As I sat down under an awning covered picnic table, I thought about what a great age my youngest is now. At nine years old, he’s old enough that I can bring him to a place like Preston Trail Farms, a wide open place where I can keep watch on him, without standing over him as he runs about playing with his friends. I could just sit and enjoy the cool breeze and slightly sweet smell of hay, except that I have brought our little pup, Dublin, who at 8 months old wants is just like a young child, but she wants to not only SEE absolutely everything, but SNIFF it as well! I finish my bottle of water and leave my nice little rest stop to head out as she dances on her leash in front of me, eager to explore the farm!
My son and pup had taken off running as soon as I stopped the car, tearing past the pay station like a caged animals finally released into the wild! I could only located him by his whoops of excitement as I paid, pointing them out as mine to the boys taking money at the gate!
Credit Cards are accepted. Which was great because it’s all I had and I doubt I would have ever gotten them back.
A real working farm, it’s attached to the True Value store, but you don’t need to go inside unless you want to. It does give you access to their restrooms, a really nice perk! The store allows dogs and sweaty hay covered children, too!
When you arrive, your admission includes a cup of feed for the goats and cows. The big pellets are for the cows and the smaller ones for the goats.
While the farm hasn’t grown all their pumpkins, they do have pumpkin vines with small pumpkins growing on them in the big pumpkin field! It’s a great way to show kids how pumpkins grow! Larger pumpkins are available for purchase at the gate!
It just took a minute to show my son how to feed the little calves, whose long tongues reach out to take the pellets from your hand! They also had 3 longhorn cows, and we were able to feed them as well!
But the goats were our favorites! Dublin was a little apprehensive of the cows, but her border collie came out (she’s part husky/part border collie) as she LOVED the goats and sheep!
The sheep were just as inquisitive about her, and they were soon playing through the fence! No surprise, one of the guys said they had a border collie on the farm, and the animals were all use to dogs!
As soon as the feed was gone, so was my kid! Again, I LOVED that I felt comfortable being able to let him run off and play, while still being able to watch him, thanks to the big open field which this area of North Texas is known for!
While Preston Trail Farms doesn’t have a corn maze, they DO have a hay maze! It’s not big, but big enough to race through!
My son and friends loved running through the maze!
My son’s least favorite was when I pulled him aside to get a couple of cute pictures. His smile says it all!
Eat
A covered area also allows for a nice place to eat! A hot dog is included with your entrance admission!
Inside the big hardware store is the Preston Trail Farms Cafe, with delicious burgers and even breakfast! Dogs aren’t allowed inside the restaurant, but I was able to order something to eat outside!
After several failed attempts to get a cute picture of Dublin in the Barrel Train, I gave up and took her back to the barn to enjoy a few more sniffs while my son rode the train, over and over!
The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm is also a great place to celebrate birthday parties! There were about 5 going on during our visit, and everyone seemed to be having a blast!
I was able to get Dublin on the Hay Ride! The ride takes you out through the cattle fields and past a small pond! There’s a cute story on the right hand side of the road, so be sure to look for it and follow along, as you ride past each sign about Farmer Rick!
Know Before You Go
Between bottles of water and cups of goat food, I barely had a free hand to take a picture. Bring a wagon to keep all your stuff!
Apply sunscreen, because it’s still hot in Texas!
Wear close-toed shoes. I was constantly pulling hay out of my flip-flops during the maze races, which is the only reason I lost! They haven’t had rain in weeks before our visit, so the ground was dry, so if it does rain, I’d maybe think about rain boots for the kids! But I love rain boots!
Things To Do near Gunter
Play
Caudalie Crest Farm and Vineyard has a tasting room, events and goats for the kids! Click HERE to read more.
Preston Trails Farm Big Orange Pumpkin Patch
15102 State Hwy 289 (Preston Rd.), Gunter
Click HERE to visit their website.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
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