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Tilden Regional Park Little Farm
Category: Active Life Parks Parks [Edit]
Central Park DrBerkeley, CA 94701
Neighborhood: UC Campus Area
(888) 327-2757
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
60 reviews for Tilden Regional Park Little Farm
60 reviews in English
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Review from Kimi m.
El Cerrito, CA
12/31/2011
One of our favorite go-to spots. Bring lettuce to feed the cows, goats & sheep! A great place to introduce little ones to happy farm animals including: cows, sheep, goats, ducks, chickens, pigs, rabbits, turkeys, & geese.
And don't forget to bring the lettuce or celery! (Only food items you are allowed to feed the animals with) -
Review from Jennie C.
Hercules, CA
8/23/2011
This place is great. Very well kept. Happy animals.
My little one couldn't stop moo'ing the entire day after seeing the large cows up close.
It's a really great place to visit - young and old. -
Review from Cesie A.
12/9/2011
I came here with my little brother and family about 2 years ago and it was just adorable. We just decided to drive around the Berkeley hills one day and ended up at this farm. It was really cool how close you could get to the animals.
I wish we would have been prepared with lettuce though. It really is a super cute area to go to at least once. It's really relaxing and fun to see some calm farm animals. -
Review from adlih z.
Oakland, CA
8/12/2011
Goats.
Goats.
Goats.
How cute are goats!!!??
Ok, so I have this thing with goats....
I had not been here since.......um, maybe when I was at Le Conte elementary? So I brought my nephews with the excuse of giving THEM the Tilden experience. Time passed and they were demanding we leave (I was stalling, could not get my fill of the four legged creatures).
The kids did enjoy the momma pig and her little ones, as well as the chickens. I must admit the cows were kinda scary and neither kid had the courage to feed any of those heifers =(
I saw that some ducks preferred the red leaf lettuce...hmmm...fancy....but overall stock up on celery and have fun with the little creatures at the farm!Listed in: Get some vitamin D in the bay…
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Review from Fatty A.
San Francisco, CA
11/14/2011
This place is awesome. Bring lettuce or celery to feed them. Nobody is there to monitor any feeding activities. I want to feed them a pizza or bring a bunch of lettuce heads and see if the animals will fight for it. The lambs are a bunch of bitches. They will come for the food but once you run out they just walk away like Fatty A-holes. I was trying to get them to fight each other. Two started ramming each other for the lettuce. Freakin cool. My gf was being mean and placing lettuce on their heads. I love her. I don't think they like celery. There were a lot of uneaten stalks laying in the mud.
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Review from Drew P.
Hayward, CA
7/6/2011
A lot of fun, I brought carrots thinking most animals eat carrots and we feed carrots to my grandparents horse...
Well after reading a sign I guess carrot create gas in the animals which can hurt their insides.... Who knew?
The pigs are pigs
The Cows have GIGANTIC tongues
The goats have rectangle retinas
The fowl are well fowl
Thumbs up for fun at the farm -
Review from Julio A.
6/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very cool place to bring your little ones. It's clean, well-kept and the animals are happy to see you.
Things to bring:
- celery or lettuce (you're not allowed to feed some of the animals anything else)
- sun block
- picnic setup (plenty of grass in the immediate vicinity and obviously lots of space in the greater park area)
- camera
Things not to bring:
- money (it's free! yay!)
- cell phone (no reception! yay!)
- attitude (the sheep will snub you)
All in all, not a bad way to spend a Sunday. In addition to the cows and goats, they've got pigs, sheep, chicks, at least one rooster, and rabbits. Your kid will love it. -
Review from Jinto K.
Berkeley, CA
9/11/2011
This place has an incredibly sad story behind it. I learned it after coming here with my son for many months. I couldn't believe it. You probably won't.
On the outside the place is all about fostering a healthy relationship between young humans and other mammals. During the spring and summer of 2011 one was able to witness the pregnancy and giving birth of over a dozen piglets and a young calf. One sees the calf spend quality time with his mom on a private meadow higher up from the other cows, and one sees the little pigs breastfeeding all day from her mom, all apparently sheltered in a "humane" environment.
