I’ve lived in Chester County for 3.5 years and somehow this past week was my first adventure to Cherry Crest! What is wrong with me?!?!?! Do not, I repeat, do NOT, allow yourself to miss out on this place like I did! What a fabulous time for children, and adults, of all ages!
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| Discovery Barn and the yard of animals. Including the “goat bridge”. |
We arrived at 10:00am when they opened, and went to the Discovery Barn where there were baby chicks, and incubator with eggs where we saw one chick pecking through, butter being made, a train table, videos, and a yard full of farm friends like rabbits, pigs, and goats. The kid goats ran wild and were super friendly. There was a cool bridge that the goats stood on and you could feed them by buying food pellets, putting them in a blue cup attached to a belt, and turning a wheel that moved the belt up to deliver the food to the goats. The children thought this was super cool.
Then we took the 25 min (approx) tractor ride around the farm where Mr. Bob told us all about the farm, the history of the area, and the animals that live on it. Cherry Crest is a working farm, not just an entertainment farm! The tractor dropped us off in the “Barnyard” area where we played for 3 hours! Seriously, there is so so so much to do it’s ridiculous. Some examples of things we did were: Giant Slinger, Giant Hay Chute Slide, Lil’ Farmers Playland which had things like the Coloring Coop, sandbox, slide. We also did the Straw Bale Tunnel, Corn Hole, and relaxed in the Air Chairs. The highlight for the children was the Jump Pillow, especially when the Strasburg Steam Train went on the railroad tracks right behind them!
Cherry Crest Adventure Farm is known for their Amazing Maize Maze. This years theme is “High Seas Adventure”. On average, it takes 2 hours to get through the corn maze. There’s even a cafe and restrooms in the maze! With two 4.5 year old kids, a 3 year old, and two 17 month old toddlers, my friend and I knew that corn maze was an adventure we couldn’t tackle. BUT, the Simon Says Corn Maze was perfect for us! It took about 8 minutes to get through and along the way there were dead end paths with a spinning wheel. The children spun it and it told them something to do. Their favorite was “growl like a bear and give a hug”. So cute.
We bought lunch there. For about $6 I got a combo meal that my girls shared. It was 2 chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, and an applesauce or yogurt. Then I had their famous farm fresh roasted sweet corn on the cob.
We figured the kiddos would want to head out after lunch, seeing as we had been there 3 hours at that point. Nope, back to it we went! There was so much to see and do still and they weren’t ready to call it quits. We didn’t end up leaving until 3pm, and even after our 5 hour day there, we still didn’t see and do everything Cherry Crest has to offer! I can’t wait to go back and tackle more.
And a shout out of kudos to Cherry Crest for being a GREEN operation too! They have solar panels out to wazoo and have conservation programs.
VISITOR TIPS:
* Bring a stroller with rubber wheels, or even a wagon, since there’s a lot of grass or dirt. (You can rent a wagon too for about $20.) You can even put these right onto the tractor ride, child in it and all.
* You can pack a lunch and drinks to save time and money.
* If possible, check out their website for hours of operation (they fluctuate) and go during the week. We went on a Thursday and it was empty. The downside was that some of the food vendors weren’t open, but really that was worth it to feel like we had the farm to ourselves.
* Wear/Bring sunscreen and/or a hat. There’s not much shade. They do have great shade coverings over some of the activities (such as the pillow jump), but there’s a lot of open space that is uncovered.
* Parking is free! 🙂
* There are super friendly employees at every attraction. Ask questions, get help, learn, be friendly, enjoy!
* The restrooms are super clean and kid friendly. There’s even an awesome baby changing and nursing room in the front of the farm- equipped with some spare diapers and wipes should you need them. Talk about family friendly, right???
* Plan for a 5 hour trip, don’t rush through it, stay longer if you can!
* Don’t forget to treat yourself to the popcorn, homemade fudge, and corn! 🙂
Philaburban Mom 