Farms and Petting Zoos

Farms

Pretty much everything farm related makes a toddler happy. Pick a beautiful day, and head out to visit some of the local farms. Collect eggs, feed the goats, chase chickens, visit the pigs and sheep and learn about farm life. Here some of our favorite farms in the bay area.

 
AAH Happy Farm (1055 Dunford Way, Sunnyvale)

http://www.animalassistedhappiness.org/

Happy Farm’s mission is to enrich the lives of children and their families experiencing special needs, health or family challenges by providing barnyard friends so children and their family members can interact with animals to bring moments of happiness and smiles into their lives.

The farm is open to the public on second Sunday of each month 9am-1pm & first and third Tuesday of each month 3-5pm.

The visit is free, but you can bring a bag of chicken feed or rabbit’s food as a donation, money donation is also appreciated.

Read about our visit to the Happy Farm here.

AAH Happy Farm

Ardenwood Historic Farm (34600 Ardenwood Blvd, Fremont)

http://www.ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood

Victorian era working farm with a blacksmith shop and home tour. You’ll see sheep, pigs, turkeys, chickens, rabbits, goats, peacocks, and cows. Ardenwood hosts fun events throughout the year, with house tours, train rides, farm activities, arts & crafts, and music. Read about our visit here.

Ardenwood

Hidden Villa (26870 Moody Rd, Los Altos Hills)

http://www.hiddenvilla.org/

Hidden Villa is a nonprofit educational organization that uses its organic farm, wilderness, and community to teach and provide opportunities to learn about the environment and social justice.  Hidden Villa stretches over 1600 acres of open space, with hiking trails, creek and farm animals. Come taste a root at the educational garden, come face to snout with a pig, visit the sheep, feed the chickens and more!

Hidden Villa

Emma Prusch Farm Park (647 S King Rd, San Jose)

http://www.pruschfarmpark.org/

Emma Prusch Farm Park includes a 4-H barn with livestock (the largest in San Jose), Small animal yard where children can pet, feed and see farm animals up close, community gardens, a rare-fruit orchard, demonstration gardens, picnic areas, play structures and expanses of lawn.

Don’t miss the Harvest Festival on the first Saturday in October. This is an annual fair with multicultural dancing, a hay wagon ride, 4H animal expo, fresh pressed apple cider, plant sales, and other family friendly activities. Entrance is free.

Emma Prusch Farm Park

Deer Hollow Farm (22500 Cristo Rey Drive, Cupertino)

http://deerhollowfarmfriends.org/

Deer Hollow Farm is a 160 year-old historical ranch in Silicon Valley. It requires about 1 mile hike in the Rancho San Antonio Park to get there. Its mission is to support environmental education programs for the community.

Explore the barnyard with its century old buildings, visit the cows, sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and pigs, check out our organic orchard and garden and explore 24 miles of trails in the surrounding Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve.

The Hands-on Nature Center is open on the third Saturday of each month. Learn about the local wildlife and plants. See exhibits of a stuffed mountain lion, bobcat, and birds of prey. Your kids will love the “Touch Table” with its bones, feathers, nests, and more.

Deer Hollow Farm

Slide Ranch (2025 Shoreline Hwy, Muir Beach)

http://slideranch.org/

The mission of Slide Ranch is to connect children to nature. By farming, cooking, caring for animals and exploring wilderness and the coast, they teach people of all ages to see the connection between their own health, a healthy food system and a healthy environment.

Lemos Farm (12320 San Mateo Rd, Half Moon Bay)

http://www.lemosfarm.com/

This farm located in Half Moon Bay offers a Petting Zoo in an enclosed corral with a special shelter for pygmy goats. The Zoo always features goats, and sometimes other animals drop by for a visit as well! The goats are small, gentle, and very tame. They enjoy being fed, too!

Don’t miss the train and pony rides, Hay ride, Dig Zone tractor and more.

Lemos Farm

Petting Zoos 

If you prefer the zoo, these three are offering interactive experiences with both domestic and wild animals in their petting zoos.

 

Happy Hollow (1300 Senter Rd, San Jose)

http://www.hhpz.org/

Happy Hollow Park & Zoo is a small 16-acre zoo and amusement park in San Jose featuring a petting zoo where kids can feed and brush goats, sheep, cows and more, animal barn, animal hospital with indoor and outdoor quarantine, surgery and radiology, and education center with year-round classes for ages 12-months to adult. They also have Puppet Theater, Rides and structures for toddlers and children featuring slides, swings, ropes and climbing areas, carousel and roller coaster.

Happy Hollow

San Francisco Zoo (1 Zoo Rd, SF)

http://www.sfzoo.org/

Nestled against the Pacific Ocean, the San Francisco Zoo is an urban oasis. It is home to over 1,000 exotic, endangered and rescued animals representing more than 250 species and lovely peaceful gardens full of native and foreign plants.

Farm animals for feeding and petting can be found in the popular Fisher Family Children’s Zoo. Visit the Family Farm, the little pond and duck, feed the goats by hand, chase the chickens, and much more!

SF Zoo

Oakland Zoo (9777 Golf Links Rd, Oakland)

http://www.oaklandzoo.org/

The petting Zoo at the Oakland zoo is big and fun for children at all ages, brush and feed the goats, chase the chicken, pet the animals and more! This is a wonderful zoo, with children’s ride area, train and sky ride, and more. Terrain is quite hilly (good workout for parents walking with kids or pushing strollers).

Oakland Zoo