One explains to ones child that these animals tend to their offspring just like his mom does, and it is obvious to both the child and oneself that there is lots of love between the little pigs/cows and their parents. One also is lead to believe that overall this place is one where love is exchanged between species (my only suspicion that this might be facade to this point had been the utterly small "prison" the rabbits are squeezed into).
But last week all that changed. Maybe I was naive, but it doesn't matter since this place tries to make people believe it is all good. The fundamental problem is that the place is dishonest: if they'd post honest sign with the important information I was given, the place would have a completely different feel to it, and I'm sure that many parents would have way too much uncomfortable explaining to do to their kids to make it fun for them to ever go back to "The Little Farm in Tilden Park".
I met one of the people taking care of the place. I had noticed that mommy pig had less of her kids in the barn with her. I asked the guy if they had temporarily put them in a different house so she could focus on the weaker ones? He said in a proud sort of way, no they were sent off to another farm to be fast-fed to become "ham and sausages". He said the same would happen to the remaining 8 piglets within a few weeks (they're all just a few weeks old), and that the mommy sow they call "Princess" would then be sent to a special place to be impregnated again and come back.
I was pretty shocked not because I'm not aware of what's normal practice on other farms, but because one is obviously lead to believe that "Little Farm" is not about "meat production", but about connecting to the animals. Why would one connect to the animals and then send them off to slaughter? It's insane.
Still naive about this place thinking there must be something good to it I quickly changed topic and asked why the mama cow was kept on a separate meadow with her little one, if it was so they wouldn't get bothered by the other cows during this special time of their lives. To which he responded that this was short-lived luck and that the calve would be send off to an industrial farm within a few weeks to be fast-fed over the next 16 months to become "steak".
All I could do in my surprise is respond with a nervous laugh.
People should know what this place is all about. Whether you eat animal products or not, this place is dishonest at best. If they're a meat production facility, they should label themselves that way. In particular they should post signs at the barn housing those the baby pigs and their mommy "Princess" and at the fence near the newborn bull spending quality time with his caring mom, that what these babies and mommies really are in the eyes of those who run this farm are pork and beef, and meat breeding machines. -
Review from Cassy H.
7/9/2011
Tilden Park's Little Farm is too cute, way too cute. It's like Charlotte's Web but in real life. Like my friend says, if you have young children, this is somewhere you should definitely bring them to. It's a good place for creating childhood memories... plus, it's free!
So, Little Farm has a big old red barn in the middle... and farm animals all around-- goats, sheep, cows, rabbits, pigs, ducks, chickens, etc.. I would suggest going earlier during the day so the animals are out, b/c I went later in the day and some of the animals weren't there anymore. However, do wear sun screen to protect yourself from UV rays... And do be prepared for it to smell a little.. I mean, animal farms don't smell like roses in your garden. It sometimes smell like poop. Finally, to make your visit more interactive, bring celery sticks and lettuce; those are the only two veggies allowed for these animals to consume... all other fruits or veggies aren't good for their diet or something. -
Review from Jean L.
2/14/2011
A few notes:
- the pig will always be sleeping, even if you throw a piece of celery at it (but you didn't hear it from me)
- you can tempt the chickens out of the pen if you hold the lettuce/celery out of reach, and then you can pet/hold them
- there is one goose in there with a bent wing (I call him Fred) which will let you scratch his neck
- don't stand too close to the ducks by the swimming hole, or poo water will splash on you
- the cows are probably the most pettable bunch in the farm; they will roll their eyes to the backs of their heads and loll out their tongues in an attempt to grab your lettuce/celery
Afterwards you can take a stroll to the Summit Reservoir and look at the baby fry alongside the bank, and if you're lucky you can even see deer and little tadpoles. -
Review from Janice G.
Fremont, CA
2/6/2011
Listen, this is how much I love the Little Farm: I buy 4-5 bunches of celery so we can make it rain all over those heifers!
Every time we go the pig will never eat the celery. You'd think a pig would be all over that, but no. The cows are really nice and you can pet their giant heads while they are chomping. The sheep and little rams are totally cute but sometimes standoffish. But those goats, man, those goats go wild for the celery. And they are insatiable so don't blow your whole wad with them. The expression should be that someone eats like a goat, not a pig. -
Review from randomtask ..
