The winter is flying by and Spring Break will be here before you know it. Are you “activitied out” or sick of playing at the same areas around town? If you need a change of pace, slow life down by heading to Darby Acres Farm. Lisa and I took our daughters to the family owned and run farm and were delightfully surprised. Read more for our experiences:
After driving down the long-winding road to Darby Acres Farm, and thinking I was lost several times, the trees seemed to open up to the Darby Acres Sign pointing right. As soon as we made the turn we were greeted by very cool, historic machinery and made our way to the parking area. The girls enjoyed warming up in the playground area by swinging on the swings, playing in the huge sandbox, and of course bouncing around in the trampoline. After we convinced them that we would return after seeing the animals, we were in for a treat, only we didn’t know it yet.
The very first animal we saw was an adorable hedgehog. Yes folks, a hedgehog on a farm, I’m pretty sure that is a first, and if not, definitely a first in North Carolina at least. Check out this adorable little guy:
During our visit we found that Darby Acres Farm has a large variety of animals, from alpacas, pigs, different breeds of chickens, horses, ponies and much more. Here are a few of the well cared for animals that we learned about and got to pet and enjoy on the farm.
We learned a lot of the animals are rescue animals that Jen and her family have taken in and made a home for at Darby Acres Farm, how cool is that?!? It is very evident that the Darby Acres Farm family love animals and that their mission is to educate, entertain, and encourage people to do so as well.
One area Darby Acres Farms is encouraging animal education is with their petting farms as well as their pony rides. Coincidentally, my oldest daughter turned 5 on the day we visited the farm and she enjoyed her very first horse ride. She learned about safety, how to sit on a horse, and did an amazing job. This was a HUGE experience for her being that she has always been pretty scared of animals, the entire trip in general was great for calming her fears.
Lisa and her daughter were also very impressed with the farm and enjoyed that the Darby Acres Farm staff were very knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. She said, “There was a very wide variety of animals and the workers were comfortable talking about all of them.”
Her daughter also LOVED the pony/horse ride and talked about the different animals for quite a while after they got home. Lisa really liked what they are continuing to add to the farm to make it even more attractive including the fire pit and picnic tables.
An added surprise was when we got to check out the party room and antique cars. Lisa agreed by adding, “Those attractions seem to add an element that would then make it more of a whole family place, not just for little kids.” and “The fact that it is actually IN the city limits of Charlotte was amazing to me. You just don’t think of there being that much room in a city like Charlotte. Even from South Charlotte it was a very easy 25 minute drive.”
We also talked with other families that were visiting Darby Acres Farms, some for the first time and others were “regulars”. Everyone had great things to say about their experiences at the farm and with the animals.
If these happy faces don’t speak for themselves, we don’t know what will:
As moms we had an amazing time, our children loved the experience, and it’s something that is affordable, not overdone, fun, and certainly will give you teachable moments and memories with your kiddos this summer and hopefully years to come! We encourage you to check out Darby Acres Farm too! We don’t want to keep this place a secret, although we wish we could.
Visit their website http://www.darbyacresfarm.com/ and check them out on Facebook too: http://www.facebook.com/DarbyAcresFarm Make sure you tell them you saw this post on The Charlotte Moms and check out the rest of our photos on our Facebook Page coming soon!!
*Make sure you wear closed-toed shoes, clothing that you don’t mind getting a little dirty {it is a farm after all}, and leave the pets at home.
Thank you to Darby Acres Farm for a great day of horse rides, meeting the animals, and allowing us to come see the farm and meet you all! The opinions expressed in the above post are Jenn and Lisa’s honest opinions, however yours may vary.