**This Post was written in 2018. As such, the content and exhibits in the review below may be outdated. Please look out for updated content on this location in the near future!
I don’t think I’ve ever had a particular place recommended so much to me as I have Flamig Farm. And not just that, it also seems to be the top suggested outing on most of the mom forums. Kids love animals – and petting zoos – including my child so we just had to check out this place!
Flamig Farm is located in West Simsbury. It took us about 40 minutes to drive there from Enfield but the drive is beautiful and I always enjoy traveling out that way!
From Google Maps
It’s not hard to miss the farm from the road- they have quite the first impression!
So, what’s the deal with that backwards EGGS anyway? Well, apparently, years ago a friend designed a sign for the farm that just wouldn’t fly with town ordinances. So they flipped the sign backwards and called it art. Zoning still didn’t like it but they left it up and it’s made Flamig Farm quite a landmark!
When you enter the farm, you’ll find plenty of parking in their dirt lot. We visited on a beautiful spring day so it was pretty busy!
The farm is a working farm. In addition to their amazing animal farm, which is open during from April through November, Flamig farm is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They have a farm store and sell eggs. They also sell firewood, mulch, soil and compost. Additionally, they have a number of educational programs including summer campsand day camps (for ages 2 to 5). They have great events all year long including an Earth Day celebration, Halloween hayrides and Breakfast with Santa. You can even have a party at Flamig Farm!
For the petting zoo, you’ll want to head to the building with “Flamig Farm” on the front of it. On the left of the building, you will spot the ticket booth.
Admission to the petting zoo is $6 per person. If you are under 1 year or over 80, you get in for free. You can also buy cups of grain to feed the animals for $2 per cup or $5 for 3 cups. Three cups are a great deal if you have a big family… or if you have a child like mine that dumps all the grain at the first animal he sees. That was one of those moments I gave my husband a “see I told you it was a good idea to buy three cups” look.
The farm also offers pony rides for $5 and you can buy your ticket at the admission counter.
After you pay, you can head right down to the farm for the animals!
The farm is a pretty good size but its super easy to walk even for little feet. Strollers can be maneuvered but remember it’s a farm so keep that in mind if you have one of those strollers that can’t handle dirt and gravel paths. You can get an idea of what to expect from the farm’s online map but I found these was actually a little off from what we saw that day. All of the animals are there but just not necessarily in the same locations.
(From Flamig Farm)
You’ll see signs throughout with rules for the petting zoo. Remember these are living animals and this is their home, so it’s important to be kind and considerate to them!
Our first stop were the ponies and horses! They were really friendly and very gentle. He had a chance to pet a few with the help of daddy. There was one in the barn that we had fun visiting; the others were behind the fence but were not shy at all when I approached!
Right around the corner we found the chickens, ducks, geese, peacocks and everything else with wings!
I’m pretty sure that’s where we lost our first cup of grain. Those chickens were so happy!
This duck, however, not so much. He probably didn’t know what to make of that 3 1/2 foot tall madman coming at him!
We also saw some baby ducks! Since it’s spring on the farm, there were babies everywhere!
I found these noisy fellas quite comical! They were honking away all around the farm! Apparently these are Guinea Fowl.
We also spotted more horses down this way!
And I loved this red trolley!
While I was busy admiring the trolley, my child was apparently dumping his second cup of grain at the goats. I mean, I do love goats but I would have saved some of that grain! We weren’t even half way through the farm!
Our next stop was the alpacas and llamas! These were probably the most friendly animals on the whole farm! Or maybe they just really wanted the grain! They stuck their heads right through the stockade fence and tried to grab those cups. In fact, my husband actually dropped one of the cups in there with them (and had a fun time reaching to get it out). On top of that, I think they had just done a shearing demonstration the day before our visit because these guys were bald! What a look! We definitely enjoyed these guys!
Just around the corner, we spotted the pony rides. We decided to skip this activity. Pony rides have been hit or miss with this child – usually he loves the pony until it comes time to sit on it and then he’s all set with it. So, we saved ourselves the five dollars and the inevitable meltdown!
We headed down in the direction of the pony rides but banked a right instead. From this spot, we had a beautiful view of the farm!
I also spotted the farm dog!
