Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana is a Dairy Good Time

Jessica Nunemaker — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:48:25 +0000

Fair Oaks Farms Dairy in Fair Oaks, Indiana

Pulling into Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana made me almost giddy with excitement!

Maybe it’s the tidiness of the buildings at Fair Oaks Farms, or the lovely landscaping, or perhaps just the prospect of award-winning cheese. Whatever it is, I couldn’t wait to get in.

Fair Oaks Dairy Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana

The first thing we did was check out the 4-D movie–there was just enough time to fit it in before our Fair Oaks Barn tour! The movie was super cute and made me jump a few times.

Yes, that does say 4-D: This tale of the cow includes spurts of air, splashes of water, and vibrating chairs in addition to the 3-D experience. You may want to warn any of the more timid members of your party just so they know what to expect.

Fair Oaks Dairy Adventure and Beyond

Fair Oaks Farms Dairy in Fair Oaks, Indiana: I Make This Look Good

After that we toured a super small portion of Fair Oaks Farms (they only own 19,000 acres or so!). We sat in a really nice bus for the Dairy Adventure Bus Tour .

My tip? Wait for the bus so you can be one of the first in line. Don’t be like us and play too long because if you are one of the last families to board you will not get a seat together. Everyone wants the window!

Well, the Dairy Barn Tour was pretty neat. We saw all the cows in their pens–many, many pens!

The tour guide informed us about how they clean the barns and how they keep the barns cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

We also saw where the babies were kept (which are later sold to other farms).

Cow Carousel: Fair Oaks Farms Barn Tour

Fair Oaks Farms Dairy at Fair Oaks, Indiana: Cow Carousel

The more unusual feature of the Fair Oaks Farms tour was also the most unexpected! Did you know that they milk these cows on the bovine equivalent of a carousel? I’m not even kidding.

It spins around slowly and the cows hop on and off as they please. Our tour guide informed us that the cows really like the ride and some days are poky about stepping off of it after their milking is done!

While I am not an expert in cow emotions, I would say that that did certainly seem to be the case — they actually seemed to really enjoy it!

Little ones may not get as much out of the Fair Oaks Farms Barn Bus Tour (it’s too long for short attention spans) but there is a toddler play area inside where some other member of your group could hang out and watch them if they don’t much care either way.

Mooville

Fair Oaks Farms Dairy in Fair Oaks, Indiana: Mooville

My favorite part of the whole thing was the great big outdoor playground type thing called Mooville.

Mooville isn’t a playground in the traditional sense. There were no swings or merry-go-rounds or monkey bars–but what they DO have is really cool!

There’s a ginormous milk container climbing wall for all ages (hubs and Kid #1 both climbed it–repeatedly!).

We ran through the Swiss Cheese Maze but Kid #1 and I had to cheat to get to the exit. We could NOT find our way out!

Kid #1 really liked the great big inflatable bouncy pillow and the ride-on tractors. So cute.

Fair Oaks Farms Tips

Fair Oaks Farms Dairy in Fair Oaks, Indiana: Where Do You Find Coupons?

Can you tell we had a great time? If you decide to go visit this small Indiana town (and you so totally should): Plan to spend the day.

It’s one of the biggest attractions in Northwest Indiana. There’s plenty to see and do! I didn’t even mention the Fair Oaks Farms Birthing Barn or the cafe.

Also: bring socks. If you go to Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana on a sunny day, the bouncy pillow gets super hot!

If you are looking for Fair Oaks Farms Coupons and Discounts, stay on top of their Twitter or Facebook Page and join their mailing list.

See more Fair Oaks Farms images and other pictures in Indiana on my Flickr photostream.

Fair Oaks Farms
856 N 600 E
Fair Oaks, Indiana 47943
877.536.1194

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Fair Oaks Farms Makes Me Jump for Joy

Jessica Nunemaker — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:30:39 +0000

little Indiana hit up Fair Oaks Farms in Fair Oaks, Indiana. This locally owned and operated dairy is massive–like 19,000 acres massive!