Walnut Creek, CA
8/7/2011
A bit of drive to get to the place but the kids had a good time getting close to the animals they read about in books. Free parking and admission (except for the celery of course). From the amount of other parents and kiddies, this is definite east bay favorite for young families. Ms Piggie just gave birth to some piglets so that was nice to see to. No sign of Mr Pig so guess he's out making some bacon.
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Review from june b.
Piedmont, CA
10/12/2010
Really great for kids, esp in the morning. As other reviewers note, bring celery and lettuce, but leave your dog at home! They're not allowed.
The animals are pretty tame and will let your kids touch them. i like that sometimes the park rangers are around and will pull out the chickens so your kids can touch them, or yesterday morning, they had a cow in the milking stall and were giving info on that (imagine, milk doesn't come from the store!). They also have a nice indoor exhibit. --I definitely donated to this worthwhile public park/exhibit. -
Review from Cynthia K.
San Francisco, CA
6/2/2011
One of my favorite things to do with my children. The animals are all very healthy and the farm is well managed. There is an interpretive center close by and a play structure which are just extra pluses.
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Review from Ron L.
Concord, CA
7/6/2010 1 photo
No, kids don't need Wii all the time. Take `em here.
Kids love to explore, and this is a little farm (hence the name, "Little Farm") that has a lot of animals for them to meet: cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens, goats, sheep . . . They can even feed the animals with their own celery or lettuce. Okay, it doesn't sound like much, but bring your kid and you'll change your mind.
I appreciate that East Bay Regional Parks has this so close by. Along with Little Farm, there's a big farm in Fremont with more for kids to do. But this one's a winner. -
Review from Porkchop P.
Oakland, CA
7/11/2009
ME: Don't give him such a big piece of celery. He'll choke.
HIM: Tsada, it's a fucking pig, not a toddler.
ME: Shhhh! There are children here.
HIM: Sorry. Hey, don't give any more celery to that goat! He's an ASSHOLE!
ME: *evil glare*
HIM: Sorry. Again.
ME: Make sure you save some of that celery for the sheep. They're SOOOO cute!
HIM: That reminds me, I want lamb chops for dinner tonight. Let's go to Costco after we get done here, 'kay?
ME: *evil glare*
HIM: *rubs tummy*
ME: I know you don't mean that. You love animals almost as much as I do.
HIM: That pig has dooky on its vagina. -
Review from Patty W.
Walnut Creek, CA
7/30/2009
This was part of our multi-stop day at Tilden, which I fully yelped including Little Farm, so I'll just say that this is a GREAT place to bring your city kids (and my favorite of the Tilden Park stops). Bring celery and lettuce, but just portion it out. By this, I mean, when you give your kid the celery stalk, remind him to break it up before giving the veggies to the goats -- BECAUSE those goats are aggressive and have strong tongues.
Fun for the price of some lettuce and celery, Little Farm is a GREAT outing.
If you stay long enough, like we did, you'll get to witness the animals pooping. Seeing animals poop is universally interesting, though gross.
REMEMBER, nothing besides lettuce and celery as other veggies will throw off the diets of the animals (and some are even dangerous for them, such as carrots -- which cause bloat in the sheep).Listed in: The Kid Zone
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Review from Jonathan D.
Berkeley, CA
1/10/2009
Mooooeeehhhhh!
Moooooooeeeeeeeehhhh!
"Shut up, ya cow. You are scaring the crap out of my little girl!"
It's in my profile - I am from South Dakota and it is simply awesome that my kids will grow up near a farm.
One tip, when your kids feed the cow - keep them out of reach of that monster tongue!Listed in: Berkeley
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Review from Karen W.
9/5/2008 4 photos
Honestly, the animals here aren't that cute. But maybe I've been spoiled by http://cuteoverload.com.
They are also very smelly and make funny noises. I guess that's what real-life animals are like.
