Spring. Minnesotans love us some Spring! We wait half a year through snow and sludge and ice and cold for these rare few weeks of Spring. And what comes with Spring in Minnesota? Baby animals! And what’s better than baby animals? Nothing. The answer is nothing.
If you have kiddos who enjoy interacting with outdoor farm animals, I’ve got a solid list for you. Here are our family’s 7 favorite farm/nature animal hot spots within driving distance of the Twin Cities. Get out and enjoy baby chicks, sweet cows, fluffy llamas, and actual real-life sunshine!
1) Twin Cities Spring Babies
8001 109th Ave. N | Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
2023 Dates: April 22 – May 7, 2023 (Saturdays and Sundays Only) from 9am-5pm
Cost: $13 (includes baby animal holding, corn pit, straw bale maze, playground). Food and other activities are additional. Kids under 2 are free.
What to Expect: Your ticket purchase allows you into the large courtyard and you can head into the barn area to hold baby goats, chicks, sheep, even an occasional puppy. You can also spend time in the corn pits or running around the grounds. Food vendors are available throughout (and plenty of seating), plus inflatables, a giant slide, face painting and more (all for an additional cost). Strollers and dogs are allowed, but not in the baby animal barn. Bathrooms are available and parking is free.
2) Fawn-Doe-Rosa
2131 US Hwy 8 | St. Croix Falls, WI 54024
2023 Dates: Opens May 6, 2023 for limited hours. Starting May 13, open every day of the week from 10am-5pm
Cost: $10.50 (adults) and $9.50 (children ages 2-12) for entry. Animal feed is $2.50 a bag (grab your coupon here) and pony rides are $5.50/child.
What to Expect: You will walk amongst tons of beautiful and calm deer and have the chance to interact with bunnies and other small creatures. Walk the whole grounds to see pigs, sheep, goats, donkeys (hold on to your feed bags!) and more. It’s a beautiful conservation park with free parking, bathrooms, a souvenir shop, and cute towns nearby. No dogs allowed and strollers can be tricky.
3) Carlson’s Llovable Llamas
8380 County Rd 10 East | Waconia, MN 55387
2023 Dates: Open year-round from 8am-5:30pm
Cost: $17/person (children under 12 months are free)
What to Expect: To visit, you must make an online reservation via their website. Click “Book Your Farm Visit” and select your date (know that weekends sell out far in advance). There is not too terribly much to do with a llama other than hug them, brush them, and walk them, but you will get to do all of those unique tasks at Carlson’s. Their birthday parties seem pretty awesome too! Time will be spent mostly all outside and baby llamas tend to arrive around April or May, so check out their social media for updates. Parking is free and there are bathrooms on-site. It’s a big, beautiful farm so bring your camera and get ready for some lovin’.
4) Twenty-Two Farms Animal Sanctuary
2022 US Hwy 12 | Baldwin, WI 54002
2023 Dates: Open 24/7 for volunteer opportunities and overnight stays in the guest suite
Cost: Free to volunteer and $150 minimum donation to stay overnight
What to Expect: We stayed overnight and had a wonderful time with owners Chris and Gina. You will get to full interact and help with goats, sheep, cats, dogs, chickens, pigs, donkeys and more! They take in homeless and unwanted animals and give them new life and the help they need. Because they are angels, plain and simple. There is lots to help with on the farm and Baldwin is right down the road for a dinner out or snack break. The guest suite is lovely and you will not regret a minute you spend here because of all that it stands for and is. You can also just make a donation in support of their hard and dedicated work.
5) New Day Dairy Barn
31000 175th St | Clarksville, IA 50619
2023 Dates: Open year-round, need to make reservation online to book your time
Cost: Overnight stays start at $350/night
What to Expect: Spend a couple nights sleeping with the cows at the bed and breakfast dairy barn in Iowa, only 3 hours from the Twin Cities. Lynn and Dan will make you feel welcome and they give you experiences and interactivity with animals that you don’t get at petting zoos or other farms. We played with kitties, rode in the their tractors, fed baby calves, and did some farm chores. Lots of activities in the nearby towns and a beautiful place to rest your head at the end of the day. Best part was the window that overlooks the entire barn of cows in the guest suite. A great way to really get “in it” with the animals.
6) Gale Woods Farm
7210 County Road 110 W. | Minnetrista, MN 55364
2023 Dates: Open to the public daily from 5am-10pm (barn only open during scheduled events or programs)
Cost: Free for outdoor perusing; farm is only open during programs or events (which start at $6) and can be found online here
What to Expect: This is a real working farm that is part of the Three Rivers Park District and invites the public in to teach about agriculture and food production. There are bathrooms, free parking, and most of the experience will be outside. You can come on your own or as part of an event or program and see chickens, cows, sheep, dogs, cats, and pigs. To truly interact, you will want to sign up for one of their many programs including Saturday Mornings on the Farm and Preschool programs.
7) Minnesota Zoo
13000 Zoo Blvd | Apple Valley, MN 55124
2023 Dates: The Zoo is always open year-round, but their Farm Babies make their appearance April 29-June 4 in 2023. Hours are 10am-4pm daily (10am-6pm after May 30).
Cost: Farm babies are included in general zoo admission, which is $13.95/kids 3-12 and seniors and $19.95/ages 13-64. Parking is $7/car.
What to Expect: To visit the zoo, you must reserve a timed admission spot on their website. The zoo is quite huge and amazing, but the farm babies are tucked at the far end of the zoo – getting there can be a workout with littles. Strollers make it easier. So do snacks (you can bring your own!). You will see baby pigs, cows, goat, sheep, and more and can purchase food to feed the mamas. Bathrooms and food stands are aplenty for humans too. And don’t miss the dolphin demonstration (will require a timed reservation but is included in admission).
There are a gajillion other animal adventures out there, but when we are solely focused on farm animals, these are our hot spots! The State Fair is an obvious one but that isn’t until August. And Govin’s Farm in Menomonie, WI, also has baby animals mid-March through mid-April (it’s over now for 2023), but keep in mind for coming years.
Go enjoy the Springtime. Pack some snacks and some hand sanitizer and love up some animals until your heart can’t take it anymore. Happy petting!
