PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE POST INSTEAD OF CALLING WITH QUESTIONS THAT ARE ALL ANSWERED HERE
Top six questions answered-copied from “your visit” page
1. Admission is $10 for all ages. Tiny babies in arms or slings who Farmer Mary will not be interacting with do not have to pay. Cash. Cash ONLY-Farmer Mary has had way too many bad checks returned lately!No credit cards. Please be ready to pay on arrival. No change is available. Please respect our admission price. No change is available. Please respect our admission price. Please be prepared to pay on arrival.
2. Our parking lot is small so park CLOSE together. The address is 12936 Ghoston Road, Wake Forest NC 27587. The entrance is at 12936 Ghoston Road. PLEASE DO NOT TURN DOWN OUR NEIGHBORS PRIVATE ROAD BEHIND THE BARN (even if your GPS tells you to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Winterpast Farm is located near Falls Lake at the end of Six Forks Road off Highway 98. Please make an appointment to visit.
3. Check open hours posted on website or facebook page then text to arrange a visit DURING those open hours. Please don’t just drop in. Farmer Mary likes to know when people are coming so she can be available near the gate. She doesn’t want to be ten acres back fixing a fence when you arrive! Please don’t text “can we come Thursday?” PLEASE BE SPECIFIC to avoid endless back and forth texts. For example you could text “group of five moms and six kids this Thursday at noon for picnic lunch and tour?” Farmer Mary is busy and cannot chat on the phone. YOU will be very happy if she doesn’t spend all her time on the phone while YOU are visiting.Please text only between 8am and 10pm. Farmer Mary will not return texts made at 6am or midnight!
Please text to schedule your visit. Please text only between 8am and 10pm. Farmer Mary will not return texts made at 6am or midnight!
4. BRING FOOD FOR FEEDING THE ANIMALS! Long list is below. Short list is kale, romaine lettuce, leafy celery, green beans, apple slices, whole wheat crackers, whole wheat bread, cereal (any but pain cheerios are best), carrots (presliced into long skinny strips is ideal)celery, apples (presliced is nice or we have a knife here), grapes.
Farmer Mary usually has some $5 mixed buckets of animal feed for sale and sometimes has sleeves of crackers, cereal or corn in baggies available for sale. You will have more fun with more animal food! If you choose to not bring animal food and choose to not buy animal food please DO NOT allow your children to mooch animal food from other visiors. Most visitors who choose to are able to hold bunnies, guinea pigs, chicks when available, chickens, baby goats and whatever else is small and cuddly. Most will snuggle longer if you are feeding them.
5. Yes there is a bathroom (port-o-john in the parking lot) )and hand washing (sink and hot water at the barn)
6. Please plan to keep a close eye on your children while you are here. Please do not allow them to open closed cages, to close open cages , to stick fingers in cages or to chase any animals. You must stay with your hildren while they are holding animals and while they are on hammocks.
Now on to what to bring!
When you plan a visit to Winterpast Farm you can bring along food to feed the animals. This will make the visit more fun since regular visitors know what food to bring and your children will be sad if they have nothing to feed the animals. The food also encourages the bunnies and guinea pigs to sit on laps so please plan to bring food if you want to interact this way. Farmer Mary usually has some $5 mixed buckets of animal feed for sale as well as some sleeves of crackers, some carrots and corn available by the baggie full for sale.
Some things the animals like include:
Apple slices
Carrots (big, small, they esp love the ones with greens still attached! New visitors may like to hold a long carrot as they learn how to feed the animals)
grapes
kale
Cabbage
Romaine lettuce
collards
Celery
Peppers (yellow and red they like more than green)
Cereal- any is fine, but Cheerios type plain is best and the most popular
Crackers
Bread (whole wheat is best, and sturdy slices are easier to hold out for feeding, or to throw a slice to the ducks and turtles in the pond. White bread is NOT HEALTHY FOR ANIMALS TO EAT! Do not bring white bread or rolls,
Raisins, dried fruit of any sort
green beans
parsley, cilantro
Almost anything but meat or cheese, and please, nothing moldy.
Feel free to clean out your cupboards and pantry and bring outdated or stale food. Farmer Mary can use outdated cans of food for the pigs so bring it along! Some frequent farm visitors bring food when they clear out their refrigerator before vacation.
This fall bring your pumpkin innards to feed the pigs after you carve your Halloween pumpkin!
If you have extra oranges, Farmer Mary gives the bunnies and Guinea pigs orange halves or slices regularly for the vitamin C.
If you are clearing out your garden bring the vines and too big beans and other veggies..someone will eat it!
Favorites of the animals (this can change a bit!)
GOATS: apples, carrots, grapes, celery, sometimes orange slices, green beans
Bunnies:apples, carrots, celery, kale and other greens, crackers, raisins, veggies
Guniea pigs:same as bunnies
Peacocks: bread, crackers, kale, apple slices, grapes, dry dog food
goats: apple slices, carrots, celery, kale sometimes, crackers, veggies
CLAIRE the Donkey: apple slices, carrots, sometimes celery, crackers
Ducks and chickens:crackers, corn, cereal, apple slices (if thin)
EMU: dry dog food, apple slices, kaLe, grapes, crackers,
General Dislikes: onions, leeks, white potatoes, lemons, limes
They will eventually eat sweet potatoes and squash of any sort, but may not take it from your hand unless sliced very thinly. These can also be left in bunny and guniea pig cages for them to snack on.
Farmer Mary is happy to take unwanted dry cat and dog food. She often has a rescue pup living at the farm.
The food visitors bring are just treats for the animals. Farmer Mary regularly heads to Tractor Supply or Southern States for feed for all her animals. If you want to donate feed to the animals here is the types food Farmer Mary regularly buys at Tractor Supply or Southern States:
Whole corn
Pig food
Cracked corn
Scratch feed
Rabbit feed (any brand)
Goat food (any brand)
Sheep food (any brand)
Sweet feed (for goats, or labeled for all livestock, any breed)
Doggy Bag brand dog food at Tractor Supply (for the emu)
Shredded. Beet pulp
Poultry feed- any brand, crumbles or pellets.
Winterpast Farm has a new Amazon Wish List if you would like to help Farmer Mary feed and care for the animals here.
THANK YOU for supporting a small local farm family!
If you have a friend who is in any food-related business who might have excess food available, please let Farmer Mary know. She is very happy to take donations of bread, food, outdated food, hay bales that have been used for decor (same with pumpkins)
Thank you for supporting a small local family farm. Thank you for telling your friends about Winterpast Farm! Be sure and suggest they read this!
(919) 244-1800 is best for texting Farmer Mary. Please text to schedule your visit. Please text only between 8am and 10pm. Farmer Mary will NOT return texts made at 6am or midnight!
Please make an appointment to visit. Text Farmer Mary with farm visit requests. Please state dates you want the ages, ages that will interact with the animals, remind Farmer Mary if you have visited the farm, mention specific animals uou want to see or if you hope to collect and buy eggs. Please try to provide as much information possible so Farmer Mary can simply reply “yes” and avoid endless back and forth texts. 919-244-1800. Please do not FB message, Instagram message, leave voice mails, or try to email. Texting ONLY please. 919-244-1800. Please text only between 8am and 10pm. Farmer Mary will not return texts made at 6am or midnight!
Please text to schedule your visit. Please text only between 8am and 10pm. Farmer Mary will not return texts made at 6am or midnight!
Please bring exact cash for $10 per person admission. Cash ONLY-Farmer Mary has had way too many bad checks returned lately!
Please text only between 8am and 10pm. Farmer Mary will not return texts made at 6am or midnight!