Excerpt from “Your Visit” at the farm
Here is some basic information about visiting Winterpast Farm. Please read it instead of calling Farmer Mary with simple questions. She is BUSY most days all day with visitors or groups and cannot stop to chat or give directions or answer questions she has already covered here. Please respect her time. When you are visiting you will be glad if she doesn’t have to answer alot of phone calls during YOUR time at the farm! Please read to the end!!
The best way to schedule a farm visit is to look at the open hours posted on the website (www.winterpast.org) or Facebook page (Winterpast Farm) and then contact Farmer Mary by text (919-244-1800) and suggest a specific date and specific time for a visit. She may say fine or may ask you to pick another time or another date. Birthdays and away events and large groups sometimes get scheduled even after she posts the “open” hours. She tries to update open hours regularly. Be specific! Don’t text “can we come Thursday?” (Especially if the website says we are closed that day!) Text specifics like “4 adults and 6 children Monday at 11 for picnic and tour?”
WHAT IS THE ADDRESS??
12936 Ghoston Road Wake Forest 27587
Located at the end of Six Forks Road just past Highway 98 at Falls Lake
WHEN IS THE FARM OPEN??
The farm is open, usually, most weekdays including holidays, weekdays, weekends and most Sundays. The FARM OPEN schedule is posted very regularly on the Winterpast farm facebook page and on the home page of the website. This varies widely week to week. Farmer Mary is a single mother with four teens and occasionally has to be away from the farm helping with marching band and other teen activities as well as taking her animals to home birthdays and other away events.
Please do not just drop by the farm. PLEASE SET UP YOUR VISIT IN ADVANCE AND DON’T JUST DROP BY! Farmer Mary may be away at a school or church or other event; she may have a group at the farm for a birthday or field trip; she may be busy with one of her four teens; she may be worming the goats or birthing piglets….After contacting Farmer Mary by texting her to ask if your size party can visit at a certain time (please be specific and don’t just say today or this afternoon. You might text “could our party of 3 adults and 5 children come on Friday at noon?” so she can quickly respond without endless back and forth texts. You will be glad if Farmer Mary doesn’t have to stop endlessly to chat or text on her phone to answer basic questions already answered here while YOU are visiting the farm (919-244-1800) Farmer Mary will set up a date and time to meet with your family or group to show you the barn, introduce the animals, walk the land if you like, and feed and pet and hold the animals. 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.
HOW MUCH IS ADMISSION??
Farm visits are $10 per person, all ages. Adopted children visit at no charge. There are old reviews of Winterpast Farm on the Internet showing the old price of $5 per person. If you see one, please let Farmer Mary know so she can try to get the review updated or deleted so people are not misled. The price changed several years ago to reflect the rising cost of feeding the animals and the increasing ongoing rescue work Farmer Mary does with unwanted pets. Please respect our admission price.
Please pay on arrival. Otherwise it is easy to forget and to leave without paying. Please pay $10 per person. Farmer Mary does not have change. There are items to purchase including fresh eggs, peacocks feathers, and unique clay ornaments made by Farmer Mary all at $5 each which you can use to “make change” if necessary. Cash or check only.
The average time of a farm tour is about an hour, although you are welcome to stay longer after Farmer Mary moves on to welcome another group. 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. However, adults must stay with their children and not allow them to chase animals or open gates or pens. Some groups bring lunch or a picnic dinner.`There are picnic tables in a “chicken free” zone by the barn (please help to keep it chicken free and refrain from feeding any stray chickens who might be nearby) and another picnic area is inside the gate where it is very obvious that chickens and other animals will be very close to you.
RULES
No chasing animals and no climbing woodpiles are two. Also, NO OPENING PENS! We have had several naughty children open pens lately and then we all spend our visit time chasing and capturing those animals. There is a very good reason every animal is in a certain place, whether in a pen, front yard or pasture. Ask if you want to know anything.
WHEN IS THE FARM OPEN??
Farmer Mary tries to keep her weekly schedule updated on the Winterpast Farm Facebook page and the www.winterpast.org website. The schedule may vary widely week to week. Texting (919-244-1800) is ALWAYS the best way to contact Farmer Mary, especially for last minute requests for visits. When you text please be specific with number of people, exact date and time of request. This eliminates much back and forth texting. If she is busy with her four teens or with her animals at a preschool, church, away event, group visit, or Birthday party she will NOT have time to chat on the phone.
WHAT TO BRING ALONG ON YOUR FARM VISIT
When you have a date and time settled with Farmer Mary for your visit, it’s time to plan what you will bring along to the farm:
—Food for animals that you can bring can include apples, carrots (any size although new visitors might like to bring longer ones. (the ones with greens attached are tasty to animals on both ends as well as lovely in your photos) kale, cereal (any kind although less sugary the better) crackers (any kind although wheat is best) whole wheat bread (white bread is not good) grapes, celery, green beans and more.Nothing moldy. No meat or cheese (unless it is a treat for CHARLIE the farm dog!)
