Spring is here and so are the baby animals! Bring the whole family for a newborn meet and greet. Learn about farm life, interact with some adorable youngsters and, of course, don’t forget to snap some photos of the cuteness overload that occurs when your littles meet animal babes!
Shatto Milk Company Farm Tour
Tour the Shatto Milk Company’s working dairy farm in Osborn, Missouri and meet their adorable calves. Shatto has about 350 Holstein cows on their farm. On the tour, you’ll see where the cows eat, sleep and how they’re milked. Besides learning all about dairy cows, you’ll get to tour the processing plant and see the bottling process. If the calves aren’t the highlight of the tour, the free samples may be!
Tours are available by appointment only and run Tuesday through Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Ages 2 and under are free. Call 816-930-3862 for tickets.
Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead
Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead in Overland Park has been a beloved family attraction for decades. The animal exhibits, multiple playgrounds, frontier-era town, gardens and nature trails make for an exciting destination, but when it comes to baby animals, nothing beats bottle-feeding the baby goats. Grab bottles for $1 each from the Fishing Shack (take it from us – you’ll want more than one!) and enter the pen to feed the eager kids. This year’s goats are named after Pixar characters. Which cute characters will you feed? While the bottle babies certainly steal the show, you may spot other baby animals as well. Deanna Rose is home to cows, horses, ponies, donkeys, pigs, sheep, rabbits, chickens and more.
Deanna Rose is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Children ages 2 and under are free. Ages 3 and up are $5. The farmstead offers free admission after 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday, except on holidays.
Barnyard Babies Family Festival
Looking to meet a variety of baby animals in one stop? The Barnyard Babies Family Festival at the National Agriculture Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs is your chance to see a whole menagerie of farm animal favorites. On Saturday, April 27, 2024, bring the whole family to meet calves, lambs, piglets, baby goats, baby alpacas and more. Other activities include train, hay wagon and pony rides, musical entertainment, giant kites and antique tractors. Food trucks will be onsite to satiate hungry bellies.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 3-12, and free for ages 2 and under.
Isinglass Estate
If a petting zoo paired with a wine tasting is more your speed, visit Isinglass Estate just south of Kansas City in La Cygne, Kansas. The largest vineyard in Kansas, Isinglass Estate has a little bit of everything, including a petting zoo. The small but worthwhile exhibit features miniature and baby animals including the cutest Kunekune piglets (eight born so far this spring), English BabyDoll Sheep (two recent spring arrivals), Nigerian Dwarf goats and even a Tibetan Yak named Findlay. Grab a glass of one of Isinglass’s fourteen different wines and explore the estate’s other family-friendly activities including, fishing, horseback riding, a giant chess set and plenty of lawn games.
The petting zoo is open anytime the tasting room is open. Days may vary but the tasting room is currently open Fridays 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Mom Tip: For even more farm animal adventures, visit Isinglass Estate as part of the Miami County Spring Farm Tour on Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12, 2024. This free, self-guided tour has 13 participating farms throughout Miami County. Not all stops have baby animals but there’s still lots of animals to be seen and farm-related fun to be had! Visit at as many or as few farms as you like. The tour runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
