I wonder if you ever thought of taking the kids to a University Farm? UCONN happens to have a Department of Animal Science. In this department, college students work with horses, cows, and other farm animals. At UCONN, the University is kind enough to open their barns to the public and let you take a self-guided tour.
At milking time, kids can see the cows shuttled into their milking stations. They can observe through a window, OR if you can tolerate the smell, observe in the very room! Cows are herded into their stalls and are milked right in front of you.
If you love horses, head on over to the horse barns. There is a parking section for visitors. Park and walk to several horse barns. Look at horse, after horse, after horse! They all have their names on their stalls. And, they all have unique personalities.
Head outside to check out the jumping station, the rolling hills with horses grazing, and the other barns across the street. There are plenty of animal opportunities to keep you busy for a while!
When you are satisfied with your animal experience, hop back into the car. Head over to the Dairy Bar for a fresh ice cream treat! The selection is vast. If you want some fresh ice cream for the house, grab a gallon of ice cream out of the freezer. If it’s a nice day, you can find a picnic table outside the Dairy Bar, or drive back to the barns and sit at a picnic table with a beautiful view! The barns have several picnic tables, all under the shade of beautiful trees, and near the horses!
Mom’s Review:
We had a wonderful time visiting all of the horses. The cow barn had quite a strong odor, so we didn’t really hang out there too long. We checked out the milking, but quickly went back to the horses, and then on to ice cream. A great day!
Positives:
Great learning experience – watching the milking process
Picnic tables
Plenty of animals to see
Food is close by – Ice Cream, that is!
Restrooms are close by – One in the Horse Arena, and Dairy Bar
Negatives:
Favorite Season To Visit:
Spring would offer new babies to visit! Fall would be beautiful.
Activities/Things To Do:
- See nature – The countryside is beautiful, and offers plenty of nature to view.
- Tour horse, and cow barns
- Ice Cream Treat
- Picnic
- Watch Cows being milked!
What To Pack:
$$Dairy Bar Accepts Credit Cards
Camera/Video Camera
Stroller would work
FYI:
Watch the kids fingers around the horses – a couple wanted to get at ours
Kid’s Review:
Ella (4) – Loved the horsed, and ice cream! She wanted to bring the horses home with us.
Michael (7) – Thought the cows were stinky, but loved the horses, and ice cream! Plus the prairie dog running across the hill!
Abi’s Rating – #10 for ice cream, and Master Mind ( the name of a horse that tried to get out of his stall.)
Dad’s 2 Cents $$ – What’s All Of This Quality Time Going To Cost Me?:
Barns are completely FREE
Dairy Bar – Takes Credit Cards for your ice cream purchase – Coffee is also available!
Location:
3636 Horsebarn Road
Storrs, CT
Hours:
10-4 Every Day
1:00 Milking Time
Our Experience:
My husband graduated from UCONN, and was looking forward to showing the kids around the campus. But, first we wanted to check out the animals. We drove by the cows, and realized we were a little early for milking, so we headed down to the horse barns.
Once, at the horse barns, everyone hopped out excited to check the horses out. All but Michael, who forgot to bring shoes! What is it with my kids running out of the door, without shoes on?! I distinctly remembered standing at the front door, and calling out to Mike – asking if Michael had shoes. I swear, I heard Mike say he was all set. Guess not – Because, here I am, while everyone else is in the barn. Please God, let there be some miss-matched flip-flops somewhere! Thankfully, that’s just what I found. After some convincing, and encouraging Michael to wear his sister’s shoes, I finally got to go see the horses!
The first horse made a great impression – Beautiful! The next was Lilly, and made an entirely different impression. She was so upset with our visit, she showed her teeth, and tried to get them through the bars. (Don’t worry, they are all behind their stalls. She couldn’t get out, if she tried.) It was so much fun looking at the variety of horses. So much fun, I made plans for a future purchase of a farm, complete with horses! Dreaming!
After that, we checked out the cows, headed over for ice-cream, and drove back to the barns to enjoy the picnic tables! My husband, a huge ice-cream fan, was off dairy for a trial period – just at the time of our visit. Poor Mike! He had an Italian Ice, as we all ate our milk shakes, and ice-cream cones, in front of him.
Enjoy your visit!
More Pictures For A Better Visual:
Coming Soon. Usually the day after this post.
UCONN”s Web Page:
go to http://animalscience.uconn.edu/visitors/tour.php