You will have more fun with more animal food! If you bring food don’t leave it in your car! 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. All animals like to be fed and expect feeding to stay on laps.
—plenty of water for hot days
—possibly a picnic lunch or supper? Farmer Mary has picnic tables set up in several areas. She also has hand sanitizer, antibacterial wipes and hot water and soap available for hand washing.
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
PARKING
When you get to the farm (12936 Ghoston Road Wake Forest 27587) pull in the gravel drive by the big plywood llama and petting zoo sign. Please PARK CLOSELY TOGETHER in our small lot. Please pull up to close to the fence or to the small wood logs marking parking spots and keep others in mind. There is parking for at least 20 cars if YOU park mindfully of others.
Even if your GPS says “turn” DO NOT turn down the adjoining neighbors private road just behind the barn. This happens regularly and is very annoying to the neighbors. Please look for signs and follow the arrow to the farm entrance. If the lot is full you can park on Ghoston Road in front of the farm (wheels off the road) or on Waterline Road just below the farm entrance.
Texting Farmer Mary when you arrive is always a good idea especially if you are early or late. She wouldn’t want to be ten acres back with you waiting at the front gate! 919-244-1800
PLEASE PAY WHEN YOU ENTER
When you enter the gate you can pay your admission (cash or check) in the wooden box at the gate or pay Farmer Mary. Please pay on arrival. Otherwise it is easy to forget and to leave without paying. Please pay $10 per person. This is the price of admission. Please pay $10 PER PERSON.
Farmer Mary DOES NOT HAVE CHANGE. There are items to purchase including fresh eggs, peacocks feathers, and unique clay ornaments made by Farmer Mary all at $5 each which you can use to “make change” if necessary.
PLEASE RESPECT OUR ADMISSION PRICE
Farmer Mary is raising teens and animals with her farm income; this is NOT a sideline hobby. Admission is $10 per person. Adults $10. Children $10. Toddlers $10. Please respect our admission price and plan to pay $10 per person at the gate before you enter. Adopted children and Foster children visit at no charge. (Farmer Mary adopted two of her four children.) Farmer Mary does not have change. Please have exact cash (or buy a dozen fresh eggs $5 and/ or a beautiful peacock feather $5). You may also pay by a check made out to Winterpast Farm. Thank you.
Farmer Mary will greet you and help you transfer your animal feed into bucket which is easier to carry around. She occasionally has corn and crackers and other animal food for sale in case you forgot. 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.
Feel free to feed animals (offer any animal anything; sometimes they will surprise you: did you know the goose loves carrots and the peacocks love grapes?) Feel free to take pictures…Farmer Mary will assist with holding animals and with the pasture walk. She is also always happy to take photos of your group with your camera.
WATCH YOUR CHILDREN AT ALL TIMES
Please keep an eye on your children and do not allow them to open cages, close cages (some pens are open until animals put themselves to bed there at night), chase animals, handle eggs or clay ornaments which are displayed for sale or to open gates to the pasture. Please do not allow them to take fake lizards from the forest path or to take displayed peacock feathers. Peacocks molt their long tail feathers every fall and selling their feathers pays for their food. Peacock feathers are for sale for $5 each. Feathers found on the ground are free for you to take home.
PICNIC AT THE FARM
There are many picnic tables and you are welcome to bring along a picnic lunch or supper or snacks. Please clean up after yourself as soon as you are finished eating and please look under and around the table for plastic straw wrappers or other trash the animals might eat. There are plenty of trash cans and recycling bins for your use. There is a new picnic area by the barn/parking where you can dine “chicken free.” ( in order to keep this area “chicken free” please do NOT feed the rare chicken who might wander out there ). There are also picnic tables inside the gate where you will be much closer to animals and a chicken may try to jump on the table or Charlie the farm dog may hang out closeby. If you don’t want the possibility of a chicken near your food simply DO NOT choose to picnic in that area.
OF COURSE THERE IS A BATHROOM
There is a composting toilet to the left of the peacock pen. The bathroom has everything you need including antibacterial wipes for hands. Please tell Farmer Mary directly if there is a problem…no toilet paper, low supply of sawdust to cover your “deposit”, spider webs…she is very happy to assist you immediately.
There is antibacterial sanitizer and wipes at the table where you get your feed bucket. There is hot water hand washing, if you prefer, out the gate at the barn by where you parked. If you want to use this, please open any closed gate and then close all gates and doors you open and watch your children by the parking lot. Please turn OFF the water if you use this sink.
Please feel free to ask Farmer Mary any questions or for any assistance. Thank you for supporting a small local farm family.
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