us…read morehere! TONS of things to do!! Petting zoo, train rides, corn maze, hayrides, delicious ciders, pumpkin patches- A FALL DREAM!! The general store was AWESOME!! I would absolutely come back and families should absolutely come here with the kids for a fun festive day!! Kind staff and great vibes all the way around

Wonderful family ran farm. The gift shop and bakery has a lot of unique gifts and products made…read morefrom alpaca fibers. The bakery offerings are phenomenal. There is also a gorgeous little chapel on site. You can feed the animals for free or purchase fresh veggies and such to feed them as well. It is a working farm and the geese roam free. Wear appropriate attire for your feet.

Hands down some of the freshest, tastiest pastries around! I had my first taste of her baking…read moreskills seven years ago and I thought the filled cupcake was superb! Her skills and her business have grown from there. She does special orders too. Then there's the small animal side where the kiddos get to meander through a small petting zoo while the grownups get to meander through the gift shop where alpaca products (made from the wool of the alpacas found on the farm) are sold. They make great gifts! Lowry's Little Flock Farm is truly an asset to our community.

What a great family-run business, if you're in Ann Arbor it's about 30-40 minutes away but worth…read morethe trip. They've moved into a large barn from a much smaller building, and you can sit out in the orchard to enjoy your cider, donuts, etc. They grow 100+ varieties of apples including many heirloom and also have a tasting room for hard cider and wine - also in a historic barn. If you're remotely in the area definitely check out Alber Orchard & Cider Mill, it's a great visit and a great business to support.

Cute place. Lots of unusual apple varieties Unfortunately…read moreyou aren't allowed to select and bag your own apples. They have someone do it, and that person has a habit of grabbing the apples with his fingernails which cuts into the apples. ALL of the apples. This happened over two seasons. Several people I know have had this same issue. A group of about 10 people left the line when they noticed it happening. I would love to make this go-to orchard but because of this hygiene issue, I just can't. And in case you wonder-they've been told it's an issue. They don't care I guess.

I love the staff here! They helped me find every perennial I need, & went into detail on how to…read moretake care of them. Here are a few Hydrangeas I bought through them...(It's only been a month & they're thriving)

Fresh produce. Good prices. Very accommodating. Corn and tomatoes are second to none!!!!read more

I went to the Wolcott Farm area with the kids. They saw some cows, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens,…read moreducks, horses, and donkeys. They had baby chicks and some bunnies as well. Each building you can walk inside to see the animals. They have staff do feedings at different times. We watched them feed a 16 year old sheep as well which was super cool. They had little baby animals too and it was so much fun watching them eat. I did see that they do cow feedings as well at 10am but we didn't make it to see if it was happening. When we entered, it said that it was part of metroparks. They didn't have anyone checking passes because it was a field trip that was covered. They have a sitting area covered and a small little play park next to it as well. They do have a building with bathrooms inside if needed.

Not free anymore, there is the daily rate for Metro Parks for this year it's $10…read more There are quite a few animals to look at and most of them are out. Except the pigs, they were both sleeping. They also had to calf's that were born in the last couple of months. Both of them were in the big barn.