Down this path, we found the last of the animals. Our first stop were the Emus. There were a few of them but some were resting or hanging towards the back of their enclosures. I’m not sure if they are really the petting types either but we had fun watching them run around.
We moved on quickly to the sheep. These guys were also taking a break but there was one extra friendly sheep that seemed to think I was carrying all the grain in the world. He was sorely disappointed to learn that I had one of the empty cups. Sorry pal!
My child was at this point raising through all of the animals on his quest to find the pigs. We had slowly gone through the first half of animals but as the grain ran out, he moved on quickly. And then he realized we had still not found Peppa Pig. Our time was now spent in chasing mode. Fortunately, we spotted the cows and those held his interest for a little bit!
And those cows were friendly! One of them was really interested in my husband…
As it turns out, my husband attracts ladies named Jayne. Yes, yes. A cow named Jayne. With a Y even. We were kindred spirits; we bonded, but she was quickly put in her place. Only one Jayne can win the heart of that handsome guy I call my husband.
While I hung out with Jayne for a while, my son moved on to his final destination. Those pigs! One big guy was wandering near the fence and paid some attention to my very excited little boy.
Of course, as is the nature of pigs, most of them were lounging around in the hot sun.
We did take a peak inside the barn ….
And we found piglets!
He watched the piggies sleep for a while and then he ran around the farm once more – back to the goats and chickens. I let daddy do the chasing for a while so I could explore more of the farm.
I spotted the wagons they use for their tractor/hayrides. These are available by reservation; or during their Halloween event.
There is also a covered picnic pavilion that you can use to take a rest or even have lunch/snack.
Once you are all through visiting the animals (and you can spend as much time as you’d like during their farm hours), make sure you stop and wash your hands!! The sinks are low enough too for little ones to reach. There is plenty of soap so make sure you scrub good!
Once we finished visiting the animals and had clean hands, we returned our cups (don’t forget to return your grain cups!) and headed inside the farm store.
They have restrooms located inside the store (two single stalls). There are also sinks inside the store to wash your hands.
They sell their eggs in the store but unfortunately they were all sold out after their big Earth Day event the day prior. The store has plenty of other neat things to check out though!
They have merchandise with that awesome EGGS logo on it. If you do pick one up, make sure to share pictures of yourself wearing it from all over the world. They love seeing it! And you can even win a prize if your picture is voted the best!
As I mentioned, since it is spring, there are babies everywhere. We had the chance to see and even pick up baby chicks! They do ask that a grownup hold the baby while the children pet – so make sure you are super gentle with these little ones! This boy thought the chicks were great!
The chicks were the last stop on our visit so we made sure to all wash our hands one more time (with the sink located inside the store) and then we headed on our way. We were actually on a search for some local ice cream and fortunately, the clerk in the farm store overheard that. He made sure to send us to Tulmeadow Farm Store located just around the corner from Flamig Farm – and he strongly recommended I try the raspberry chocolate chip. Check out our post on Tulmeadow – and you can see if I followed his advice!
We had a great time on the farm! Petting Zoos are hard to find these days – so it’s pretty awesome that we have Flamig Farm in our own “backyard”. It’s definitely worth the drive from anywhere in Connecticut or even Western Massachusetts. I love that it’s run by a farm family and you can tell they really care about their animals, their farm and their drive to educate people about taking care of this Earth. They’ve been around for over 100 years and this is why.
So now when someone asks you, are there any petting zoos in Connecticut. We all know what to say! Just follow that EGGS sign!
This about sums it up…
7 Shingle Mill Road – West Simsbury, Connecticut
Hours: Open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Petting Zoo is open from April to November (follow online for exact dates.
Cost: Petting Zoo is $6 per person. Children under 1 and Adults over 80 are free.
Pony rides cost $5 per ride (under 80 lbs)
Cups of grain are $2 each, or 3 for $5.
Features:
- This is a working farm with animals! Dress to get dirty and wear comfortable shoes!
- The farm is sunny! Sunblocks, hats, etc. on hot days are necessary
- Strollers should be fine but the paths are dirt (and there are rocks)
- Animals can be fed and pet
- Handwashing stations set up outside and inside of farm store
- Farm Store with merchandise for sale
- Large parking lot with plenty of available spaces
- Bathrooms located inside store
- Cash and Credit accepted
- Party Rentals available
- Holiday events for Halloween, Christmas and Earth Day
