Stone Barns

 

One of my new year’s resolutions was to visit places that make me genuinely happy just being there—Stone Barns is one of those places. So, the day before Mother’s Day, we decided to leave the city early and get to the barn while it was waking up.

The day was glorious. As we walked up to the information desk to get a layout of where the animals were that day, the birds were singing and we were greeted by a beautiful lilac tree. Lilacs and peonies are two of my favorite flowers—I am lucky they coincide with Mother’s Day! 

Hens

After we got our map, we headed to the hens. You can actually collect eggs at the barn, but unfortunately for us, the next session was completely full already. Lesson learned: book ahead. 

 

Alex did a great job feeding the hens. We all got a little nip from them, but it didn’t hurt and we laughed about it the rest of the day. He was still talking about it the next day. 

Pigs

We then headed over to the pigs. These are actually piglets, even though they seemed rather large to me. They loved to roll around in the mud, as pigs do, and Alex was enchanted by their behavior.

 

Sheep 

After the pigs, we got to visit the sheep. We were fortunate in that one of the farmers was tending them when we arrived. He told us a little about the sheep and even let us pet Woolly, a sheep that was born with a genetic mutation—they weren’t sure that Woolly was going to make it, but he did. He was the littlest guy out there, but seemed to be doing well. 

Woolly  

Alex then got to feed some of the sheep. It was amazing. And, the farmer was pretty amazing too—look at those arms! 

Bees

We stopped by the bees, as they were doing a demonstration on how they make honey. It was fascinating…and sort of terrifying, as I am a little afraid of bees. It gave me an entirely new respect for the magic of nature and where my honey comes from. 

The Grounds

We strolled the grounds after we saw many of the animals. Alex wanted to climb on some of the rocks, ride the antique tractor and then we sat by one of the fences and just relaxed in the grass—it was beautiful. 

One of the reasons I love this place is that is about a 40-minute drive from the heart of the city. But, you are transported. It feels like you step back in time, to a time when you collected the eggs you used in your cake, when you were more connected to the land and the world around you. We love this place and try to make it a point to go several times a year. 

One of the many beautiful flowers on the grounds.