When I came, there were 2 goats, a bunch of chicken (but no chicks...boo), cows (brown, not spotted), and giant geese. I liked the giant geese. Sadly, I was not prepared with food to feed the animals, though I did pat a goat which ignored me.
They are all in pens or fenced areas so you can't frolic with them...Listed in: Wholesome Activities
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Review from Chris K.
8/9/2009
This is an awesome place to bring the kids, and best of all it's free! So bring some lettuce or celery and let the little ones feed the animals.
There's a pen with chickens, ducks and geese. Also pens with pigs, sheep, goats and cows. They all love to eat!Listed in: How 'bout a playdate?
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Review from Lisa T.
2/15/2008
Talk about "keepin' it real."
There's nothing realer than a genuine pig wallowing in the mud! Or feeding lettuce to the stinky goats! Or laughing as the cow unloads 20 gallons of urine into the mud!
If you have a kid, you simply must unplug your computer games and take him/her here.
Good news, they recently installed a play area not far from the entrance, complete with a slide and a sandbox, so there's even more to keep your little ones entertained.
Oh, and the Little Farm is FREE.Listed in: Toddler-friendly!
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Review from Tracy A.
Oakland, CA
12/20/2009
What a fabulous little farm! My 8 (almost 9) month old loved every second of it. I swear she liked the other kids as much or maybe more than the animals. We brought celery to feed the pigs, ducks, geese, chickens, sheep, goats, and cows. You can also bring lettuce to feed them but nothing else.
I loved watching the bunnies and nursing baby pigs. Afterward we played around on the slide and fake rock structure near the parking lot. A great time was had by all! Best of all, it is free! -
Review from Lisa M.
Kensington, CA
3/1/2008
I realized that I tend to yelp about weird encounters with companies, or luxurious restaurants I visit a couple times a year - but I don't yelp about the tried and true places that I know and love, places that are predictably rock solid in my book- like the Little Farm.
We moved last year from an apartment on Capp Street in the Mission to a house a couple blocks from the entrance to the Little Farm, and I still feel like pinching myself. We didn't even know about it when we moved here. But we've gone regularly throughout the rainy season, spring and summer. There are trails all around the Little Farm, and plenty of places to picnic and barbeque all around. Last year the park upgraded the toddler playground near the Little Farm parking lot and it's one of my three year olds favorite playground.
A completely free, outdoorsy, low key, educational thing to do and fun for either a couple hours or for most of the day. If you have time take the trail from the Little Farm to Jewel Lake. There's a lush trail around the lake, which is a popular lake for turtles to sun themselves on the broken branches and stones. I've seen a bunch of deer in that area too.
Really one of the best things about living in Berkeley or Kensington. Bring celery for Snowflake the cow! -
Review from Angie C.
8/7/2010 3 photos
Good for kids? GOOD FOR PEOPLE! Having now read everyone else's Yelp reviews, I aim to return with a bag of celery and lettuce to feed the animals!!
If you like Tilden Park, you'll love this gem. Who knew standing next to a huge cow was so exhilarating. I petted her with one finger - she didn't seem to mind me at all. That is, she's really quite good at ignoring people :)
Nice cows, goats, black sheep, bunnies and wild turkeys running amok. With all the wondrous birds flocking around Tilden Regional Park, there'll be a creature for everyone to admire. -
Review from Alexis M.
7/23/2010
Ok, Tilden Park Little Farm is super cool. The ride to Tilden Park Little Farm? Not so cool.
I will fully admit I have a slight issue with ahem, motion sickness, and well driving up to Tilden Park brought back many a childhood memories of puking alongside the road. I was the driver and I was getting nauseous. All I kept thinking was, thank God my kids don't take after me! I was just waiting for someone to announce they were going to be sick.
After a very long trip up a never ending winding road, we finally arrived!
It was packed with camp and daycare field trips, but it never felt overcrowded.
It's really neat, especially because it's free! We brought a head of lettuce and my kids had a blast feeding the geese, ducks, and turkeys. The cow scared the heck out of my 4 year old with his big ol' giant tongue.
