A Year-Round Guide to Family Fun on the Farm in Minnesota

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Girls learning how to pump water at Eidem Farm in Minnesota

This fun year-round guide details family-friendly farms, activities, events, special days and festivals for kids and families in Minnesota. One of the great things about agriculture is that it is necessarily unique to its environment. So, while there are farms all around the world, you will get a uniquely Minnesotan experience visiting these working farms.

Spring Family-Friendly Farms

Collage of spring farm baby event at Dodge Nature Center in South St. Paul, Minnesota

Spring is the time to find farm babies, to begin planting for a fall harvest and to welcome pollinators back to the barnyard. Strawberries ripen in the late spring, beckoning families to come pick their own tasty treats. A working farm is busy in the spring and there is plenty of family fun to be found.

Where to Find the Minnesota Farm Babies

Of course the Minnesota Zoo is the go to place to find baby farm animals, but options don’t stop there. Special events, petting zoos and open barnyards happen all over the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. Piglets, chicks, kids, lambs, ducklings and other babies are all ready to be viewed and possibly pet.

Strawberry Picking

Strawberries usher in the pick-your-own produce season toward the end of spring in mid-June. Weather permitting, we can continue to pick into July. Visitors will sometimes find other spring vegetables – like asparagus and salad mixes available to purchase as well.

Summer Farm Life

Gibbs Farm Summer Camp

Summer is hopping on local farms. Pizza farms gear up for a summer of delicous opportunities to visit the country. Special family programs abound throughout the metro area, summer camps introduce kids to farm life and many farms offer summer birthday party packages.

Saturday Mornings on the Farm

Worth a special mention, Three Rivers Park District’s Gale Woods Farm in Minnetrista offers its weekly Saturday Mornings on the Farm, where families can explore the barn, participate in farm chores, a meet a variety of animals. This is a drop-in event with a small admission fee. Sometimes they offer breakfast on the farm events where you can eat those eggs you helped gather.

FFTC’s Guide to Twin Cities Area Pizza Farms

Many of our favorite pizza farms have animals of all kids in residence. Most are open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day and have picnic tables where you can enjoy your pizza dinner.

Twin Cities Birthday Parties for Kids: Animal Lovers

Among our animal-loving birthday ideas are farms, mobile petting zoos, pony rides and horseback riding opportunities.

Twin Cities Pick-Your-Own Produce Farms

Strawberries are still available into early summer, but you’ll also find raspberries and blueberries in July and a host of harvest veggies ripening in August.

Fall Fun at the Farm

Girl in a wagon full of pumpkins at Waldoch Farm in Lino Lakes Minnesota

September, October and part of November offer bountiful supply of harvest festivals, pick-your-own opportunities and chances to visit the farm.

Minnesota State Fair

Kick off the beginning of fall with the Minnesota State Fair. Close to both Downtown Minneapolis and Downtown St. Paul, its a great opportunity for city kids to see pigs, chickens, goats, sheep, rabbits and more farm animals.

Twin Cities Apple Orchards

Picking apples is the beginning of harvest farm season. Many of the orchards on this list are also part of our pumpkin patch and corn maze lists.

The Best Twin Cities Pumpkin Patches

Pumpkin Farms are so much more than pumpkins. They often offer hayrides, corn pits and wagon rides.

Twin Cities Corn Mazes for Families

Like pumpkin farms, corn mazes are usually part of a bigger farm package. Kids can climb in a corn pit, play on a farm-themed playground and visit the petting zoo at most of these corn mazes.

Twin Cities Stables

Gianna toured as many Twin Cities Stables as she could a few years ago and has reviewed each of them for riding with kids. While horseback riding can be a year-round activity, we think it has particular appeal in the fall – before its too cold but after the bugs have died down. Add colorful trails to the mix and the autumn riding experience can’t be beat!

Winter Farms

Courtyard of Krueger's Tree Farm in Lake Elmo, MN

Winter is a quiet time in farm life, but many of the historic farms in the area offer Holiday festivals and sledding opportunities. Don’t forget to visit a Christmas Tree Farm! Before you know it, it is Maple Sugaring weather.

Real Christmas Tree Farms Near the Twin Cities

Christmas tree farms offer a peak at rural life during the quiet of winter. You might get a chance to go on a sleigh ride, roast marshmallows or chestnuts around a camp fire, visit the animals or just walk through the acres of farmland to find the perfect Christmas Tree on a crisp, cool day.

Maple Syruping with Kids in the Twin Cities

Farms and parks around Minnesota harvest maple sap in March (sometimes February or April) each year. Join a community event to learn more about Maple Sugaring and maybe sample some of the product.

24 Family-Friendly Working Farms Near Minneapolis and Saint Paul

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