On Monday, we decided to go to Lake Farmpark. We are members there courtesy of a gift membership that we received. We sometimes forget about it. Monday had perfect weather and we had a great time.
Once we arrived and checked in, we felt like we had the place to ourselves. We arrived just after 9AM and there were just a couple of cars in the parking lot. We quickly realized that there was an ice cream exhibit. It was basically a play room with stations about the ice cream making process. There was a mock freezer, a wooden ice cream truck (big enough for kids to sit in and load/unload), flavor station, mixing station etc. There was even a model of a dairy farm. It was great and the kids could have stayed there and played all day. Lucky for us, the exhibit is there through September 5th so we can go back and see it again.
Nick got to take his first pony ride. It was $4, but we were on “staycation” and thought it was worth the splurge. Thanks, Uncle Nate! Sally got on the pony and wasn’t so sure about it. She didn’t take a ride.
We took a trip up to the plant science building on the wagon. Any time a tractor is involved, everyone has a great time. Nick was fascinated by a garden train. It was the first time we noticed it. It was outside the café and dairy building in the courtyard area.
I think the highlight for our niece and her mom Jen was milking the cow. Sally and Nick tried it too. The milk from the cows goes to a local creamery for cheese.
We had also never been to The Grain Place. Since I am thinking about getting a grinder, I was especially interested in the process. Since our group of 7 was the whole audience, we had a choice between the grain talk or The Big Red Hen story. We chose the story since we had three kids with us.
It was lots of fun and everyone got to take turns adding parts to the story board. Bethany did a great job with the story and the kids. Here’s our niece trying her hand at grinding wheat. We also stopped a the cheese making demo. Here’s Sally pressing the cheese with Nick watching patiently.
Nick enjoyed time with his cousin, aunt and uncle. We really like the Tomato Works building. I enjoyed this giant garden tool.
Everyone enjoyed the animals and the weather. We finished up our morning with a packed lunch at the pavilion near where we parked. Except for a hole in my shorts from a nail in the picnic table, we enjoyed a great lunch before heading home.