Shelburne Farms

I am usually a home body, but I've been trying hard lately to plan at least one out-of-the-ordinary activity each week so that we can make the most of these final weeks before the cold of New Hampshire winter sets in. This past weekend our outing was to the Lake Champlain region of Vermont. The girls and I had already explored Burlington and Lake Champlain this summer, so this time we checked out the neighboring town of Shelburne. First stop: Shelburne Farms. So beautiful and so fun!

 The girls were obsessed with this angora rabbit Zippy. 

(As luck would have it, Bryn had just read about angora rabbits a few days before in her latest Zoobooks magazine, so she was over the moon to see one in real life!)

 This was so funny- they played parade music and the chickens strutted down the plank for their daily "Chicken Parade".

 One of Bryn's very favorite parts of the day was learning how to do the "hug hold" on a rooster. So adorable! Also, not pictured is when Bryn got to go into the chicken coop and collect eggs from underneath the hens. So cool.

 Mya wasn't qualified to hold roosters or collect eggs, so she took advantage of the big kid area with tons of farm equipment to play on, farm books to read, farm puzzles, toy farm animals and barns, and other cute farm activities. I was impressed with all they had to keep toddlers busy. 

 Another highlight was Bryn learning how to milk a cow. So fun!

These pictures crack me up. Josh was trying so hard to sneak up on this chicken and get close enough for Mya to touch it, but they never quite caught it!

 Josh claims he's not a cat person, but look at the joy on his face :)

In another section of the farm they showed how to make cheese from the milk all the dairy cows on the farm produce. It was cool to watch the cheese being made and even cooler to sample different varieties. The Two-Year Cheddar (a national award winning cheese...woot woot!) was our favorite. So good!

 Silly girl

 This isn't a good picture, but let me just mention the awesome food cart. Seventy Five percent of the ingredients in the sandwiches (bread, meat, cheese, vegetables) were grown/harvested/baked on the farm. Cool, right? I had the apple pesto panini and it was so fresh and delicious. Basically, if you visit Shelburne Farms definitely try the food cart :)

 Mya enjoyed the wagon ride, even though it got a little chilly.

 Such a scenic place.

We ended our trip to Shelburne Farms with a fresh Apple Cider Donut...which is the perfect way to end any trip if you ask me.