Davis' Farmland in Sterling, Massachusetts: A Review

I recently took my two children, ages three and one, to Davis' Farmland in Sterling, Massachusetts accompanied by four other friends and their children as well. I had heard some wonderful reviews of Davis' Farmland by other parents, but after five hours of activity, I left the farm knowing that I would become a frequented guest.

Davis' Farmland seems to have it all. We walked through the front gate and immediately there was an area of shaded picnic tables where a young staff member had an extremely fluffy and well-tamed rabbit sitting idly. My son and his friends were able to brush the rabbit and pet it's fur. When they tired of this activity, they were given a sticker stating that they were now farmers themselves. My three-year-old was just thrilled to get this sticker and slab it onto his shirt.

We moved on. We were able to purchase a large reusable plastic cup filled with feed for the animals. This cup was adorned with a plastic top that a straw could be inserted for later use. Even after an entire day at the farm, we still have about 3/4 of our feed left for use the next time we go. Davis' has such animals as sheep, goats, various types of ducks, llamas, emus, cows, etc. Some of these animals are rare or rescued, as one young worker told me. Many of the areas you can enter and walk amongst the animals themselves, a worker ever present to ensure safety and rule-following. My three-year-old was even able to hold a baby goat as he sat down in a chair and I snapped photos of him hugging a large Llama and brushing a cow.

There are various animal activities that occur throughout the day at Davis' Farmland. My son milked a real goat!

Beside the actual farm-related presence, there are also other fun stops to make at Davis'. Moo Moo the Cow is their mascot of sorts and the children adored him. My son got high-fives and hugs and was talking about how he loved Moo Moo the entire car ride back home. There's a sprinkler area. Get those bathing suits ready, though, as sprinkler doesn't describe the fun! There's a tunnel that sprays in all directions that my son ran through, tables of water to play in, an area of large buckets that fill with water and then dump on unsuspecting visitors (that would have been me!), and even smaller fountains spurting forth from the ground that my one-year-old crawled to and splashed in. For those younger children, there is also a baby spray area that we didn't get to. Done with the animals and water? Davis' also has a large playground (and a smaller young toddler play area). Various play structures are seen throughout, as well as very large building blocks, and an area of contraptions that you sit on and wiggle around to make them move forward. We spent an hour in this play area alone, and that was just simply because I was exhausted and needed to head home after five hours instead of compling to my son's wishes of staying longer! On our way to the exit, we saw a face painting station and sat down amongst many mirrors to paint my sons face. This was his very first time with face paint and was incredibly proud of my work on his cheeks :)

I was pleased with the cleanliness at Davis' Farmland. Here and there you'd see some excrement on the ground in the animals pens, so you'd have to be wary of your footing, but that's to be expected. There was hand sanitizer throughout the farm and a large hand washing station near the entrance/exit. We also used two separate bathrooms and was pleased with the cleanliness here, too. There's a nursing station that a friend used. Although very nice to have, it was apparently extremely hot inside.

Safety seemed to be a priority at Davis' Farmland. Upon entrance, you are given bracelets with a specific number assigned to each member of your family. When you exit the farm, these bracelets are checked before you are allowed to leave.

You're allowed to bring food into Davis' if you choose. We brought a packed lunch and ate it in the air conditioned kitchen area. Here they have plenty of tables and sell food such as pizza as well. The prices were pretty high, so I was pleased I brought a packed lunch along. They also sell ice cream near the water and playground areas. Very yummy :) If you'd rather eat outside, there are plenty of picnic tables, both just as you walk into the farm itself, and also in the water/playground area.

Prices vary depending on season and age of people attending and range from free admission (under two years of age) to $16.95 (ages two to 59 in the summertime). Group rates are also available for various packages but require a minimum of 15 paying people. Birthday parties are also available. Check your local library for possible discount tickets.

Five hours of fun and we didn't even see it all! We are most definitely going back! This was an amazing, very child-friendly place.

See more at:

https://www.davisfarmland.com/