I was actually a little disappointed there weren't more animals. When we were there there were only 3 cows, a sleeping pig, and a bunch of geese, ducks, roosters, and turkeys in the same pen. It was a pretty short lived experience. After the long drive, I was expecting to get at least an hour of fun out of the animal farm but considering there are so many other enjoyable things about the park, I was ok with the 20 minutes we got.
After we fed the animals, we went down to the picnic tables and had a little lunch and then spent some time playing in the playground before heading to the merry-go-round.
There is nothing fancy or overly special about the park. Just a basic sand box and a little climbing structure with a slide, but my kids didn't seem to mind and actually spent more time playing at the park than with the animals.
All in all, it's a great place to take the kids. Just don't forget the lettuce or celery and prepare yourself for a windy ride. They views from the top are AMAZING and well worth the possible motion sickness. -
Review from rosa S.
Albany, CA
4/13/2009
Cheap Fun!
Admission to Little Farm - Free
Bag of Celery or Lettuce to Feed the hungry Cows, Goats, Sheep, etc - $2-$3
BYO Picnic Lunch/Snacks and Blanket - $5-$10
Watching your child in sheer delight and seeing, touching, hearing, and
smelling real farm animals - Priceless -
Review from eric k.
Dublin, CA
9/7/2010
Yet another really cool area, both in the fact that it's Tilden, and the fact that Little Farm in itself.
First off, it's not the San Diego Zoo, or SeaWorld. It's a small collection of animals where you can interact with them, touch them, and there are some really friendly people working the grounds as well.
Try to go early in the morning when the animals are out and willing to eat, and bring some celery or lettuce with you.
The grounds aren't nearly as smelly as I thought they would be, evidence of a decently maintained facility. There are small things here and there for little ones to do, as if just observing wasn't enough.
Yes, it can get crowded in there, but I imagine if you go during a weekday or something, it can be pretty calm and parking easy.
This is the kind of thing that makes paying taxes a little easier. -
Review from Amy S.
San Francisco, CA
3/8/2010
If you're looking for a free thing to do with you little ones, this is a fun activity.
It's a cute little farm with pigs, chickens, geese, turkeys, goats, sheep, and cows. It's not a petting zoo so don't expect that, but the kids can pet the animals through the fence and feed some of them.
We took our 14 month old and he loved it. Just remember to bring celery so they can feed the goats.
There is also a small playround on premise -- not really meant for toddlers but a fun bonus nonetheless. -
Review from Kanani S.
Santa Rosa, CA
5/2/2011
Great place for kids. We were invited to a birthday party and it was beautiful! Very lush with big beautiful trees, there's a small play structure for the kids, but of course the best part is the little farm animals. My kids loved feeding the cows, goats, pigs etc. The animals are very calm and somewhat playful. One of the best things at this park NO CELL RECEPTION, 100% peace and quiet, nothing but the sounds of kids and grown ups laughing and having a good time.
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Review from Bonnie B.
San Francisco, CA
4/14/2011 2 photos
Fun easily assessible farm experience for urban visitors. The cows and goats are top notch and super friendly and love pet from tots! The pigs born Feb. 1st are so cute and playful. There are unique Black Welsh Mountain ewes and lambs that make up a complete rural experience.!
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Review from Lisa C.
Oakland, CA
5/12/2007
OOOH I love goats. I came here for the first time a few weeks ago. M. has this amazing soy-beurre blanc sauce recipe that only calls for one piece of celery. What do you do with the rest of it? Go here, and feed the little dudes. And the big dudes. Man cows are big. And slobbery. Did you know? I forgot. Geese eat celery too! And oh the baby chickens all snuggled and piled on top of each other.
Ok I was a little nervous going because I don't have kids, you may know that feeling. You don't want to look like the weird pervy adult hanging out in kids-only-town. But it was totally fine. All ages animal feeding fun. -
Review from Hanson Q.
Berkeley, CA
4/3/2008 6 photos
A sweet little place for kids, where grown-ups have a little fun too. My kids' preschool makes at least one visit to this zoo each year. Tilden Park has so many little gems to offer, and Little Farm is no exception to that. There's nothing like pigs, goats, geese and cows to get a good giggle out of our family. Just take a look at the pictures I've added, I'm sure you'll get a laugh too!
