As the crisp breeze of fall approaches North Carolina, folks are starting to partake in various fall activities! If you find yourself wanting to relax and appreciate an idyllic fall day, find your way to Spring Haven Farm in Chapel Hill. The farm — fifteen minutes from downtown — is full of small-town country charm.
Spring Haven Farm owner Andrew Crishfield and his wife have been running the farm since 2003 but only opened it to the public in 2016. They first started growing vegetables to sell, but when that didn’t cover the bill they opened their farm for goat yoga. Andrew Crishfield and his son Cullen now run the family business together.
“Since we made more money doing goat yoga in one week than we did in a month of growing vegetables, we decided to go into agricultural tourism,” said Crishfield.
“Spring Haven farm is a community farm where we enjoy sharing the joy of our farm with everyone who visits,” he said.
Immerse yourself in the farm lifestyle…
Spring Haven Farms has countless farm life to interact with; including highland cows, horses, miniature donkeys, pigs, ducks, chickens, cats, dogs, and goats.
The animals are followed by a paparazzi of kids and adults excited to get a chance to feed and pet them. This is another great thing about the farm, patrons are permitted to feed any animal with the food they are provided with among admission.
Crishfield said, “We have four people dedicated to taking care of the animals, and taking care of the animals includes making sure they have proper vaccines, clean stalls, excellent food, and lots of love.”
The farm prides itself on caring for its animals. They are not just an attraction; they are family. So when you visit, you support a happy home for our furry friends.
If you get hungry…
Treat yourself to a sweet treat and some hot apple cider at the general store! Various baked goods, hot drinks, soda, candy, and popcorn are available.
If you want to take a piece of the farm home with you, the general store is also full of merchandise such as t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and other trinkets.
Looking for something more filling? Stop by the “Salt and Pepper” food truck. They sell a variety of comfort foods that you can pick from hot dogs and sandwiches to pizza.
Last but not least, gather around the bonfire and roast marshmallows. Smores kits are sold in the general store!
Enjoy all the family activities the farm has to offer…
Now for the main attraction…
The reason everyone comes to Spring Haven Farms: pumpkin carving with the goats. Once you pick a pumpkin from the patch, you receive a bucket of materials and welcomed into the goat pen.
Whatever table you picked you will be greeted by at least one happy goat ready for you to feed it all your scraps.
Leighton Livengood, a sophomore at Enloe High School, said, ”Different goats had different personalities. The one at our table took a nap the whole time and wouldn’t even eat when we tried to feed it. We named him Fredrick. However, other goats were very playful and loved eating all our pumpkin guts.”
The goat loves to be involved in the carving process — sometimes a bit too involved — so you might have to protect your pumpkins. Nevertheless, the goats can’t get enough of all the love and food the patrons give them, so don’t be afraid to give them extra scraps and ear scratches.
Avery carrol, junior, said, “The atmosphere is very family friendly and a perfect place for a fall outing.”
If you are looking to plan your trip to Spring haven farms you can find ticket information on their website.
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