We heard about Triple C Farm from some friends and were waiting for a sunny, dry day to go check it out after their recommendation that it can be a little bit muddy when there's been rain!
If you're not familiar with Triple C Farm, it's a family run farm at 500 Carluke Road West outside of Ancaster. About a 20 minute drive from our home on Hamilton Mountain, it's the perfect little outing for the morning or after our toddler wakes up from his nap. Your little one can run free in the fresh air and a visit is quite affordable with a donation of $5 per person to visit the petting zoo-- and the money is used for animal care and food.
You can read more about the story behind Triple C Farm here, but in short, the farm is run by Tricia, Pascal and their three sons with autism, Geoffrey, Michael and Richard. The farm is private livestock sanctuary that is home to many rescue animals, and the farm provides a safe place for adults with special needs to learn the skills related to farming and animal rescue. When we visited the farm there was a group of young adults with special needs visiting, and our toddler enjoyed interacting with them, and vice versa. The story of Triple C Farm is very heartwarming and throughout or visit we were consistently greeted by friendly faces who told us stories about the animals and how the farm operates.
Triple C Farm offers a plethora of options for interacting with the animals in addition to their petting zoo. They host birthday parties, horseback riding, goat yoga, a mobile petting zoo, field trips and more. They'll also bring their baby goats to retirement homes, palliative care units and long term care facilities, spreading that tiny goat love to people who could use a smile!
We spent about 1.5 hours at Triple C Farm and did a variety of activities such as watching the farmers feed the horses, checking out the ducklings, spending a lot of time in the petting zoo paddock, feeding ducks at the pond and walking the paths.
Everything was fun and interesting for our toddler, but the paddock was certainly a hit! He became very chatty and super interactive with the goats, sheep, pigs, calves, alpacas and chickens in the paddock and spent a lot of time examining their features. I held a baby goat named Doodle for him to pet and see up close which he loved. The paddock has children's play equipment which the goats climb as the children watch and laugh. It also has a few stalls that the children can look in to see different animals.
We really enjoyed our time at Triple C Farm and our little one talked about his visit for days afterwards. Everyone we met was very welcoming and more than willing to answer our questions or allow us to take part in feeding the animals. Before you go, here are a few tips to help you plan your visit:
Wear your play clothes and shoes. It's a farm! It's muddy, there's lots of goat and sheep and other poo and you're guaranteed to step in it, and your toddler is probably guaranteed to fall into it. Bring an extra pair of clothes and shoes for your toddler in case this happens, so he doesn't have to ride home in a diaper like mine!
Bring a snack and have a picnic! There are lots of grassy areas and some picnic tables to enjoy a little break. They do have hand washing stations and hand sanitizer available but I would almost recommend having your snack before you get into the nitty gritty of petting and feeding animals, just to be safe!
Check their Facebook page on the morning of your planned visit to ensure that they're open. The petting zoo is closed on rainy days. Generally, the petting zoo is open from 10am-5pm, but is closed on Wednesdays.
If you're looking for an easy-going way to spend a morning or afternoon in the fresh air where your little one can run free, Triple C Farm is a great option! We loved Triple C Farm! What other similar activities do you recommend we check out this summer in the Hamilton area?
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