Farm Visits & Baby Animals

Maine’s agricultural roots run deeper than most visitors realize. While Maine is famous for lobster and lighthouses, farming has shaped Maine’s landscape and communities for over two centuries. Today, a new generation of farmers—alongside families who have worked the same land for generations—are keeping those traditions alive while adding modern twists like alpaca fiber, artisan cheese, and organic vegetables.

In April and May, barns across Maine fill with lambs, goat kids, and calves, and many farms open their doors for hands-on visits. The experience of watching a kid goat take its first wobbly steps or holding a day-old chick connects children (and adults) to where food actually comes from. Later in summer and fall, farm stands and u-pick fields take over, letting you meet the growers behind your food and taste the difference that Maine’s short but intense growing season makes.

Why Visit a Maine Farm?

Beyond the obvious joy of baby animals and fresh produce, farm visits offer something increasingly rare: a chance to see working land and the people who tend it. Maine farms are diverse—you’ll find everything from fifth-generation dairy operations to first-generation vegetable growers who left office jobs to work the soil. Many farmers are eager to share their knowledge, whether that’s explaining how maple sap becomes syrup or demonstrating the art of shearing an alpaca.

Best Times to Go

Spring (April-May): Baby animal season at sheep, goat, and alpaca farms; maple houses may still be boiling early April.
Early summer (June): Strawberries and the first farm stands open; fewer crowds than peak season.
Mid-late summer: Blueberries, raspberries, and vegetables abound; dairy creameries run ice cream windows.
Fall: Apple orchards and pumpkin patches; farm stores stock cider, squash, and late-season greens.

Can’t-Miss Farm Experiences

Maine Fiber Tour

Often held in the fall, but many alpaca and sheep farms welcome visitors in spring to see the new babies and learn about shearing and spinning.

Pineland Farms (New Gloucester): A 5,000-acre working farm campus with daily animal barn visits, walking trails, and a top-notch market and creamery.
Smiling Hill Farm (Westbrook): Known for its glass-bottled milk, petting zoo, and homemade ice cream; easy add-on to a Portland trip.
Abenaki Alpaca Farm (Sanford): Offers close-up alpaca encounters and a shop selling yarn and knit goods from the herd.

Open Farm Day (Statewide)

Held annually in July, over 100 farms open for free tours, cheese tastings, wagon rides, and demonstrations. Check the state farm bureau map, pick a region, and build a loop with 3-5 stops so you are not rushed.

U-Pick and Farm Stands

Wild blueberries (late July-August): Look for low-bush fields Down East and in the midcoast; call ahead because ripening varies by microclimate.
Strawberries (late June-July): Southern and central Maine fields open first; arrive early before fields get picked out.
Vegetable farm stands: Many operate honesty boxes; bring small bills and a cooler for greens, eggs, and cheese.

Kennebec Valley Farm Loop

Just east of Augusta, Whitefield, Chelsea, and Dresden host roadside stands and sugarhouses along the Sheepscot and Kennebec corridors. Pair a market stop with river views, then continue to Gardiner or Wiscasset for lunch.

How to Visit Respectfully

Check hours: Many small farms are family-run with limited public hours. Confirm before driving.
Parking and gates: Park where directed, close any gates you open, and keep kids from climbing fences.
Hands off unless invited: Animals may be stressed by overhandling. Let farmers guide interactions.
Biosecurity: Clean shoes before/after visits and avoid visiting multiple livestock farms in one day if there are disease concerns.
Support the farm: Buy something—a dozen eggs, a skein of yarn, a pint of syrup. It keeps the farm open to visitors.

Good Pairings for a Day Out

Freeport/Brunswick: Combine a morning at a dairy or vegetable farm with an L.L.Bean stop and a coastal walk.
Portland area: Hit Smiling Hill or Pineland, then breweries or beaches nearby.
Midcoast: Pair blueberry or vegetable stands with a Pemaquid Point or Camden Hills hike.
Western Maine: Visit maple houses and orchards around Bethel, then drive the Grafton Notch scenic byway.
Aroostook County: Visit potato farms during harvest season (September-October), then explore the Crown of Maine.

