Everyone loves Adams Farm in Mount Snow, Vermont. This sixth-generation working farm is home to 100+ friendly farm animals you can visit and interact with. Take a hayride, wander through craft and quilt shops, or enjoy a bonfire and marshmallow roast. Mount Snow Valley info 802-464-8092.
Or be cowed at the Van Der Geest Dairy Farm near Merrill, Wisconsin. The Van Der Geest Dairy Farm was designed with tours in mind, giving groups a bird’s eye view of operation, but not disturbing the process. Van Der Geest milks 3,000 cows, each three times a day – an almost continuous milking schedule – with only five workers per shift and computerized technology. The tour takes place on a catwalk above the operations, and you can descend to a lower level where the milk is collected for shipment. Visit www.vandergeestdairy.com.
Get the scoop when you tour the Mayfield Dairy, one of the largest dairy plants in the southeastern US. Enjoy a short video history of the dairy, see how milk is bottled and learn why Mayfield’s is called “The World’s Best Ice Cream” at the ice cream parlor. Call 423-745-2151.
Sweetwater Valley Farms boasts the best farmstead cheese in Tennessee, with names like Tennessee Aged and Volunteer Jack. See how cheese is made and taste samples while petting calves. Call 865-458-9192.
