Green Meadows Petting Farm in Wisconsin Makes Learning Fun for Kids by Mike Prochaska

Green Meadows Petting Farm is an amazing petting zoo full of animals for children to learn about and an awesome place for kids to do open-ended play. They do an amazing job setting up the farm in a way that children can learn though play and explore animals and the world. Taking my kids here reminds me that sometimes the simplest things are still the best. I love how laid back it is here.

The farm was started in 1964 in Waterford, Wis., by Bob and Coni Keyes when they decided to convert their 80-acre hog and cattle business into a “pick-your-own” vegetables and raspberry farm. When they discovered that most of the other “pick-your-own” farms in and around the Milwaukee area excluded children, they marketed their farm as a place to “bring the family.” They also decided to incorporate some of the farm animals as an additional way to draw in families and, voila, the petting zoo was born! Every year they find new ways to grow the farm.

Green Meadows Petting Farm opens at 10 a.m. and many families go in the morning right when the farm opens because there is so much to do here. And honestly, if your children don’t nap parents can spend all day here. 

The farm offers pony rides that are perfect for young kids. There is so many other awesome things to do at this farm afterwards. There are several playgrounds with lots of different playground equipment, silos that are sand pits, a hay ride, a wagon ride and then all the animals – pot-bellied pigs, sheep, donkeys, chickens, turkeys, llama, pigs, goats and you can’t forget the kitties!

There is a very agile tractor that pulls about a dozen "cars" that are like over-sized Radio Flyer wagons. It zips all over the property and my kids love to ride on it! There is also a hay ride, which takes you around a field that in the fall is a pumpkin patch.

The goats have their own area inside one of the barns. We always feed and pet the goats, and the farm lets you brush them, which my kids love. My son can spend hours petting, feeding and talking to the goats. There is also an area to feed chickens.

The farm also has these amazing corn boxes. They are huge and covered so if it starts to rain the kids can hide in the corn box. There are shovels, buckets and trucks for the children to explore the corn with. My kids love this so much I tried making a corn box for them at home. (I always find tons of corn in my pockets on the way home!)

Green Meadows also has a zipline inside the barn, and the kids fall into the hay at the end. I have been told that this the best part by my kids. In this area there's also a slide inside a giant tube. The main building has a store for gifts and a snack bar. You can picnic and bring your own food as well and there are plenty of tables to eat on in the shade.

So the next time you’re looking for an adventure, check out Green Meadows Petting Farm. Parents will have as much fun as the kids! Green Meadows is always running Groupon deals or you can get a season pass for $40. Trust me, this farm is worth the drive to East Troy, Wis.