More Farms Worth Visiting

Dairy & Cheese

Silvery Moon Creamery (Westbrook): Award-winning cheeses from a small herd of Brown Swiss cows.
Appleton Creamery (Appleton): Goat cheese from a picturesque midcoast farm.
MOO Milk Moo Ice Cream (Freeport): Small-batch ice cream made on-site.

Fiber & Animals

Northern Solstice Alpaca Farm (Unity): Meet the herd and shop for yarn and finished goods.
Misty Meadows Farm (Clinton): Sheep farm offering tours during lambing season.

Vegetables & Orchards

Ricker Hill Orchards (Turner): One of Maine’s largest apple orchards, with hard cider tastings.
Snell Family Farm (Buxton): Diverse vegetables, walking trails, and farm animals.

The Farm-to-Table Connection

Maine’s farm visit tradition connects directly to Maine’s thriving farm-to-table restaurant scene. Many of the farms you visit supply the restaurants in Portland, Rockland, and beyond. Eating at a farm-focused restaurant after visiting a farm completes the circle—you might see the same vegetables you picked that morning on your dinner plate.

Farmers markets also bridge this gap. Nearly every town of any size hosts a weekly market from May through October, where you can meet farmers, sample products, and stock up on fresh food that was often harvested that morning.

Planning Your Farm Visit

The Maine Farmland Trust and Maine Farm Bureau maintain directories of farms open to visitors. Before driving, always call ahead or check websites—most farms are family operations with limited hours. Weekends tend to be busiest; weekday mornings often offer more personal attention and quieter experiences.

Whether you come for baby goats, fresh strawberries, or just a chance to walk on working land, Maine farms offer an experience that connects you to the seasons, the soil, and the people who grow your food.

What to Expect

First-time farm visitors sometimes feel uncertain about what to do or how to act. Don’t overthink it. Most farm families are genuinely happy to share their way of life and answer questions. Children are generally welcome, though supervision is important around animals and equipment.

Expect a bit of mud, some animal smells, and facilities that may be basic. That’s part of the authenticity. Bring hand sanitizer if you’re particular, but embrace the reality that farms are working places, not sanitized tourist attractions. The animals are real, the work is real, and that’s what makes the experience valuable.

Supporting Maine Agriculture

When you visit a farm and make a purchase—whether it’s a dozen eggs, a bag of apples, or a skein of hand-spun yarn—you’re doing more than buying a product. You’re supporting a family business, preserving working farmland, and investing in Maine’s agricultural future.

Maine has lost significant farmland over the past century, but a new generation of farmers is working to reverse that trend. Many are young people who’ve chosen farming deliberately, often after careers in other fields. Your visit and purchases help make that choice economically viable.

The Maine Farmland Trust works to protect farmland and connect new farmers with land and resources. Many farms participate in programs that make local food accessible to all income levels. When you support Maine farms, you’re supporting an entire ecosystem of food production, land stewardship, and community building that benefits Maine as a whole.

Bringing It All Together

A well-planned farm visit can become the centerpiece of a Maine day trip or vacation. Consider these sample itineraries:

Southern Maine Farm Day: Morning at Smiling Hill Farm (animals and ice cream), lunch in Portland, afternoon at a coastal farm stand, dinner featuring ingredients you purchased that day.

Midcoast Agricultural Loop: Start at a Camden-area vegetable farm, stop at Appleton Creamery for goat cheese, visit a fiber farm in the afternoon, end with a farm-to-table dinner in Rockland.

Western Maine Maple and Orchard Tour: Morning at a sugarhouse (March-April), lunch at a farmhouse café, afternoon at Ricker Hill Orchards, evening in Bethel.

The farms you visit become part of the story you tell about your Maine trip—and the products you bring home become edible souvenirs that connect you to the place long after you’ve returned home.