Fun on the Farm: Exploring Springton Manor Farm with Maggie Mitchell

Good morning, Chester County!  I am so happy to have the opportunity to guest post today.  My name is Maggie Mitchell and I am a full-time mom to a 3-year old daughter, as well as a writer, kids’ book publisher, blogger & speaker.  I am originally from Oxford and now live in West Chester.  I think Chester County is one of the greatest places on the planet.

My little girl seems to get more active and interested in the world by the minute.  Outings have become a big thing for us, especially as the weather has gotten nicer.  We first visited Springton Manor Farm at the end of last summer but have already been back several times this spring.  My only point of reference for Springton Manor before our first family visit, was that is was where my brother went to compete in Envirothon when we were in elementary school…and that was a while ago!

Springton is one of our beautiful County-maintained parks, so there is no admission fee.  But, unlike the others, it is home to many friendly farm animals!  There are goats, horses, sheep, unique breeds of cattle, peacocks…and if your timing is right, you might happen upon a mama pig and her babies in the Great Barn!  There’s plenty to see both inside and outside the Barn, and lots of opportunities to for learning always present themselves.  It’s a lovely place for kids to interact with animals if the family dog (or in our case, cat) needs a break from little hands!

Here is some of what we saw at Springton Manor when we were there early last week:

These piglets were born just a couple of weeks ago.  Bless that mama!

The always-social goats…

A perfect day.

The adult sheep were shorn the last weekend in April.  

Brr!  Come out of the shade!

I have to admit that Springton Manor isn’t exactly the easiest place to find, but it’s very much worth the trip.  It’s worth noting that there are large, bright, clean, fully-functional, handicap-accessible restrooms on the back side of the barn, and picnic tables on the grounds.  Parking is plentiful, too.  For mapping purposes, the address is 860 Springton Rd., Glenmoore, PA 19343.  It’s a few miles off 322 west of Downingtown.

I hope you’ll go to Springton Manor Farm this spring & summer, especially if you have never been there.  I love taking pictures with my iPhone and sharing them via Instagram.  I’ve tagged all of my photos #springtonmanorfarm, and I know others have, too!  Check out our photos and share yours with the same tag.  Looking for more images from around Chester County on social media?  #chestercountypa will lead you to a lot of great shots…maybe you’ll see some of your favorite places in the mix!

Maggie Mitchell is the author of two children’s books, The Big Stink! and Kacey the Paper Cat, and she is the publisher/owner of Bushbaby Press, LLC.  She is the author of The Grey Blog, a member of Philly Social Media Moms, and bi-weekly contributor to Handmade in PA, the community blog of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen with her column, “Buy, Buy Baby.”  Learn more on Maggie’s website, on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter & Instagram @handmade_mama.