1. With the Horses: Watching, feeding, catching, brushing, saddling, riding, washing, caring and generally fooling around with the horses. You can bring your horses, or have Mr. Taylor’s horses for your own for your stay. It’s a lot more fun than just riding.

 

2. At the Pond: Fishing (bass, blue gills, trout and catfish – which we just throw back in); paddling the boat around; sinking the boat (which really won’t sink); swimming – the water is mountain spring clean, but please be careful; picking blackberries in June; watching the hawks circle high in the sky as they hunt the edges of the pastures; and watching the bats eat the bugs at dusk.

 

3. In the Barn: Climbing in the hay loft (its also a great place to spend the night if it gets crowded in the house), shooting baskets with the basketball, checking out the tack room, & Mucking out the Stalls – a great chore for boys.

 

4. In the Creeks: Wading, building dams, floating leaves, and cooling off.

 

5. Hiking: There are miles and miles of trails in the forest and hills, from the farm to the Appalachian Trail. Pack a lunch; take a water bottle, and a compass.

 

6. Experiencing Nature: The farm is like a nature show on TV! You will see lots of birds and insects and may see deer, turkey, hawks, rabbits, and other smaller animals. We have seen bears on occasion, but they are very shy. You can catch crickets, butterflies, toads, frogs, and other small living things (but you must be careful so you do not hurt them and turn them loose.)

 

7. Running Loose: We let our children simply run loose. Its a very large farm, but much of it is open, so the kids can find their way around. There are plenty of insects and animals, but no cars or a person, so we think it’s a pretty safe trade-off.

 

8. Being outdoors: This is what the farm is all about for us. Lots of our visiting kids bring their baseballs, soccer balls, basketballs, Frisbees, kites, model airplanes, and other outdoor toys. We have a croquet set, and the course has never been set up the same way twice, but everyone has lots of fun.