An oink, oink here and an oink, oink there

by Natasha Spring is back! There is no better way to welcome the season than taking your kids out to enjoy the fresh air. Last year, we took Baby H on a fun outing to the Valley View Little Animal Farm located off of Fallowfield Road in Ottawa. Our family cannot wait until Valley View re-opens for the season on April 16th, they are open 7 days a week and the admission per person is $8.00. Children under the age of 2 enter free of charge.

I remember driving past this place a million times and never really thought much of it. It looked small, and uneventful. When we ventured in, I found that while it looked small and desolate, it was actually much bigger once in and contained a lot of things. There were numerous activities for little children to partake in. There was nothing about the place that was remotely uneventful.

You can walk all along the farm and see all types of animals.  They have pigs, ducks, horses, deer, peacocks and lamas, just to name a few.

They also have a newborn animal section that had a couple of baby sheep that were only a few days old.  They were absolutely adorable! What is it about cute little sheep that makes me want to cuddle instantly?!

Visitors at the farm can also purchase animal food for 25 cents and feed it to the babies.  Baby H is a bit young to doing this, but the older children at the farm were beyond ecstatic to be doing this. Talk about making farm chores look fun and interesting.

There was also a little train ride that took us across the farm, where a few puppet shows were taking place. In our case, the giant play area with several play structures and sandboxes proved a hit with the little guys. But the cool thing about this farm was the existence of an "Old Farm" museum. Valley View Farm has a barn that houses their private collection of farm equipment from the last century.  There are some hand tools, steam and stationary engines.

If you plan to eat a lunch there, they have a reasonably priced restaurant on site. Baby H got himself a grilled cheese sandwich and just sat there happily munching on it. They also have a few picnic tables if you want to pack your own food.

Overall, this spot is a very nice outing for your family within the city's parameters. You don't need to venture too far to get a feel of a farm. Children go absolutely nuts over baaing animals, and will have plenty of room to run around.

Enjoy the farm everyone!

Natasha is a new mommy to her first born, Baby H. She runs ShopHaven, a blog that reviews products and profiles local businesses and individuals from the Ottawa area. Natasha is also the creative force behind ShopHaven Baskets; a highly customized gift baskets service.