We visited Cherry Crest Adventure Farm on a short trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to hang out with friends. The farm has a great variety of activities for visitors, including animal feeding, a corn maze, and shows.
The first thing we tried was a rain gutter runner where the kids pumped water to send a rubber ducky down the gutter to a u-joint and down a second gutter back to the pump. My daughter and little son enjoyed pumping lots of water.
Nearby was a kids' tractor ride that the boys enjoyed. It was a short trip through the corn field and for little ones only.
Then we tried out the corn maze. They've had several different themes for their mazes over the years. This year's theme was board games, so various puzzles were hidden throughout the garden. Also, the overall design, from overhead, showed dice and a pawn. We didn't appreciate that from our corn's eye view.
The kids really enjoyed the "find the hidden object" pictures.
We chose a flag to help the group stay together. We were instructed how to wave the flag to signal for help in case of emergencies like being lost or being too hot.
We discovered a random set of musical percussion instruments that our kids played to death.
Several times we heard a local scenic train go by. The track cuts right through the farm but not through the corn maze!
At the end of the maze, they had displays of previous mazes and how they make the maze each year. The kids were not too interested so I only got to take a few pictures as we walked by.
We ate some lunch and went to the butter-making demonstration. Rather than churning for a while, they gave us cups with lids that we had to shake to make the milk fat solidify into butter. The demonstration was fun and quick. And they handed out pretzel sticks so we could sample our own butter.
We bought a cup of feed and started feeding the animals, always a popular activity with children and animals alike. Some of the animals were aggressive, especially the goats. Maybe they looked that way because of their appearance--the horns and the creepy eyes.
The sheep were a little easier to feed. They looked more friendly. Our preschooler was brave enough to try (which wasn't true for the goats).
The least interactive way to feed the animals was the conveyor belt to the goat walkway. Kids put some feed in a cup and then cranked until the cup made it to the top, where a bell rang as the food tipped over into a small bucket. The kids enjoyed cranking even if they didn't have feed to put into the cups. That probably made for some cranky goats.
Across the path were other animals, including a depopulated pig barn.
The pigs had ducks for neighbors.
Inside a big barn, our children got to hold baby chicks. This was another activity that was too much for our youngest one.
More from the farm in the next post!
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| Entrance to the farm |
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| The shopping courtyard |
The first thing we tried was a rain gutter runner where the kids pumped water to send a rubber ducky down the gutter to a u-joint and down a second gutter back to the pump. My daughter and little son enjoyed pumping lots of water.
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| Rain gutter racer |
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| Pumping like crazy |
Nearby was a kids' tractor ride that the boys enjoyed. It was a short trip through the corn field and for little ones only.
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| Pulled by a tractor |
Then we tried out the corn maze. They've had several different themes for their mazes over the years. This year's theme was board games, so various puzzles were hidden throughout the garden. Also, the overall design, from overhead, showed dice and a pawn. We didn't appreciate that from our corn's eye view.
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| Heading into the corn maze |
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| Checking the map/puzzle sheet |
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| One of the challenges inside the maze |
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| Another puzzle involving scratch offs |
The kids really enjoyed the "find the hidden object" pictures.
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| Click to enlarge if you want to try it out |
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| Punny puzzle |
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| What to do?!? |
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| A fun photo op! |
We chose a flag to help the group stay together. We were instructed how to wave the flag to signal for help in case of emergencies like being lost or being too hot.
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| Carrying the flag |
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| Bike-powered misting station--another heat solution |
We discovered a random set of musical percussion instruments that our kids played to death.
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| Banging on the vertical xylophone |
Several times we heard a local scenic train go by. The track cuts right through the farm but not through the corn maze!
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| Not the way out |
At the end of the maze, they had displays of previous mazes and how they make the maze each year. The kids were not too interested so I only got to take a few pictures as we walked by.
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| Many Mazes |
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| You can make a maze in your backyard with these 16 simple steps! |
We ate some lunch and went to the butter-making demonstration. Rather than churning for a while, they gave us cups with lids that we had to shake to make the milk fat solidify into butter. The demonstration was fun and quick. And they handed out pretzel sticks so we could sample our own butter.
 |
| Making butter |
We bought a cup of feed and started feeding the animals, always a popular activity with children and animals alike. Some of the animals were aggressive, especially the goats. Maybe they looked that way because of their appearance--the horns and the creepy eyes.
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| Feeding a goat through the fence |
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| All the goats ready to eat! |
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| A fence with less protection |
The sheep were a little easier to feed. They looked more friendly. Our preschooler was brave enough to try (which wasn't true for the goats).
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| The face of serenity? |
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| My daughter demonstrates feeding technique |
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| The preschooler gets in on the action |
The least interactive way to feed the animals was the conveyor belt to the goat walkway. Kids put some feed in a cup and then cranked until the cup made it to the top, where a bell rang as the food tipped over into a small bucket. The kids enjoyed cranking even if they didn't have feed to put into the cups. That probably made for some cranky goats.
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| Feeding the higher ups |
Across the path were other animals, including a depopulated pig barn.
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| Pig barn |
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| Close up of the sign |
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| Feeding the pigs |
The pigs had ducks for neighbors.
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| Ducks hanging out |
Inside a big barn, our children got to hold baby chicks. This was another activity that was too much for our youngest one.
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| Lady demonstrating proper holding technique |
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| Happy holders (and holdees) |
More from the farm in the next post!
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