Frying Pan Park

A few weeks ago I had the dubious pleasure of chaperoning a field trip for my seven-year old son's camp group. It was unbearably hot and we were scheduled to go to spend the day outside at the park. I'm happy to say however that despite a very crowded bus ride, which brought flashbacks of my school days, the field trip was a great success and I'm happy to share the fun of Kidwell Farm at Frying Pan Park with you.

The farm itself is a showcase of a working farm from the 1930's, which shows the trend towards more modern agricultural life. On one side you might see draft horse working while just in the other field tractors are doing the work. Also, they have the usual variety of farm animals that you can pet and learn about. Explore the buildings, check out the old schoolhouse, dairy works or the smokehouse, which for some reason really attracted the kids.

For a small fee of $2 you can jump onto the twenty-minute hayride and enjoy the peace of the surrounding woods and fields. The tractor driver will also stop and point out various bits of interest on the trip and tell you about some of the history of the farm. As an added plus for such a hot day this took you through quite a few shaded areas and allowed for a bit of a break.

Throughout the year the park also offers a variety of programs that show what farm life would have been like. Most of these are all free. Some of this past summers included a farm demonstration which allowed for participation and a day where you could go out and try your hand at milking a cow or goat, churn butter or even watch a cow get a shampoo. Definitely not your usual days outing so the kids should love it.

For the horse owner the park has quite a few equestrian goodies including indoor/outdoor rings, jumps and miles of trails. However, please remember the park does NOT rent out horses, it's strictly bring your own. Also there are fees for the use of the equestrian parts of the park. Please be sure and call for fees.

If this type of life seems fun to you, stop off and give it a try. Or maybe go a bit further and sign up to be a volunteer!

The Basics: Frying Pan Park

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