And yes, it's FREE, as Lisa T. said!!! -
Review from Carmen D.
San Francisco, CA
11/9/2008
Cow says moo, Goat says meh, Chickens say cluck, pigs say oink . . . Finally, a use for this language in real life.
My son Phoenix is almost 16 months old. He loved this place.
We brought celery, others brought lettuce, and we fed the animals,
then let him run around the Visitor Center.
He picked up sticks and scratched at the ground, banged at signs, ran around on the grass.
Felt perfect, wholesome and like I was a "good parent" to provide my little man with this kind of "nature" experience.Listed in: Bay Area Baby
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Review from Sarah C.
San Diego, CA
6/1/2008
The bf has this idea in his head that we'll be living on a farm when we get a house, little does he know that this is the closest he'll ever get to farm animals. Really cute little "farm" with some farm animals that you feed.
I don't really agree with the whole enclosed animal on display deal, but these animals looked well cared for. The cows were the healthiest cows I've ever seen in California and the sheep kind of had a thing for the bf and kept running up to him.
If you want to feed the animals, you can bring along some celery or lettuce and the animals will go wild for it. -
Review from Kevin L.
Mountain View, CA
3/5/2011
Excellent outing for the kids; they always clamor to go. I only wish it were more accessible. We usually buy one bundle of celery for each kid before heading to Little Farm. Then it's kids' choice as to which animals will be the beneficiaries. They usually like feeding the cows (who stick out their big, fat tongues to grab the celery) and the various goats. I never got to do this as a kid, so I'm jealous. There's a nice play area in the parking lot and a carousel a short distance away for after, so bonus points for that.
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Review from carleigh r.
Richmond, CA
10/20/2010
Love this place and so thankful that it is free and open all the time (well, till 4pm I think). We visit regularly and always have a nice time.
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Review from Dominique N.
Menlo Park, CA
2/11/2010
I've brought my two mentees here a number of times...but honestly, it's not just for their benefit, I love the petting zoo here. The setting is just so relaxing - a few families out with their kids, content farm animals eating the (probably organic) veggies people bring them, beautiful Tilden Park. The petting zoo is particularly fun in the spring when there are piglets and calves running around as well. Just remember if you're coming that they only allow you to bring lettuce and celery to feed the animals (no carrots, apples etc).
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Review from Sunny K.
Mountain House, CA
3/14/2010
3 stars but I have to give at least 4 stars for the animals at the farm. When we got there, the drive was way longer than we thought! Merry go around is not close to the farm(we were like WHAT THE...) so we had to skip the carousel ride and went straight to the farm. I think we were late so the pigs were headed into their little house. My 19 month old loved them. Feeding cows was an amazing experience for me haha! My baby was scared to do it but I could tell she would like to. Maybe next time. If you want to feed them, bring some celery & lettuce on your own. Now my baby knows how to say moo & cow. Very educational for kids!!
Listed in: KidZ FriEndLY
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Review from trey b.
Lafayette, CA
8/31/2010
Great time for all! Bring some lettuce or celery to feed the friendly cows (my daughter did not seem to mind as she had the cow tongue wrapped around her little arm) , sheep, pigs, and birds. They have a dozen rabbits and goats as well. It's great to bring the kids here throughout the year to see how the animals are doing and short hiking around Tilden. This is a great gem of the East Bay and Tilden Park. Combine this with the Steam Trains and it's a nice outing...
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Review from Gr R.
Richmond, CA
Updated - 11/23/2009
Still 5 stars! My Daughter is now turning 4, and it was actually really funny the last time snow drop licked her because she had a green tongue which stained her sleeve!!! Anyway, PARENTS TAKE CELERY OR LETTUCE, sure a stick or two to share is nice. But to have a kid follow us all over the farm asking us to give himmore and more is really annoying, and frankly it upset me that the parents did not check him. Anyway, if youwant to take your kid and have him/her enjoy time with the animals bring your own food it makes it less awkward to those of us who come prepared!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/8/2008
Anything less that the max amount of stars means you are probably not a parent. I have been taking… Read more »
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