![DeLano Farms Farmyard]()
357 W. E Avenue- Kalamazoo, MI 49009
- (269) 381-1574
- Website
357 W. E AvenueJ and I didn’t have any days off together on the extended holiday weekend. I had Sunday off but had to work Monday and she worked Sunday but had Monday off, so we really couldn’t do anything or go anywhere. J still wanted to get out of the house and do something fun with L. At some point, she saw a post on Facebook about the Farmyard at DeLano Farms.
DeLano Farms is part of the larger Kalamazoo Nature Center. The farm, located on West E Avenue just east of Douglas Avenue in Cooper Township, is the site of the CSA pick up, but there are a number of trails that start on that side of the Nature Center.
The farmyard is in a new location this year just behind the farm market barn. It’s a little bit of a walk down the trail, but it was something our 16-month handled easily.
The trip starts in the barn where there is an admission fee. The cost for two adults was $7 each. L was still free due to the fact she’s still under the age of three.
The farmyard is a small area with a handful of kid friendly barnyard animals. All of the animals are in pens. It’s not an open petting zoo, but volunteers do take the animals out of their pens for a hands on experience. Man of the animals also walk up close to the fence to check out the kids and it seemed to be ok to pet them through the fence.
The animals included a couple of goats, an alpaca, a pony, some chickens, and a bunny.
We were the first family that showed up on this Sunday afternoon, so for a few minutes, L had her run of the place and she gleefully ran around waving at the animals and petting the goats.
After a few minutes, more families starting showing up and we all eventually made our way over to the chickens. L tried to crawl in the cage with the volunteer as she was getting one out, but once it was out, she didn’t wan to pet it.
The goats were a different story however. When we went to the Binder Park Zoo a few weeks ago, L acted sort of afraid of the goats, but this time, she was all about getting in there and petting the “doggy” (her word for all animals).
We didn’t spend a lot of time at DeLano Farms. Maybe a half hour or so. Since we were just there for the farmyard, there wasn’t really a way to kill a whole afternoon. L started running around chasing other kids, so we assumed her attention for the animals was over, so we made the short walk back to the parking lot and ended the day.
The Farmyard at DeLano Farms is a neat little getaway…especially if you’re up for a nature walk as well. The farmyard has been open weekends in May….I don’t see anything on their website or social media about future plans, but checking the website is probably a good idea before you go.
I had no idea it was there and just by J catching a post on their Facebook page, we had an enjoyable afternoon and still got home in time for a nap.
